Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program

June 2009 Grant Recipients

Arizona  |  California  |  Colorado  |  District of Columbia  |  Florida  |  Hawaii  |  Illinois  |  Kentucky

Louisiana  |  Maryland  |  Massachusetts  |  Mississippi  |  Montana  |  New York  |  North Carolina

Oklahoma  |  Pennsylvania  |  Tennessee  |  Texas  |   Virginia  |  Wisconsin

Arizona

University of Arizona - Tucson, AZ
Award Amount: $910,846; Matching Amount: $201,889
Category: Continuing Education

Contact: Dr. Peter Botticelli
Professor of Practice
520-621-3565; pkb@email.arizona.edu

Project Title: "Promoting Diversity in the Digital Curation Disciplines"
Since 2007, the University of Arizona’s School of Information Resources and Library Science (SIRLS) has offered the online “DigIn” graduate certificate program to train library professionals to create, collect, and manage digital information. Though the DigIn program has recruited diverse participants in its first two years, recruiting data show that many applicants from small, rural, or specialized organizations, as well as members of culturally or ethnically underserved groups, are disproportionately unable to self-fund their own professional development. With IMLS funding and in partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Sedona Conference, and the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, SIRLS will recruit and provide scholarships to 80–90 new students to earn the DigIn certificate. Recruitment efforts will target geographically, culturally, and ethnically diverse students, with the goal of diversifying the workforce of digital information management experts.

California

Serra Cooperative Library System - San Diego, CA
Award Amount: $708,138; Matching Amount: $229,590
Category: Masters Level Programs

Contact: Mrs. Vera Skop
System Coordinator
619-232-1225; vskop@serralib.org

Project Title: "Preparing Librarians to Serve Diverse Communities Along our Nation's Border"
The Serra Cooperative Library System, serving 14 public library systems in two highly diverse and multilingual southern California counties, will recruit and provide scholarships to 20 people to pursue a Master's of Library Science degree through San Jose State University's School of Library and Information Science. Scholarship recipients will be selected from among current Cooperative staff members who have already demonstrated a commitment to their libraries and communities. Grant funds also will support professional development opportunities for both scholarship recipients and others working in Cooperative member libraries. Other project partners include the Desert Valley Library Media Association and San Diego’s Chapter of REFORMA.

Peninsula Library System - San Mateo, CA
Award Amount: $170,025; Matching Amount: $33,493
Category: Continuing Education

Contact: Ms. Linda Crowe
Director
650-356-2123; crowe@plsinfo.org

Project Title: "Western Regional Fellowship: Public Libraries and Baby Boomers"
America's population is aging, retirement is changing, and the need for lifelong learning in later years is growing. Addressing these issues, the Peninsula Library System in California, partnering with state library agencies in California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, will develop and offer a fellowship program to practicing librarians designed to improve library services to older adults. Fellows will learn from leaders in the field of aging, health, lifelong learning, and civic engagement, applying their lessons to libraries. The project will result in new and innovative models for library service to seniors.

Colorado

Denver Public Library - Denver, CO
Award Amount: $988,355; Matching Amount: $135,244
Category: Masters Level Programs

Contact: Ms. Kristen Svendsen
Employment Manager
720-865-2073; ksvendse@denverlibrary.org

Project Title: "LEADers III (Librarian Education and Diversity)"
Like many other cities and towns in the United States, Denver's public and school libraries need substantial numbers of new librarians with the skills and knowledge to serve linguistically and culturally diverse communities. Building on the success of two previous similar initiatives, the Denver Public Library will partner with the Colorado Association of Libraries, REFORMA-Colorado, and University of Denver to produce 18 additional librarians with the language skills, experience, and cultural awareness needed to serve these communities. This project will focus particularly on creating new librarians to serve Hispanic communities. IMLS funds will support scholarships to earn master’s degrees in librarianship, including mentoring, professional development and networking opportunities, service learning experiences, and language classes as needed.

