School of Information doctoral candidate Abigail Phillips has been recognized as the 2015 YALSA Board Fellow for the American Library Association. Phillips is a third year doctoral candidate in information studies, who returned to Florida State after receiving her MLIS in 2008 and then working as a librarian for four years.

YALSA, Young Adult Library Services Association, selects one Board fellow per term, making the selection a prestigious honor. A division of the American Library Association, YALSA focuses on expanding library services for teens aged 12-18, as well as holding three annual conferences and boasting more than 5,200 members.

“I’m incredibly honored to be selected to serve on the YALSA Board as a Fellow,” said Phillips. “I look forward to growing as a librarian, LIS researcher, and leader during my tenure on the Board. As a passionate supporter of public libraries and young adults, I’m excited to work with other librarians who share my enthusiasm. In the future I will continue to support the impressive work of ALA and YALSA as I serve on board, committees, and task-forces through my career.”

“Quite simply, Abby Phillips is a rising star,” shared Marcia Mardis, Associate Professor in the iScho
ol. “Her consistent excellence in teaching, research, and clear sense of purpose make her a scholar with enormous promise and a great representative of FSU’s iSchool. She’s the perfect advisor to an exciting, dynamic organization like YALSA.”

Phillips is serving on YALSA’s 2015-16 Midwinter Paper Presentation Committee. Previously, she has been awarded the ALA Annual Student to Staff Scholarship and served on the YALSA Competencies Update Taskforce Committee.

When she isn’t reading or writing, you can probably find Abby in the gym. “I’m a bit of a gym rat,” she admitted. For more information on Abby and her research, check out her personal site or find her on Twitter @abigailleigh.