The Richland County Public Library Foundation has awarded the second annual Ethel Bolden Minority Scholarship to Gabrielle Marshaé Dudley. A reception honoring Dudley was held on October 13 at the Main Library, with a special presentation by Ethel Bolden's son, NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden, Jr.The $2,500 scholarship, which honors Ethel Bolden's many years of service to the Richland County community and its libraries, was awarded to Dudley to provide financial support and encourage completion of her joint Master of Library and Information Science and Master of Public History degrees at the University of South Carolina.
During her first academic year at USC, she worked as a graduate assistant in the South Carolina Political Collections Library. Since August 2010, she has served as a graduate research assistant for the University's African American Documentary History Initiative. There she has employed her archival and library skills to transform the African American Initiative into a much more organized, systematic and robust organization. Dudley seeks a unique career at the intersection of archives, library science and history. Dudley earned a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Alabama in 2008. She is a member of the South Carolina Archival Association and the recipient of its 2010 Darrick Hart Endowment Fund Travel Award.
Ethel Bolden, consummate advocate and pioneer for library services to African-American children, worked diligently for 40 years in the community to promote reading and establish excellence in library services. She established the first elementary school library at (formerly all-Black) Waverly Elementary, served as school librarian at Perry Junior High, worked as the first African-American faculty member and librarian at Dreher High School, and served twice on the Board of Trustees at the Richland County Public Library. The scholarship seeks to encourage and provide financial support to students from underrepresented ethnic and racial groups towards the completion of their Master in Library and Information Science.
The RCPL Foundation works to increase financial support so the library can broaden and diversify its ability to serve the citizens of Richland County. Scholarship application guidelines are available online at www.myRCPL.com/foundation. For additional information on this scholarship or the foundation, contact Development Manager Tina Gills at (803) 929-3424 or tgills@myRCPL.com.