Colorado Seminary - Denver, CO
Award Amount: $917,891; Matching Amount: $256,560
Category: Masters Level Programs

Contact: Mary Stansbury
Associate Professor
303-871-3217; mary.stansbury@du.edu

Project Title: "Early Childhood Librarianship: An Interdisciplinary, Experiential Learning MLIS"
In a project to prepare more librarians qualified to work with very young children in achieving early literacy, the University of Denver's Library and Information Science Program will partner with the Arapahoe Library District, the Colorado State Library, Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy, and Douglas Libraries. IMLS-funded fellowships will be awarded to support 10 students earning master’s degrees in librarianship with a specialization in early childhood literacy. As a part of their learning, these fellows will gain practical experience through placement in diverse public libraries and preschools. They also will be required to take coursework in various aspects of child psychology, and to demonstrate existing or learned Spanish-language proficiency. Project staff also will develop guidelines and training materials to help public libraries and preschools establish early childhood literacy programs.

District of Columbia

Council on Library and Information Resources - Washington, DC
Award Amount: $713,108; Matching Amount: $1,044,114
Category: Continuing Education

Contact: Dr. Charles Henry
President
202-939-4752; chenry@clir.org

Project Title: "Leadership through New Communities of Knowledge"
The Council on Library and Information Resources, partnering with the Council of Independent Colleges, will team to build the skills of liberal arts college librarians working in institutions belonging to organizations such as the Appalachian College Association and the United Negro College Fund, as well as other colleges and universities serving predominantly minority and underserved student bodies. These institutions provide vital educational opportunities for tens of thousands of college students nationwide and form an important and largely underfunded resource to underserved populations in both poor urban and more rural and thinly populated sections of the United States.

Florida

Florida State University - Tallahassee, FL
Award Amount: $309,344; Matching Amount: $102,175
Category: Research

Contact: Dr. Marcia Mardis
Assistant Professor
850-644-2216; mmardis@fsu.edu

Project Title: "Digital Libraries to School Libraries (DL2SL): A Strategy for Lasting K-12 Open Content Implementation"
In this research project, Marcia Mardis at Florida State University will investigate how school libraries can successfully integrate open-source science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) materials into their collections and services. Very few school libraries take advantage of the large amount of STEM-related materials available for free on the Internet. This project will enhance school library media specialists' collection building practices in these STEM materials, increase student engagement with these resources, and provide professional development on the subject to the school library media specialists, while sharing research findings with both the digital library and education communities.

Hawaii

Pacific Resources for Education and Learning - Honolulu, HI
Award Amount: $581,642; Matching Amount: $581,700
Category: Continuing Education

Contact: Ms. Jane Barnwell
Director, Resource Center
808-441-1320; barnwellj@prel.org

Project Title: "Strategic Learning Communities"
Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) serves libraries, archives, and museums in U.S.-affiliated Pacific region territories including American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Territory of Guam, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. Building upon two previous IMLS-funded continuing education and leadership training initiatives in this region, the new PREL Strategic Learning Communities project will recruit and train new, skilled cohorts of information professionals in each territory over a three-year period. These 80 students will receive training and mentoring in organizational leadership, community service, technology management, and other aspects of information services management. They also will be given opportunities to travel to professional conferences. Populations of the Pacific region territories will benefit from improved services from their local libraries, archives, and museums.

Illinois

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - Champaign, IL
Award Amount: $364,925; Matching Amount: $64,976
Category: Continuing Education

Contact: Christine Jenkins
Assoc. Prof. and Director Ctr for Children's Books
217-244-7452; cajenkin@illinois.edu

Project Title: "Sharing Success: Training Education Leaders for Youth Services Librarianship"
The Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will increase the number of qualified youth services librarians by offering eight IMLS-funded scholarships over three years to qualified and diverse students admitted to the GSLIS Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) program. The CAS program provides continuing education for professionals already working in libraries. Scholarship recipients will have an opportunity to continue their education in a topic related to youth services. Upon completion of the program, graduates will be better prepared to work with youth in public and school libraries.

