COLA Scholarships

COLA scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of their excellent academic record, their potential for leadership in the field, and their commitment to the promotion of literacy and a love of reading.

2008 Awards

Linda Aldrich School Library Media Scholarship:

Ellen Basso, a resident of East Greenwich, is also a born-and-bred Rhode Islander, a graduate of South Kingstown High School, and the University of Rhode Island (majoring in computer science). She worked for 10 years at GTECH, then left full-time work for another decade to raise her children. During that time, she discovered that she enjoyed
children's literature, and she enjoyed volunteering at the library of the Hanaford School in East Greenwich, under the supervision of Peggy Chase. Ellen recounts: "I volunteered once a week for at least five years."  She is also a Girl Scout leader. Eventually she started to take courses in library studies at URI. She has student-taught at Stony Lane School in North Kingstown Middle School and Hugh E. Bain in Cranston. This spring she will have her MLS.

Jennifer Swartz, a resident of East Greenwich, graduated from Florida State University (majoring in elementary education), then taught fifth grade for two years in Florida. From there she moved to New Jersey, then, five years ago, to Rhode Island. New to East Greenwich, she volunteered in the library at the Hanaford School (also under the supervision of Peggy Chase), and decided to enroll in the  University of Rhode Island’s library program. After student teaching at Cole Middle School in East Greenwich and at the Captain Isaac Paine Elementary School in Foster, she will have her MLS this spring.

William Bergeron Public Library Scholarship: 
Edward Garcia, a resident of Cranston, is a born-and-bred Rhode Islander, a graduate Middletown High School, and the University of Rhode Island (with a BA in History). Ed was a DJ and station manager at WRIU, and began a career in the music industry working for 7 years at Sony Music in Albany and Boston. He returned to Rhode Island in 2001 and URI in 2005 and was accepted to the GSLIS program and received a PRISM Plus fellowship. While at URI, Ed worked for the American Diabetes Association, managing the Rhode Island office, where he did fund-raising and advocacy. He left the ADA last September and became the Executive Director of the Diabetes Association, Inc, in Fall River. During his time in the GSLIS program he has worked at the Cranston Public Library, Central Branch, in the reference department. After graduation, he would like to work in a public library as a reference librarian and eventually as a library director.

2007 Awards

Linda Aldrich School Library Media Scholarship:

Although Michelle Roth comes from a family of teachers, she opted for library studies when a friend, a fellow high school teacher who was enrolled in URI's library program, did a practicum at Toll Gate. "It opened the door to what a librarian can do with students and teachers. I wanted to jump into education from this broader perspective."

William Bergeron Public Library Scholarship: 
As head of the ALA Student Chapter, Alice Campbell has contributed actively to the Annual Gathering and on orientation and information sessions for new and prospective students. She is also a URI Research Ethics Fellow for 2006-2007, and a member of both the Advisory Committee and the Professional Development Committee for URI's Graduate School of Library and Information Studies.

2006 Awards 
Diane Simmons, Denise Ledoux, and Carol Herrman
 

Linda Aldrich School Library Media Scholarship:
Denise Ledoux is the Library Media Specialist at Curvin McCabe School in Pawtucket; Carol Herrman is completing her practicum at Dartmouth Middle School. Both have shown their commitment to teaching and libraries.

William Bergeron Public Library Scholarship: 
Diane Simmons is currently working at the Coventry Public Library. As an independent study project she is designing and implementing an outreach program of story hours for toddlers in at-risk families.

2005 Awards  Scholarship recipients with Dean and faculty member
Dr. E. Gale Eaton, Eugene Jeffers, Sheila Harvey, Jennifer Simoneau, and Dr. Michael Havener, Director GSLIS.

Linda Aldrich School Library Media Scholarship:
Sheila Harvey fits in her studies at URI along with a full-time position as a seventh grade English/language arts teacher, team leader, and yearbook coordinator at Exeter/West Greenwich Regional Junior/Senior High School. She was on the curriculum committee that integrated reading skills into each subject area in her school. She also helped to develop an up-to-date and comprehensive summer reading list for grades 7 to 12.

Jennifer Simoneau has been working in the field of information technology training since her graduation from the University of New Hampshire in 1987. She has volunteered, and has worked as Assistant Program Director for the Girl Scouts of Rhode Island, Inc. Day Camp, developing and organizing programs on nature and wildlife. She is also a Girl Scout troop leader. She hopes to provide leadership in the planning, managements, and evaluation of school library programs in addition to working as a School Library Media Specialist.

William Bergeron Public Library Scholarship: 
Eugene Jeffers has been on the staff in the Children's Department at the Pawtucket Public Library since 1988, but he started working at the Library in 1980 as part of a community service project required by his church for confirmation. He studied Finance and Bank Management at Providence College, but still preferred to work at the Pawtucket Library, where he put his management skills to good use providing suggestions to improve services and writing draft policies for the Children's Room (Unattended Children Policy and Children's Internet Use Policy). Last year he teamed up with the Teen Librarian to create an electronic Homework Center. Susan Reed, Director of the Pawtucket Public Library, remarked, "Eugene is an example of what we hope our library schools will produce in our profession; not just a good student who excels academically, but a librarian who loves what he does and cares about the people he does it for. We are very lucky to have him on our staff."