July 13, 2007

CUA’s School of Library and Information Science Receives $412,660 Grant

WASHINGTON — A CUA program that partners graduate library science students with D.C. public schools has been awarded a three-year, $412,660 grant from the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, which is administered by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The CUA program, called the Washington, D.C., School Librarian Initiative, will bring together CUA’s School of Library and Information Science, the District of Columbia Public Schools and the District of Columbia Library Association to bolster staffing in D.C. public school libraries, says CUA Assistant Professor Carrie Gardner, who directs the initiative.

D.C. Public Schools has set a mandate that each school have at least one part-time media specialist to assist students in their school library. This mandate has created a number of open positions in the city’s schools. Gardner’s program will aim to meet this need by educating, mentoring and hiring five new librarians for the schools.

Students from diverse backgrounds will be recruited for the program to match the diversity in the D.C. school system. Participants in the initiative will work part time as library assistants in the public schools to gain experience while pursuing a graduate education in library science at CUA.

The project also will aim to create an efficient model of financially supported graduate education in library science. Students will have flexible schedules and will be awarded financial assistance based on the number of credits they are taking per semester.

The program will run from July 2007 to June 30, 2010.

“This award is a significant opportunity for the SLIS faculty to directly contribute to the needs of the District of Columbia and its students in collaboration with the D.C. Public Schools and the D.C. Library Association,” said Kimberly Kelley, dean of the School of Library and Information Science.

“I commend Dr. Gardner for her role in developing this innovative project and leading a successful collaboration. The IMLS award creates a unique program that combines work, school, a commitment to diversity and community.”

The Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program rewards programs that recruit and educate future librarians. This year the program selected 43 projects that were awarded a total of $27,851,200. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the federal source of support for the nation’s museums and libraries.

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The CUA School of Library and Information Science is the only library science school in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1939 as the Department of Library Science, it has been accredited continuously by the American Library Association since 1948. The department added the term information science in 1974. The department became a school in 1981.

MEDIA:   For more information about the grant, contact Katie Lee in the Office of Public Affairs at 202- 319-5600.

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