WebJunction - Rural & Small Libraries

Rural Librarian Masters Scholarship Program

2009-10-23T18:57:00Z

Sixteen scholarships are available for the Information Technology Rural Librarian Master's Scholarship Program in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Tennessee is http://www.sis.utk.edu/rural-librarianship.

PROGRAM GOAL: To recruit 16 individuals who are working in the Southern and Central Appalachian region’s rural libraries to complete their master’s degree with a focus on information technology and rural librarianship in the University of Tennessee’s School of Information Sciences program via distance education

DEADLINES: Applications will be reviewed in January 2010. Students will be admitted into the ITRL program by May 2010. Students will enroll in two courses per semester including summer. The ITRL Program duration is June 2010 - August 2012.

Best Small Library 2009 webinar

2009-10-07T20:12:34Z

View the webinar archive for Best Small Library in America 2009 with Nancy Rosenwald, Director of Union County Carnegie Library and Rebecca Miller of Library Journal.

Please share your additional questions here about the Union library or about the award nomination process. You can also direct your specific questions regarding the submission process to Rebecca Miller at miller@reedbusiness.com or by phone at 646-746-6725.

Thanks to all who attended!

16 Scholarships Available in the School of Information Sciences at the Univ

2009-09-09T22:43:23Z

Dear ARSL members: Greetings! In this message I am sharing with you some exciting information regarding a wonderful opportunity being offered in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Tennessee. The School has recently been awarded a grant entitled “Rural Library Professionals as Change Agents in the 21st Century: Integrating Information Technology Competencies in Southern and Central Appalachian Region (ITRL)” for $567,660 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The goal of the project is to recruit sixteen students who have paraprofessional jobs in the Southern and Central Appalachian region’s rural libraries to complete their master’s degree with a focus on IT and rural librarianship in the SIS program via distance. Here is some recruitment information:

WORKING IN A RURAL LIBRARY IN APPALACHIA AND WANT TO EARN A MASTER’S DEGREE ONLINE? Consider applying to the ITRL Scholarship Program.

PROGRAM BENEFITS: Full-tuition scholarship for two years with an allowance for materials, part-time degree program with a structured, individually-tailored information technology and rural management-based curriculum with formal/informal professional mentoring by educators and practitioners.

PROGRAM GOAL: To recruit 16 individuals who are working in the Southern and Central Appalachian region’s rural libraries to complete their master’s degree with a focus on information technology and rural librarianship in the University of Tennessee’s School of Information Sciences program via distance education.

APPLICATION & ADMISSION: Eligibility & Requirements

• Currently working in a rural 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

For additional information on how to apply, visit http://www.sis.utk.edu/admissions and https://www.sis.utk.edu/rural-librarianship

DEADLINES/TIMELINES: UT SIS Admission Applications and the ITRL Scholarship Program Applications will be reviewed in January 2010. Students will be admitted into the ITRL program by May 2010. ITRL Program duration is June 2010 - August 2012.

CONTACT: If you are interested (or know of others who might be interested), please contact
Dr. Bharat Mehra at 865-974-5917 or bmehra@utk.edu, Assistant Professor, School of Information Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

PARTNERS: SIS faculty Drs. Bharat Mehra, Kimberly Black and Vandana Singh are partnering with the Clinch-Powell Regional Library (Susan Simmons), Sevier County Public Library System (KC Williams), and the Watauga Regional Library (Nancy Renfro). Most recently the Nolichucky Regional Library (Don Reynolds) has agreed to partner in the grant activities.

FUNDED BY: Institute of Museum and Library Services

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Here in the SIS we are very excited about this news and I really look forward to working with you and others in implementing this project to make a difference in our region via training librarians in IT and rural management skills that resonate with the region's complex realities and circumstances. Towards this goal, I am seeking your assistance to help me in the first task to identify paraprofessionals and others working in rural libraries in the region who may be interested to get a master's degree from the SIS and learn rural management skills in developing IT-related outcomes that are relevant to their local libraries and their communities.

