91´«Ã½

CHICAGO - The 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) has named Bridget D. Ward of Wilson, N.C., the recipient of the 2010 Mary V. Gaver Scholarship.

The $3,000 scholarship was established to honor the memory of a past 91´«Ã½ president and Rutgers University professor, who made many contributions to library youth services. The scholarship is awarded to a person pursuing a master's degree in library and information studies, with a specialty in youth services.

Ward is excited by outreach work for all ages: “once people see what the library has to offer, they will become patrons who will find ways to inform and educate themselves.” Her passion, however, is for youth librarianship: she holds a master’s in teaching and is certified as a secondary English teacher. She plans to bring her education experience to future work as “a children’s librarian in a public library and work closely with schools, both public and private, in order to improve literacy rates among children.” She is eager to hold open houses for schools, organize field visits to schools and bring students to the library and the library to students.

Ward will attend the North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C.