ALA 2010 Midwinter Meeting: Spectrum Scholarship Fund Gets $100,000 Boost from Turock
ALA 2010 Midwinter Meeting - American Library Association - Library Journal
By Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 01/17/2010
- Spectrum program can't fulfill demand
- Corporations and foundations will be asked for $500,000
- All of ALA urged to get involved
Th
anks to the announcement today of a $100,000 gift from American Library Association Past President Betty Turock and her family, the effort to double the number of Spectrum Scholarships granted to minority graduate students is off to a strong start.
Last June, at the 2009 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, ALA President Camila Alire, Immediate Past President Jim Rettig, and President-Elect Roberta Stevens announced the Spectrum Presidential Initiative, a one-year campaign to raise $1 million. That sum would also provide two Spectrum Doctoral Fellowships, and build the Spectrum Endowment.
Turock, a longtime (and now retired) professor of library and information science at Rutgers University, chairs the task force leading the initative. According to a document describing the initiative, the majority of the $1 million will be allocated for scholarships (direct pass through to qualified applicants to the Spectrum Scholars
hip program).
The proposed budget would provide for 100 scholarship at $6,500 ($650,000), two doctoral scholarships at $25,000 each ($50,000), at least 10% to building the endowment for long-term growth ($100,000 or more), and some money to program expenses (recruitment, etc.).
Lead gift
Task force member Liz Bishoff told a meeting of the ALA Council this morning that, "while these are difficult financial times, we feel we cannot wait to fund Spectrum." The last effort was five years ago; these days, Spectrum scholars receive $5000 in scholarships, and "it's not enough to support an MLS." Moreover, "in the last two years, we've had to turn away 70 qualified appplicants every year," she said.
To raise $1 million, the library community must raise half that sum as a spur to get foundations and corporations to contribute. Turock's lead gift constitutes 20% of the money needed from the library community.
When it was her turn to speak, Turock recalled the words "of my mentor," the late and legendary E.J. Josey, founder of the ALA's Black Caucus, who said, "in a dismissive tone," that ALA recruits one minority fellow a year.
Turock recalled that, after exploring the issue as ALA president, she learned that "financial assistance was the biggest barrier to recruitment." "I don't have to tell you how much a diverse nation needs diverse librarians," Turock said. "The demographic balances of our country are shifting... as our profession remains relatively stable... [we need] cultural and language competencies that come with different life experiences."
Getting involved
Turock asked the Council to involve ALA bodies and members in order to get them to contribute. In 2001, Turock's sons donated a scholarship in her name. "Every year, I get to meet the Betty J. Turock Scholar," Turock said. "I can't tell you how much satisfaction that's given me. Let's make more dreams a reality."
From the Council, Ismail Abdullahi, chair of the Council's Committee on Diversity, saluted Turock: "I don't have enough words to express this thanks to Betty, for the work you've done for Spectrum, for diversity, and for the passion that you have."
Turock got a partial standing ovation. But it's not clear that all Councilors will follow her example. After Councilor-at-large Pat Wand suggested that each Councilors make a donation, the applause was fairly weak.
Visit LJ's ALA Midwinter Meeting News Channel for complete coverage of the conference and be sure to follow us on Twitter and Flickr.
