IMLS Helps 15 Educators Get Certified
Chicago's elementary schools gain certified librarians, thanks to a $300,000 grant
By Lauren Barack -- School Library Journal, 1/1/2005
Fifteen teachers and librarians will enroll in Dominican University's Graduate School of Library and Information Science this month, with plans to become certified media specialists in Chicago's elementary schools when they receive their MLS degrees over the next three years.
As participants in the Generation Teacher Librarian program (GenTL), the 15 students will receive greatly reduced tuition to the master's program, laptop computers with Internet access, and mentoring by practicing school librarians. They will also have opportunities to attend workshops, conferences, and join professional organizations.
While GenTL, underwritten by a $300,000 grant by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, is part of an overall effort to attract qualified media specialists to an aging profession, it's also helping the Chicago Public Schools system, where about 55 percent of elementary school media specialists lack certification and about 10 percent of the 500 schools don't have librarians, says Paul Whitsitt, director of the district's office of Library and Information Services. Whitsitt's predecessor, Kathy Ryan, and Gail Bush, an associate professor and director of Dominican's school library media program, applied for the grant. "I happen to be a product of a public school in Chicago," says Bush. "This is my motivation—to do everything to help them."
About 50 applicants showed up for a mandatory informational session in September 2004, but only 15 were eventually chosen. Grant applicants were culled from teachers working in elementary schools and preference was given to noncertified library staff. Those with bilingual backgrounds, who could serve a diverse population, were especially encouraged to apply.
Since the grant recipients will be working full time, classes will, for the most part, be held at night. And even with the grant, teachers will be expected to cover 20 percent of their tuition. The GenTL program is also funded by matching contributions from the Chicago Public Schools' Department of Libraries and Information Services and Dominican University.
