After a week of orientation workshops in Chicago, Selena Chau will make her way to New York City for her summer fellowship at the New York Public Library’s Dance Division.

Chau, a graduate student in the fully online Master of Library and Information Science degree program at the San José State University School of Library and Information Science, is one of seven master’s degree students selected for the Dance Heritage Coalition’s (DHC) 2013 Summer Fellowships in Dance Preservation and Archives.

The fellowship, supported by a three-year grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), benefits students whose background in performing arts makes them strong candidates for careers as librarians, records managers, archivists, and curators with an emphasis on dance and performing arts.

“Selena was selected for her outstanding combination of skills, education, and experience from a highly competitive pool of more than 70 well-qualified applicants,” wrote Libby Smigel, the executive director of the Dance Heritage Coalition, in a letter to the SJSU information school.

Chau will spend six weeks at the Jerome Robbins Dance Division at the New York Public Library, where she will gain supervised experience processing dance collections. The fellowship also supports travel to at least one professional conference, providing opportunities for networking and professional development.

“I couldn’t be happier! I used to live and work in NYC and remember that library fondly,” exclaimed Chau.

Chau expects to earn her master’s degree in library and information science from the San José State University School of Library and Information Science in fall 2014.