FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 13, 2004

WASHINGTON, DC - The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the federal agency that supports the nation's museums and libraries, has awarded $14,790,543 to library schools and library service organizations to recruit and educate new librarians to help offset a looming national shortage. For a contact list of the organizations funded with descriptions of their winning grant projects, please see the attached list.

"Librarians make accessible the resources and services that help to stimulate and support learning throughout life," said Dr. Robert S. Martin, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. "The grants IMLS makes today will ensure the future of librarianship in America that creates and sustains our nation of learners."

The current shortage of school library media specialists, library school faculty, and librarians working in underserved communities underscores a looming crisis in librarianship as fewer faculty are being prepared to educate new librarians and more professional positions are going unfilled. Additionally, a large percentage of library directors and other senior librarians are expected to retire in the next 20 years. Consequently, the shortage of professional librarians, especially of those in leadership positions, is likely to increase.

In 2002, when First Lady Laura Bush announced that the president would support the recruitment of librarians initiative within IMLS, she remarked, "There's nothing quite like a trip to the library. Whether you choose a casual stroll down the aisles of books or a speedy trip along the information superhighway, libraries will allow you to journey as far and as wide as your imagination will go."

Under this program, IMLS received 65 grant applications requesting more than $34 million. The 26 grants made today will support the recruitment and education of 631 individuals: 477 new master's degree librarians, 62 doctoral students, and 92 preprofessional students. In addition, several grants will enable graduate schools of library and information science to expand their curricula through new courses or programs in critical areas such as digital librarianship, preservation, special collections, and school libraries. The grants will also fund research to support and evaluate successful recruitment and education programs.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent Federal grant-making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners by helping libraries and museums serve their communities. The Institute fosters leadership, innovation, and a lifetime of learning by supporting the nation's 15,000 museums and 122,000 libraries. The Institute also encourages partnerships to expand the educational benefit of libraries and museums. To learn more about the Institute, please log onto: http://www.imls.gov