Texas Woman's University

Texas Woman's University will recruit 20 students from rural Texas - with recruitment emphasis on those from areas participating in E-rate - to the MLIS degree program with a focus on community informatics. The project team will combine expertise in community informatics with experiential learning to educate future leaders in rural libraries. In partnership with the Texas Library Association, the team will build upon the existing MLS degree program to create a comprehensive and sustainable master's In Library Sciences' Community Informatics curriculum. The addition of community informatics extends traditional library roles by getting librarians out into their communities, working with community leaders and other residents to facilitate needed and wanted change. Courses will include community engagement, needs assessment, data and technology in communities, project design, and grant writing and management of community-focused projects. They will culminate in a supervised capstone experience in a rural community.