The Joan T. Wholihan Scholarship, established in 2008, awards an annual scholarship to a qualified individual in Southern Nevada who is seeking a Masters in Library and Information Science.
Joan T. Wholihan served as a librarian for the Henderson Libraries from 1995 until her death in November 2001. Her passion as a librarian was in youth services. The Joan T. Wholihan Scholarship was created in her memory to help uplift qualified persons into the library field who demonstrate potential in and have a strong commitment to public services and an interest in youth services. The scholarship is awarded for the study in an ALA Accredited Master of Library Science (MLS) or Master of Library and Information Sciences (MLIS) program.
Joan was born on May 29, 1966, in Inglewood, California, attended Notre Dame Academy in West Los Angeles, graduated from Loyola Marymount University, received her masters of library science from UCLA and was a California librarian before working in Henderson.
The Scholarship Committee consists of three Henderson Libraries Foundation board members and John Wholihan. Funds are awarded on an annual basis in years which funding is available.
Congratulations to our 2022 Winner!
On July 25, 2022 our Henderson Libraries Foundation Board of Directors presented Renee Hudacek with 2022’s Joan T. Wholihan Scholarship. Renee’s passion and interest of furthering her career in library services shined in her application. Her experience in library services spans over two decades between university, public, and school libraries. She has had a 13 year teaching career in English and Drama sandwiched in between her library commitments. Working mostly in Adult Services, Technical Services, Youth Services and Circulation, Renee has been responsible for a myriad of tasks.
Dedicated to pushing towards her passion she quit her teaching job in June 2018 and was hired two weeks later as a part-time Adult Services Specialist in the Henderson Library District. Three years and several supplemental jobs later, she was hired as the full-time Circulation Specialist at our Gibson Library branch. It was during the 2020 pandemic where she did some soul searching and decided to pursue her Master’s Degree. In December 2020, she applied and was accepted into Emporia State University’s School of Library and Information Management as a graduate student and began classes the following January. She is on track to graduate with her master’s degree in Library Science in August of 2023!
Renee has chosen a concentrated path towards youth services due to her love of working with teens and her background in teaching. She believes youth services in the public library will be the best melding of her love of education and the library. Her goal is to achieve a full-time library position, making optimal use of her skills and interests that provide value to our community.
We wish Renee the best of luck in her pursuit of education and great success further uplifting youth services in our community!
PAST WINNERS
Emilee Wirshing
Starr White
Erin Owens
*This list is incomplete. We wish to honor all the winners of this amazing scholarship. Please get in touch as we continue to gather our history!