News Items
The ITRL Project Director and other members of the executive team are all experienced scholars who disseminate the results of the project widely. They present project results at professional conferences such as the ALISE, the American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T), and the ALA, PLA, TLA, and ARSL. In addition to the reports for IMLS, principals prepare articles for reputed LIS journals. Beyond the executive team, the information officer for the College of Communication and Information prepares press releases and feature stories for the library and information media. ITRL program news items are disseminated on this webpage, the ITRL listserv, and the ITRL Facebook page.
Boehnke, Megan. (2011). UT educator offers IT master's program for rural librarians. Knoxville News Sentinel, July 10, 2011. URL: http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/jul/10/internet-access-promoted/
Bridging the Rural Digital Divide, Faculty & Research. (2011). Circle Park News, College of Communication and Information, University of Tennessee, June/July 2011. URL: http://www.cci.utk.edu/enewsletter/june2011
Holmes, Whitney. (2011). Bridging the Rural Digital Divide. Quest: Research, Scholarship, Creative Activity. University of Tennessee, Knoxville. May 2, 2011. URL: http://quest.utk.edu/2011/bridging-the-rural-digital-divide/
ITRL Update. (2011). Interface. School of Information Sciences Newsletter, University of Tennessee, Spring 2011,p. 8. URL: http://www.sis.utk.edu/files/Spring2011InterfaceonLIne3.pdf
SIS awards 16 scholarships to rural Appalachian librarians. (2010). Interface. School of Information Sciences Newsletter, University of Tennessee, Spring 2010, p. 7. URL: http://www.sis.utk.edu/files/Interface-%20Spring%202010-revision3.pdf
SIS News. April 28, 2010. SIS Awards 16 Scholarships to Rural Librarians (URL: http://www.sis.utk.edu/node/12670).
Mehra (PI), Cortez (SIS Director), and Allard (SIS Assistant Director) promoted ITRL and distributed flyers during their visit (November 5-10, 2009) to the University of Puerto Rico for renewing the memorandum of understanding between UT and UPR. See: Flyer.
Black (co-PI) presented ITRL information and distributed flyers during the 19th Annual Conference of the Association for Black Culture Centers (ABCC), hosted by Cleveland State University in Cleveland, OH, from November 5-8, 2009. (Conference theme: Centers and Negotiations of Cultural Politics of a Black Presidency.
SIS faculty member Welch promoted the ITRL program and distributed ITRL flyers at the American Association of School Librarians national conference in Charlotte, NC, during November 5-8, 2009. See: Flyer.
SIS Director (Cortez) distributed ITRL promotion information and recruitment flyers during the Virginia Library Association 2009 Annual Conference in Williamsburg during October 29-30, 2009. See: Flyer.
Simmons (Project Partner) and Southern (SIS Staff) promoted ITRL and distributed ITRL flyers during the Tennessee Library Association Staff Development Workshop that was conducted in Blount County on October 27, 2009. See: Flyer.
Mehra (PI) promoted ITRL and distributed flyers at the SIS Student Mixer Social with the UT Hodges Library on October 1, 2009. See: Flyer.
Mehra (PI) and Black (co-PI) shared ITRL information during the SIS Advisory Board Meeting on September 18, 2009.
Mehra (PI) and Black (co-PI) promoted ITRL and engaged in recruitment efforts at the 2009 Association of Rural and Small Libraries, Gatlinburg, TN, during September 10-13, 2009. Mehra distributed flyers and promoted ITRL during the pre-conference at the Anna Porter Public Library on September 10, 2009; Mehra and Black participated during conference sessions on September 11; Black presented ITRL information during the ideas fair on September 12, 2009; Mehra addressed the Board of Directors on September 13, 2009.
Black (co-PI) and SIS Director (Cortez) distributed ITRL Recruitment flyers and engaged in ITRL publicity and promotion during the 2009 American Library Association Annual Conference held in Chicago, IL, July 9-15, 2009. See: Flyer.
Presentations
Mehra, B., Black, K., Singh, V., Nolt, J., Williams, K.C., Simmons, S., and Renfro, N. (forthcoming). The Social Justice Framework in the Information Technology Rural Librarian Master’s Scholarship Program: Bridging the Rural Digital Divides (Session Title: Social Justice in Library and Information Science). 4th Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries International Conference (QQML 2012), 22 - 25 May 2012, Limerick, Ireland.
