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Episode Synopsis "Journey of a Nigerian Academic Librarian featuring Chris Iweha"
2013 iSchool website article: MLS Student Chris Iweha Named ALA Spectrum Scholar iSchool student Chris Iweha already had a thriving career as a librarian in Nigeria before emigrating to the United States in October 2005. Being named a 2013-2014 Spectrum Scholar by the American Library Association (ALA) will now help him pursue his passion for librarianship in his adopted country. Iweha began his career as a librarian after completing his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, developing a special interest in applying information communication technologies (ICTs) to library operations and management. Iweha was also an International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) grantee to the World Library Congress in 2004. After coming to the United States, however, Iweha found that he was unable to secure a job as a librarian without a degree from an ALA-accredited institution. Iweha turned to other professional goals, completing a master's degree in health systems management from the University of Baltimore in 2011, but found that his desire to be a librarian didn't disappear. "As the years went by, my desire and love for librarianship grew stronger despite my frustrations that made me turn to other endeavors," he says, leading him to enroll at the iSchool in 2012. After finishing his degree, Iweha plans to complete a doctoral degree and begin a career as an academic librarian. He intends to pursue his interests in deployment of ICT-bolstered library services to individuals living with disabilities and support library and information access to underserved rural communities in Africa. Iweha was one of 51 students named as 2013-2014 Spectrum Scholars. A prestigious committee of six jurors selected this year’s Spectrum Scholars based on their commitment to diversity, commitment to entering the library profession, demonstrated community outreach, academic ability and achievements and leadership potential. Spectrum recruits and provides scholarships to American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students to assist them with obtaining a graduate degree and leadership positions within the profession.
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