Greetings Colleagues,
I trust you're well. Today I'm celebrating a new partnership with Wayne State University! The HBCU Library Alliance was invited to partner with Wayne State University (MI) on a 2013 Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program Grant for the project, "Increasing Leadership Diversity."
The project goals are to recruit, mentor, and deliver an online MLIS degree to 10 students from underrepresented groups in order to achieve greater diversity among practicing library professionals. Recruitment efforts will be extended particularly to undergraduates currently attending HBCU institutions and library paraprofessionals currently employed by HBCU libraries.
The major goals of this two-year project are to:
recruit underrepresented students to the library profession
provide graduate library science educational opportunities to promising bachelor's degree holders and library paraprofessionals from underrepresented groups
test the efficacy of a distributed online degree program, supported by mentors, to retain students from underrepresented groups through degree completion and employment as professional librarians.
The Alliance's role is to:
assist in the recruitment of qualified applicants; it is anticipated that students will begin classes August 2014
recruit 15 senior librarians who have graduated from any phase of the Leadership Program (10 to be matched with students, 5 alternates) to serve as mentors to the students, each mentor will receive a stipend for their involvement
identify a mentor consultant to lead the mentorship training workshops, administer assessment tools and provide mentoring/coaching advice
I've been asked to begin identifying mentors and will reach out to the community this week. Contact me via e-mail if you have interest in learning more about this exciting opportunity.
I look forward to our involvement with this project and sharing our skills with the broader community!
Respectfully,
Sandra
SANDRA M. PHOENIX
Executive Director
HBCU Library Alliance
sphoenix@hbculibraries.orgmailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org
www.hbculibraries.orghttp://www.hbculibraries.org/
800-999-8558, ext. 4820
404-702-5854
Skype: sandra.phoenix1
1438 West Peachtree NW
Suite 200
Atlanta,GA 30309
Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS)
Fax: 404.892.7879
www.lyrasis.orghttp://www.lyrasis.org/
Honor the ancestors, honor the children.