Friday, June 30, 2017

Suzanne LaPierre Wins 2017 George Mason Friends Scholarship

Duwain Ketch, Foundation Scholarship Committee Chair, presents the 2017 George Mason Friends Scholarship to Recipient Suzanne LaPierre. With (from left) FCPL Trustee Suzanne Levy; Fairfax Library Foundation Executive Director Susan Harman; FCPL Director Jessica Hudson; George Mason Friends Board Members Charlotte Sell and Laura Noble;  FCPL Trustee Fran Millhouser.
We are proud to announce that Ms. Suzanne LaPierre is the recipient of the 2017 George Mason Friends Graduate-Level Academic Scholarship. She is a Library Information Assistant at the City of Fairfax Regional Library, and is pursuing a Master of Library and Information Science at the University of South Carolina.

As you can see from  her comments below, Suzanne has an impressive background and a thought-provoking vision for what she'd like to accomplish in the future:

After eleven years working in Information Services for Fairfax County Public Library, I am happy to finally have made the leap towards a Masters in Library and Information Science with a generous scholarship from the Fairfax Library Foundation and the George Mason Friends. 

Now more than ever, I think libraries have an important role to play in helping all citizens become more discerning users of information. With ever more information at our fingertips, ironically it’s become harder to sort fact from fiction. Social media has changed the way we receive news; search engines are tailored increasingly to the user’s biases, causing people to become more entrenched in one world view. I’m interested in exploring ways libraries and librarians can help untangle some of the confusion.

Another passion of mine is the arts. I have a background in visual arts and museums, with a MA in Museum Studies from George Washington University and a BFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design. I'd love to explore how libraries can partner with creative groups in Fairfax County to forge meaningful opportunities for community empowerment and engagement.

And of course - I love to read, recommend books, and find out what other people are reading!  I am one of the writers for the Fairfax County Library blog About Books: http://fairfaxcountypubliclibrary.blogspot.com/.  So if you see me at the library, don't hesitate to exchange reading recommendations!

Congratulations, Suzanne, from all of us at George Mason Friends!