California Academic & Research Libraries

Purpose

The purpose of the Ilene F. Rockman Scholarship is to subsidize conference attendance for members of the CARL community at the biennial CARL Conference or the biennial ACRL Conference, depending on the conference year. The objective of this scholarship is to encourage and support professional development in academic librarianship.

Eligibility

The following CARL members are encouraged to apply: library and information science students enrolled in at least 6 credit hours (or its equivalent) towards their degree; and early-career librarians. Early-career librarians are defined as individuals working in the profession for approximately 2 years or less. Membership in CARL is required before or at the time of application.

Award

The annual award amount is typically $1000. Distribution of the award funds will vary depending on the conference year and modality. Funding is intended to subsidize the cost of registration, travel, and accommodations. However, depending on the conference location, the award funds may not cover all expenses.

Application

All applicants must complete the online application. As part of this, applicants will need to attach the following items:

• Two Letters of Recommendation (PDF)
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae (PDF) that outlines related work experience, professional activities, internships and honors
• Personal Statement (PDF) A statement of 500 words or less that outlines your interest in academic librarianship, speaks to the other criteria below and addresses how your attendance at the conference will support your goals related to academic librarianship.

Criteria

All applications must include examples of the following:

• A commitment to a career in academic librarianship
• A commitment to academics or continual learning
• A commitment to diversity and equity
• Demonstrated growth in leadership and communication skills

Evidence in these areas may best be demonstrated by the personal statement indicating interest or work experience, volunteer work, teaching or other relevant employment, publications, and financial need.  Candidates should also indicate what specific competencies or characteristics they believe they have to offer the field of librarianship, what they can bring to the profession, and what they have done to demonstrate proven leadership potential. The criteria can also be demonstrated through the professional references or vita.

Submission Deadline

Applications must be received by December 1, 2023 via the online application. Late or incomplete packets will not be considered.

The scholarship committee will announce the recipient in January 2024.

For questions, please contact Jackie Kinsey, Chair at jkinsey@vcccd.edu.

History

Ilene Rockman was a long-time member of CARL and, over the years, served in various capacities on the CARL Board of Directors. She was manager of the California State University Information Competence Initiative for the CSU Chancellor’s Office from 2001–2005. Ilene worked in the CSU for more than 30 years as a librarian, faculty member, and administrator.

As Manager of the CSU Information Competence Initiative, Ilene worked closely with the Educational Testing Service to develop and implement a realistic, scenario-based, web-based instrument to assess higher-education student information-literacy skills. Ilene served as editor of Reference Services Review for many years. She was also on the editorial boards of American Libraries, Administration and Management, the Journal of Academic Librarianship, Library Hi Tech, and Reference Quarterly.

Recipient of numerous awards including the 2005 ACRL Instruction Librarian of the Year and the 2003 ACRL Distinguished Education and Behavioral Sciences Librarian, Ilene was a visionary in our profession, a dedicated librarian, a wonderful colleague to work with, and an extraordinary mentor to many fellow librarians. Ilene passed away November 26, 2005.

For Ilene, librarianship was a passion not a career. She read vociferously, participated actively in ALA and ACRL, and developed a huge network of friends and acquaintances in the library community throughout California and the country. She published books, articles, presented at conferences, and was the recipient of numerous awards.

If I ever had a question about anything in librarianship all I had to do was go to Ilene’s office or give her a call. She would respond as if it were the lightning round in Jeopardy. She'd synthesize an entire field within a few minutes and back it all up by citing books, articles, ACRL spec kits, white papers, web sites, and librarians around the country which, of course, she knew personally. She was a major contributor to our profession.

As academic librarians Ilene always said we should be "making the difference in the life of a student each day." She always admired people who had good ideas, but had little patience for hearing ideas and never seeing results. “Thought into action” was her mantra. As a close friend I had numerous experiences to see Ilene do quite a few things that would seem uncharacteristic of her. Picture Ilene in her best blazer playing air hockey with a high-school junior in the Cal Poly Student Union? Can you see her laughing totally out of control till her eyes start to water, her side starts to hurt, and she’s waving me to stop telling a story? Can you see her watching a UCLA basketball game after a long ACRL conference day shouting, "They’re standing around again! This never happened when Johnny Wooden was coaching!" Ilene’s biggest contribution to librarianship is the impact she had on so many individual careers. She constantly called me and countless others to be more and encouraged us to put our thoughts into action. She encouraged us to publish, speak at conferences, implement our ideas, and make a contribution. These individual careers have had a positive impact on our profession. I can’t tell you how many people gave me a call after Ilene's passing and said, "If it weren't for Ilene…."

—Paul Adalian, December 2005 CARL Newsletter

The late Ilene Rockman was chosen as the CARL Member of the Year for 2006. Her husband, Fred Gertler, and his parents were there to receive the award. They were also available to attend the poster session breakfast where a poster remembering Ilene was presented. At that event, a raffle helped to raise over $500 to support the Ilene F. Rockman CARL/ACRL Conference Scholarship Award, based on a travel scholarship award that had been created in 2002 by Locke Morrisey, Suellen Cox, and Karen Schneider. Other generous donations also helped fund the award.

Committee Members

Jackie Kinsey, Chair
Moorpark College
jkinsey@vcccd.edu

Jason De Castro
Skyline College
decastroj@smccd.edu

Jeff Benedetti-Coomber
Cal State University, Channel Islands
jeff.benedetti-coomber@csuci.edu

Emily Campbell
College of the Sequoias
emilyc@cos.edu

Committee Charge

The Ilene F. Rockman CARL/ACRL Conference Scholarship Committee shall consist of three at-large CARL members appointed by the President. The Committee shall:

1. convene every year; 
2. communicate scholarship opportunity, including details and deadlines; 
3. select and recommend award recipient(s) to the Board of Directors for its approval;
   
4. notify applicants and recipient(s) of Committee selection; and 
5. carry out other duties as assigned by the Board of Directors.

Winners

2024	Karen Helena Adjei Marley Rodriguez
2023	Kelsey Nordstrom
2022	Noelle Leong Blanca Garcia-Barron
2021	Jason De Castro
2020	Diego Armando Coaguila Virginia Kathleen Barnes
2019	Kelly Hangauer
2018	Aisha Conner-Gaten Eriberto Ramirez
2017	Essraa Nawar
2016	Ashley Larson
2015	Jenny Yap
2014	Andrea G. Barkley Sharon Cheslow
2013	Brittany Austin
2012	Julia Ree Christi Weindorf
2011	Susan Trujillo
2010	Daisy Larios Talitha Matlin
2009	Julian Prentice
2008	Brett Van Benschoten Sarah Lehmann
2007	William Breitbach
2006	Lydia Collins G. Salim Mohammed
2005	Melissa Beuoy
2004	Karen Dennison Catherine Outten
2003	Chisato Uyeki