UW Consortium Recieves Grant to Train School Library Media Specialists
from the DPI:
The University of Wisconsin System School Library Education Consortium (UWSSLEC) is the recipient of a $1 million grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The Laura Bush 21st Century Library Grant Program supports projects to develop faculty and library leaders, to recruit and educate the next generation of librarians, and to conduct research on the library profession. It also supports projects to attract high school and college students to consider careers in libraries, to build institutional capacity in graduate schools of library and information science, and to assist in the professional development of librarians and library staff. The grant the consortium is receiving is part of the master’s level programs which are designed to educate the next generation of librarians. The focus will be to increase the number of students enrolled in an accredited graduate library program and to ultimately provide enough certified school library media specialists to fill positions in underserved areas of Wisconsin.
The University of Wisconsin System School of Education Consortium (UWSSEC) is a collaborative venture of five state universities, including campuses in Whitewater, Madison, Eau Claire, Superior, and Oshkosh. To address a statewide shortage of school library media specialists, UWSSEC will partner with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association to train 50 new school library media specialists for the state’s rural and high-need urban public schools. This new workforce will be recruited from teachers already working in those schools, who will receive full scholarships to earn a master’s degree in librarianship with a school library media specialization. Project staff also will develop instructional materials to help school administrators better understand the role of school library media specialists.
