Lincoln, Neb., Nov. 13, 2003 -- The libraries at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Iowa and Iowa State University, in partnership with the University of Iowa School of Library and Information Science, have received a $392,347 grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services to recruit librarians for the 21st century.
The grant is one of 27 awarded nationally as part of a $10 million initiative designed to address a serious shortage of librarians expected in the next 10 years. The funds awarded to UNL, Iowa and Iowa State will focus on the recruitment and education of university librarians serving the sciences and health sciences.
"We are very pleased to participate in this exciting project to recruit students with science backgrounds to librarianship. UNL Libraries needs librarians from a wide range of academic disciplines to work effectively with the full university community," said Joan Giesecke, dean of libraries at UNL.
The grant provides an opportunity to experiment with effective ways to recruit students with baccalaureate or graduate degrees in the scientific or technical disciplines for admission to Iowa's School of Library and Information Science, where they will earn master's degrees in library and information science. The pilot project also offers an opportunity to couple coursework on the Iowa Communications Network with intensive work experience.
Concurrent with their coursework, nine graduate students will be funded on assistantships at one of the three participating universities to work alongside experienced science and health science librarians. The project will draw from the knowledge and expertise of librarians as well as the unique environments at all three universities. Susan Marks, coordinator for human resources and diversity, University of Iowa Libraries, is the principal investigator for this grant. Beth McNeil, assistant dean of libraries, serves as UNL's contact.
CONTACT: Beth McNeil, Asst. Dean, Libraries, (402) 472-2526
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Posted by Tom Simons, Office of University Communications
Phone: (402) 472-8514, Fax: (402) 472-7825