The Diversity Committee is pleased to announce that Malgorzata Rehfus has been selected as the 2018 Diversity Scholarship Recipient.

“I strongly believe that advocating for diversity and inclusion is the social responsibility of the LIS profession. It is our professional and moral obligation to advocate for human rights,” Ms. Rehfus states.

Recently, Ms. Rehfus has participated as an associate in IFLA’s New Professional Special Interests Group and has submitted proposals supporting LGBTQ rights in Malaysia, the site of this year’s IFLA World Congress, and has supported outreach in Liberia and an annual scholarship for a new professional to attend the World Congress.

Ms. Rehfus currently is pursuing a Master of Library and Information Science at Kent State University and has professional interests in organization of information and international librarianship, and plans to work to combine the two in a meaningful way. Ms. Rehfus indicates that as a library and information science professional, one of her goals is to reduce barriers to information, whether that means working with metadata, advocating for net neutrality, or locating a reliable source in a minority language. She plans to stay engaged locally and to contribute to the LIS profession at large, believing that continuous change is necessary in order to make a difference.

-Bree Miller, ALAO Diversity Committee Co-Chair, Columbus State Community College