Teacher Librarian Training Grant

Good news for school libraries in Iowa! The University of Iowa School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) has received $881,692 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to recruit and educate teacher librarians. SLIS will use these funds to recruit two groups of 20 students who already have teaching certificates for its masters degree program in library and information science. They will receive fellowships to fund their degrees. The first cohort will begin in the summer of 2008.

Dr. James Elmborg, Director of the UI SLIS program, will coordinate the grant. Most of the coursework in the master’s program will be conducted through distance education systems. Iowa’s Area Education Agencies, the State Library of Iowa and the Iowa Association of School Librarians are partners in the grant and will assist with recruitment and course delivery.

Many details remain to be worked out concerning admissions, timelines, course schedules and method of delivery. A website will be developed to provide relevant information as these details are available. The grant requirements will publicized on the website and by other means. Stay tuned for further details and please inform any teachers whom you think might be interested in a library career of this grant.


(Thank you to Mary Jo Langhorne for this blurb)