Illinois State Library - Springfield, IL
Award Amount: $418,758; Matching Amount: $210,483
Category: Continuing Education

Contact: Mr. Ronald Winner
Consultant, Library Development Group
rwinner@ilsos.net

Project Title: "Project LEAD: Learn, Explore, Apply and Discover the 21st Century Technology Tools Institute for Illinois Libraries"
Building upon a successful state-based program, the Illinois State Library will develop a continuing education initiative to build technology and leadership skills among that state's librarians. This highly replicable model, consisting of team- and project-based learning, will build a sustainable technology immersion program combining intermittent face-to-face meetings and online sessions over nine months. Two cohorts of participants will explore new forms of participatory Web 2.0 technology, hone their skills, and then use those newly acquired skills to address the needs of their users.

Kentucky

Northern Kentucky University Research Foundation - HIghland Heights, KY
Award Amount: $999,558; Matching Amount: $245,164
Category: Pre-Professional Programs

Contact: Ms. Leslie Hammann
Instructional Services Librarian
859-572-6157; hammannl1@nku.edu

Project Title: "Bridging the Gap: Supplying the Next Generation of Librarians to the Underserved Counties of Rural Kentucky"
Northern Kentucky University (NKU), partnering with Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC) and the Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives, will provide scholarships for undergraduate degrees to 50 library staff members working in the high-poverty rural sections of eastern and far western Kentucky. To meet their educational needs, the partners will further develop existing online programs, including the state's compulsory online public library certification program, the online associate's degree in library technology at BCTC, and a new "completer's program" in library informatics at NKU, which is designed to provide a bachelor's degree to those who already have an appropriate associate's degree.

Louisiana

Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge, LA
Award Amount: $763,901; Matching Amount: $384,929
Category: Masters Level Programs

Contact: Alma Dawson
Professor
225-578-1463; notaed@lsu.edu

Project Title: "Project Recovery"
Libraries in southern Louisiana continue to experience staffing shortages as a result of the damage caused to local communities by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Louisiana State University's School of Library and Information Science, in collaboration with the State Library of Louisiana, the State Department of Education, the New Orleans Public Library, Terrebonne Parish Public Library, Calcasieu Parish Public Library, the New Orleans Recovery School District, the Algiers Charter School Association, Jefferson Parish School System, and Southern University at New Orleans will partner to help alleviate the shortage of librarians by recruiting, educating, and placing 30 new librarians in various libraries. Students recruited under this initiative will receive IMLS-funded scholarships to earn master's degrees in librarianship. As part of their education and early-career development, the students will work in libraries affected by the storm, and will benefit from mentoring and subsidized memberships in state and national professional associations.

Maryland

University of Maryland at College Park - College Park, MD
Award Amount: $387,541; Matching Amount: $151,892
Category: Research

Contact: Dr. Bo Xie
Assistant Professor
301-405-8617; boxie@umd.edu

Project Title: "Meeting Older Adults' Health Information Needs Through Peer Computer Training: An Innovative Public Library"
As the American population ages, the need for trusted sources of health-related information and services increases. In this Early Career Development project, Bo Xie of the University of Maryland's College of Information Studies will design a public-library-based program to provide high-quality, Internet-based health information to seniors from diverse backgrounds. Key to the project will be the incorporation of a cadre of committed, older adult volunteers who will help design the curriculum and then serve as peer trainers, teaching other senior volunteers how to access, assess, and use a broad range of quality online resources. This research project, grounded in participatory design methodology, will develop curricula, procedures, and other guides, which will be made available to public libraries nationwide.

University of Maryland at College Park - College Park, MD
Award Amount: $770,943; Matching Amount: $340,262
Category: Masters Level Programs

Contact: John Bertot
Professor
jbertot@umd.edu

Project Title: "Government Information Service in the 21st Century"
In partnership with the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Maryland at College Park's College of Information Studies will leverage its local expertise and its existing concentration in e-government to create a new librarianship specialization in government information services. This new concentration will address challenges presented by changes in the ways governments produce and make information available to the public. IMLS funds will be used to develop an online education program combining coursework, practical experience working in the Government Information Online service, and opportunities to assist in the production of the scholarly journal Government Information Quarterly. Scholarships will support 20 students to earn their degrees with the government information concentration. Scholarship recipients also will benefit from mentoring, directed internships, and opportunities to network with other government information professionals.

