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DU Home > News & Events > Media Releases > October 2004

MEDIA RELEASES

Contact
Jessica Mackinnon
jmack@dom.edu
(708) 524-6289

GSLIS Partners with Chicago Public Schools

Dominican University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science is partnering with the Chicago Public Schools, which is the recipient of a $319,501 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, to recruit and educate librarians for the 21st century.

Current statistics reveal that, as of January 2004, over half of school library media specialist positions with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) elementary schools were either vacant or filled with teachers who have not earned a school library media certification. Because of this, many CPS school libraries are under threat of closure by principals because no appropriate candidate is available to work in the school library.

The federal grant is designed to help alleviate this shortage of qualified library media specialists within the CPS system and, thereby, promote students’ academic achievement. Monies from the grant will be used to provide 15 CPS teachers and librarian participants with the opportunity to receive their master’s degrees in library information science through Dominican University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science. At the same time, participants will receive their Illinois Type 10 Library Information Specialist certifications.

The selection process for candidates is going on now and classes will start in January 2005. Applicants must be admitted to Dominican University before being considered by CPS for the program. Preference will be given to candidates who demonstrate the experience and qualifications required for meeting the needs of the diverse communities served by the Chicago Public Schools. After completing their master’s degrees, participants must agree to continue working in a CPS elementary school library for two years, mentoring and supporting fellow teachers without library media certification.

“We are very excited about this program and the opportunity to contribute to the education of fully qualified library media specialists,” said Gail Bush, PhD, associate professor and director of Dominican University’s School Library Media Program. “In addition, we expect that this partnership with CPS will forge a much closer working relationship for the future and serve as a model not only for continued use within the CPS system but for other large urban school districts that are seeking practical and effective ways to remedy the shortage of qualified library media specialists.”

For more information about Dominican University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences, call (708) 524-6845 or visit the Web site at www.gslis.dom.edu.