For aspiring school librarians who pursue K-12 LIS Licensure, scholarships like those provided by The Louise C. Meckstroth Scholarship Fund can ease the challenge of balancing school, work, and family. Julie Derden (MS ’06), a teaching materials librarian at Illinois State University, established the Meckstroth Fund at GSLIS in 2011 as a way to recognize individuals who supported her throughout her education, and to honor her mother, a retired teacher librarian, by supporting the next generation of school librarians.
Louise Meckstroth—Derden’s mother—earned her master’s degree and became a school librarian after teaching high school for two decades. Her second career was marked by forward-thinking achievements, such as securing grant funding to retrofit her school for computer access and automating her library using an Apple IIe. Meckstroth has enjoyed getting to know the recipients of her namesake scholarship, and has shared with them advice and resources for working as a school librarian.
Three GSLIS students have received scholarships from the fund, and Derden hopes many more will benefit from it in the future. Like her mother, she decided to change directions in her career, becoming a librarian after two decades working outside of LIS. She knows from her own experience that returning to school and working while taking classes is not easy, and that even a small amount of financial assistance can make a big difference.
“Having the scholarship helped me not worry so much about the financial support of my education, instead allowing me to focus on learning,” said recipient Meredith Riddle (MS ’12). “There’s so much to do when you’re student teaching. I have a family to take care of as well. Having that support greatly enabled me to finish my K-12 licensure in a relatively timely fashion.”
“Additionally, the scholarship has really become an opportunity for mentoring. I have been in touch with Mrs. Meckstroth, who was a pioneer of automation. She sent me some things about how to develop my nonfiction collection that I’m going to use. Just having that relationship with generations of librarians who’ve done it already and done it in different ways has really broadened my education,” said Riddle, who completed the K-12 LIS Licensure program and now works as a teacher librarian at Champaign’s Booker T. Washington STEM Academy.
To make a contribution to The Louise C. Meckstroth Scholarship Fund, visit our Giving page and select the fund on the "Scholarships" tab, or contact the Office of Advancement.