The Nancy and Daniel Balz MLIS Scholarship for Returning Students has a real-world impact
UMD MLS alum Nancy Balz
In 1972, early information retrieval systems like punch cards designed to manage and search information efficiently from vast repositories of data were laying the groundwork for what would soon become a digital revolution. Some master’s in library science (MLS) students were getting a taste of the new technology. It was that year that Nancy Balz earned her MLS from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. She didn’t quite feel like her education allowed her to keep pace with an ever-evolving field, so she returned to academia in 1994, enrolling at the College of Information to refresh her computer skills and acquire the technical knowledge crucial for modern librarianship.
“The support the UMD faculty gave me built my confidence to pursue my goal of working in a public library with the new challenges I would be meeting in 1994,” she says.
Equipped with renewed skills and a robust educational foundation, she set her sights on the large suburban Montgomery County public library system in the Washington, DC area. Balz’s dedication and preparedness paid off when she was hired to work in children’s services across various branches, both small and large.
During her tenure, Balz collaborated with several INFO graduates. “During that time I worked with and made professional friends with a number of UMD library school graduates working in our area and came to admire the standards of public service and professionalism that they demonstrated, upheld, and admired,” she says.
Through her experiences, she witnessed firsthand the impact of ongoing education and the importance of adapting to technological advancements in providing top-notch library services. Now through her scholarship fund, she hopes to provide opportunities for returning students to advance their skills the way she was able to 30 years ago.
“In recognition of the unique benefits to enrolling at UMD as a returning student, and coming to appreciate Maryland as a dynamic and growing forward looking place to live and work, [my husband] Dan and I established an endowment in 2021 to support students of today, who are looking to change direction within their current institution, advance in a managerial career in libraries, update their skills or gain new ones,” she says.
“I hope by following the example of the fund established by a group of the friends of Parker Hamilton upon her retirement a number of years ago, that the future of public community libraries in Maryland will be in good hands with the help of this fund, even in this small way.”
Ben Leubsdorf, senior research librarian at the Congressional Research Service (CRS), received the scholarship in 2019. Previously a news reporter for 10 years, he returned to school for his MLIS seeking “a career that had a little more work-life balance,” while still enjoying certain aspects of reporting, particularly “learning things and telling people about them.” This led him to pursue a career as a reference librarian, which he found to be “a great fit.”
The scholarship supported him during the summer between his first and second year, enabling him to intern at CRS. Leubsdorf noted that the internship was unpaid, and “having the scholarship money helped make that easier to do.”
Amy Dickinson, head of teen services at the Montrose Regional Library in Colorado, also received the scholarship in 2019. She describes herself as a “lifelong library lover” and was drawn back to school because she values public service. “Libraries are one of the last remaining free public places,” she says. She is “interested in the ways that libraries are helping deliver social services now through provision of information or through helping people access information.”
Dickinson notes that the scholarship was “a tremendous relief” as she transitioned from working multiple jobs to pursuing her MLIS full-time. The scholarship provided a financial cushion, allowing her to focus more on her studies without the burden of financial instability.
“I honestly can’t express how invigorating it was to go back to school,” she says. “And I think that that made me value even more lifelong learning and how that can feel exciting and expansive, not just in the field you’re studying, but in your whole life. I think it was the realization that you could be 40 and learn a whole new thing that made me feel like that could be possible for the rest of my life.”