91´«Ã½

CHICAGO – The 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) strategic direction on equity, diversity, and inclusion has a goal to expand the work of 91´«Ã½ and its allies in building a diverse and inclusive profession. In this spirit, The Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services (ODLOS) announced three $1,000 travel grants (two from ODLOS and one from ) for those wishing to attend the , September 26-30, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. JCLC is of the 91´«Ã½.

Over 100 applications were submitted from library workers and students around the country hoping to attend JCLC to network and participate in professional development on topics surrounding race, accessibility, and leadership. Given the overwhelming response, ODLOS reached out to the 91´«Ã½ community in hopes of expanding the travel grants and received generous support from (ALCTS), an anonymous donor from (LITA), (ACRL), the , the , , and numerous individual 91´«Ã½ staff and members, to ultimately sponsor 10 travel awards instead of three. We congratulate the grant recipients:

Alea Perez (ODLOS recipient)

Rosemarie Rodriguez (ACRL recipient)

Hadeal Salamah (PLA recipient)

Jennifer Brown (ALCTS recipient)

Aldo Vazquez (American Dream Literacy Initiative recipient)

Keshia Garnett (Spectrum Scholarship Program recipient)

Jhenelle Robinson (ODLOS recipient)

Noelle Cruz (91´«Ã½ recipient)

Rick Antonio Medrano (Center for the Future of Libraries recipient)

Marco Maria Seiferle-Valencia (LITA recipient)

All recipients will receive $1,000 to use for travel expenses and have been invited to share their experience on social media channels or write a blog post for the ODLOS blog, .

About the 91´«Ã½

91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, 91´«Ã½ has been the trusted voice of libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit ala.org.

About the Joint Council of Librarians of Color

JCLC Inc.’s purpose statement is to promote librarianship within communities of color, support literacy and the preservation of history and cultural heritage, collaborate on common issues, and to host the Joint Conference of Librarians of Color every four to five years. For more information, visit .