University of Maryland MLS Students Awarded Myra Wilson Scholarship
College Park, MD (September 15, 2011)—The College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland, Maryland’s iSchool, is pleased to announce that Master of Library Science (MLS) students Chang-yu Hsiao and Daniel Ramirez have been awarded the 2011 Myra Wilson Scholarship. Each student will receive $2500, made possible through the generosity of Mr. David Wilson, husband of the late Mrs. Myra Wilson.
Chang-yu Hsiao is in her first year of the MLS program. She is enrolled in the Information and Diverse Populations concentration and is a recipient of the Information and Diverse Populations scholarship. After beginning her career as a journalist, Hsiao has worked in public libraries in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties for the last ten years. She currently works as a part-time library associate, specializing in young adult services, at the Aspen Hill branch of the Montgomery County Public Libraries. Hsiao’s goal as a librarian is to provide the best information services possible to diverse audiences, working to improve services to underrepresented and disadvantaged groups. To this end, while working for the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System, Hsiao created bilingual Chinese and English storytimes, the first program of its kind in the state of Maryland, and served on the Foreign Language Task Force Committee to improve services for foreign-born residents. After completing her degree, she hopes to go on to a supervisory position within the Montgomery County Public Libraries. Hsiao has master’s degrees in journalism from the University of Maryland and computer science information systems from Marist College, as well as a BA in journalism from the National Chengchi University in Taipei, Taiwan.
Daniel Ramirez, a native of Ellicott City, Maryland, began his MLS studies in the summer of 2009 and currently works for the Maryland State Archives as the search room coordinator. Ramirez also interned with the Maryland State Law Library this past summer. In June, Ramirez a attended the American Library Association (ALA) conference in New Orleans as a 2011 Spectrum Scholar, a scholarship awarded annually to promising minority students pursuing graduate degrees in library and information studies. Inspired by his mother’s career as a librarian with the public library systems in Anne Arundel and Baltimore Counties, Ramirez hopes to continue his career serving the information needs of the public after he completes his MLS degree in 2012. He has a bachelor’s degree in international business and Spanish from Loyola University Maryland.
The Myra Wilson Scholarship was established in 1999 in memory of Myra Wilson, an alumna of the College of Information Studies. It is awarded to students preparing for a career in public library reference service, law librarianship or international librarianship.
About Maryland’s iSchool
The College of Information Studies, Maryland's iSchool, empowers people, organizations and society to use information effectively through its research and undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. Maryland's iSchool enables students and faculty to create new ways for people to connect with information that will transform society and is ideally located in the information capital of the world- the Washington DC metro region. The iSchool is transforming itself as well, from a small college with a strong foundation in library and information studies programs to a fast-growing and groundbreaking center of expertise that will help people manage the information explosion from childhood to adulthood.
For more information, visit www.ischool.umd.edu.
Mary Carroll-Mason
Communications Coordinator
College of Information Studies, Maryland's iSchool
University of Maryland
4110D Hornbake Library
College Park, MD 20742
(301) 405-1260