Recruitment, Education, and Learning
Interface Volume 27 Number 1, Spring, 2005. Interface is the quarterly newsletter published by the ASCLA division of the ALA. The Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has approved the New York State Library's proposal for a statewide recruitement project entitled "Making It Real! Recruitment, Education, and Learning: Creating a New Generation of Librarians to Serve All New Yorkers."
Volume 27, Number 1, Spring 2005
Making It Real! Recruitment, Education, and Learning: Creating a New Generation of Librarians to Serve All New Yorkers
by Mary Linda Todd, Division of Library Development, New York State Education Department
The federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has approved the New York State Library’s proposal for a
statewide recruitment project entitled “Making it REAL! Recruitment, Education, And Learning: Creating a New Generation of
Librarians to Serve All New Yorkers.” A grant award of $995,630 over a period of three years will fund the recruitment of
forty-four new professional librarians into a wide variety of library positions and will bring greater visibility and
diversity to the field. The grant will enable the launch of a bold and imaginative plan to effect fundamental change in
recruitment and education for librarianship. This award is part of IMLS’ program entitled Librarians for the 21st
Century and the project will be a significant step toward realizing the goal of the Regents New Century Libraries
legislative initiative: recruitment of a new generation of librarians to bring greater visibility and diversity to the
profession.
Through collaborative efforts between New York’s library systems and library schools, this grant is pioneering the idea of
Teaching Libraries that will educate and mentor 15 new students through scholarships and work experience. In addition,
this grant will fund scholarships for twenty-nine new students at graduate schools of library and information science in
New York aimed at enhancing diversity in library service. Scholarship recipients will attend the 2005 New York Library
Association (NYLA) conference in Buffalo, NY where NYLA will feature conference programs on the theme of diversity issues
for libraries. A key component of this grant is the creation of an online career resource center to assist current and
future librarians in finding statewide career information and job opportunities.
This grant is unique due to the large number of project partners and the high level of statewide participation. It aims to
combat the shortage of professional librarians, encourage diversity in the profession, prepare new librarians to serve
diverse populations, and address New York’s regional library needs. Mary Linda Todd, a library development specialist in
the Division of Library Development at the New York State Library, is the project manager. For further information please
visit the grant Web site or contact
Todd at (518) 486-4858.
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Recruitment, Education, and Learning