information technology rural librarian master’s scholarship program dr. bharat mehra, dr. kimberly...

Information Technology Rural Librarian Master’s Scholarship Program

Dr. Bharat Mehra, Dr. Kimberly Black, Dr. Vandana SinghSchool of Information Sciences, University of Tennessee

Lake City Public Library, TN

Johnson City Public Library, TN

Sevier County Public Library, Sevierville, TN

Hancock County Public Library, Sneedville, TN

About the ITRL Program

“Information Technology Rural Librarian Master’s Scholarship Program” (ITRL) in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Tennessee meets an urgent need for rural librarians in the Southern and Central Appalachian region to develop information technology competencies and training in a master’s program (accredited by the American Library Association) that combines work experience and practice with graduate instruction and curriculum support.

ITRL, ETLA PresentationNovember 12, 2009

Hamlin-Lincoln County Public Library, Hamlin, WV

Why the ITRL Program is Important

The Southern and Central Appalachian Region is experiencing: Information poverty and unemployment Economic challenges Low levels of information literacy and educational attainment A lack of access and use of IT Other unique environmental challenges


Library professionals who are embedded in their communities are in a strong position to help address and develop solutions to these needs.

Laurel Jones Public Library, Laurel, MS

Pilot Study Report


Location of Respondents

Pilot Study Report


Most Important Library Services Provided to Rural Clients

Pilot Study Report


Most Important Library Training and Educational Programs Needed by Information Professionals in East Tennessee

The ITRL Goal

The goal of ITRL is to recruit sixteen paraprofessionals working in rural libraries in the Southern and Central Appalachian region to complete their master’s degree with a focus on IT and rural librarianship in the UT’s SIS program via distance.


ITRL students will receive: Part-time degree in a program accredited by the ALA A structured, individually-tailored IT and rural management curriculum Rural library practices and needs incorporated into the curriculum IT competencies in developing rural library work applications Formal/informal professional mentoring by educators and practitioners Full-tuition scholarship for two years Allowance for materials Provision of a laptop computer

Project Partners

Project partners have agreed to serve in the ITRL grant based on their leadership, role, knowledge, networks, experience, and interests in promoting IT-based development and change in the region’s communitiesNancy Renfro, Director of the Watauga Regional LibraryDonald B. Reynolds, Director of the Nolichucky Regional Library SystemSusan Simmons, Director of the Clinch-Powell Regional LibraryKC Williams, System Director of the Sevier County Public Library

Though all current project partners are located in the East Tennessee region, representatives from other regional and county library systems in the Southern and Central Appalachian region are being contacted to elicit their participation in the various grant activities.


Five Phases of the ITRL Program

1. Recruitment of ITRL students from rural libraries in the Southern and Central Appalachian region

2. Needs assessment of library services and information challenges faced by rural regional libraries

3. Implementation of educational and training activities

4. Mentoring

5. Evaluation/assessment of program outcomes,

and dissemination of program results/experiences

Norris Community Library, TNITRL, ETLA PresentationNovember 12, 2009

1. Recruitment

ITRL’s goal is to emphasize local and regional recruitment

of students holding paraprofessional jobs in rural libraries in the Southern and Central Appalachian region .

Partners are recruiting potential candidates from their staff and community populations. Other local, regional, and national public library professionals are being contacted to elicit their proactive participation in recruitment efforts.

Recruitment success will be evaluated, refined, and may continue in the future, promoting rural librarianship as a track in the profession and increasing the flow of rural library paraprofessionals into accredited LIS programs.


Application and Admissions Eligibility and Requirements Currently working in a rural Southern and Central Appalachian library Completed bachelor’s degree A 3.25 cumulative GPA in undergraduate coursework and GRE scores (above the fifty

percentile) or a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in 12 or more hours of graduate coursework Complete the UT SIS Admission Application and the ITRL Scholarship Program Application.

[URL: http://www.sis.utk.edu/files/ITRLScholarshipProgramApplication.pdf].

How to Apply: 1. Complete applications for admission to both UT Graduate School and SIS

2. Take the GRE and have scores sent to UT3. Send transcripts from all colleges and universities attended4. Complete the Personal Data Form5. Write a one-page statement of intent (essay)6. Have three academic and/or professional recommendations 7. Complete application for the ITRL scholarship program


2. Needs Assessment

An ITRL Needs Assessment Symposium [online and face-to-face meetings] will be conducted in March/April 2010 and fifty library and information professionals from across the Southern and Central Appalachian region will provide feedback about library services and information challenges faced by rural libraries in the region. Break-out sessions and focus groups will be orchestrated to address local information needs, use of information resources and services, challenges and barriers, areas of improvement, and use of computers and information technologies.


Doddridge County Public Library, West Union, WV

3. Education/Training Implementation

Students will have the opportunity to develop their own customized projects within an individually-tailored curriculum, where they pursue study of IT applications, rural library research and management, and explore development of topics in rural library settings.


Upshur County Public Library, Buckhannon, WV

Service evaluation and assessment in rural libraries

Planning and management of a rural library program for children (or young adults) and adults

Reader’s advisory and fiction/non-fiction genre

Grant writing and development

3a. Rural Management Outcomes

IS 574~Mehra

Jacksboro Public Library, TN


3b. IT Training

Technology infrastructure planning, assessment, and automation analysis of library systems

Web design/development/usability Database design/implementation Building digital library/web portals Establishing hardware/software

configurations for networking systems

Creating Library 2.0 tools

IS 574~Mehra


4. Mentoring

An educator-practitioner team will provide each ITRL student mentoring and guidance in their formal coursework to integrate IT while developing comprehensive solutions for rural libraries in the Southern and Central Appalachian region.


Gloucester County Public Library, VA (1914)

5. Evaluation

Throughout the duration of the ITRL project we will continuously analyze the effectiveness of students’ experiences in developing IT applications in their courses for their rural work environments.

This will include collecting data on career choice, academic success, professional association participation, and the graduates’ evaluation of the program throughout their period of study.


How to Participate

Assist in recruitment of ITRL students as a member of the ITRL Recruitment Board

Participate as a member of the ITRL Practitioner Mentoring Board

Participation in the ITRL Needs Assessment Symposium


Jonesville Public Library, NC

The ITRL Website

http://www.sis.utk.edu/rural-librarianship ITRL, ETLA PresentationNovember 12, 2009

Thank you for your attention and participation.


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information technology rural librarian master’s scholarship program dr. bharat mehra, dr. kimberly...

Documents

library professionals

tnsevier county public

county library systems

laurel jones public

etla presentationnovember

important library training

important library services

american library association