Two VCU students have been selected by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) to participate in prestigious fellowships in Digital and Inclusive Excellence. These two are among 12 undergraduates from across North America to participate in the 2019–2020 fellowship cohort.

Asma Alomari and Glynis Boyd Hughes are VCU undergraduates who will work as ARL Fellows at VCU Libraries.

Asma Alomari will be a senior this year and is double majoring in Sociology and Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies. Alomari is the co-founder of Free University@VCU and also worked as an Undergraduate Teacher's Assistant for UNIV 200: Inquiry and the Craft of Argument.

Glynis Boyd Hughes, also a rising senior, is majoring in English and minoring in Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies. She has served on the Cabell Library Undergraduate Advisory Committee and is the founder and president of Retro Rams, a student-based service/support organization at VCU.

During their fellowship, Alomari and Boyd Hughes will work with VCU librarians in several departments to develop skills in technology and academic librarianship. Librarians will provide professional mentorship.

The ARL Fellowship program introduces undergraduates from a variety of disciplines to digital stewardship and strives to promote diversification of the research library and archives workforce. Digital stewardship encompasses the care and management of digital information resources over their life cycle, including creation, collection, preservation, access and use. The program  is funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and by ARL member institutions.

“This year presented a strong level of diversity from academic year to race and gender identity,” said Rick Johnson, program director of Digital Initiatives and Scholarship at the University of Notre Dame Hesburgh Libraries and member of the selection committee. “In particular, the selection committee was excited about the presence of nontraditional students and sophomore-level students indicating a bright future for the library and information science profession.”

The fellowship provides a paid internship at VCU Libraries, participation by the Fellow in the ARL Annual Leadership Symposium, formal mentorship and oversight by a a librarian at VCU Libraries, financial support for student membership in a professional organization and attendance at a capstone institute.

The 2019–2020 fellows are:

• Asma Alomari, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Glynis Boyd Hughes, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Lydia Abedeen, Emory University
• Maria Arteaga, Washington State University
• Shao Yuan Chong, University of British Columbia
• Israel Herrera, University of Florida
• Kerah Iyall, Washington State University
• Claudia Konings, Emory University
• Ivanna Moreno, University of Florida
• Kagen Quiballo, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Izchel Quintero, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
• Hailey Vasquez, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

For more information about the fellowship, see ARL Fellowship for Digital and Inclusive Excellence website.

A version of this article by Mark A. Puente was published on the ARL website July 17, 2019