McCracken leads effort to endow scholarship

Energetic activism in serials librarianship characterizes the work of Marcia Tuttle, retired head of the UNC at Chapel Hill Academic Affairs Serials Department. Her passion is shared by many SILS alumni, including Peter McCracken (MSLS '95) who is intent on endowing a scholarship in her honor at the School of Information and Library Science (SILS).

While the Marcia Tuttle Scholarship Fund in Serials Librarianship has been offered at SILS since 1998, its future is uncertain without endowment status. The minimum amount required to create an endowed fund is $20,000, which ensures the scholarship's future availability to deserving students.

When McCracken was approached about the effort to endow the Marcia Tuttle Scholarship Fund, he was eager to become involved. His company, Serials Solutions, made a gift of $5,000 to launch the endowment campaign. Serials Solutions (http://www.serialssolutions.com), delivers e-journal management and access solutions to libraries.

The school's alumni association then agreed to make a 1:1 match of individual alumni contributions up to $2,500. With enough alumni gifts collected, this will produce another $5,000. The momentum continues with a $5,000 pledge from Swets Blackwell CEO Philipp Neie. Through the generosity of Swets Blackwell, this scholarship has been offered to students for six years. Neie supports the effort to endow the scholarship and ensure its availability in perpetuity. Collectively, this pledge will bring the scholarship fund to $15,000 or three-fourths of the way toward its goal.

SILS Dean Joanne Marshall is grateful for Serials Solutions' leadership gift to support this effort. Marshall notes that the school has prepared a plan to seek the remaining $5,000 and hopes that friends and alumni will be continue to be an integral part of endowing this important scholarship.

“Ms. Tuttle made significant contributions to the field as well as to our school, and we are committed to continuing to honor her and provide assistance to our students by endowing this scholarship,” Dean Marshall said.

SILS Alumni Association President Andy Ingham adds, “We would like to see the Tuttle Scholarship available in perpetuity to help educate tomorrow's information professionals. We invite alumni to partner with us in this important effort.”

The Tuttle Scholarship will be available to students pursuing either library science or information science degrees. Eligible students will have expressed an interest in managing serials in an electronic environment. By application, students will demonstrate their qualifications through field experience, enrollment in or completion of a serials class, relevant employment experience, a persuasive essay, and overall ability and academic achievement.

Established by SILS Board of Visitors member Michael Markwith to honor Marcia Tuttle, the scholarship recognizes her energetic activism on behalf of library-publisher communication and fair serials pricing. Tuttle authored Introduction to Serials Management , co-edited Advances in Serials Management and began publishing the pioneering online publication Newsletter on Serials Pricing Issues in 1989.

To contribute, please direct gifts online to the Tuttle Scholarship Fund at the School of Information and Library Science at http://carolinafirst.unc.edu/gifts/ or send gifts to SILS, c/o Marcia Tuttle Scholarship, 100 Manning Hall, CB 3360, Chapel Hill, NC 27599.