JEROME ROBINSON DIVERSITY AWARD
PURPOSE
The intent of this award is to encourage and ultimately increase the representation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) librarians within the architectural information profession by nurturing curiosity, supporting career development and building relationships with members of the AASL community.
The award is named to honor the memory of Jerome Robinson, a Black scholar who dedicated his life to researching and elevating the profile of Los Angeles Architect Robert Kennard. You can learn about Jerome and his research via text and audio from this episode of the University of Southern California’s Save As podcast.
AWARD
The award supplements travel expenses for in-person attendance of the annual AASL Conference for a BIPOC student or recent graduate in the fields of either librarianship or architecture, with a strong interest in some combination of the two.
The winner will receive a stipend of $750 to defray travel expenses for in-person attendance, complimentary registration for the conference, and a one-year student membership to AASL.
The award recipient will be also given the option to be paired with a fellow conference attendee ('buddy") to support them in navigating through their first conference experience with AASL.
ELIGIBILITY AND CONDITIONS
1. Applicants must identify as BIPOC (American Indian/Alaska Native, Indigenous Peoples, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, Middle Eastern or North African, and/or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander).
2. Applicants must be currently enrolled in, or recently graduated from (within two years), an accredited degree program in library and information science, architecture, architectural history, or urban planning.
3. Candidates must demonstrate, in writing, a strong interest in the combination of the built environment disciplines and librarianship. Specifically, the application form includes the following question: Please describe your background and interest in a combination of both architecture and librarianship. If your education falls primarily under architecture, describe your experience with or interest in becoming a librarian, archivist or information professional. If your education falls primarily under librarianship, describe your experience with or interest in architecture as a potential subject specialty. Please structure your response as a brief essay of 400-500 words (do not exceed 500 words).
4. The award recipient will submit a brief post-conference report for posting on the AASL Website. The report should outline conference activities and experiences and include an account of how the award supported professional development goals.
APPLICATION PROCESS
1. Complete the application form here, https://forms.gle/w9PnmS4BxRRX4KHp7, by Friday, February 9 at 11:59pm Pacific Time.
2. Send a current curriculum vitae to AASL Awards Committee Co-Chairs Gabriella Karl-Johnson (gjk@princeton.edu) and Jesse Vestermark (jvesterm@calpoly.edu).
MORE INFORMATION
Inquiries about the award should be directed to: Gabriella Karl-Johnson (gjk@princeton.edu) and Jesse Vestermark (jvesterm@calpoly.edu).