The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has awarded Mary Calo the Julia C. Blixrud Scholarship to attend the ARL Fall Forum 2022. The scholarship was established in 2015 to honor the memory and extend the legacy of longtime ARL staff member Julia C. Blixrud. Generous donations to the Julia C. Blixrud Memorial Fund support the scholarship.
This year’s Blixrud Scholarship recipient, Mary Calo, is a former social worker who has transitioned into a career in librarianship. Calo currently serves as public services coordinator at Brandeis University Library, where she manages 50 student staff members. In her previous career as a social worker, Calo focused on child welfare and emergency support, serving individuals and families of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences. She also served as adjunct faculty at the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work. Calo is currently pursuing a master’s degree in library and information science at San José State University. Upon graduation, she hopes to find a position that allows her to practice librarianship from a whole-person perspective while prioritizing the health and well-being of all library patrons.
The theme of the 2022 ARL Fall Forum, which will be held in Washington, DC, and virtually on Thursday, October 20, is “Supporting Mental and Emotional Health for Ourselves and Others.” As part of the scholarship, Calo will write an overview of the event.
Editor’s note: ARL published Calo’s overview, “ARL Fall Forum 2022 Focuses on Mental and Emotional Health,” on November 3 on the ARL Views blog.
About the Association of Research Libraries
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of research libraries in Canada and the US whose vision is to create a trusted, equitable, and inclusive research and learning ecosystem and prepare library leaders to advance this work in strategic partnership with member libraries and other organizations worldwide. ARL’s mission is to empower and advocate for research libraries and archives to shape, influence, and implement institutional, national, and international policy. ARL develops the next generation of leaders and enables strategic cooperation among partner institutions to benefit scholarship and society. ARL is on the web at ARL.org.
