16 Scholarships Available

Are you working in a rural library in Appalachia and want to earn a master's degree online?

Consider applying [1] to the ITRL (Information Technology Rural Librarian) Scholarship Program.  Click here [1] for information on applications and admissions.

GRANT NAME: Rural Library Professionals as Change Agents in the 21st Century: Integrating Information Technology Competencies in the Southern and Central Appalachian Region (ITRL)

PROGRAM GOAL: To recruit 16 individuals who are working in the Southern and Central Appalachian region’s rural libraries to complete their master’s degree with a focus on information technology and rural librarianship in the University of Tennessee’s School of Information Sciences program via distance education.

PROGRAM BENEFITS: Full-tuition scholarship for two years with an allowance for materials, part-time degree program with a structured, individually-tailored information technology and rural management-based curriculum with formal/informal professional mentoring by educators and practitioners.

ITRL Program information technology courses:

-Technology planning, assessment, and analysis
-Database and web design, development, and usability
-Building digital library, web portals, and Library 2.0 tools
-Establishing hardware and software configurations for networking systems

ITRL Program rural librarianship courses:

-Service evaluation/assessment in rural libraries
-Planning/management of a rural library program for youth and adults
-Reader’s advisory and other information services
-Grant writing and partnership development

For more details about ITRL, check the links on the left side of the page.

CONTACT: If you are interested please contact Assistant Professor Dr. Bharat Mehra at 865-974-5917 or bmehra@utk.edu [2].

PARTNERS: SIS faculty Drs. Bharat Mehra, Kimberly Black and Vandana Singh are partnering with the Clinch-Powell Regional Library (Susan Simmons), Sevier County Public Library System (KC Williams), and the Watauga Regional Library (Nancy Renfro) to implement the grant project. Most recently the Nolichucky Regional Library (Don Reynolds) has agreed to partner in the grant activities.

FUNDED BY: