TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – University of Alabama Libraries, in partnership with the School of Library and Information Studies, has received a $449,201 grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services to recruit and educate librarians for the 21st Century and offset a looming national shortage.

“The focus of this grant will be on academic and research librarianship,” said Dr. Louis Pitschmann, dean of UA Libraries. “The most critical shortage is finding people who can work in research libraries as most graduates have chosen to become public or school librarians. We hope to address this critical need through new strategies.”

Ten students, from differing backgrounds and cultures and who have completed a graduate degree in another subject, will be recruited to study academic or research librarianship. Practical training and classroom theory will be combined with a mentoring experience to prepare the students for a career in the fields.

The current shortage of school library media specialists, library school faculty, and librarians working in underserved communities underscores a very real problem in librarianship as fewer faculty are being prepared to educate new librarians, and more professional positions are going unfilled.

The shortage of professional librarians, especially of those in leadership positions, is likely to increase as a large percentage of library directors and other senior librarians are expected to retire in the next 20 years.

Dr. Elizabeth Aversa, professor and director of the School of Library and Information Studies, says the reason there is a shortage of librarians is that the world has recognized that people with a library degree can do other things like indexing, web work, knowledge management, and information architecture.

Pitschmann said the federal funders gave UA positive feedback on its proposed program. “Combining the classroom and internship in campus libraries hasn’t been done before and while we will have only 10 people, what we’re also looking for is testing the model to see if there are applications for other research libraries.”

Students will be recruited in the beginning of 2005 and will start classes in August 2005. The program will last from two to two and one-half years and will include 20 hours per week of employment in University Libraries.

“The exciting part is that University Libraries will have 200 hours of graduate assistant support each week beginning in August 2005,” Pitschmann said. “These interns will significantly enhance our ability to meet the needs of students and faculty on campus. They also will have graduate degrees, and we will benefit from their subject knowledge and expertise.”

“We’re grateful to the IMLS for this grant,” Aversa said. “They’ve had a priority of educating more librarians, and this is a great opportunity for us. There were many schools who were seeking funding, and we’re certainly fortunate to be one of those whose proposal was accepted.”

UA already is receiving some publicity for the grant. In November, Aversa has been asked to speak to the North Carolina and Southeastern Library Associations about the grant in conjunction with recruiting efforts.

University Libraries strives for excellence in advancing the University’s teaching, research, and outreach programs by anticipating information needs, providing access to resources, and promoting effective use of information by students, faculty and staff.

The history of the School of Library and Information Studies began in 1929 when the University instituted an academic program in school librarianship within the College of Education. An Alabama Senate Joint Resolution in 1969 authorized The Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama to establish the Graduate School of Library Service. The School has pursued a mission to provide students with the knowledge required to meet the information needs of a diverse population.

SLIS offers the M.F.A. degree in book arts, the M.I.L.S. and the Ph.D. in the College of Communication and Information Sciences. In 1989, the School was renamed the School of Library and Information Studies, reflecting increasing academic and professional emphasis on emerging information technologies. In 1997, SLIS merged with the College of Communication to form the College of Communication and Information Sciences. The School is Alabama’s only program in library and information studies that is accredited by the American Library Association.