NEW PROJECT PARTNERS LIBRARY SCIENCE WITH LEADING NEW YORK CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR THE DIGITAL AGE

This fall signals the start of a new three-year project known as M-LEAD-TWO (Museum Library Education and Digitization-Technology, Web, Online), which will offer Pratt School of Library Science (SILS) students tuition scholarships and two-semester internships at the Brooklyn Museum, the Frick Art Reference Library, and the New York Art Resources Consortium (NYARC) with the goal of preparing information professionals for careers in museum libraries and archives in the digital age.

Interns will be mentored by professional staff at these institutions as well as by a project coordinator/resident who is a recent graduate of Pratt-SILS. The students will graduate from SILS with their master's degree and an advanced certificate in museum libraries and will receive stipends for their participation. The project is funded by a $261,967 grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Service through the 2012 Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program.

Tula Giannini, dean of Pratt-SILS and project director, stated, "The new project furthers our efforts to prepare students for careers as museum librarians and archivists and also advances a new model for museum library education for the 21st century, incorporating digital collections and services across the museum so that graduates are prepared to meet the challenges of museums in our global networked information environment."

Text: Charlotte Savidge