UWG News Item
Contact: UWG Public Relations Office
Phone (678) 839-6464, FAX (678) 839-6645
ucm@westga.edu
Scholarship created in memory of the late Charles Beard
February 28, 2006
CARROLLTON, GA - The University of West Georgia and the Georgia Library Association (GLA) has announced the creation of the Beard Scholarship in memory of the late Charles E. Beard, former professor and university libraries director at UWG.
Friends and colleagues of Beard created the Beard Scholarship to commemorate his perseverance and dedication in the library profession for almost 40 years. For 26 years, he worked on the UWG campus. The new scholarship awards $1,000 each year to a student pursuing a career in library science.
Beard’s determination to bring Georgia Library Learning Online (GALILEO) to all libraries and educational institutions in Georgia is one example of how Beard changed librarianship and academic research.
Susan Smith, head of acquisitions at Ingram Library, worked with Beard for several years. Smith described him as a “champion for libraries.”
“He was forward thinking,” said Smith. “He pushed for GALILEO to be available in public and school libraries. He was always asking for funding; acting as an advocate; talking about freedom of speech and freedom of access to information. He had a strong belief in confidentiality for the user.”
To qualify for the Beard Scholarship, students must be a senior or a graduate student in an accredited school and be accepted in a library masters degree program. After completion of the degree, the student must work in a library-related position in Georgia for one year.
The application deadline for the scholarship is May 1. For more information call 678-839-6350 or visit http://gla.georgialibraries.org/scholarship.htm.
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