The ITRL Program, funded by IMLS, began in October 2009. Students' duration in the master's program is June 2010-August 2012. Applications for enrollment were reviewed in January 2010. Students were admitted into the ITRL program in May 2010.
The Information Technology Rural Librarian Master's Scholarship Program sought participation in the following ways:
*Students admitted to the ITRL program met the following eligibility requirements:
1. Currently working in a rural Appalachian library
2. Completed bachelor’s degree
3. A 3.25 cumulative grade point average in undergraduate coursework and GRE scores above the fifty percentile or a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 in 12 or more hours of graduate coursework
4. Completed the UT SIS Admission Application and the ITRL Scholarship Program Application
5. All paraprofessionals working in the Southern and Central Appalachian (SCA) region’s rural libraries were encouraged to apply
*As members of the ITRL Recruitment Board, ITRL program partners provided assistance in the recruitment of ITRL students:
ITRL program partners helped with the distribution of flyers and helped the PI/co-PIs select the best candidates for the ITRL Scholarships. The program partners also helped identify potential applicants and, in consultation with the PI/co-PIs, assisted the potential applicants complete admission procedures and submit completed application packet to UT’s Graduate College before the February 1, 2010 deadline.
*As members of the ITRL Practitioner Mentoring Board, ITRL program practitioner mentors provided academic and professional guidance to ITRL students:
In May 2010, sixteen librarians with MLS degrees were identified as members of the ITRL Practitioner Mentoring Board. Members of the ITRL Practitioner Mentoring Board have provided practitioner mentoring and professional work experience to the ITRL students since then.
1. Each ITRL student was assigned a practitioner mentor from a rural library environment to provide guidance, identify relevant IT deliverables, and develop best practices for the rural libraries where the ITRL student works.
2. Educators from UT’s SIS and practitioner-mentors from the ITRL Mentoring Board identified learning objectives, course recommendations, and research projects to enhance IT skills with rural library applications.
3. Faculty and practitioner-mentor participants developed profiles of work/position descriptions and IT expectations for each ITRL student. Each work/position profile incorporated specific IT content and application.
4. Practitioner-mentor participants developed orientation and mentoring programs for ITRL in conjunction with participating faculty.
5. Practitioner-mentors have met [electronic/telephone and/or face-to-face] at least once each semester with SIS faculty to coordinate educational and training efforts for ITRL students. All practitioner-mentors and all students have met [electronic/telephone and/or face-to-face] at least once each semester to discuss issues and concerns about the program.
6. With the assistance of the practitioner-mentors, in the first semester of coursework, ITRL students have identified personal learning objectives and goals. Working closely with the practitioner-mentors has allowed early identification and remediation of any academic deficiencies.
7. An annual honorarium has been provided to members of the ITRL Practitioner Mentoring Board.
*Library professionals from across the SCA region participated in the ITRL Needs Assessment Symposium:
The Symposium took place during March/April 2010 and comprised electronic/telephone and face-to-face meetings. These meetings involved interviews and focus groups with a total of 50 library professionals from across the SCA region. Participants provided feedback about library services and information challenges faced by rural libraries in the region. An honorarium was provided to Symposium attendees. Break-out sessions for small group discussions were orchestrated to address local information needs, use of information resources and services, challenges and barriers, areas of improvement, and use of computers and information technologies.
