The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) recently awarded a Laura Bush
21st Century Librarian Program grant to the Syracuse University School of Information
Studies (iSchool) for its project titled "Building an eScience Librarianship Curriculum
for an eResearch Future."
Totaling almost $800,000, the grant will be used to educate a new generation of science
librarians by developing a digital curation curriculum that will emphasize the
management and preservation of science-related information.
iSchool associate professor Jian Qin is the principal investigator for this grant. She and
her research assistant, John D'Ignazio, began writing the grant proposal last fall to the
IMLS Program, which has been strengthening the field of librarianship through federal
grants promoting skill development, training and scholarships for master's and
doctoral degrees for more than five years.
"This grant provides us with a great opportunity to further our work developed as part
of the National Science Foundation-funded Science Data Literacy Program that helps
connect people with complex information," says D'Ignazio, a doctoral student and
adjunct professor at the iSchool. "In that two-year program, we designed and
conducted a course to train people to find, assess, preserve and present science-related
data. This new effort expands that work by establishing more courses related to science
resource management and computer system-supported collaboration to give a cohort
of students' skills now needed by scientists running cutting-edge research
laboratories."
The project, which will be developed in partnership with staff from Cornell
University's library, will recruit six students to be the first group of eScience Librarians
by providing scholarships to people with a background in the sciences. Students
selected for this project should hold a master's degree or at least have some research
experience, and they will have the opportunity to participate in summer internships as
well as attend conferences.
The grant period runs until July 31, 2012. The first year will be spent on research to
ensure that the courses are appropriate and sound. The courses should be available by
fall 2010.
"Our grads are in demand," D'Ignazio says. "One student, who took our science data
course virtually from Rochester the first time it was offered now works at Temple
University Library as the data management librarian."
D'Ignazio hopes that this research project will not only help students discover a
profession they may never have considered otherwise, but that it will also remind
people how crucial librarians are in this information age where researchers are creating
data at a near unmanageable rate.
"Computers and databases are solving a lot of our problems, but perhaps are creating
new ones," D'Ignazio says. "If everything is taken over by computers, we lose that
human element. Having librarians at the table keeps a personal element alive that aids
people in connecting with information they need or are interested in, even in abstract
areas like the sciences."
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is the primary source of federal
support for the nation's 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The institute's mission is
to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas.
The institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local
organizations to sustain heritage, culture and knowledge; enhance learning and
innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about IMLS, visit
http://www.imls.gov/index.shtm.
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
The Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program supports a variety of projects related to
library and information science, ranging from those that develop faculty and library
leaders to those that attract high school and college students to consider careers in
libraries. There are five categories of funding: doctoral programs, master's level
programs, research, pre-professional programs, programs to build institutional
capacity and continuing education. To find out more about this grant and how to
apply, visit http://www.imls.gov/applicants/grants/21CenturyLibrarian.shtm.
