2005

The Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA) is pleased to announce the recipients of the four 2005 CALA scholarships: Ms. Donghua Tao from the University of Missouri, Mr. Zhi Xian Yi at the Texas Woman’s University, Ms. Hairong Zhu at the Kent State University, and Mr. Yang Jin from University of Michigan. The award ceremony will be held on Sunday, June 26, 2005, 7:00 – 10: 00 p.m. at the CALA Annual Awards Banquet, in conjunction with the 2005 ALA Annual Conference to be held in Chicago.

Ms. Donghua Tao, a doctoral student at the University of Missouri’s School of Information Science & Learning Technologies, has won the 2005 CALA Scholarship of Library and Information Science. Ms. Tao earned a MLS degree with specialty in medical librarianship at the same university. She has also concurrently enrolled in a program of Master of Health Informatics. In a reference letter from Dr. Sanda Erdelez, Associate Professor at the School of Information Science and Learning Technology at the University of Missouri, she commends that “Donghua impressed me as very intelligent, articulate, and focused person,” and “she possesses a strong interest in library and information science, especially in understanding how people in the medical community access and use information.” As a promising scholar in the library profession, Ms. Tao has published three articles on peer-reviewed journals. She gave numerous presentations at the conferences held by the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE), Missouri Library Association, and American Medical Informatics Association. She will give a presentation at the 2005 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. Ms. Tao is a student member of CALA (since 2001), American Medical Information Association, Medical Library Association, American Society for Information Science and Technology, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Special Library Association, and American Library Association. In a reference letter, Professor John Budd, Associate Director of the School of Information Science and Learning Technologies of the University of Missouri, further elaborates that “I believe we have a professional responsibility both to support scholars and professionals of promise and to reward accomplishments. Awarding a scholarship to Ms. Tao would embrace and accomplish both of these responsibilities.”

Mr. Zhi Xian Yi is awarded the Sheila Suen Lai Scholarship. Mr. Yi is currently a doctoral student at the School of Library and Information Studies, Texas Woman’s University. He received a MLS degree from Southern Connecticut State University and M.A. in English from Central South University, Human, China. Professor Sylvia Vardell at the School of Library and Information Studies, Texas Woman’s University, praises that Mr. Yi "is very hard working and conscientious, determined to achieve his goals and make a difference." Another professor, Dr. Keith Swigger, comments that "Mr. Yi combines intellectual gifts with ambition and energy. His dedication and unceasing efforts to produce the high quality work distinguished him among students."

Ms. Hairong Zhu is a recipient of the C.C. Seetoo Conference Travel Scholarship. Ms. Zhu is a student at the School of Library and Information Science, Kent State University. Yin Zhang, Associate Professor at the School of Library and Information Science of the Kent State University, praises Ms. Zhu that "she is a very motivated learner and an employee as evidenced by the awards she received for her excellence for her school work and professional work. Recently, she won the 2004 Academic Library Association of Ohio's minority student scholarship. She is definitely on track for academic and professional achievements." Ms. Zhu plans to use the fund to attend the 2005 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.

Mr. Yang Jin is a winner of the Huang Tso-ping and Wu Yao-yu Scholarship. Mr. Jin is now pursuing his Master of Science in Information degree at the University of Michigan, with a specialization in human computer interaction. Xiao-Wen Zou, Academic Advisor of School of Information Science at the University of Michigan, believes in Mr. Jin that "with his solid academic background, years of overseas experience and sustaining self-confidence, I envision that he would have a huge potential for great academic and professional success in the near future."

Each year, the CALA Scholarship Committee awards four scholarships, up to $2,700, to full-time students enrolled in ALA-accredited LIS programs in North American. These scholarships are CALA Scholarship of Library and Information Science, Sheila Suen Lai Scholarship, C.C. Seetoo Conference Travel Scholarship, and Huang Tso-ping and Wu Yao-yu Scholarship. This year, the CALA Scholarships Committee received a pool of high caliber of applicants. Sha Li Zhang, the CALA Scholarships Committee Chair, credited it to the directors of the ALA accredited library and information science programs and professors in these programs. They encouraged their students to apply the scholarships and took time to write wonderful reference letters for these applicants. CALA was pleased to be able to provide support to these outstanding students in their library professional education through these scholarships.

