Course Requirements

In the Information Technology Rural Librarian Master's Scholarship Program, 16 paraprofessionals working in rural library settings across the South and Central Appalachian Region are integrating formal coursework with on-the-job practical experiences in their work environments. These students in the Information Technology Rural Librarian Master's Scholarship Program are taking two 3-hour courses each summer, fall, and spring beginning June-July 2010 and ending June-July 2012.

Courses include the three SIS required courses (providing knowledge of core functionalities in the profession), six courses focusing on IT, and five courses on rural library management and services. The PI, co-PIs, and practitioners from the ITRL Practitioner Mentoring Board are working with individual students and instructors of the various courses to shape IT content, assignments, and outcomes to develop tangible and relevant products (e.g., database design, development and use of OPACs, website development, digital libraries, web portals containing subject specialized electronic collections, etc.) that are tailored for the specific rural library/community environment. The course requirements/tentative schedule are summarized in the following table.