Essraa Nawar wins United for Libraries/SAGE Academic Friend Conference Grant

Los Angeles, CA - United for Libraries has awarded the 2014 United for Libraries/SAGE Academic Friend Conference Grant to Essraa Nawar of Leatherby Libraries, Chapman University, Orange, Calif.

Nawar will receive $850 plus full conference registration to attend the 2014 ALA Annual Conference June 26-July 1 in Las Vegas. A formal presentation to Nawar will be made at the conference.

Nawar is the Assistant to the Dean for Communications and External Relations at the Leatherby Libraries, and the chair of the Arts, Exhibits and Events Committee at the library. She received a bachelor’s degree in commerce with an emphasis in accounting from Alexandria University, Egypt. She also holds an MBA from the American Management & Business Administration Institute. She is currently pursuing a master of arts in organizational leadership at Brandman University.

“SAGE is thrilled that the very-deserving Ms. Nawar is the inaugural recipient of the 2014 United for Libraries/SAGE Academic Friend Conference Grant,” commented Ed McBride, Executive Director of Library Sales at SAGE. “Ms. Nawar is a leader and an innovator in library support. We are delighted that this award is providing her with the opportunity to attend ALA for the first time and are certain that it will be an enriching experience for her and for those who have the chance to learn from her at the conference.”

Prior to moving to California, Nawar served in the new library of Alexandria (Bibliotheca Alexandrina) for four years. She was actively involved in the solicitation of rare and unique gifts, and has also helped create the library’s Duplicate Materials Exchange Program.

Her professional interests include developing and implementing marketing, branding and communications practices to support the Leatherby Libraries strategic plan in attracting faculty, staff, students, and other entities on and off campus, as well as maintaining an integrated external relations model targeting prospective donors, current donors, board members and external partners. Nawar is also very interested and active in the topics of interfaith dialogue, empowering Muslim women, and embracing diversity.

The United for Libraries/SAGE Academic Friend Conference Grant enables a person who is active in his or her college or university friends of the library group, or a library staff member who works in development, to attend the ALA Annual Conference. The Conference Grant, made possible by a gift from SAGE, is administered by United for Libraries.

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United for Libraries: The Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations, is a division of the American Library Association that supports those who govern, promote, advocate, and fundraise for libraries. United for Libraries brings together library Trustees, advocates, friends, and foundations into a partnership that creates a powerful force for libraries in the 21st century. For more information or to join United for Libraries, visit the United for Libraries website or contact Jillian Kalonick at (312) 280-2161 or jkalonick@ala.org.