LIS students Kerri Glickstein, Serina Kerbaugh, and Keeley Terpstra have been selected as the Fall 2024 recipients of the Robert and Rita Blair Memorial Award, and Rachel Jacobson and Brooke Jones were selected as the Spring 2025 recipients. This award is presented to graduating students who show special promise in providing library services to children and youth. The LIS faculty select awardees based on high academic standing and strong evidence of professional leadership.
For a course project, Glickstein and Terpstra collaborated to create maker kits for the Lānaʻi Public & School Library. A resident of Lānaʻi, Glickstein observed the lack of craft stores and places to buy greeting cards. Terpstra researched best practices for maker kits, Glickstein partnered with the Maui Friends of the Library to cover supplies, and together they produced kits for the community to make greeting cards, origami, and crochet projects as well as explore engineering concepts using Snap Circuits. In her ePortfolio Glickstein remarked that the Maker Kits are “still being used regularly, especially by students in the upper elementary and middle school grades.”
Kerbaugh completed a school library practicum at Likelike Elementary School and an internship at Waiʻanae Public Library. She also volunteered for several LIS and school library projects, such as serving as a tour guide for library club students from Honouliuli Middle School on their visit to the UH Mānoa Hamilton Library. Kerbaugh reflected, “Receiving this award is a welcome reminder of how much I love helping and working with younger people. I feel inspired to continue this important work and create engaging, accessible, and inclusive library spaces.”
In their academic journey, Terpstra developed resources to enrich the reading experiences for children and tweens. They collaborated with Dianne Pang, librarian at Kaimuki Middle School, to expand Pang’s collection of Hawaiian and LGBTQ+ materials for this age group. In another course, they devised a unique pathfinder of recipe books for youngsters that included a section inspired by literature. Their projects reflect both creativity and resourcefulness. As they move forward, Terpstra wants to support the inclusion of indigenous knowledge within library collections. They state: “Being a librarian is not just about managing information; it is about fostering relationships, understanding community needs, and advocating for those who have been, and continue to be, sidelined.”
As a student, Jones was an active member of the Hawaiʻi Library Association (HLA) Advocacy Committee. Jones was instrumental in spearheading the inaugural Hawaiʻi Love My Library Day in 2023. As the event co-chair, she played a pivotal role in developing this new event, aimed at raising awareness about the importance of libraries across the state of Hawaiʻi, featuring sign-waving, activities for families, and raffle prizes from local companies. Jones also completed an internship at Pearl City Public Library where she focused on children’s services, offering storytime programs and assisting patrons at the children’s reference desk.
Jacobson was also an active student member of the HLA Advocacy Committee, and organized the second Love My Library Day in 2024. In this role she coordinated volunteers, fundraised, publicized the event, and even emceed it. In reflecting on this experience in her ePortfolio, Jacobson remarks, “This experience not only provided an invaluable opportunity to collaborate with an amazing group of librarians, but also offered firsthand insight into the intricacies of event planning and volunteer management.” Jacobson also gained further practical experience during her practicum at Ahuimanu Elementary School where she designed and delivered information literacy instruction, created book displays to promote a love for reading, and supported collection development.
