(via Lindsay Harmon, IACRL Vice-President/President-Elect)
The 2016 NMRT (ALA New Members Round Table) Professional Development Grant Award Committee is pleased to announce the recipients of the Mango Languages/NMRT Professional Development Grant Award and NMRT-sponsored Professional Development Grant Award. These $1,000 awards were graciously sponsored by Mango Languages and the New Members Round Table. This award provides funding to assist with airfare, lodging, and conference registration fees for attendance at the American Library Association Annual Conference and fosters in-person participation in ALA and NMRT professional activities.
Erin Prentiss
Erin Prentiss is the recipient of the 2016 NMRT-sponsored Professional Development Grant. Erin works as a Reference and Instruction Librarian at the Reese Library at Augusta University (Georgia). Erin received a B.A. in Sociology / Anthropology from Agnes Scott College in 2003, a Secondary English Education Certification from the University of West Georgia in 2008, and an MLIS from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2012. Erin has received numerous honors since joining the profession including being a Spectrum Scholar (2010-2012) and a Joint Conference of Librarian of Color Scholar (2012). She currently serves on the Georgia Library Association’s Public Relations Committee and is an Assistant Book Review Editor for the Georgia Library Quarterly. Her professional interests include diversity in publishing and collections and local history.
Denise Tabscott
Denise Tabscott is the recipient of the 2016 MANGO Languages / NMRT Professional Development Grant. Denise is a Middle School Librarian for the Metro Nashville Public Schools. She earned her MLS in 2014 from Middle Tennessee State University. Denise was selected as the recipient of the 2016 National Library Legislative Day Award / Stipend for YALSA and the 2015 MNPS / Limitless Libraries Librarian of the Year (student choice). She currently is a member of the YALSA Summer Reading and Learning Taskforce committee and the Tennessee Library Association’s state conference committee. She has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to professional development already through state and local conference attendance, leading school system wide breakout sessions, and presenting at local and state conferences, Denise has attended numerous classes and webinars through the American Library Association and its divisions working to hone her skills as a librarian and teacher. Her professional interests include advocacy, unconferences, Ed Camps, and book award selection. She is currently working on her doctorate in Literacy Studies.
Congratulations to both Erin and Denise!
More information about the NMRT Professional Development Grant, including a list of past recipients, is available on the NMRT Awards, Grants, and Scholarships webpage.