[Asis-l] NEW Triangle Research Libraries Network Fellowships

[Joe Hester]

UNC-Chapel Hill recruits doctoral candidates to study academic
librarianship

The School of Information and Library Science (SILS) at the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is recruiting for the Triangle Research
Libraries Network Fellows Program, which supports doctoral candidates
interested in teaching and research in academic librarianship.

Included in the student support is a research assignment with a stipend
of $25,000 per year for two years, as well as tuition and health
coverage.  This program is funded through a grant from the Institute of
Museum and Library Services (IMLS) which was endorsed by the Association
of Research Libraries (ARL) and the Medical Library Association (MLA).

The program combines doctoral coursework with a research assignment in
one of the Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN) libraries, where
the fellow will be mentored by senior academic library administrators.
Four of the selected doctoral students will be assigned to work on
research issues at UNC, Duke, NCCU and NCSU. The fifth student will work
jointly with the health sciences library directors of UNC and Duke. The
program's long-term goal is to increase the supply of academic
librarians, as well as the quality and depth of the education received
by future library professionals.

Two additional doctoral students will be eligible for two-year
fellowships at SILS through another IMLS-funded program administered
through Florida State University (visit
http://www.projectathena.lis.fsu.edu/). This program, Extending the Web
of Our Future, employs a web recruitment model to attract and educate
Ph.D. students who will eventually become faculty members and provide
instruction for the next generation of LIS professionals. These
candidates do not necessarily have to focus on research issues related
to academic libraries.

SILS at UNC-Chapel Hill has an established doctoral program that marks
its 25th anniversary in 2003. Many of the graduates have gone on to make
significant leadership contributions to the field in both education and
practice. The TRLN Libraries have combined holdings approaching 14
million volumes, employ more than 1,000 staff members and have budgets
totaling more than $80 million. The TRLN Fellows program provides
a unique and exciting environment for doctoral education in research
librarianship.

The deadlines to apply are Feb. 15, 2004, for fall 2004 admission and
Oct.15, 2004, for spring 2005 admission. Candidates interested in the
Triangle Research Libraries Network Fellows Program should follow
regular doctoral admission procedures, describing their interests in
academic libraries as part of the application. For more information on
these fellowship opportunities, visit the school Web site at
www.ils.unc.edu, email info at ils.unc.edu or call Dean Joanne Gard
Marshall or Associate Dean Paul
Solomon at (919) 962-8366.