91´«Ã½

CHICAGO - The Georgia Library Association (GLA) has announced its support of the 91´«Ã½’s (91´«Ã½) Spectrum Scholarship Program through a gift to the Spectrum Presidential Initiative. GLA has made a $600 contribution to the Initiative.

Additionally GLA collected donations totaling nearly $500 for the Spectrum Presidential Initiative during their Awards Banquet held on Thursday, October 14, 2010 at the annual joint conference in Athens, Ga. of the Georgia Library Association, the Georgia Association for Instructional Technology, and the Georgia Library Media Association.

91´«Ã½ President Roberta Stevens, Immediate Past President Dr. Camila Alire, 91´«Ã½ President-Elect Molly Raphael and 91´«Ã½ Past President Dr. Betty J. Turock, chair of the initiative, continue the Spectrum Presidential Initiative as a special campaign to raise $1 million for the Spectrum Scholarship Program. Through this initiative, 91´«Ã½ aims to meet the critical needs of supporting master’s-level scholarships, providing two $25,000 doctoral scholarships, increasing the Spectrum Endowment to ensure the program’s future and developing special programs for recruitment and career development. GLA’s contributions will allow 91´«Ã½ to continue to support master’s-level Spectrum Scholarships.

“In response to the Spectrum Presidential Initiative, GLA turned its annual banquet into a Spectrum dinner. Attendees were encouraged to make donations during the dinner at which 91´«Ã½ President Roberta Stevens was the guest speaker. Spectrum donation boxes were available at the registration desk throughout the conference. We were pleased to build support by adding the gifts of GLA members and attendees to GLA’s contribution,” said Ann Hamilton, Georgia Chapter Councilor.

The Georgia Library Association encompasses members from public, school, academic, and special libraries, including professional and paraprofessional staff, public library trustees and friends of libraries. GLA was founded in 1897 for the purpose of promoting public library funding, establishing a library training program in the state, and setting up a state commission to oversee the library interests of the state. Its current focus lies along similar lines, with attention to legislative, financial, technological, and library training issues and advocacy for libraries of all types being among its chief concerns.

Established in 1997, the Spectrum Scholarship Program is 91´«Ã½’s national effort to increase diversity in the profession by recruiting and providing scholarships that allow students from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds to become librarians. Spectrum Scholars improve service at the local level because they reflect the communities served by libraries in today’s changing world. Spectrum has provided more than 680 scholarships to qualified applicants enrolled in an 91´«Ã½-accredited graduate program in library and information studies or an NCATE-AASL reviewed and approved school library education program. To learn more about the Spectrum Scholarship Program, visit .

For more information about the Spectrum Presidential Initiative or to make an online donation, visit . To learn more, get involved, or to make a pledge to the Spectrum Presidential Initiative, contact Miguel A. Figueroa, Director, Office for Diversity & Spectrum at mfigueroa@ala.org, or Kim Olsen-Clark, Director, Development Office at kolsen-clark@ala.org.