Congratulations to Dr. April Dawkins, assistant professor in the Library & Information Science (LIS) Department, who has been selected as one of the recipients of the 2019 American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Research Grant! Dr. Dawkins received this award with her co-author, Dr. Karen Gavigan, from the University of South Carolina. Dr. Gavigan is a graduate of the PhD program in the Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education (TEHE) and was formerly the Director of the Teaching Resources Center (TRC) in the UNCG School of Education.
The AASL Research Grant, sponsored by School Library Connection, recognizes excellence in manuscripts addressing a persistent and recurring challenge in the field of school librarianship. As a recipient, Dr. Dawkins received a monetary $350 award and the opportunity to present her paper at AASL’s National Conference. The Research Grant Paper session will take place on Saturday, November 16th.
Dr. Dawkins was a practicing high school librarian for fifteen years in four different North Carolina school systems before completing her dissertation on the factors that influence selection decisions by school librarians. She has studied and written about intellectual freedom, the role of school librarians in academic achievement, and diversity in young adult literature. She teaches in the areas of school libraries, intellectual freedom, information literacy, and children’s and young adult literature.
Again, congratulations to Dr. April Dawkins on being selected as a recipient of the 2019 AASL Research Grant!