If you are interested (or know of others who might be interested), please do not hesitate to get in touch with me (phone: 865-974-5917; email: bmehra@utk.edu) and I will be happy to share additional details with you. Also, if are willing to be on the ITRL Recruitment Board and/or ITRL Practitioner Mentoring Board do let me know. The following is the grant abstract for your attention:

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ABSTRACT

“Rural Library Professionals as Change Agents in the 21st century: Integrating Information Technology Competencies in Southern and Central Appalachian Region” (ITRL) at the University of Tennessee (UT), School of Information Sciences (SIS) meets an urgent need for rural librarians in the Southern and Central Appalachian (SCA) region with information technology (IT) competencies in a novel program that combines work experience/practice in regional library systems with graduate instruction/curriculum support. This region is experiencing information poverty and unemployment, economic challenges, low levels of information literacy and educational attainment, a lack of access/use of IT, and 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. The goal of ITRL is to recruit sixteen students who have paraprofessional jobs in the SCA region’s rural libraries to complete their master’s degree with a focus on IT and rural librarianship in the SIS program via distance. Students will receive a structured, individually-tailored curriculum with formal/informal professional mentoring by educators and practitioners. IT competencies in developing rural library work applications/practices especially tailored towards the needs of the SCA communities will be incorporated into the curriculum. If funded, ITRL will begin October 1, 2009 and will be completed by September 30, 2012.

The overall project design covers five phases that include: recruitment of ITRL students from rural libraries in the SCA region, needs assessment of library services and information challenges faced by rural regional libraries, implementation of educational/training activities, mentoring, evaluation/assessment of program outcomes, and dissemination of program results/experiences. Two major components in the curriculum will include IT and rural librarianship courses. IT deliverables applied towards rural libraries in the SIS courses will include:

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

· Web design, development, and usability;

· Database design and implementation;

· Building digital library and web portals ;

· Establishing hardware and software configurations for networking systems;

· Creating Library 2.0 tools.

Management outcomes in rural library courses will include:

· Service evaluation/assessment in rural libraries;

· Planning/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.

UT-SIS’ Dr. Bharat Mehra will administer the project with Dr. Kimberly Black and Dr. Vandana Singh. The three partnering institutions are: Clinch-Powell Regional Library (Clinton, Tennessee), Sevier County Public Library System (Sevierville, Tennessee), and the Watauga Regional Library (Johnson City, Tennessee). Project partners have been selected to participate in ITRL based on their leadership, role, knowledge, networks, experience, and interests to participate in promoting IT-based development and change in the SCA libraries and their communities. Though all project partners are located in the East Tennessee region, representatives from other regional and county library systems in the SCA region will be contacted to elicit their participation in the various activities identified in the grant proposal. Project partners will assist in recruitment of ITRL students via participating in the ITRL Recruitment Board; participation/recruitment for the online ITRL Needs Assessment Symposium; participation/recruitment for the ITRL Practitioner Mentoring Board; and participation/recruitment for the Annual ITRL Summits. The model of a master’s degree in information science to prepare future rural library professionals (who are already working paraprofessionals) with IT competencies and skill-sets that integrate coursework geared towards producing tangible outcomes and products relevant for rural communities in the SCA region will be of interest and applicability to master’s programs nationwide.

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I look forward to working with you and hope that you will be deeply involved in the planning and implementation of this project. I definitely look to you and others for leadership and guidance in navigating the forces that may lead towards the success of this venture to help rural libraries make a difference in the everyday lives of our communities. I am also looking forward to participating in the ARSL 2009 Conference in Gatlinburg and connecting with rural librarians in the region and country via that venue.

Feel free to get in touch with me to give suggestions and provide comments and feedback. Also, do feel free to forward my message to others interested in the project. Meanwhile, looking forward to working with you and my best wishes to you!

Yours sincerely,
Bharat Mehra

#######################################
Bharat Mehra, PhD
Assistant Professor
School of Information Sciences
University of Tennessee
# 454 Communications Building,
1345 Circle Park Drive
Knoxville, TN 37996-0341

Telephone: (865) 974 5917 (O)
E-mail: bmehra@utk.edu
Homepage: https://www.sis.utk.edu/user/118;
https://web.utk.edu/~bmehra/ (cut and paste the URL in your web browser).
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Hi from a newbie

2009-04-07T13:18:29Z

Hi all,
I'm new on this site, and new to librarianship, too. I am a Library Science studen here in North Carolina.
We are working on a project about the unique challenges that rural libraries face, and programs which will help these libraries thrive. I've found some good information on the ALA website (statistics and things) and here on webjunction as well. If anyone can link me to some other info, that would be great.
Really glad I found this site, and I'm sharing it with my classmates.

