Yalonda Green will begin the MSLS program at UK in Fall 2016.

Yalonda Green, a Library Science master’s candidate at the School of Information Science has been awarded the 2016-2017 Spectrum Scholarship by the American Library Association (ALA). Green’s scholarship is funded by the Association for Library Services to Children (ASLC) in honor of Ellen Fader—only one Spectrum Scholarship of this kind is awarded each year.  A press release was issued in June announcing the full list of recipients.

Green currently works at the Louisville Free Public Library (LFPL) at the Shively-Newman branch as a Library Assistant in Children’s Services. As part of her award, she will travel to Chicago, IL to participate in the 2017 ALA Annual Conference.

Green initially became aware of scholarship opportunities from ALA in 2014 when she first decided to pursue her degree.  “When I decided to try library school again, I knew immediately that I wanted to apply for ALA’s scholarships, the Spectrum Award in particular,” she explains. “In preparing my application essays, I worked hard to articulate my passion for working with children and their families through intersectional library services, resources and outreach for Louisville’s diverse communities. I’m humbled to have been named the ALSC Scholar in honor of Ellen Fader for the 2016-2017 Spectrum Scholarships. “

Green came to the Library Science field after being inspired by her experiences at LFPL working with children.  “Not long after joining the Louisville Free Public Library, I fell in love with children’s books and youth services. I want to enrich the learning experiences of children and families. I grew up in a home filled with books, many secondhand—literature and dictionaries, how-to manuals and photography mags, almanacs and Donald Goines novels. We were a working-class family on Detroit's west side. My folks weren't huge readers, but they valued books, especially encyclopedias. They invested in knowing where to find answers and always encouraged my bookishness. Despite their support for me as a reader, however, I was never taken to libraries as a child. I want to offer the sorts of programs that I never experienced growing up,” says Green.

Her goal is to obtain a librarian position in youth services. “As a youth librarian, I want to help a diversity of young readers, and their families, to navigate their world. My goal is to provide library services that: promote access, engagement and transformation through culturally diverse material collections that speak to young readers; cater to underserved users; focus on family/community literacies and innovative outreach programs that respect issues of intersectionality; meet the literacy needs of patrons through intergenerational programs that embrace emerging technologies, encourage imagination and engender critical thought,” she says. “Through library exploration, ideas become material; libraries nourish children and families who, in turn, nourish communities. We help folks not only to find, but to phrase their needs. That’s the sort of work I want to do. And I believe it suits me.”

UK SIS congratulates Ms. Green on this immense achievement and welcomes her to the MSLS program this Fall where she is pursuing the Youth Services & Literature track.

The ALA Spectrum Scholarship Program aims to increase the number of racially and ethnically diverse professionals working as leaders in the library field. For more information about the ALA Spectrum scholarships and other opportunities for MSLS students, visit the American Library Association website.