Mehra, B., Black, K., Singh, V., Nolt, J., Williams, K.C., Simmons, S., and Renfro, N. (2012). Computer-Enabled Innovations in the Information Technology Rural Librarian Master’s Scholarship Program: Bridging Rural Digital Divides in the Southern and Central Appalachia, 57th Indian Library Association Annual Conference, 23-25 February, 2012, Mangalore, Karnataka. Select pictures at the 57th Indian Library Association Annual Conference.
Mehra, B., Black, K., Singh, V., and Nolt, J. (2012). Extending Librarian Technology Literacy and Management Training in the Rural Southern and Central Appalachia: Curricular Development in the ITRL Program (Paper Presentation). Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Annual Conference: Extending Our Reach: Expanding Horizons, Creating Opportunity, Dallas, TX, 17-20 January, 2012.
Mehra, B., Black, K., Singh, V., and Nolt, J. (2011). Mapping the Education of Rural Librarians’ Technology Literacy and Management Training: Use of Mixed Data Collection Methods in the ITRL Program. Proceedings of the World Library and Information Congress: 77th International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions General Conference and Assembly [Library Theory and Research Section and Statistics and Evaluation Section], 13-18 August 2011, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Black, K., Mehra, B., and Singh, V. (2011). Scope of Broadband Education and Deployment in Rural Libraries: Desperately-Seeking Partners in a Grant Proposal (Panel Presenters: Black, Singh). 2011 Tennessee Library Association Annual Conference, March 23-25, 2011, Murfreesboro, TN.
Black, K., Mehra, B., Nolt, J., Renfro, N., Reynolds, D ., Simmons, S., Singh, V., and Williams, K. C. [alphabetical list]. (2011). Partnerships and Collaborations in the IMLS-Funded Information Technology Rural Librarian Master’s Scholarship Program (Poster). 2011 Tennessee Library Association Annual Conference, March 23-25, 2011, Murfreesboro, TN.
Mehra, B., Black, K., Singh, V., & Nolt, J. (2011). What is the Value of LIS Education? A Qualitative Analysis of the Perspectives of Rural Librarians in the Southern and Central Appalachia. Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Annual Conference: Competitiveness and Innovation, San Diego, CA 4-7 January, 2011.
Mehra, B. (2010). (Invited Panelist). Practical Magic: Partnering within the Profession & Collaborating in the Community [panel presentation], TLA Staff Development Workshop, East Tennessee Blount County Public Library, October 12, 2010.
Mehra, B. (Moderator & Organizer). (2010). Rural Library Professionals as Change Agents in the 21st Century: Integrating Information Technology Competencies in the Southern and Central Appalachian Region (ITRL) Phase I Planning and Recruitment [panel presentation]. Tennessee Library Association Annual Conference 2010: Marketing Matters, March 17-19, 2010, Memphis, Tennessee. Panel participants: K. Black (co-PI), V. Singh (co-PI), N. Renfro (Project Partner), S. Simmons (Project Partner).
Mehra (PI), Black (co-PI), and Singh (co-PI) represented the ITRL program during the IMLS WebWise Conference on Libraries and Museums in the Digital World that was held March 3-5, 2010, in Denver, Colorado.
Mehra (PI) led a formal presentation on ITRL entitled “Serving Diverse Clientele Through the Virtual Library” at the UT Virtual Library Steering Committee meeting on February 24, 2010.
Mehra, B., and Parris, H. (2010). Open Source Software Collaborations in Tennessee’s Regional Library System: A Website Analysis (panel presentation). Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Annual Conference: Creating a Culture of Collaboration, Boston, MA 12-15 January, 2010.
Mehra, B., Black K., Singh V., & S. Lee. "Collaborations between LIS Students & Rural Libraries in East Tennessee: Improving Librarian Technology Literacy & Management Traning". (paper presentation). Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Annual Conference: Creating a Culture of Collaboration, Boston, MA 12-15 January, 2010.
Mehra, B. "Information Technology Rural Librarian Master's Scholarship Program". (formal ITRL presentation). East Tennessee Library Association, Clinton, TN: November 12, 2009.
Mehra, B., Renfro, N. R., and Simmons, S. (2009). Planning for Strategic Planning in East Tennessee’s Regional Library: A Panel Discussion. Tennessee Library Association Annual Conference 2009: Customer Service is Our Heart, April 8-10, 2009, Nashville, Tennessee.
