UNC at Chapel Hill recruits doctoral candidates
to study academic librarianship

The School of Information and Library Science (SILS) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is recruiting for the Triangle Research Libraries Network Fellows Program, which supports doctoral candidates interested in teaching and research in academic librarianship.

Included in the student support is a research assignment with a stipend of $25,000 per year for two years, as well as tuition and health coverage. This program is funded through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) which was endorsed by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and the Medical Library Association (MLA).

The program combines doctoral coursework with a research assignment in one of the Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN) libraries, where the fellow will be mentored by senior academic library administrators. Four of the selected doctoral students will be assigned to work on research issues at UNC, Duke, NCCU and NCSU. The fifth student will work jointly with the health sciences library directors of UNC and Duke. The program's long-term goal is to increase the supply of academic librarians, as well as the quality and depth of the education received by future library professionals.

Two additional doctoral students will be eligible for two-year fellowships at SILS through another IMLS-funded program administered through Florida State University (visit http://www.projectathena.lis.fsu.edu/). This program, Extending the Web of Our Future, employs a web recruitment model to attract and educate Ph.D. students who will eventually become faculty
members and provide instruction for the next generation of LIS professionals. These candidates do not necessarily have to focus on research issues related to academic libraries.

SILS at UNC at Chapel Hill has an established doctoral program that marks its 25th anniversary in 2003. Many of the graduates have gone on to make significant leadership contributions to the field in both education and practice. The TRLN Libraries have combined holdings approaching 14 million volumes, employ more than 1,000 staff members and have budgets totaling more than 80 million dollars. The TRLN Fellows program provides a unique and exciting environment for doctoral education in research librarianship.

The deadlines to apply are Feb. 15, 2004, for fall 2004 admission and Oct.15, 2004, for spring 2005 admission. Candidates interested in the Triangle Research Libraries Network Fellows Program should follow regular doctoral admission procedures, describing their interests in academic libraries as part of the application. For more information on these fellowship opportunities, visit the school Web site at www.ils.unc.edu, email info@ils.unc.edu or call Dean Joanne Gard Marshall or Associate Dean Paul Solomon at (919) 962-8366.