University of Maryland at College Park - College Park, MD
Award Amount: $348,325; Matching Amount: $130,182
Category: Research

Contact: Dr. Jean Dryden
Assistant Professor
301-405-3777; jdryden@umd.edu

Project Title: "Putting Archival Holdings Online: Repository Copyright Practices and their Impact on Users"
In this Early Career Development project, Jean Dryden of the University of Maryland's College of Information Studies will examine the copyright practices of libraries, archives, and museums in the digitization of their holdings and the impact of these practices upon their users. This research will aid libraries, archives, and museums as they continue to develop best practices that will make their holdings more widely available to the public while still protecting the legitimate interests of rights holders. The proposed research will potentially have an impact on institutional practice, professional education, scholarly research, and copyright policy.

Massachusetts

Simmons College - Boston, MA
Award Amount: $455,639; Matching Amount: $390,811
Category: Programs to Build Insitutional Capacity

Contact: Dr. Michele Cloonan
Dean
617-521-2806; michele.cloonan@simmons.edu

Project Title: "Curriculum, Cooperation, Convergence, Capacity - Four C's for the Development of Cultural Heritage Institutions"
The Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Simmons College will partner with a wide range of New England cultural institutions to incorporate museum informatics and data stewardship into its existing program of study. This project will build a curriculum designed to produce cultural heritage professionals who can successfully manage digital resources and provide online services in museums, libraries, and archives. The project will also provide scholarships and intensive, hands-on internships to 30 students, preparing them to work in these settings.

Mississippi

University of Southern Mississippi - Hattiesburg, MS
Award Amount: $429,388; Matching Amount: $82,354
Category: Masters Level Programs

Contact: Dr. Susan Higgins
Assistant Professor
601-266-5354; Susan.E.Higgins@usm.edu

Project Title: "The Minority Scholarship Initiative at the University of Southern Mississippi's School of Library and Information Science"
The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) School of Library and Information Science and the USM University Libraries will partner with the Mississippi Library Association and the Mississippi Library Commission to increase the number of underrepresented minority librarians in the state. Through targeted recruiting of minority undergraduates in Mississippi's universities and colleges, the project will award IMLS-funded scholarships to support 10 students earning a master's degree in librarianship. Scholarship recipients will gain experience and establish professional and interpersonal bonds with other librarians through mentoring and work assignments in the partnering organizations. Project staff will also conduct surveys and gather other data from these students to help improve minority recruitment and retention efforts in both libraries and library and information science education programs.

Montana

Montana State University - Bozeman, MT
Award Amount: $251,695; Matching Amount: $86,640
Category: Continuing Education

Contact: Ms. Mary Anne Hansen
TCLI Coordinator
406-994-3162; mhansen@montana.edu

Project Title: "Tribal College Librarians Institute"
Montana State University’s Tribal College Librarians Institute (TCLI) is an annual week-long conference of continuing education and professional development experiences for information professionals serving Native American communities. IMLS support over a three-year period will support the TCLI during the summers of 2010, 2011, and 2012. TCLI will offer travel stipends to participants and will not charge registration fees. This financial support will encourage more tribal college librarians to attend TCLI. Funding also will allow 20 tribal college librarians to attend the 2011 National Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums Conference. These activities will benefit tribal college librarians and the communities they serve.

Montana State Library - Helena, MT
Award Amount: $730,659; Matching Amount: $278,487
Category: Masters Level Programs

Contact: Ms. Sue Jackson
Library Development Consultant
406-444-5350; sujackson@mt.gov

Project Title: "SWIM: Regional Collaborative Library Educational Project"
The Montana State Library, in partnership with the Idaho Commission for Libraries, the South Dakota State Library, and the Wyoming State Library, will recruit and provide IMLS-funded scholarships to educate 50 librarians and school library media specialists to work in that region's rural communities. Students studying for a master's degree in library science will attend the University of North Texas's distance education program, and school library media students will attend either Montana State University or Black Hills State University in South Dakota. The project will emphasize recruiting from the region's largest minority groups, Hispanics and Native Americans, to increase representation of these groups among the region's professional library staffs.

