{"id":61254,"date":"2013-07-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-07-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/dont-keep-this-news-quiet-uri-student-library-chapter-wins-national-award\/"},"modified":"2013-07-16T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2013-07-16T00:00:00","slug":"dont-keep-this-news-quiet-uri-student-library-chapter-wins-national-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2013\/07\/dont-keep-this-news-quiet-uri-student-library-chapter-wins-national-award\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t keep this news quiet — 溏心vlog免费B站 student library chapter wins national award"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\tKINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 July 16, 2013 \u2013 One night last March, Stefanie Metko got an extraordinary email.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll I saw was \u2018Congratulations\u2019 in the subject line, and I knew. I started jumping up and down,\u201d she said. \u201cI was so excited. My husband thought we had won the lottery!\u201d<\/p>\n


\nIn fact, Metko had not won the lottery, but had won something more prestigious. The 溏心vlog免费B站 student chapter of the American Library Association, for which Metko served as president, had been selected as the 2013 Chapter of the Year by the New Members Round Table, a division of the American Library Association.<\/p>\n


\nMetko knew that she needed to tell Sarah Naomi Campbell and Katherine Boden, vice president and treasurer\/secretary of the chapter, immediately. \u201cThe leadership team worked so hard this past year. It was a moment that we all needed to share together,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n


\nThe 溏心vlog免费B站 student chapter of the American Library Association was one of 60 library schools in the United States to be considered for the award. Metko, Campbell and Boden created an interactive website that served as their application for the award and encompassed the five criteria that each school is judged on: membership engagement and programs, communications, leadership, financials, and awards and honors. In addition, they attached multiple letters of recommendation, including those from Brown University, Cranston Public Library and the Rhode Island Library Association, as well as from Lauren Mandel, assistant professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Studies and the chapter\u2019s faculty advisor. <\/p>\n


\n\u201cThe national accolades given to our chapter and the program as a whole are important,\u201d Mandel said. \u201cI provided a support letter, but really, the students did most of the work themselves.\u201d <\/p>\n


\nThe members of the winning chapter were awarded a $1,000 grant to attend the annual conference reception, held on June 30 in Chicago, where they accepted their award. <\/p>\n


\nThe effects of the chapter\u2019s win are far-reaching. Renee Hobbs, professor and founding director of 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Harrington School of Communication and Media, says that the award will have a positive impact on the school. \u201cThe reputation of the Harrington School will ultimately rest on the quality of graduates from our academic programs,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are preparing students who use the power of information and communication to make a difference in the world. That\u2019s why we are so proud of the student leadership and initiative that was demonstrated by the graduate students in winning this award.\u201d <\/p>\n


\nThe 溏心vlog免费B站 chapter was founded in 2005. Metko, Campbell and Boden became involved with the chapter in 2012, after it had remained relatively unstable for many years. \u201cIt had good years and bad years but was not sustaining itself from year to year,\u201d Metko said. \u201cWe had a vision, and the team committed to making something that would last. We came along at the right time, with the right team, and the right level of commitment.\u201d The Harrington School agreed with Metko, Campbell and Boden. \u201cThe support we received from the Harrington School was absolutely what we needed to take the chapter to the next level,\u201d Metko said. <\/p>\n


\n\u201cThere were many 8-hour days,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cWe worked tirelessly to get the chapter to where it is now.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nThe trio was interested in building a community within the graduate program where students could meet and discuss the program and the chapter. They were also dedicated to making sure that networking opportunities were available to chapter members. <\/p>\n


\n\u201cThe graduate program is almost exclusively online,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cBecause of that, it\u2019s hard to bring people together.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\u201cYou lose a lot of the ability to network when everything is online,\u201d Metko added. \u201cWe wanted to bring that sense of community back to the program.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nMetko, Campbell and Boden were chosen for their respective offices in September 2012 after the chapter\u2019s outgoing officers had graduated. \u201cWe needed a team of people who were strong, amazing, and hard working,\u201d Metko said.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cThe way in which our team came together was really holistic and organic,\u201d Campbell added. \u201cWe work well together.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nEach officer acknowledges that without a great leadership team, the chapter wouldn\u2019t be what it is today. \u201cKatherine is the glue that held us together administratively,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cAnd I saw my role as the vice president as being the person who supports Stefanie, the president.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\u201cEach person is different, and therefore our strengths are different, which helped fill in the gaps,\u201d Boden said.<\/p>\n