Slainte!
Scott Bagley

RE: Those interested in Rural/Small Libraries - Let's Get Reacquainted

2008-11-16T18:58:33Z

Hello everyone! Starting tomorrow I will be the branch manager for the Henrietta Hankin Branch of the Chester County Library in Chester Spring PA. (Can't wait to see how that fits on a business card). I am coming from a very very small library to a just small library (service area wise). I am delighted to see how many people are reading these posts, even though there are only a few posts. Don't just lurk! Join in the fun!! Tell us about yourself.

Also - share some info you think those in small libraries might like to know! helpful resources, websites, contacts, etc. I am working on my own blog and would love to include some really practical, easy-to-use stuff! http://villagelibrary.blogspot.com
Who will be next?! Don't be shy - it's easy!!

RE: Those interested in Rural/Small Libraries - Let's Get Reacquainted

2008-11-12T23:16:31Z

Royce,
Congrats on getting that MLS! I used to work in a library in Fort Smith, Arkansas so I know the area you are in a little (friends and family in Lawrence and Olathe). You should talk to Bill Harmer at the Chelsea District Library. He spoke at the ARSL conference in Sept. He has a band called the High Strung that have toured libraries all over. He shared some great ideas for programming too.

RE: Those interested in Rural/Small Libraries - Let's Get Reacquainted

2008-11-12T23:08:52Z

Hi Everybody,
I'm Patty Hector and I work for a library consortium that serves all of Northern California from the north bay of San Francisco to the Oregon border and from the coast across to the Nevada border. Our libraries are large and small, urban and rural. I used to be a library director in a small, extremely isolated rural library--that's my street cred (or gravel road cred as Carla Lehn says). I am the president of ARSL this year and I'm very interested to hear from our members. How can the organization help you?

ARSL Conference

2008-10-04T13:34:24Z

Hello, I am Tammy Whitney from the Bollinger County Library in Marble Hill, MO. I attended and loved the conference. I attended for the first time thaks to the LSTA and my libraries funding to attend. I left feeling like a super librarian and with ideas to implement. Luckily I also walked away with realistic expectations of time and mony restraints. I can find or come up with ideas to implement at the library the problem was my expectations were usually taken from examples of large libraries. Gaining the knowledge from seasoned rural librarians was precious in understanding the differences from actual trial and tribulations. Thank you for everything!

RE: Those interested in Rural/Small Libraries - Let's Get Reacquainted

2008-09-25T21:52:17Z

Hi, I am Rose Chenoweth. My title is Library Development Consultant and I work for the Alliance Library System. I work with over 100 small rural libraries on a daily basis. I am a former library director. My interests include library buildings, intellectual freedom, trustees, and collection development.

I am a board member in the Association for Rural and Small Libraries.

RE: Those interested in Rural/Small Libraries - Let's Get Reacquainted

2008-08-21T19:33:30Z

I'm Carly Wiggins, branch manager in a county wide system that includes urban, suburban, and rural communities. I'm in the last group. We also have a large population of Amish community members. Having moved from managing an urban branch, I'm learning on my feet.
Graduated from U of Michigan about 10 years ago. When I'm not working, I'm chasing my children and chickens, reading literary fiction & graphic novels, and basically taking it easy.
-Carly
Grabill Branch Library
Allen County Public Library

RE: Those interested in Rural/Small Libraries - Let's Get Reacquainted

2008-08-15T02:44:57Z

Hi my name is Royce, and in about two weeks I will start as the director of the Tonganoxie (KS) Public Library. It is a town of about 4700 that is projected to be 5900 and growing by next year. I have worked in libraries for 7 years; rotating book van, interlibrary loan, reference librarian. I just got my MLS a couple of days ago. I love technology, gaming, having fun, and change.

I hope that I can get a lot of use out of webjunction now that I am a small library director...damn, it feels weird to be a library director.

I guess my spare time is spent on NFL and all things Rock and Roll.

Those interested in Rural/Small Libraries - Let's Get Reacquainted

2008-08-08T21:18:52Z

Hey gang:

I hope that many of you who have been involved with WebJunction and the Rural Library Sustainability Project-- or been a part of any of the webinars or programs we sponsor for rural and small libraries, or just have an interest in rural and small libraries-- have found your way to our new and improved space.

Please take a moment to introduce yourself to the group, let us know where you're from, and any other information you'd like to share.

Looking forward to hearing from all of you.

Jim