Jennifer Embree, a first-year MSLS student at the UNC School of Information and Library Science (SILS), recently won an essay contest sponsored by the Student Chapter of the American Library Association (SCALA), earning Embree a spot in the ALA’s student-to-staff (S2S) program.
The S2S program gives 40 students from around the country support to attend the annual ALA conference and the opportunity to work with ALA staff during the event. Students selected for the program receive free registration, a per diem, and housing, but must cover transportation costs to the conference, which will be held this year in Chicago from June 22-27.
SCALA organized the essay contest in late 2016, asking students to write 500 words explaining how attending the conference would contribute to their professional development. Essays were read anonymously, and Embree’s was selected as the best.
Embree said she is thrilled to be attending ALA–her first library-related conference –and is looking forward to the programs and meetings, as well as working through S2S.
“I will be able to see how conferences are organized and operated as a staff member and as an attendee, which I think will be both fascinating and informative,” she said.
Embree is an intern with the EPA Library in Research Triangle Park. She works in the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) and oversees the publication process of all OAQPS documents at the EPA-RTP location.
She is currently on the Archives and Record Managements (ARM) track at SILS and plans to earn the Certificate in International Development through the Center for Global Initiatives at UNC. Half of her staffing hours at the ALA conference will be spent with the International Relations Office (IRO), a great fit for her professional interests.
“I am actually really excited about the position I was assigned,” she said. “Because I am so interested in international librarianship, I cannot wait to meet the people I will be working with from the IRO office of ALA, and to chat with international librarians from all over the world.”
