Skip to main content

Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA) Recognizes Sha Li Zhang and Clara Chu of UNCG

Dr. Sha Li Zhang and Dr. Clara Chu have received the Association’s 2012 President’s Recognition Award, along with a third colleague from San Jose State University.
According to the citation on their award, "the award recipients, as individuals and as a group, possess a philosophy of dedication, quality of service, and professional integrity for their significant contributions to the library community that have shown leadership in many areas of great importance to the mission and goals of CALA, and particularly in their important roles to advise, support, and shape CALA’s long term success through the Presidential Initiatives this year in the theme of diversity and international collaboration. "
Dr. Sha Li Zhang is the Assistant Dean for Collections & Technical Services at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In her distinguished service and contribution to CALA, as a president and a board member, among many other roles, she has tirelessly promoted international collaboration between the U.S. and China, fostering and sustaining the connections of key library organizations – the American Library Association (ALA), CALA, and the Library Society of China - in promotion of the cross cultural exchange of core values of libraries that benefit libraries and librarians of both countries. Dr. Zhang has carried out her leadership vision through her participation and contribution in professional organizations such as the ALA and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). She played an important role in making CALA membership at IFLA a reality. Her extensive involvement and leadership experience in library organizations, at national and international levels, have been invaluable in helping achieve the strategic objectives of CALA in international outreach and collaboration.

Dr. Zhang has served as a councilor-at-large at ALA Council and on many committees.  She has held leadership positions at ALA’s International Relations Committee, the International Relations Roundtable, the Association of Library Collections and Technical Services, and the Association of College and Research Libraries. She is a prolific speaker and has delivered engaging and thought-provoking presentations to the library community at national and international levels. Dr. Zhang has published numerous articles in scholarly journals, and she has extensive experience at many editorial boards.  She has also received many awards, honors, and grants, including the CALA Distinguished Service Award. She has received IMLS grants for UNCG to recruit and prepare minority librarians to promote diversity in the library profession and library service to people of all cultural backgrounds.  Dr. Zhang is an excellent mentor and role model who has demonstrated remarkable achievements in librarianship, professional service, and leadership.  Serving on the 2011-12 CALA Presidential Initiative Taskforce, she has been effective in giving support and advice in carrying out activities and projects in promoting diversity and international collaboration to enhance CALA’s mission and goals. 
Dr. Clara Chu is the Chair and Professor of the Department of Library and Information Studies at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is a prolific and leading scholar on multicultural library and information services, has consulted and presented her research findings internationally, and also served on editorial boards of many prestigious journals.  A Peruvian-born, Chinese Canadian American, her transnational and ethnic experiences have shaped her distinctive view and unique perspective on the issues of multicultural education and library services to diverse populations.  Dr. Chu has taken actions in recruiting people of diverse backgrounds into the information profession through the program called PRAXIS (Practice, Reflection, Advocacy, eXcellence, Inquiry, Solutions) that she designed and coordinated.  She also successfully obtained an IMLS National Leadership Grant to support this meaningful endeavor.
Dr. Chu is very active in national and international professional associations promoting multicultural librarianship.  She co-chairs the IFLA Section on Education and Training, and was on the Steering Committee of the Section on Library Services to Multicultural Populations.  Her achievements are duly recognized in the many awards and honors she has received, such as the ALA Library Diversity Research Honor Lecturer in 2008, a Library Journal Mover & Shaker in 2005, the ALA Equality Award in 2002, just to name a few.  She is one of the Chinese Americans who has exerted a significant impact upon examining the issue of barriers to information in multicultural communities through a critical and distinctive angle.

As an invited speaker of the 2011 CALA Annual Program: Embracing the Changes: Diversity and Global Vision in a Digital Age during the 2011 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans, she contributed to the great success of the Program by her presentation “A CALL (Change, Advocacy, Leadership in Libraries) to LEADD (Librarians Enhancing Access, Diversity and Development).  The Program has opened a dialogue on the theme of diversity and global reach, and set the stage for a series of activities/projects during 2011-12 year to demonstrate CALA's commitment to taking a leadership role in promoting cultural diversity and international collaboration in the library profession.   Dr. Chu serves on the 2011-12 CALA Presidential Initiative Advisory Board, and also as a CALA representative to the ALA’s Diversity Working Group on Diversity and LIS Education.  Dr. Chu is a life member of CALA, and a former board member and chair of the Scholarship Committee.

Comments