[Asis-l] PRESS RELEASE: Digital Reference Education Initiative

[Joann Wasik]

Please excuse any cross-postings.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	
Tuesday, October 14, 2003	
Contact: Edward Byrnes
Phone: 315-443-2782
E-mail: edbyrnes at syr.edu

SU wins $215,000 grant to create nationwide digital library tools

The Information Institute of Syracuse (IIS), a research center of Syracuse
University's School of Information Studies, has received a $250,000 grant
from the Institute of Museum and Library Studies to create a nationwide
digital reference education initiative. The grant, led by co-principal
investigators and SU assistant professors Abby Goodrum and R. David
Lankes, with Joseph Janes of the University of Washington, will help
prepare librarians, students and paraprofessionals to deliver high-quality
reference service on the Internet.

"The Internet has become an essential tool for libraries to interact with
patrons. Digital reference allows the heart of the library, the librarian,
to be just as accessible as the online catalog," says Goodrum. "This helps
those librarians get to the patrons and makes libraries more central to
the communities they serve."

The grant will be used to educate librarians, students and
paraprofessionals in digital reference and build a Web portal for them to
access training materials, online courses, and hands-on experience with
digital reference software. The portal will also provide a common place
for posting digital reference job and internship opportunities.

The project will begin with meetings at this year's Virtual Reference Desk
Conference (http://www.vrd2003.org/index.cfm), to be held November 17-18
in San Antonio.

According to Lankes, the digital reference community is very tight and
results-oriented. "Every year at the Virtual Reference Desk Conference,
the community sets an agenda. This has included developing quality
measures, a research agenda and open standards," he says.

"Last year, the community determined that we needed a community-wide
effort to bring together and enhance training. IMLS has made this
possible."

The effort has already formed partnerships with Library Science Schools
including SU, the University of Washington, the University of Michigan,
the University of Illinois, the University of Maryland, Florida State
University, Kent State, Emporia State, UCLA and Drexel. Software providers
are OCLC, 24/7 Reference, LSSI and LiveAssistance. Libraries include
Washington State Library, the Library of Congress, the National Library of
Canada, the Library of the Netherlands, the National Library of Australia,
Multnomah County Public Library, the Alberta Public Library Consortia,
Grant MacEwan College, and Brigham Young University.

The IIS (iis.syr.edu) is the umbrella organization for a number of highly
visible and widely successful digital education information services and
projects. IIS projects bring together universities, government agencies,
and private enterprises: together they promote easy access to high quality
educational information for a diverse user population.
The School of Information Studies at SU is a nationally ranked center for
innovative programs in information policy, information behavior,
information management, information systems, information technology and
information services. The School offers an undergraduate degree, three
professional master's programs, and a Ph.D. program.

Officially chartered in 1870 as a private, coeducational institution of
higher education, Syracuse University is a leading student-centered
research university. Syracuse's 11 schools and colleges share a common
mission: to promote learning through teaching, research, scholarship,
creative accomplishment and service while embracing the core values of
quality, caring, diversity, innovation and service. The 680-acre campus is
home to more than 18,000 full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate
students from all 50 states and 90 countries.