For immediate release | May 21, 2018

Freedom to Read Foundation Announces 2018 Conable Conference Scholarship Recipient

91´«Ã½

CHICAGO — The (FTRF) has selected as the recipient of the 2018 . The Conable Scholarship will cover Ms. Patino’s expenses to attend the of the (91´«Ã½) in New Orleans, Louisiana.

During 91´«Ã½ Annual, Ms. Patino will attend the FTRF meeting, meetings of other 91´«Ã½ intellectual freedom groups, and intellectual freedom programs. She will also consult with mentors and present a report about her experiences and thoughts following the conference.

Dovi is a first-year, first-generation MLIS student at the University of Washington Information School. As a Filipina-American, she aspires to be a public librarian committed to ensuring equitable access to information and resources in underrepresented communities. As this year’s Conable Scholar, she also places tremendous value in professional development and mentorship opportunities, which are not always accessible to people of color.

“Dovi was an outstanding applicant. The committee was impressed with her commitment to intellectual freedom and diversity,” said Conable Scholarship Committee chair Katie Chamberlain Kritios. “Her graduate school and work experience demonstrate her commitment to the FRTF’s mission of intellectual freedom and information access and the 91´«Ã½’s core values of equity, diversity, and inclusion.”

The Conable Scholarship was created to advance two principles that Gordon Conable held dear: intellectual freedom and mentorship. Gordon Conable was a librarian and intellectual freedom champion in Michigan and California who served several terms as president of the Freedom to Read Foundation. His unexpected death in 2005 inspired his wife, Irene Conable, and the FTRF Board to create the Conable Fund, which provides funding for the Conable Scholarship.

To donate to the Conable Fund, please visit or call (800) 545-2433, ext. 4226.

Contact:

Yumeka Brown

Program Officer

Freedom to Read Foundation

ybrown@ala.org

312-280-4226