Black Hills State University Offers Online Library Media Program

By Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 10/8/2007 6:00:00 AM

Responding to the shortage of media specialists, Black Hills State University in South Dakota is now offering an undergraduate library media program that’s entirely online.

The program, which is being offered as a minor, offers a great opportunity for K-12 teachers who want to become school librarians, says Rajeev Bukralia, director of libraries at the university, adding that educators can take the course work, and along with their education degree, get certified as a media specialist in South Dakota and Wyoming.

“A lot of librarians will be retiring in the U.S. and we really need trained librarians in schools,” Bukralia says. “The beauty of the program is that it’s completely online.”

Offered by the university’s College of Education and the E.Y. Berry Library-Learning Center, the online format was developed to better serve students in the area. Neighboring Wyoming, for instance, does not offer a way for students to receive endorsement as a K-12 media specialist, so many turn to South Dakota or Montana to do so, says Michael Tolan, the university’s bibliographic control librarian.

Although the program—which is comprised of seven courses and a practicum—can be taken for graduate credit, those credits can’t be used toward obtaining an MLS, Tolan adds.

"This program offers incredible convenience and flexibility. Even the practicum requirements may be completed at a local library, which means our students can finish all of the coursework without leaving their hometown," says Nancy Hall, dean of the College of Education.

Although the primary focus of the program is training media specialists, employees of any library can benefit from the training, says Hall. Many students who are enrolled currently work in or plan to pursue careers in public libraries.

For more information about the program, visit http://iis.bhsu.edu/lis/librarymedia/index.cfm.