ALSC announces winners of 2019 Bound to Stay Bound, Melcher Scholarships

CHICAGO – The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) announced six scholarship winners for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Four winners were awarded the Bound to Stay Bound Books scholarship, which is made possible by Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc. All four recipients will receive $8,000 in scholarship aid for the 2019-2020 academic year. The four recipients are: Henry Christopher, attending University of Washington; Anna Elizabeth Mitchell, attending University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Marcella Ovalle, attending University of North Texas; and Gina Samaniego, attending University at Albany.

Christopher is currently a Library Assistant I at the Denver Public Library in Denver, CO. Mitchell is a Patron Experience Associate at the Belmar Library in Lakewood, CO. Ovalle is the Librarian and Cinema Club Co-Sponsor for KIPP Camino Academy in San Antonio, TX. Effective later this summer, Samaniego, will be the Library Media Specialist at the Dows Lane Elementary School in Irvington, NY.

Two winners were awarded the Frederic G. Melcher Scholarship which is made possible by contributions from librarians, professionals and others associated with the field of children’s literature. This award is worth $8,000 in scholarship aid. The two recipients are: Rosa Flores, attending San Jose State University and Alondra Gaddis, attending Texas Woman’s University.

Flores is a Teacher Librarian at Albuquerque Public Schools and is Co-Chair of the Land of Enchantment Book Award Committee. Gaddis is a Special Education Teacher at the Channelview Independent School District in Channelview, TX.

Each year, ALSC provides the Bound to Stay Bound Books and Melcher Scholarships to help advance the profession of children’s librarianship. Recipients must complete their academic work at an ALA-accredited institution. Recipients are also expected to accept positions after graduation in the field of library service to children for at least one year.

ALSC, a division of the ALA, is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 4,000 children’s and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future for children through libraries. To learn more about ALSC, visit ALSC’s website at www.ala.org/alsc.

The 2019 ALSC Scholarship Committee includes: Heather Acerro, Chair; Kristen J. Kwisnek; Keary Bramwell, Gaye Hinchliff, and Alissa Lauzon.