LITA and OCLC are funding Hebah Emara’s participation in the ALA Spectrum Scholars program as part of their commitment to help diversify the library technology field.
Emara is a second year distance student at the University of Missouri – Columbia School of Information Science and Learning Technologies MLIS program. She is interested in the ways libraries and technology intersect. Her background in IT and love of learning about technology, computers, and programming drew her to working in library technology. Libraries’ ability to bridge the digital divide and their use of technology to provide opportunities to their communities and solve problems are also of particular interest to Emara. Her decision to apply to the Spectrum Scholarship was fueled by a desire to learn from a community of peers and mentors.
Emara is currently the co-chair of a Tech UnConference to be held in April 2020 and organized by MentorNJ in collaboration with the New Jersey Library Association’s Leadership & Education Subcommittee. She has also designed a survey to gauge New Jersey library workers’ attitudes towards technology that has received 70 responses to date. Emara is a Raspberry Pi Certified Educator and has a passion for developing and teaching technology and coding programs for all ages and abilities. Her previous efforts have included leading a Girls Who Code club for elementary schoolers, leading hour of code activities for kids and teens, and developing instructional technology programs for adults.
When notified of her selection as the 2019-20 LITA/OCLC Spectrum Scholar, Emara said, “I was surprised, humbled, and honored to be selected as a Spectrum Scholar. I look forward to learning from and meeting others in the Spectrum community.”
The ALA Spectrum Scholarship Program actively recruits and provides scholarships to American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern and North African and/or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students to assist them with obtaining a graduate degree and leadership positions within the profession and ALA. Visit the Spectrum Scholarship website to learn more about the program and donate to help increase opportunities for people of color in librarianship.
We thank OCLC for funding this scholarship.
