The Richland Library Friends and Foundation is pleased to announce Afnan Hakami and Kimberly Jones as the 2026-27 Ethel Bolden Minority Fellows. Each fellow will complete a semester-long project supporting the work of Richland Library.
Ethel Bolden Minority Fellows Afnan Hakami
The Ethel Bolden Minority Fellowship encourages and supports students from underserved and underrepresented ethnic and racial groups who are pursuing a Master of Library and Information Science or Ph.D. in Library and Information Science at the University of South Carolina. Each fellow receives an $8,500 stipend, works with Richland Library on a project for one semester, and presents the results of their work to the Richland Library Friends and Foundation Board.
Ethel Bolden Minority Fellows Kimberly Jones.
Afnan Hakami is pursuing a Ph.D. in Library and Information Science and will serve as the Spring 2027 Ethel Bolden Minority Fellow. Hakami will design and implement a data collection system for Read Freely Fest, Richland Library’s annual book festival.
Kimberly Jones, Location Manager at Richland Library Eastover, is pursuing a Master of Library and Information Science and will serve as the Fall 2026 Ethel Bolden Minority Fellow. Jones will collect oral histories for the Walker Local and Family History Center’s historical collections.
Originally established as a scholarship in 2010, the fellowship recognizes Ethel Bolden’s years of service to the Richland County community and its libraries.
For questions, please contact media@richlandlibrary.com.