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Its name is big but its mission and potential impact on rural
Appalachian communities is even bigger. The University of Tennessee
School of Information Sciences Information Technology Rural Librarian
Master's Scholarship Program has awarded 16 full scholarships to
students working in the Southern and Central Appalachia's rural
libraries [broadly defined] to study at a distance in its master's
degree program, thanks to a generous grant of $567,660 from the
Institute of Museum and Library Services. Half of the scholarship
recipients are from Tennessee, while three students are from Virginia,
two students from Kentucky, and one student each from Georgia, Maryland,
and North Carolina. 

 

According to SIS Director Dr. Ed Cortez, "Improving library services in
rural America is an imperative for community and economic
sustainability. When people are unemployed, socially disconnected and in
need of support and encouragement they often turn to their community
libraries. The result of this important project means that when people
in need turn to their libraries they will be greeted and served by
sensitive professional librarians skilled in the newest information
technologies and service delivery techniques." Eleven of the selected
ITRL students are working in public library settings, three students in
school libraries, and one student each in a non-profit community library
and academic library.

 

ITRL students will receive full-tuition for two years, a laptop, and an
allowance for materials. More importantly, each student will receive
individual formal/informal mentoring by both a professor in the school
and a practicing information professional selected by them or assigned
from volunteers who have agreed to serve in this capacity. Students will
continue to work as paraprofessionals in their rural libraries while
taking coursework at the school. The web-based curriculum will focus on
information technology and rural library management, and students will
study part-time at a distance in real-time, while developing tangible IT
and rural library management outcomes that will directly impact change
in their local communities.

 

Dr. Bharat Mehra is the principal investigator of the grant and an
assistant professor at SIS. He has worked diligently with the selection
committee in identifying the top candidates who will use their ITRL
experiences to extend their leadership and capacities and translate
their vision for their rural libraries into a reality that makes a
difference in their Appalachian communities. According to Dr. Mehra, "It
was a really tough decision since I personally communicated with more
than 70 people who showed interest in ITRL. Thirty-two candidates
submitted their application materials, and we are very fortunate to have
an excellent cohort where each person has a unique dream, passion,
determination, and skills to succeed and lead their library communities
in the 21st Century."  

 

The following 16 ITRL students will start their coursework in summer
2010:

 

*         Beverly Sue Chalman, Library Director, Charles Ralph Holland
Memorial Library, Gainesboro, Tennessee.

*         Brittany Renee Fletcher, Elementary School Teacher/Media Team
Member, Mountain City Elementary School Media Center, Mountain City,
Tennessee.

*         Julie Forkner, Reference Librarian, E. G. Fisher Public
Library, Athens, Tennessee.

*         Sally Elizabeth Gilliam, Library Assistant, Lonesome Pine
Regional Library, Big Stone Gap, Virginia.

*         Angela Cortellino Glowcheski, Information Specialist, Lumpkin
County Public Library, Chestatee Regional Library, Dahlonega, Georgia.

*         Richard George Haynes, Director, Harlan County Public Library
System, Harlan, Kentucky.

*         Kevin Sean Jump, Circulation Assistant, Weeks-Townsend
Memorial Library, Barbourville, Kentucky.

*         Lauren Long, Library Technologist, Madison County Public
Library, Marshall, North Carolina.

*         Susan Elaine Macrellis, Library Director, East Ridge City
Library, East Ridge, Tennessee. 

*         Helen Frances Owen, Instructional Supervisor for Materials and
Supplies, Teacher Resource Center, Sevier County School System,
Sevierville, Tennessee. 

*         Marilyn J. Pontius, Hancock War Memorial Branch Library,
Washington County Free Library, Washington County, Maryland.

*         Deborah J. Ratliff, Branch Manager/Program Specialist, Goshen
Public Library, Rockbridge Regional Library, Goshen, Virginia.

*         Christine Maness Smith, Branch Manager, C. Bascom Slemp
Memorial Library, Lonesome Pine regional Library System, Big Stone Gap,
Virginia.

*         Susan J. Williams, Resource Center/Education Coordinator,
Highlander Research and Education Center, New Market, Tennessee.

*         Vicki Michelle Crawford Winstead, Library Media Specialist,
Jackson Elementary School Library, Kingsport, Tennessee. 

*         Amber Dawn Woodard, Library Technical Assistant, Cumberland
University, Lebanon, Tennessee. 

 

Rural Appalachian communities experience relatively low levels of
information literacy, educational attainment, and a lack of access to
information technologies. Library professionals embedded in these
communities are in a strong position to help address and develop
solutions to meet these needs. 

 

Along with co-principal investigators Drs. Kimberly Black and Vandana
Singh, Dr. Mehra is designing a needs assessment study of library
services and information challenges faced by rural regional libraries
throughout Appalachia so that these students, upon graduation, will be
groomed to address the specific circumstances experienced in their
communities regarding information technology literacy and translate its
myriad of benefits for their communities. 

 

Along with studying the foundational theory and practice of library and
information sciences, students in the program will learn about
technology planning, assessment, and analysis; database and web design,
development, and usability; building digital library, Web portals, and
Library 2.0 tools; and how to establish hardware and software
configurations for networking systems. Students will also learn a rich
suite of rural management skills, such as application of planning and
service evaluation; resource building and collection development;
strategic marketing and promotion; grant writing and partnership
leveraging. 

 

The four partnering institutions are: Clinch-Powell Regional Library
(Clinton, Tennessee: Susan Simmons: Director), Nolichucky Regional
Library (Morristown, Tennessee: Don Reynolds, Director), Sevier County
Public Library System (Sevierville, Tennessee: K. C. Williams, System
Director), and the Watauga Regional Library (Johnson City, Tennessee:
Nancy Renfro, Director).

 

The School of Information Sciences (SIS) at the University of Tennessee
is an innovative leader among library and information programs
nationally, and one of four schools that make up the College of
Communication and Information. School faculty instruct over 225 graduate
students, are engaged in leading-edge research, and partner with
organizations throughout the world to help people flourish in our
dynamic information society. UT SIS is the only master's degree program
in Tennessee to be fully accredited by the American Library Association.


 

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of
federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums.
The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that
connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the
national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to
sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and
innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about
the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.

 

For more information about the SIS Information Technology Rural
Librarian Master's Scholarship Program, visit our website at
http://www.sis.utk.edu/rural-librarianship.





__________
Joel Southern
Communications Specialist
School of Information Sciences
College of Communication and Information
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
1345 Circle Park Drive, Suite 451
Knoxville, TN 37996-0341
____________
(865) 974-6727
jsouthern at utk dot edu
www.sis.utk.edu <http://www.sis.utk.edu>