Publications
Mehra, B., Black, K., Singh, V., Nolt, J., Williams, K.C., Simmons, S., and Renfro, N. (forthcoming). The Social Justice Framework in the Information Technology Rural Librarian Master’s Scholarship Program: Bridging the Rural Digital Divides. Proceedings of the Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries International Conference (QQML 2012), 22 - 25 May 2012, Limerick, Ireland.
Mehra, B., Black, K., Singh, V., Nolt, J., Williams, K.C., Simmons, S., and Renfro, N. (2012). Computer-Enabled Innovations in the Information Technology Rural Librarian Master’s Scholarship Program: Bridging Rural Digital Divides in the Southern and Central Appalachia, Proceedings of the 57th Indian Library Association Annual Conference, 23-25 February, 2012, Mangalore, Karnataka.
Black, K., Mehra, B., and Singh, V. (2011). Scope of Broadband Education and Deployment in Rural Libraries: Desperately-Seeking Partners in a Grant Proposal. Tennessee Libraries. URL: http://tnla.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=428.
Mehra, B., Black, K., Singh, V., and Nolt, J. (2011). Mapping the Education of Rural Librarians’ Technology Literacy and Management Training: Use of Mixed Data Collection Methods in the ITRL Program. Proceedings of the World Library and Information Congress: 77th International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions General Conference and Assembly [Library Theory and Research Section and Statistics and Evaluation Section], 13-18 August 2011, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Mehra, B., Black, K., Singh, V., & Nolt, J. (2011 October). What is the Value of LIS Education? A Qualitative Analysis of the Perspectives of Rural Librarians in Southern and Central Appalachia [Best Paper for the 2011 Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Annual Conference]. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 52(4), 265-278.
Mehra, B., Black, K., Singh, V., & Nolt, J. (2011). Collaboration between LIS Education and Rural Libraries in the Southern and Central Appalachia: Improving Librarian Technology Literacy and Management Training [Brief Communications and Research In Progress]. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 52(3), 238-247.
Mehra, B., Black, K., Singh, V., Renfro, N., Reynolds, D., Simmons, S., and Williams, K. C. (2010). Rural Library Professionals as Change Agents in the 21st Century: Integrating Information Technology Competencies in the Southern and Central Appalachian Region. Tennessee Libraries, 60(3). URL: http://www.tnla.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=377.
Mehra, B., Black, K., & Lee, S. (2010). Perspectives of East Tennessee Rural Public Librarians about the Need for Professional Library Education: An Exploratory Study. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 51(3), 142-157.
Mehra, B., Singh, V., & Parris, H. (2010). Open Source Software Collaborations in Tennessee’s Regional Library System: An Exploratory Study. Library Review, 59(9), 690-701.
Mehra, B., Black, K., and Lee, S. (2009). Rural Library Professionals as Change Agents in the 21st Century: Integrating Information Technology Competencies in the Southern and Central Appalachian Region (ITRL). Summary Findings of a Rural Library Pilot Study Submitted to Tennessee Libraries Listserv (tn-libraries@listserv.state.tn.us) on April 30, 2009.
Spotlight
The ITRL Annual Summit 2011 is a recorded presentation of two faculty members and thirteen ITRL students regarding their experiences over the past year.
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You may access the file here: http://asp8.centra.com/GP/main/0000008aeed00000013325341d9e95f8.
Another viewing option for your consideration is the embedded video file below [click anywhere on the image]:
PowerPoint presentation slides from the ITRL Annual Summit are also available for download. Please find them here.
ITRL student Vicki Winstead recently received a grant from the First Book organization for her school. Vicki is the school library media specialist at Jackson Elementary School in Kingsport, TN. Jackson Elementary serves approximately 500 students in grades K through fifth, including a Pre K program for four-year olds. First Book has distributed more than 85 million books and educational resources to programs and schools service children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada. The grant, totaling $2,495, will be used to purchase books that will be distributed to students at Jackson this spring.
ITRL student Angela Glowcheski won the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL) Ken Davenport Scholarship in August 2011. Glowcheski was one of three winners in a field of 70 prospective students. She attended the ARSL Conference September 8-11 in Frisco, Texas. Angela wrote a blog post about the experience, and you may read it here.
ITRL student Julie Forkner has recently been offered the position of Director of E. G. Fisher Public Library in Athens, TN. According to the search committee chair, Ms. Forkner's work in the ITRL program, particularly in public library and rural library management, was the deciding factor in favor of her selection.