New York

Brooklyn Public Library - Brooklyn, NY
Award Amount: $497,179; Matching Amount: $327,014
Category: Pre-Professional Programs

Contact: Ms. Elizabeth Lewis
Manager, Volunteer Resources
718-230-2406; e.lewis@brooklynpubliclibrary.org

Project Title: "Multicultural Intern Program (MIP)"
Brooklyn is one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the United States; nearly 37 percent of its 2.5 million residents are foreign-born. To better serve multicultural, low-income youth in this community, the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) will establish a Multicultural Intern Program. This program will mesh with other existing BPL multilingual outreach and services, and will provide opportunities for both interns and librarians to share ideas and learn how to better serve a wide range of ethnic communities. The IMLS-funded three-year program will introduce 170 diverse local high school students to the library profession and career opportunities in libraries. Paid internships will begin with students participating in workshops, field trips, and forums during the first two months of each school year before being placed at local libraries. These will be followed by competitive paid summer internships for exceptional students who have performed well during the school year.

New York Public Library - New York, NY
Award Amount: $577,941; Matching Amount: $148,608
Category: Continuing Education

Contact: Ms. Evelyn Frangakis
Chief Librarian for Preservation
212-930-0644; efrangakis@nypl.org

Project Title: "IMLS Preservation Administration Fellowship"
New York Public Library, partnering with the libraries at Yale, Rutgers, and the University of Connecticut at Storrs, will implement a preservation administration fellowship program. This program is designed to give recently graduated preservation librarians an opportunity to put theory into practice while benefitting from the mentoring of experienced professionals. A total of eight fellows will spend nine-month residencies rotating through various preservation units such as collections care, conservation treatment, and audio and moving image preservation. Each fellow will be expected to identify, plan, and complete a major project that combines research and its practical application at his or her host institution.

Syracuse University - Syracuse, NY
Award Amount: $706,200; Matching Amount: $181,334
Category: Programs to Build Insitutional Capacity

Contact: Dr. Jian Qin
Associate Professor
315-443-5642; jqin@syr.edu

Project Title: "Building an eScience Librarianship Curriculum for an eResearch Future"
As the amount of scientific data increases and the potential for sharing and reusing that data dramatically expands, more professionals are needed to help scientists manage and preserve the information that they generate. Syracuse University, partnering with the libraries of Cornell University, seeks to educate a new generation of science librarians by developing a digital curation curriculum that will emphasize the management and preservation of science-related information. In addition to curriculum planning, the project will recruit and provide scholarships to students with a background in the sciences.

North Carolina

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Chapel Hill, NC
Award Amount: $803,258; Matching Amount: $387,228
Category: Programs to Build Insitutional Capacity

Contact: Dr. Helen Tibbo
Professor
919-962-8063; tibbo@email.unc.edu

Project Title: "Educating Stewards of Public Information in the 21st Century"
There is a great need for formal archival education in policy related to electronic records. The School of Information and Library Science and Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), partnering with the National Archives and Records Administration, the University Archives at UNC-CH, and the State Archives of North Carolina (North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources), will further develop a dual master's degree program in public administration and library or information science with an emphasis in digital curation. This project will provide scholarships for individuals seeking the dual degree, intensive field experiences in agencies dealing directly with public electronic records, and support for one PhD student studying in this area. It is hoped that this project will provide not only a model for other programs but also a cohort of highly trained individuals who will help government archives protect the public's interest in preserving electronic government records.

Oklahoma

University of Oklahoma - Norman, OK
Award Amount: $414,545; Matching Amount: $318,799
Category: Masters Level Programs

Contact: Rhonda Taylor
Associate Professor
405-325-3921; rtaylor@ou.edu

Project Title: "Partnering to Build a 21st Century Community of Oklahoma Academic Librarians"
The University of Oklahoma's academic libraries and its School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) will partner with other academic libraries at East Central University, Langston University, Oklahoma Christian University, Oklahoma State University, Rose State College, and Southern Nazarene University to recruit and educate 15 new academic librarians qualified to work with underserved and minority groups. These recruits will be awarded IMLS-funded scholarships to earn a master’s degree in librarianship through the SLIS online program. The project will intentionally build relationships among this cohort of scholarship recipients through activities like group attendance at conferences, mentoring, and ongoing on-site and online events.

