National Park College (NPC) alumnus, Alan Robinette was awarded The Arkansas Library
Association’s (ArLA) exclusive annual scholarship last month during the annual conference
in Hot Springs. This honor is gifted to one applicant from a pool of candidates from
across the state. Applicants are required to be accepted to an accredited master’s
program in Library Sciences.
Robinette began attending NPC in January 2017 and was hired to work part-time at
the NPC library. He kept this position for two years and is now the circulation coordinator
at Henderson State University’s Huie Library full time. He credits NPC for being where
he found his path. “The experiences I had at our library, in the Honors Program, with
our excellent instructors, and with the extracurriculars at NPC prepared me for future
success and led directly to this opportunity. I am forever thankful for those experiences,
as they showed me that I am able to compete with anyone, anywhere,” said Robinette.
ArLA is the largest group promoting librarianship in the state. Robinette shared
the importance of the award for his career. “While the money is certainly helpful,
the real value will be how that kind of endorsement can impact my overall résumé,”
he said.
“Had it not been for the positive experiences I had at NPC, I would not have gained
the education and the confidence I needed to achieve this award, and to continue toward
my MLIS degree, which I will begin in January at North Texas State,” said Robinette.
“I’m proud that I won but more than that, I’m proud to be a former Nighthawk.”
