Friends of the UNCG Libraries

A federal grant of almost $900,000 will help the Department of Library and Information Studies recruit minority students. The $889,401 grant is one of 39 awarded during this grant cycle by the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). IMLS received 110 applications requesting more than $68,242,619. The grant results from a team effort between Library and Information Studies and University Libraries. The funds will be used to recruit 15 minority students into the Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) program. The grant covers tuition and fees, student health insurance, stipends and expenses to attend a national conference. The program also provides the students with internship opportunities at 10 participating academic libraries in North Carolina, pairs them with experienced librarians for mentoring and offers them cultural enrichment activities during the two-year MLIS program.

Dean Rosann Bazirjian of the University Libraries is one of fourteen librarians who were elected recently to represent the Americas Regional Council on the OCLC Global Council. Comprised of members from libraries and cultural heritage organizations in Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean and the United States, the Americas Regional Council is one of three regional councils that are part of OCLC’s new governance structure to facilitate member-to-member discussions. The Council is the primary means through which members offer feedback on OCLC products, services, programs and policies through OCLC’s Global Council, and help shape the future of the cooperative. Founded in 1967, OCLC is a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world’s information and reducing library costs. More than 72,000 libraries in 171 countries have used OCLC services to locate, acquire, catalog, lend, preserve and manag...

In January 2010, Rosann Bazirjian, Dean of the University Libraries at UNCG, established the University Libraries Innovation and Program Enrichment Grant for the purpose of enhancing and expanding library services and programs. On June 3, two project proposals were selected to share the inaugural award. Congratulations are in order for Beth Filar Williams, Coordinator of Library Services for Distance Education, and the team of Cathy L. Griffith, Assistant Head of Access Services, and Mary Ann Graham, 24/5 Night Manager. Filar Williams will work with a graduate student from the Department of Library and Information Studies to create an “Instructional Technology Toolbox” resource for use by UNCG librarians, LIS faculty, and students. Griffith and Graham will work with Dr. Sara Littlejohn in the UNCG Writing Center and the University Libraries Reference and Instructional Services department to provide late night, in-library assistance to student writers prior to exams. Both the Univ...