Oklahoma Department of Libraries - Oklahoma City, OK
Award Amount: $889,610; Matching Amount: $701,352
Category: Continuing Education

Contact: Ms. Susan Feller
Development Officer
405-522-3259; sfeller@oltn.odl.state.ok.us

Project Title: "Preserving Tribal Language, Memory, and Lifeways: A Continuing Education Project for the 21st Century"
Over a three-year period, the Oklahoma Department of Libraries will work with a national advisory group of tribal cultural leaders to sponsor five national educational opportunities for staff members serving in tribal archives, libraries, and museums. These professional development activities will include sponsored sessions at the American Association for State and Local History's conference, a leadership development institute, a museum services institute, and a continuation of the National Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums Conference. This project will also design and implement a study of the current condition of tribal cultural institutions, which will help inform the development of a long-term management plan for the national conference.

Pennsylvania

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh, PA
Award Amount: $991,311; Matching Amount: $528,398
Category: Programs to Build Insitutional Capacity

Contact: Dr. Christinger Tomer
Associate Professor
412-624-9448; ctomer@sis.pitt.edu

Project Title: "Post Master's Degree Certificate of Advanced Studies in Health Sciences Librarianship"
Health sciences information is increasing in complexity, and health sciences librarians are increasingly being called to actively collaborate with medical professionals. Seeking to provide advanced training to meet these challenges, the School of Information Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, partnering with the university's Health Sciences Library System, will create a 15-credit, post-master's certificate of advanced studies in health sciences librarianship. The new course of study will build upon the school's successful medical librarianship/informatics specialization within the master's degree program. This project will also provide scholarships for an initial cohort of 27 students.

Tennessee

University of Tennessee - Knoxville, TN
Award Amount: $321,178; Matching Amount: $37,122
Category: Research

Contact: Dr. Vandana Singh
Assistant Professor
865-974-2785; vandana@utk.edu

Project Title: "Technical Support for Integrated Library Systems' Comparison of Open Source and Proprietary Software"
In this Early Career Development project, Vandana Singh of the School of Information Sciences at the University of Tennessee–Knoxville will compare the level of technical support required by open-source integrated library systems (the computer systems used to acquire, manage, and circulate library materials) and the off-the-shelf, proprietary versions of these systems. This research project seeks to better inform librarians about the maintenance and management costs associated with one of the key tools that they use to serve the public.

University of Tennessee - Knoxville, TN
Award Amount: $711,727; Matching Amount: $568,728
Category: Doctoral Programs

Contact: Dr. Suzanne Allard
Assistant Professor
865-974-1369; sallard@utk.edu

Project Title: "ScienceLinks2 PhD: Linking Education and Science to Develop the Next Generation of Educators for Science Librarians and Data, Information and Communic"
Through previous and ongoing projects, the University of Tennessee's School of Information Sciences (SIS) and College of Communication have identified a serious shortage of doctoral-level educators qualified to train librarians in working with scientific data and information. To address the shortage, SIS will recruit and provide six IMLS-funded doctoral fellowships for students to earn a doctoral degree in library and information science with a specialization in scientific data and information. In addition to doctoral coursework, fellowship recipients will benefit from mentoring, structured work and research experiences in world-class science institutions and science data initiatives, and opportunities to attend and present their work at professional conferences. Upon completion of the PhD program, these six will become science data and information educators responsible for preparing the next generation of science librarians, data, and information specialists.

