The Graduate School of Library and Information Science's second annual Vera May Barnes Zubrzycki Scholarship was awarded to Katie Clausen during the Polish American Librarians Association (PALA) annual meeting on February 24 at the Polish Museum of America in Chicago. The scholarship is funded by a bequest to Dominican University from PALA members and Chicagoans Michael and Christine Zubrzycki in honor of Mr. Zubrzycki's mother. 

A current student at GSLIS who is employed part-time at Dominican's Butler Children's Literature Center and part-time in the children's department at the Oak Park (IL) Public Library, Clausen expects to receive her degree in 2014 and plans to seek work in a children's or young adult department in a public library. Clausen says, "Everyone needs to feel that his or her culture is valued and represented, especially in the walls of the library. I really appreciate this scholarship's focus on serving multicultural populations, because it is especially relevant to my daily work serving people of all ethnicities in the library."

The Zubrzycki Scholarship is intended to support a library school student specializing in service to children, with emphasis on incorporating multiculturalism, particularly the Polish-American experience, into the practice of librarianship. The selection committee included GSLIS Dean Susan Roman, PALA Past President Aldona Salska, and Leonard Kniffel, editor emeritus of American Libraries magazine. Roman says, "We are extremely proud to be able to offer this scholarship in partnership with the Polish American Librarians Association. It is a concrete way in which we can further GSLIS's mission, which includes a firm commitment to cultural inclusivity."

The Polish American Librarians Association was founded in 2010 to positively impact services provided to library patrons of Polish descent and individuals interested in Polish culture. For more information, visit palalib.org.

Dominican University’s GSLIS is distinguished by innovative practice and research and has been educating future library leaders and information professionals since the 1930s. The school offers an ALA-accredited master’s degree in library and information science, a master of professional studies degree, and a doctoral degree in library and information science. For more information, visit dom.edu/gslis.