NJLA Announces Norma Blake Scholarship At Annual Conference
At its annual state conference, the New Jersey Library Association recognized the contributions and achievements of librarians and community members who had made a difference in 2008 – including two Librarians of the Year.
The Honors and Awards Reception began with a tribute to New Jersey State Librarian Norma Blake in recognition of her selection by Library Journal as National Librarian of the Year. As a legacy to Blake’s outstanding commitment to libraries, the association created a scholarship in her name. The scholarship will be awarded at next year’s NJLA Conference to a student pursuing a Masters of Library and Information Science degree. Those wishing to donate to the scholarship fund may send a check made out to NJLA to: Norma Blake Scholarship, NJLA, PO Box 1534, Trenton, NJ 08607.
As State Librarian, Blake was among the first to recognize the need to recruit new librarians. It was under her direction that over $1.5 million in scholarship funds were received from the federal government through the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program.