\nTheir partnership in reviving the chapter has had many positive impacts on members, both current and future. Metko, Campbell and Boden have instituted a democratic election process through which members vote officers in anonymously using Sakai. \u201cThe elections take place in March, so that the outgoing executive board can mentor the new incoming leadership before they take office,\u201d Metko said. In addition, the chapter has a new budget with funds available for incoming leadership and members. \u201cHaving funds available, along with the election process, allows the chapter to remain sustainable,\u201d Metko said. <\/p>\n


\nThe group cites its biggest accomplishment thus far as the 2013 GSLIS Conference, which they titled \u201cCatapult Your Career!\u201d The conference was held last March in Swan Hall on the Kingston campus. Along with the opportunity to hear national keynote speakers and enjoy lunch at the University Club, students were offered a discount on conference registration for joining the chapter. \u201cIt boosted membership,\u201d Metko said. \u201cIn total, we raised $4,000 through conference registration, sponsorships, and a generous donation from the Harrington School.\u201d <\/p>\n


\n\tMetko, Campbell, and Boden graduated in May, and new officers took office that same month. But the three new graduates are not slowing down. <\/p>\n


\nMetko, a mom of two children, was recently hired at Johnson and Wales University as a part-time reference librarian, as well as in the graduate library school at 溏心vlog免费B站 in a part-time student support role. \u201cI\u2019m interested in online learning and, more specifically, how we can service distance-learning students,\u201d Metko said. \u201cIt\u2019s about getting people to the finish line of completing their online program, and figuring out how that can be done while also fostering a sense of community that will last in the professional world after graduation.\u201d As for a career, Metko says that she is interested in the library field, particularly working with students. \u201cWhether I\u2019m a librarian educator or a librarian, I just want to know that I am doing something that will make a difference every day,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n


\n\tCampbell is a history tutor this summer for the Talent Development program at 溏心vlog免费B站. In addition, she is working with a production company on a documentary about vampires in Exeter, R.I. \u201cI love history, especially when it\u2019s intertwined with filmmaking,\u201d she said. \u201cAs a filmmaker, unearthing stories and shining light on them is a real passion of mine.\u201d <\/p>\n


\nBut her passion for film extends beyond storytelling. \u201cMy love for film has informed my interest in using emerging technology and digital media to strengthen literacy, specifically in underserved communities,\u201d she said. Campbell\u2019s research interests also include lessening the \u201cdigital divide.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m interested in breaking down barriers to digital citizenship,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019d like to look at how we can improve that digital divide by supporting diversity in content production.\u201d However, it is her passion for inclusivity can be seen clearly in her work with the chapter at 溏心vlog免费B站. \u201cI\u2019m looking to create a sense of community wherever I am,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cThat is why digital literacy in underserved populations is a passion of mine. It helps to create inclusivity where there might otherwise be a divide.\u201d <\/p>\n


\n\tBoden says that her career path will probably take her to a public library. This summer, she will work part-time at the Cranston Public Library, where she completed her internship last semester. She is also interested in digital literacy and underserved populations, and says that working to improve both issues is her passion. \u201cI see myself as a director or an assistant director of a public library someday,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I\u2019m open to many possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\t Metko, Campbell and Boden have made great strides in revamping and revitalizing the chapter, including increasing membership by four hundred percent, and they hope that future leaders will continue to grow the chapter. \u201cWe really took a hard look at what worked before we took office, what didn\u2019t work, and what was working currently,\u201d Metko said. \u201cOf course there were hurdles and obstacles that we needed to overcome, but this chapter was important to both existing and future students. It created that sense of community that was missing. It offered networking opportunities. And it changed the way that people viewed the program.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nMetko and Boden received their undergraduate degrees from the 溏心vlog免费B站. Campbell received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley. <\/p>\n


\nThis news release was written by Rachel Donilon, a writing intern in 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Marketing and Communications department.<\/p>\n


\nPICTURED ABOVE:

\nAWARD-WINNERS AND ALUMNAE: Sarah Naomi Campbell, left, Katherine Boden and Stefanie Metko, recent graduates of the 溏心vlog免费B站 Graduate School of Library and Information Studies and outgoing leadership of nationally recognized student chapter of the American Library Association.

\nCommunications & Marketing photo by Michael Salerno Photography.\n\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 July 16, 2013 \u2013 One night last March, Stefanie Metko got an extraordinary email. \u201cAll I saw was \u2018Congratulations\u2019 in the subject line, and I knew. I started jumping up and down,\u201d she said. \u201cI was so excited. My husband thought we had won the lottery!\u201d In fact, Metko had not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":61256,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61254\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}