MA library scholarship for US Pacific extended to Jan. 30

The University of North Texas Department of Library and Information Sciences is again offering its ALA accredited master’s program and unique blended online format through a second cohort and extending its scholarship deadline to Jan. 30 in the Pacific region. The LEAP-II or Library Education for the American Pacific program is recruiting students interested in earning the master’s degree with a focus on digital information management, creation, curation, and preservation.

According to associate professor Yvonne J. Chandler, director for the LEAP II Grant, “with this degree you can work with digital information in libraries, government agencies, companies, public schools, colleges and universities, museums or archives. You can earn your master’s in Information Science degree by completing the UNT master’s program through our unique blended online format of attendance at introductory classes to be held in Laie, Hawaii called the Web Institute and complete the rest of your degree online.”

The scholarship application and all supporting documents must be postmarked by Jan. 30. The successful recipient will receive $20,000 scholarship funding covering all tuition; a new laptop computer with software, a protection agreement, and a stipend to cover connectivity costs; professional association memberships; and all travel expenses including flight, meals, and housing to attend the Web Institute in Hawaii on the campus of Brigham Young University.

According to Joeten Kiyu Public Library technical services librarian Rosalyn Ajoste, who took part in the first cohort after being awarded the $20,000 LEAP Scholarship by PREL Hawaii, many of her classmates were from all insular areas of the U.S.-affiliated Pacific.

She said the scholarship is an excellent opportunity for a much needed profession within the Pacific. She noted that she took part in the program from August 2011 to July 2013, a blended course that was mostly online.

Ajoste graduated in July 2013 as one of 23 LEAP scholar librarians for the Pacific Rim.

“Librarianship found me. The LEAP Scholarship opened up new doors of opportunity including new career paths. A library and information science degree provides advanced research skills in information retrieval and access, information organization and systems, grant writing, library management, advocacy, and marketing, cataloging, collection development, education, and literacy promotion. I had always wanted to go back to school for a graduate degree but once I began teaching full-time, I couldn’t afford it, and I was taking care of my elderly parents,” she said.

Winning the highly competitive LEAP scholarship changed her life and utilized her background and passion for history.

“[It] was a dream come true because it enabled me to complete my studies without leaving home. As a field of study, library and information science is mostly digital, with huge emphasis on services for 21st century technology users. I was very fortunate to land a job with the Joeten Kiyu Public Library in January 2014 as the Technical Services Librarian. I now have two years hands-on experience. The work is intellectually stimulating; there is so much to read and so little time. The CNMI needs more librarians. Librarians connect people with the information they seek. They are the gatekeepers of information and navigators on the information superhighway. They work to ensure that freedom of information is protected,” she said.

The LEAP II Cohort will train a second cohort of librarians this year but will offer a special archival focus as well.

Ajoste said there is much work to be done in the realm of archiving, digitization, and preservation with respect to local history and culture.

“Librarianship was a marriage of my history degree and 10 years teaching experience. At JKPL, I get to advocate for literacy and promote a number of social programs. Historically, libraries were the ‘poor man’s’ university, a place where people could come to earn an informal education. The great equalizers of society, libraries served as democratic institutions, free-thinking spaces that promoted intellectual discourse and exchange, without regard for socio-economic class, race, or belief. I sincerely hope that JKPL becomes a birthplace of ideas that leads into entrepreneurship or advances in academia, particularly science, technology, engineering, and math,” she said.

With over 26 school campuses in the CNMI, there is definitely room for more certified librarians.

Presently, most public libraries in the mainland have MLIS certified librarians on staff. Tinian and Rota public libraries have no librarians. Other specialized librarians include law librarians, health librarians, corporate librarians, college professors, academic librarians who work in colleges/universities, and archivists, which the CNMI lacks.

If you’d like to avail to this opportunity, do so by or before Jan 30. For further information about the LEAP-II Cohort Program and Scholarship or the master’s degree program go to the UNT/DLIS website at http://lis.unt.edu.