The University of Arkansas at Monticello Homepage

LaShonda Campbell, collection development librarian at the Fred J. Taylor Library and Technology Center at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, has been awarded a prestigious Carnegie-Whitney Grant from the American Library Association (ALA).

The 2026 recipients were selected by the ALA’s Publishing Committee from proposals for projects to “promote reading or the use of library resources.” According to the ALA website, “The Carnegie-Whitney Grant provides grants for the preparation, either in print and/or electronically, of popular or scholarly reading lists, webliographies, indexes and other guides to library resources that will be useful to users of all types of libraries in the United States.”

Campbell’s proposal, titled “America’s Democratic Experiment: Research Guide and Resources on the Evolution of Political and Sociological Concepts as Dogma,” focuses on developing a comprehensive research guide and resource toolkit that examines gaps between academic research in social and political scholarship and the academic frameworks often discussed among leading political theorists.

The grant will help fund Campbell’s research on databases, the compilation of guides for students and faculty and presentations at national conferences.

Campbell noted, “I am deeply honored to receive the 2026 ALA Carnegie‑Whitney Research Grant. This support affirms the importance of expanding access to high‑quality reference resources, and I am grateful to the American Library Association for recognizing this project's promise. As a tenure‑track faculty member at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, I view this award as both an encouragement and a responsibility to continue producing meaningful research that serves our students, our libraries and the broader communities we support.”

Dan Boice, director of Library at UAM, said, “We are pleased to see Ms. Campbell’s work and leadership continue to be recognized across the state and nationally. This project aligns with UAM’s renewed emphasis on teaching and modeling civic engagement and will provide important resources for our students and other libraries.”