Lauren Harris (left) and Raneem Hijazi, the 2021 recipients of the Wilma Moore Scholarship, exemplify the versatility of an MLIS degree. The scholarship celebrates and encourages increasing diversity in library science.
From cultural preservation to electronic records management, the recipients have discovered how earning a master’s degree in library and information science from the IU School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI will help them to achieve their goals.
Career focused
“I knew I needed additional training to be less reactive and be proactive when it came to records management or various policy changes I encounter,” says Harris, who works at Medxcel, a provider of health care facilities services.
“I am a regulatory compliance coordinator, and assist with confirming the correct licensing and keeping track of licensing and other government documents.
“I was attending a webinar about electronic records management and one of the presenters had an MLIS. I researched and found that it really aligned with what I do currently and where I want to take my career next.”
Harris is focused on digital preservation, especially data governance, and records management.
“Most people think of medical librarians in a hospital,” she notes. “But other aspects of health care would benefit from an information professional on their staff.”
Documenting a culture
“As I grew up, I have always been connected to my Palestinian heritage,” says Hijazi. “I want to help Palestinians around the world fight forced erasure of their identity by digitally preserving elements of Palestinian culture as a digital archivist and curator.”
As she researched how to best accomplish her goal, she discovered SoIC and its master’s of library and information science degree.
“I was intrigued by the possible career paths,” Hijazi says. “I don’t think I could have ever pursued this career path without learning all there was to library sciences, which I’m excited to continue doing throughout my graduate degree.
“My dream is to travel to Palestine and document the stories of the Palestinians and help spread and preserve these stories throughout the world to show the truth of the occupation as they live it.”
Continuing Moore’s legacy
Andrea Copeland, Ph.D., is chair and program director of the Department of Library and Information Science at SoIC. “Ms. Moore was a great mentor to many librarians and archivists in our community and I know she would have loved working with both Lauren and Raneem,” she says.
“It’s such a gift to the profession that her legacy will continue to influence generations of librarians to come.
“Being able to support students in the work that Wilma started and to honor her in the process is deeply meaningful to those of us who had the privilege of knowing and working with her,” says Copeland, an associate professor with the IU School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI.
About Wilma Gibbs Moore
The Wilma Gibbs Moore Graduate Endowed Scholarship memorializes Moore and her many contributions to the historical record of African Americans in Indiana.
Wilma Gibbs Moore graduated from Crispus Attucks High School and received her B.S. in sociology and her master’s in library science degree from Indiana University. She worked at Indiana University Libraries and the Indianapolis Public Library.
Moore retired from the Indiana Historical Society after 30 years.
Continuing a legacy of giving back
Harris and Hijazi are carrying on a proud tradition.
“For all that Ms. Wilma Gibbs Moore did for the Indianapolis community and Black librarians in Indiana,” Harris says, “it’s humbling and empowering to be walking on the path she paved for me and the other scholarship recipients as an aspiring information professional.”
And, Hijazi notes, “Ms. Moore has already done work in the way that I hope to do one day.
“Having her as a role model to look up to throughout my graduate career is so inspiring. It’s an honor to be awarded a scholarship named after such an influential person in the preservation of African-American culture.”
How to support this scholarship
Visit our alumni and partners page and click on the Give Now button. Then enter “Wilma Gibbs Moore Graduate Endowed Scholarship” in the Search field.
Media Contact
Joanne Lovrinic
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