Are you a current MLS student? Plan on attending this program!

ARL Career Enhancement Program for Minority MLS Students Now Accepting Applications--Apply by Dec. 8, '08

For immediate release:
October 20, 2008

For more information, contact:
Jerome Offord Jr.
Association of Research Libraries
jerome@arl.org

ARL Career Enhancement Program for Minority MLS Students Now Accepting Applications

Apply by December 8, 2008

Washington DC—The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Career Enhancement Program is accepting a second round of applications until December 8, 2008. Master’s of library science (MLS) students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups who have successfully completed a minimum of 12 credit hours by June 1, 2009, in an ALA-accredited MLS program are encouraged to apply for this enriching program experience.

The ARL Career Enhancement Program has four main components:

• Six- to Twelve-Week Fellowship Experience: Each fellow will have the opportunity to work in a research library to gain both educational and professional experience while earning an MLS. Fellows will be assembled in groups of two or three to create a fellowship cohort at each host institution.

• Mentoring Relationship: A professional librarian will mentor each fellow during the fellowship. The mentoring relationship will be different from the supervisory relationship and will provide the fellows with professional guidance and resource sharing.

• Leadership Development: The fellows will participate in the ARL Leadership Institute, hosted in January in conjunction with the ALA Midwinter Meeting. During the institute, the fellows will have an opportunity to explore macro-level issues facing research libraries and discuss transitioning into a research library upon graduation. The fellows will have an opportunity to connect with other ARL fellows, library leaders, and other MLS students who attend the annual Leadership Institute.

• Career Placement: ARL staff will work with each fellow to network and connect with ARL member libraries to facilitate the job search process.

Qualifications for Participating

Eligible applicants for the fellowship must:

• be accepted in an ALA-accredited graduate library school program;

• be a member of a racial/ethnic minority group as described by the US Census Bureau; and

• have completed a minimum of 12 graduate-level credits in library and information science by June 1, 2009.

Selection and Institutional Match

The ARL Career Enhancement Program uses a unique process for selecting and matching fellows with host institutions. Each host institution has committed to have one designated staff member serve on the Coordinating Committee. The committee will read the entire application pool; select acceptable fellows; and then enter into dialogue about experience, professional fit (fellows’ goals and desired experience), and creating a diverse group of students. The committee will then work together to create the best placement for each fellow.

The fellowship host institutions are:

• University at Albany, State University of New York
• University of Arizona
• University of California, San Diego
• Columbia University
• University of Kentucky
• University of Michigan
• National Library of Medicine
• North Carolina State University
• University of Washington

Applications

Applications are being accepted until December 8, 2008, and should be submitted online. More information about the program, the application process, timelines, and host institutions can be found at http://www.arl.org/diversity/cep/index.shtml. If you need additional information, please contact Jerome Offord Jr. jerome@arl.org.