Southern Miss Librarian Receives ALA Conference Sponsorship

News item published on: 2014-04-22 08:17:00

Elena Azadbakht, a reference librarian for health sciences at The University of Southern Mississippi, recently received the 2014 EBSCO American Library Association (ALA) Conference Sponsorship. The award provides up to $1,000 in reimbursements for expenses to attend the 2014 ALA Conference in Las Vegas June 26 – July 1.

Azadbakht is one of seven librarians to receive this sponsorship. At the conference, Elena will participate in a breakfast to honor the recipients, and there will be a special exhibit featuring the award winners on display in the registration area.

As part of the application process for the sponsorship, librarians were asked to write an essay on the topic of how attending the conference will contribute to the librarians’ professional development. “I wanted the opportunity to interact with libraries from all over the country and to pursue professional development in a face-to-face setting. I also hope to learn about new technologies and strategies that can enhance reference and public services,” said Azadbakht.

The ALA Annual Conference is one of the premier global library events held each year, bringing together newsmakers, innovators, thought leaders, and influencers in the library field from all over the world. Important announcements are made, updates are shared, relevant legislation and policy are addressed and discussions take place that have a major impact on libraries, their role, and their ongoing transformation.

EBSCO is dedicated to supporting the professional development of librarians around the world and has a long tradition of co-sponsoring scholarships to ALA conferences, providing funds for conference registration, travel, and expenses. ALA is a nonprofit professional organization of more than 57,000 librarians, library trustees, and other friends of libraries dedicated to providing and improving library services and promoting the public interest in a free and open information society.