NEWS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE              DATE: 4/03/08 CONTACT: LESLIE SCHALER, COMMUNICATION ASST., (413) 545-0162   UMASS AMHERST LIBRARIES PRESENT “Me, a Librarian?” ~ A Library Career Reception ~ Exploring careers?  Find out more about librarianship and enjoy a great free meal! Amherst , MA – The UMass Amherst Libraries will host a Library Career Reception on Wednesday, April 23, 2008. “Me, a Librarian?” will be held in the Learning Commons on the lower level of the Du Bois Library from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  The keynote speaker will be Brenda Mitchell-Powell. Other guests include faculty from nearby library programs at Simmons, University of Rhode Island, and the University at Albany, as well as professional librarians. Brenda Mitchell-Powell will receive her M.L.S. from Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science in May 2008 and begins her doctoral program at Simmons as an ALA Spectrum Doctoral Fellow in fall 2008. Ms. Mitchell-Powell is best-known as the founding editor (1991) of the Multicultural Review, but also freelanced in all aspects of publishing.  She has worked at Gibbs College and interned at Yale.  She has presented and published prolifically on issues of multiculturalism and has been awarded several state, regional, and national Spectrum scholarship awards. People from all backgrounds are discovering that being a librarian means a stimulating career committed to sharing information, ideas, and knowledge through technology.  Retirements will result in many job openings for librarians, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics.  Join us to talk with library students, faculty in library school, new librarians, and veterans about what it takes to make this your career choice. This event is sponsored by the Veli W. & Ida G.L. Wallenius Library Endowment Fund, UMass Amherst Office of programs and Services for ALANA Students, and Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science. For more information or to RSVP, email Paulina Borrego at (413) 545-7891 or pborrego@library.umass.edu.