2005 CALA Scholarships Committee
Sha Li Zhang, Chair
Assistant Director for Technical Services
University of North Carolina Greensboro Libraries
E-mail: slzhang@uncg.edu

Lian Ruan
Director/Head Librarian
Illinois Fire Service Institute
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
e-mail: lruan@fsi.uiuc.edu

Danielle Wang
Head of Computer Services
Franklin Park Public Library
e-mail: dwang@linc.lib.il.us

2004

On behalf of the 2004 Scholarship Committee, we are very pleased to inform you we have selected the recipients for the following CALA scholarships. The criteria for judging applicants are based on their academic excellence, leadership potential, evidence of commitment to a career librarianship and their overall presentation. These CALA scholarships will be presented to the recipients on Sunday night, June 27, 2004, 7:00-10:00 p.m. at the CALA Awards Banquet to be held at the Ming Court, 9188 International Dr., Orlando, FL 32819-8112 during the 2004 ALA Annual Conference.

Sheila Suen Lai Scholarship of Library and Information Science ($500.00) - Iva Seto

Miss Seto has impeccable academic records: first class standing, dean's honor list, and two other scholarships. With a B.S. degree specialize in molecular genetics and also a B.A. degree in comparative literature, Ms. Seto is currently working on her master degree of Library and Information Studies at University of Alberta, Canada. Her career goal is focused on international medical librarianship. She has stated very clearly of her research topic which is in creating standards for Chinese medical information brought into Western databases. Her advisor comments Ms Seto has "strong leadership skills." The whole application packet is well prepared and personal statement is well written. We recommend her without any reservation.

Huang Tso-ping and Wu Yao-yu Scholarship Memorial Fund ($200.00) - Carrie Fang

Miss. Fang received her B.A. degree from Tainjin University, China in 2001. She is expecting to receive her master of arts degree in Information Resources and Library Science from University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. in December, 2004. She is very active being a faculty-student liaison at her library school, and a member of Strategic Long Range Planning team at the University of Arizona library. She is also actively promoting Chinese culture by being the vice principal of the Tucson Chinese School. It is a privilege to have her as our award recipient.

Scholarship Committee Co-Chairs:
Diana Wu
Reference Librarian
San Jose State University Library
One Washington Square
San Jose, CA 95192-0028
408-808-2087
408-924-2701 (fax)
dwu@sjsu.edu

Rosa Hsu
Acquisitions Librarian
Houston Community College
3100 Main, MC1229J
Houston, Texas 77002
rosa.hsu@hccs.edu
713-718-6147
713-718-7651 fax

2002

The Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce the recipients of the three 2002 CALA scholarships. Ms. Fei Yu has won the Sheila Suen Lai Scholarship of Library and Information Science, Ms. Su Yu the C.C. Seetoo/CALA Conference Travel Scholarship, and Ms. Beverly Anmay Ku the Huang Tso-ping and Wu Yao-yu Scholarship. All three recipients have a record of outstanding academic credentials and accomplishments, and have demonstrated strong potential for future leadership in the profession.

Fei Yu: recipient of the 2002 Sheila Suen Lai Scholarship of Library and Information Science

Holding a Master of Management degree and a B.A. in library science both from Wuhan University, China, she is currently a library and information science Ph.D. student at the University of Pittsburgh. An already established scholar, she has published largely on topics of library science and done researches in such broad areas as digital library, reference services, library human resources, information technology in East Asian libraries, and computer-assisted instruction for distance education. She has also received several awards including the 2000 Outstanding Graduate Student and the 1998 Academic Excellence Graduate Student of Wuhan University over the past years.

In addition, she has varied teaching experiences in China and has been gaining first-hand library service experience by working as a graduate assistant at the University Library System of the University of Pittsburgh. Thrilled by the prospect of the information profession, she will dedicate herself to library management, information communication for cultural diversity, and education of information professionals

Yu Su: recipient of the 2002 C.C. Seetoo/CALA Conference Travel Scholarship

She is presently a MLS degree student with the School of Information Resources and Library Science at the University of Arizona. While taking courses in the School of Information Resources and Library Science, she has worked as a student worker for the East Asian Collection of the University of Arizona and developed strong interest in library research. Her paper “Cultural Issues in Health Information Seeking” has been accepted by the ALA Fifth Annual Diversity Fair, and she will present her research findings at the upcoming ALA Annual Conference in Atlanta. She expects to meet CALA members and many other professionals at ALA and learn from their expertise and experiences.

