[Asis-l] FSU College of Information Awarded IMLS Grant to Educate School Library Leaders

[Branciforte, Bob]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact:
College of Information
Florida State University
(850) 644-5772

FSU College of Information Awarded IMLS Grant to Educate School Library
Leaders

Tallahassee, FL - July 27, 2005 - The College of Information at Florida
State University has been awarded a $159,526 grant by The Institute of
Museum and Library Services (IMLS). "School Library Media Specialists
for the 21st Century: Leaders Educated to Make a Difference" (Project
LEAD) is a project to develop graduate education opportunities and a
research agenda focused on leadership for school library media
specialists. Dr. Nancy Everhart, Associate Professor, and Dr. Eliza T.
Dresang, Eliza Atkins Gleason Professor, of the FSU College of
Information will serve as co-principal investigators on the grant
project. Leaders from Florida A&M University, the FSU College of
Education, the FSU Learning Systems Institute, the Florida Department of
Education, and the Leon County (FL) School District will join them as
collaborators.

"This program is the first of its kind in the nation," said Dr. Nancy
Everhart "It's a tremendous opportunity for school library media
specialists, who positively impact student achievement, to take their
skills to the next level."
 
As part of Project LEAD an online curriculum will be developed to
prepare school library media specialists for leadership roles. The
curriculum will integrate the tenets of the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards. Research has established that educators
with National Board certification are more likely to be leaders. A four
course (12 credit) leadership certificate that integrates the National
Board tenets will be developed and offered within the master's degree,
as a post-master's certificate, and as part of a 30 credit specialist
degree on organizational leadership.

Project LEAD will develop course content and support mechanisms to
increase the probability that candidates will qualify for National Board
certification in library media. Currently, no ongoing or formal courses
or support mechanisms exist for school media specialists seeking this
certification. 

A recruitment plan to increase the number of school media specialist
candidates who want to become organizational leaders, particularly from
underrepresented groups within the profession, will be developed in
Project LEAD. Norish Adams, Director of one of the five official
National Board Teacher Resource Centers located at Florida A & M
University, will serve as a project consultant as will Pat Dietrich, a
national board certified teacher and media specialist in the Leon County
(FL) School District.

Project directors will initiate a research agenda during the grant
period and the results will be disseminated through the Project LEAD web
site, presentations, and publications. According to Dr. Eliza T.
Dresang, "Project LEAD will produce the first known research on National
Board certified media specialists."

For more information about Project LEAD contact Dr. Nancy Everhart at
everhart at ci.fsu.edu or 850-644-8122.

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Bob Branciforte
Communications Coordinator
College of Information
The Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida 32306-2100

Phone: (850) 644-3391
Fax: (850) 644-6253
Email: branciforte at ci.fsu.edu <mailto:branciforte at ci.fsu.edu>