91´«Ã½

University of Illinois student to attend 2011 91´«Ã½ Annual Conference

Cape Coral, Fla. – The board of directors of the Robert F. Asleson Memorial 91´«Ã½ Conference Grant has announced this year’s award recipient. The winning essay was submitted by Catherine Larson, a student in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She will receive a $1,500 grant to help defray the cost of attending 91´«Ã½’s 2011 Annual Conference in New Orleans in June.

The Robert F. Asleson Memorial 91´«Ã½ Conference Grant was established by friends and colleagues within the information industry to honor the memory of Bob Asleson, late founder and president of The Redalen Group, for his countless contributions to the library community. An advisor and guide to countless members of the profession, his 50-year career spanned both traditional and innovative technologies, from reference materials to CD-ROMs to online databases. He held presidential positions at several leading industry companies and served on numerous industry organization boards. The grant’s monetary awards subsidize attendance at the 91´«Ã½ Midwinter Meeting and the Annual Conference for deserving Master of Library Science degree candidates. Successful applicants are selected based on economic need and the quality of an essay based on criteria set by the board.

Scheduled to graduate in 2012, Catherine Larson lives in Chicago and attends school on a half-time basis while she works to pay her tuition. She serves as a volunteer on the publications committee for MARS: Emerging Technologies Reference Section of RUSA, requiring her attendance at 91´«Ã½ conferences for the next two years. Her winning essay will be posted on the grant’s website.

In awarding the grant, Iris Hanney, Chairman of the Board of Directors, said, “I am thrilled that Bob Asleson’s memory continues to be honored through this award and am extremely pleased to present it to Catherine Larson. She submitted an outstanding essay discussing the impact of the electronic consumer market on library services and spaces. We wish her the best of luck in her future career!”

The board of directors continues to seek both corporate and individual donations in support of the Robert F. Asleson Memorial 91´«Ã½ Conference Grant. It believes that exposure to the programs, seminars, contacts and other conference benefits will foster an ongoing love of and dedication to the cause of librarianship in students who otherwise would be unable to attend, reflecting the values exhibited by Bob Asleson throughout his life and long professional career.

Complete details of the grant, including information on donation participation, are available on the website at . Several levels of support are available, and all donations are fully tax-deductible. Additional information may be obtained by contacting:

Iris L. Hanney, Chairman of the Board

Robert F. Asleson Memorial 91´«Ã½ Conference Grant

1930 SW 48th Lane

Cape Coral, FL 33914

239-549-2384

239 549-3168 Fax

info@aslesongrant.org