Grant supports UNT initiative to place librarians in border towns

The communities along the 1,300-mile Texas-Mexico border are experiencing great shortages of librarians, according to Ana Cleveland, professor of library and information sciences. Each year one to six academic and public library positions go unfilled — and some stay unfilled for several years.

Often these communities go through lengthy and expensive processes to bring in trained librarians, but many leave within a year or two because they can't adjust to the local community, Cleveland adds.

UNT's School of Library and Information Sciences recently received a $790,000 grant from the Institute of Library and Museum Services to help remedy the problem.

The school created the Rio Grande Initiative, which enrolls bilingual graduates from border colleges as well as personnel from border libraries in an online master's degree program and at the same time places them in 20 unfilled professional-in-training positions at academic and public libraries along the border. Program developers hope that the hiring of area residents will result in higher retention. At the end of the two-year program, each participant will have earned a master's degree in library science.

BY RUFUS COLEMAN rcoleman@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• KNTU, UNT Observatory named to D Magazine's 'Best of Big D' lists
• Leadership Texas scholarship funds available
• Faculty, staff participants needed for new student mentoring program
• Money earned by interns translates to $1 million for region's economy
• Student Recreation Center memberships available to faculty, staff for 2004-05
• Walkers, donors needed for 2004 American Heart Walk
• UNT scholarships available for faculty, staff
• Events planned to welcome students back to UNT
• TV networks playing it safe this fall, UNT professor says

homepage