November 18, 2009
Katherine Sydenham, a graduate student pursuing her
Master’s in Library Science at St. John’s University, was
recently surprised and pleased to learn that she has been named
The George N. Atiyeh Award Winner for 2009. The award will
facilitate her attendance at the 2009 annual meetings of the Middle East Librarians
Association (MELA) and the
Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) in
Boston this month.
Katherine, who majored in Religion and Women’s Studies at
Swarthmore College, developed a keen interest in the Middle East
and the Arabic language during her undergraduate years. As a
student worker in Swarthmore’s Humanities library, she also gained
practical experience as a page and reserves desk employee.
A semester abroad in Damascus, Syria, cemented her interest in the
Middle East and impelled her after graduation to take a position as
a program officer at the Yemen Language Center in Sana’a, where she
assisted international students with their travel, housing and
other accommodations needs.
Eventually, Katherine discovered the possibility of combining both
her love of the Middle East and her affinity for library work in
the form of area librarianship, which brought her to St. John’s
lauded MLS program. Her hope is to use her newly combined interests
in Yemen, developing library systems and increasing literacy among
the homeless.
Should she work in the U.S., she would like to work in a public
library serving Middle Eastern minorities or in a university
library where she could collaborate on joint projects with Middle
Eastern, especially Yemeni, librarians that would enhance and
expand the use of libraries in the Middle East and cooperation with
U.S. libraries.
Jeffery Olson, Ph.D., J.D., Associate Provost and Director of
Library and Information Science at St. John’s, points out that
Katherine’s vocational interests are very much in line with St.
John’s strategic goals. Her desire to assist the homeless models
St. Vincent de Paul’s service to the poor; her passion for
libraries and literacy mirrors the University’s Vincentian mission
to provide excellent education for all people. Earning her graduate
degree at St. John’s will surely enhance her ability to pursue
those goals and prepares her for successful leadership in the
global society she intends to enter.
For now, she is excited about attending the two conferences. “I am
very happy that I got this award, especially because in the
announcement they mention my interest in Yemen, serving youth,
developing literacy, and my interest in jobs in the US that could
help me achieve these goals.”