Katrina Belton awarded Jan Merrill-Oldham Professional Development Grant

CHICAGO—Katrina Belton, Preservation Specialist, University of Washington Libraries in Seattle, Wash., will receive the Jan Merrill-Oldham Professional Development Grant for 2020 at the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference & Exhibition during the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) Awards Ceremony on June 27, 2020 in Chicago, IL. 

Each year, the Jan Merrill-Oldham Professional Development Grant is awarded by the Preservation and Reformatting Section (PARS) of ALCTS to support an early-career staff member’s travel to the ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition. The $1,250 grant, sponsored by BMI’s Library Binding Council, encourages professional development through active participation at the national level by covering airfare, lodging and registration fees to attend the ALA Annual Conference. 

Belton started her preservation path as a student assistant in the University of Washington Libraries Preservation Department where she prepared materials for digitization, updated their disaster plan and conducted a large preservation survey of A/V materials. Her performance in this position and later as an intern led to a permanent position as a preservation specialist. In this position she helps with shelf preparation and preparing materials for commercial binding. Katrina’s sponsors recognized her dedication to her work, her positive attitude and her ability to collaborate with both students and staff in a positive and effective manner. Her hard work, eagerness to learn more about the field, and desire to grow as a preservation professional embodies the spirit of the Jan Merrill Oldham Award.

The Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) is the national association for information providers who work in collections and technical services, such as acquisitions, cataloging, collection development, preservation and continuing resources in digital and print formats. ALCTS is a division of the American Library Association.