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The 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) has selected Rebecca Lea Lopez of Troutman, North Carolina as the 2017 Miriam L. Hornback Scholarship recipient.

The $3,000 award is given to an 91´«Ã½ or library support staff member to help finance the pursuit of a master’s degree in library and information studies. The scholarship was named in memory of Miriam L. Hornback, a longtime 91´«Ã½ staff member, who was secretariat to the 91´«Ã½ Council and Executive Board.

In reflecting on her career path, Lopez said, “Even if I didn't know it yet, I began my lifelong career within libraries at the ripe old age of eleven. I was a sixth grader at Southwood Middle School in Miami, Florida and was just learning the inner workings of a library system, including trying to figure out what in the world the Dewey Decimal System was. Thankfully, I now have a much firmer grasp on how book classifications work and am fortunate enough to manage the J. Hoyt Hayes Memorial Troutman Library in Troutman, North Carolina.”

Lopez continues by stating that “through a lot of hard work and a good amount of truly enjoyable days at work, I have created teen and adult programming when there was none, completed Troutman's first Community Garden, and even wrote a Lowe's Hometown Grant so that we could advance our technology with a SmartBoard.” She wants to continue these efforts to help make the Iredell County Public Library system better.

One reference said that, “Rebecca is an innovative and energetic leader for the Iredell County Public Library. She is very active in marketing library services, including creating content for the library's web site and using social media. She has developed programs and services that have been well received by the community, including Iredell Makerspace programs, a Teen Advisory Board and launching a Mutt-i-grees program with the Iredell County Animal Shelter. Rebecca has demonstrated the ability to quickly learn new skills and assume new responsibilities. She is very organized and conscientious in performing her work. She is one of the most promising librarians I have known in forty years of working in public libraries. I believe she has great potential to be a leader both for the Iredell County Public Library and the library community at large.”

Another reference stated that, “Ms. Lopez has been doing a great job getting involved with the community that she serves at the Troutman Library. She has been instrumental in increasing teen programming, establishing a relationship with the teens, and providing fundamental programming. Ms. Lopez wrote a grant through Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation to secure a mobile smartboard for the Troutman Library. One of the ways that the smartboard has been used within the library is through a Career & College Prep program that Ms. Lopez organized and implemented. She wanted to show the teens that there are many options available to them for career and/or college choices. The programs have spotlighted the local community college, technical schools, military options, traditional four-year school, certificate programs, Crosby Scholars, and Lowe's to name a few.” She continued by saying that, “Ms. Lopez is innovative, organized, confident, determined and a natural born leader. She is already making great contributions to the library and the profession. I feel very strongly that Ms. Lopez has a bright future within the field of librarianship.”

Lopez will attend East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.

For information on the 91´«Ã½ Scholarship program, visit our .

The 91´«Ã½ manages the 91´«Ã½ Scholarship Clearinghouse.

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