SILS receives IMLS award for study on the future of librarians in the workforce

The School of Information and Library Science has been awarded $994,369 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for a national research study on the future of librarians in the workforce. Dean José-Marie Griffiths is the principal investigator of the project.

“We are pleased to make this award to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one of the leading schools of library and information science,” said Dr. Robert Martin, IMLS director and SILS alumnus (Ph.D. '88). “Dr. Griffiths is an internationally recognized researcher and scholar in information and library science, and we believe that her leadership of this major research project will be of enormous value to the library profession.”

The two-year study will identify the nature of anticipated labor shortages in the library and information science field over the next decade; assess the number and types of library and information science jobs that will become available in the U.S. either through retirement or new job creation; determine the skills that will be required to fill such vacancies; and recommend effective approaches to recruiting and retaining workers to fill them. The anticipated long-term outcomes include better tools for workforce planning and management, better match of demand and supply and improved recruitment and retention of librarians.

IMLS is an independent federal grant-making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners by helping libraries and museums serve their communities. To learn more about the institute, visit http://www.imls.gov.