The  American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services has awarded 2022 Spectrum Scholarships to 60 graduate students at universities across the country. One of the recipients, Danielle Pitter, will begin her journey to earn a Master of Information specializing in Library and Information Science from SC&I in September 2022.

The ALA Spectrum Scholarship Program, according to the ALA website, “is ALA's national diversity and recruitment effort designed to address the specific issue of under-representation of critically needed ethnic librarians within the profession while serving as a model for ways to bring attention to larger diversity issues in the future.”

Pitter earned an associate’s degree in Liberal Arts from Middlesex County College in 2014, and a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Media Studies in 2015 from the University of Phoenix.

She then worked at the North Brunswick Public Library as a Library Associate from December 2020 until March 2021 and began her current leadership position as secretary for the Diversity and Outreach section at the New Jersey Library Association (NJLA) a year ago.

Pitter is a published author, poet, and blogger, and she recently released her debut poetry collection, “Reality Check,” this past April. Pitter also posts content to her own website, PoetryBooksYA.com, where she discusses young adult fiction, adult fiction, her writing journey, and mental health advocacy.

“I applied for this scholarship hoping to start applying to master’s degree programs in Library and Information Science next year,” Danielle said. “However, when I received the scholarship this past July, it came as a complete surprise and I thought that this was an excellent way for me to not only start grad school, but also enhance my skill set as a librarian.”

The award provides a $5000 scholarship as well many other benefits, including membership benefits to ALA, the Black Caucus American Library Association (BCALA), the New Jersey Library Association (NJALA), and other library associations; an invitation to attend the Spectrum Leadership Institute which includes the costs of travel, meals, lodging; and registration fees to enable Pitter to attend the ALA Annual Conference next year.

“This award means so much to me because not only will it help me afford my master’s program, but it will show there is a market for young, gifted, and talented Black librarians; that people like me deserve to be seen and noted for my hard work; and with supportive people in my corner, my wishes to become an adult services librarian will come true,” Pitter said.

More information about the Master of Information degree at the Rutgers Rutgers School of Communication and Information is on the website. 

Photo: Courtesy of Danielle Pitter