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NEWS RELEASE

11-18-03

Contacts:
Olivia M.A. Madison, Parks Library, (515) 294-1443
Debra Gibson, News Service, (515) 294-4917

IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY AIMS TO GET MORE LIBRARIANS INTO CIRCULATION

AMES, Iowa -- In an effort to combat a nationwide shortage of librarians, Iowa State University is cooperating with the University of Iowa to train more professionals in the discipline.

The libraries at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Nebraska, in partnership with the UI School of Library and Information Science (IMLS), recently received a $392,347 grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services, one of 27 such awards. The grants are part of a $10 million initiative to engage librarians for the 21st century. The IMLS grant will focus on the recruitment and education of nine students with science and health science backgrounds to pursue library and information science degrees.

Iowa State will train three of the nine graduate students, who will each work 20 hours per week at the Library. In addition, those three students will complete coursework on the ISU campus via the Iowa Communications Network. The remainder of the students will study and work at the UI and the University of Nebraska.

All nine students will be enrolled at the UI's School of Library and Information Science, and upon completion of their course requirements, will earn masters' degrees from UI. The assistantships are slated to begin next June.

"The opportunity for library school students to work side-by-side with information professionals is one that benefits both parties immensely," Olivia M.A. Madison, Iowa State's dean of library services, said. "Practice improves learning and learning informs practice."

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