PhD student Julia Burns Petrella has been selected as the 2022 recipient of the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE)/University of Washington Information School Youth Services Graduate Student Travel Award, which will support her participation in the ALISE Annual Conference.
Petrella, who earned her MS in library and information science (MS/LIS) and Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) from the iSchool, has a background in youth services and has worked as a librarian in an elementary school, high school, and public library. Her research interests include youth services and school librarianship, LIS curricula and pedagogy, and the significance of race, racism, and whiteness within the field of librarianship.
"My experiences at the iSchool have allowed me to build a much greater understanding of the power structures that have shaped and continue to influence fields such as LIS and education, including the ways that these factors directly impact the lives of young people in schools and libraries," she said. "Through my dissertation research, I hope to inform the field of LIS education with descriptions of current pedagogical practices, perceptions, challenges, and successful strategies related to educating pre-service school librarians about topics of race, racism, and whiteness."
At the ALISE 2022 Conference, which will be held from October 24-26 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Petrella will share preliminary findings from her dissertation research in the works-in-progress poster session and as part of a Youth Services SIG panel titled "Youth Services: Empowering Community, Inclusion, and Active Citizenship through Libraries."
Outside of her research, she enjoys spending time with family and volunteering at her local public library.
"Completing a PhD has been a personal goal of mine for many years, and I am lucky to have the privilege and support to pursue this goal," said Petrella. "I have two young children, so I spend much of my non-work time visiting local parks, watching Bluey, making peanut butter sandwiches, and cleaning up half-eaten peanut butter sandwiches from the floor."