Prior to studying at the University of Arizona, she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, China and worked with a number of business corporations and the Xishuangbanna Library in China. She has received academic awards from both the University of Arizona and the University of International Business and Economics. For instance, the Graduate Tuition Scholarship of the University of Arizona and the Scholarship of “Three Merits Students” of the University of International Business and Economics. Besides her excellent academic pursuits, she has multiple talents in other fields--She won the special award in the fiddle division of the 2nd Beijing Student Art Festival in 1999 and received honorary award for her opera performance in Kunming in 1998.

Beverly Anmay Ku: recipient of the 2002 Huang Tso-ping and Wu Yao-yu Scholarship

She is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Information degree at the School of Information, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Prior to Michigan, she has obtained a MA in Social/Cultural Anthropology from the University of California, San Diego and a BA in Political Science and Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. A distinguished student and academic achiever, she received several academic honors and awards, including the reputable ALA Spectrum Initiative Scholarship, the Full Tuition General Scholarship from the University of Michigan, and the Public Library Association Travel Grant in March 2002. While she is pursuing her MSI degree, she has been also working in several places at the University of Michigan including the Museum of Anthropology, the Institute of Social Research, and the Government Documents Library. She has helped revamp and update the Museum's web site and prepared research reports on the use of international laws for a political science faculty member.

She has been a member of ALA and APALA (the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association). Her career goal is public librarianship and aspires to serve the broader society through library services and promote the presence of Asian professionals in the country.

An award ceremony will be held on June 16 at the CALA Annual Awards Banquet in Atlanta. Please take a moment to stop by and introduce yourself to these three CALA scholarship recipients and congratulate them on their academic achievements.

2001

The Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce the winners of the two scholarships after a thorough review of all applicants by all committee members.

The Sheila Suen Lai Scholarship goes to Amy J. Chow who is currently pursuing her MLIS degree at Dalhousie University in Canada. As a Chinese Canadian, Amy hopes to bring perspective to library profession where diversity is becoming greater concern.

The C. C. Seetoo/CALA Conference Travel Scholarship goes to S. Raymond Wang who is currently in a doctoral study program in information literacy and technology at the University of New York at Albany. Raymond is interested in academic librarianship in the area of web-based instruction and ESL user characteristics. Raymond also expressed an interest in taking on volunteer responsibilities at ALA/CALA.

Please take a moment to introduce yourself to Amy and Raymond at ALA/CALA.

2000

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12, 2000

The Chinese American Librarians Association is pleased to announce that Ms. Bin Li is the Year 2000 recipient of the Sheila S. Lai Scholarship, and Ms. Yue Ji the winner of the Year 2000 C.C. Seetoo/CALA Conference Travel Scholarship. The Award Ceremony will be held on July 9, 2000, at the CALA Annual Awards Banquet, in conjunction with the 2000 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.

Ms. Bin Li, the Sheila S. Lai Scholarship recipient, is a doctoral student of the School of Library and Information Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was recognized by the Scholarship Committee for her excellent credentials, and her strong potential to make significant contributions to librarianship. Ms. Li holds a B.A. in English, with a minor in Library and Information Science from Beijing Foreign Studies University in China. Prior to her doctoral studies, Ms. Li was a lecturer at the English Program for Information Management Studies at the Beijing Foreign Studies University in China. She was the recipient of the Margaret Ellen Kalp Fellowship in 1999, and the winner of the scholarship from the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia from 1993 to 1995. Ms. Li has a passion for teaching, and is also interested in researching into the widening gap between the info-rich and info-poor. She aspires to help less advantaged groups to better adapt to the changes in information societies.

Ms. Yue Ji, the recipient of the C.C. Seetoo/CALA Conference Travel Scholarship, is a graduate student of the School of Library and Information Science at Louisiana State University. She attended the 1999 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans, and really appreciated the experience, especially the opportunity to meet many Chinese American librarians. The C.C. Seetoo/CALA Conference Travel Scholarship is awarded to Ms. Ji to partially subsidize her attendance at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. As the recipient of the scholarship, Ms. Ji will assist in CALA activities during the annual conference besides attending ALA and CALA programs that interest her. Ms. Ji expressed her desire to be involved with CALA, and was recognized by the Scholarship Committee for her dedication, diligence, resourcefulness, thoughtfulness, and above all, very strong leadership.

Each scholarship carries a cash award of $500. CALA is an affiliate of the American Library Association.