University of Tennessee - Knoxville, TN
Award Amount: $567,660; Matching Amount: $260,695
Category: Masters Level Programs

Contact: Dr. Bharat Mehra
Assistant Professor
865-974-5917; bmehra@utk.edu

Project Title: "Rural Library Professionals as Change Agents in the 21st Century: Integrating Information Technology Competencies in the Southern and Central Appalachian Region (ITRL)"
Librarians, particularly those with strong proficiencies in technology, are urgently needed in Tennessee's rural Southern and Central Appalachian region. Because of persistent economic and environmental challenges, and low levels of literacy and educational achievement in the region, recruiting professional librarians with needed skills to these small rural communities is difficult. The University of Tennessee's School of Information Sciences (SIS) will team with the Clinch-Powell Regional Library, Sevier County Public Library System, and the Watauga Regional Library to recruit and provide 16 IMLS-funded scholarships, so that well-qualified technology support professionals already working in the region’s libraries can earn a master's degree in librarianship. Students will be educated via the SIS distance education program, with coursework tailored for a specialization in Information Technology and Rural Librarianship. Upon graduation, students will be prepared to assume leadership roles in their libraries and the region.

Texas

University of Texas at Austin - Austin, TX
Award Amount: $215,862; Matching Amount: $0
Category: Research

Contact: Dr. Jo Lynn Westbrook
Assistant Professor
512-232-7831; lynnwest@ischool.utexas.edu

Project Title: "Information for People in Crisis: An Assessment"
In this Early Career Development project, Lynn Westbrook of the University of Texas at Austin's School of Information will investigate public library service to victims of domestic violence. Approaching the task from the viewpoint of users and their needs rather than from an examination of existing library services, this project will seek to develop, test, and implement an assessment mechanism that public libraries can use to determine how well they serve these individuals.

Sam Houston State University - Huntsville, TX
Award Amount: $898,195; Matching Amount: $128,755
Category: Masters Level Programs

Contact: Dr. Holly Weimar
Assistant Professor
936-294-3158; haw001@shsu.edu

Project Title: "South Texas Project for School Librarians (STP)"
Sam Houston State University's Department of Library Science will partner with the Texas Education Agency's Regional Education Centers 1, 2, and 20 to recruit and provide scholarships to 40 students in south Texas studying to be certified school library media specialists. This project addresses a critical need for school library media specialists to serve the region's growing Hispanic student population. Scholarship recipients will benefit from an active mentoring program and leadership training as they earn a master's degree in librarianship with school library media certification.

Virginia

Old Dominion University Research Foundation - Norfolk, VA
Award Amount: $661,154; Matching Amount: $533,703
Category: Continuing Education

Contact: Dr. Carol Doll
Professor
757-683-3222; cdoll@odu.edu

Project Title: "Librarianship Upgrades for Children and Youth Services"
The Commonwealth of Virginia is becoming increasingly ethnically and culturally diverse. As Virginia’s population and cultures change, its public and school librarians must gain new multicultural knowledge and skills to provide better service to communities, and particularly to youth. Old Dominion University, in partnership with the Library of Virginia, will establish a continuing education center for librarians to acquire these new skills and perspectives. The Librarianship Upgrades for Children and Youth Services center will provide needed training for librarians throughout the state, using a variety of online, teleconferencing, and face-to-face instructional delivery methods. An advisory board will help shape the initial and ongoing training curriculum to ensure its continuing relevance to the needs of the state’s communities and libraries.

Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater - Whitewater, WI
Award Amount: $989,495; Matching Amount: $509,092
Category: Masters Level Programs

Contact: Dr. Eileen Schroeder
Associate Professor
262-472-2837; schroede@uww.edu

Project Title: "University of Wisconsin System School Library Education Consortium (UWSSLEC) 21st Century Library Program"
The University of Wisconsin System School Education Consortium (UWSSEC) is a collaborative venture of five state universities, including campuses in Whitewater, Madison, Eau Claire, Superior, and Oshkosh. To address a statewide shortage of school library media specialists, UWSSEC will partner with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association to train 50 new school library media specialists for the state's rural and high-need urban public schools. This new workforce will be recruited from teachers already working in those schools, who will receive full scholarships to earn a master's degree in librarianship with a school library media specialization. Project staff also will develop instructional materials to help school administrators better understand the role of school library media specialists.