College of Education Office of the Dean East Carolina University 154 Speight Building ● Greenville, NC 27858-4353 252-328-4260 office ● 252-328-4219 fax www.ecu.edu October 31, 2006 For Release Page 1 of 2

Full Tuition Community Oriented Librarian Recruitment Scholarships To Be Awarded By ECU College of Education

Greenville, NC - The Department of Library Science and Instructional Technology (LSIT) in the College of Education at ECU will award the first eight Community Oriented Librarian Recruitment Scholarships (COLRS) on November 3, 2006 at 3pm in Joyner Library. The COLRS scholarship will seek to fulfill the growing need for certified school library media specialists within rural and eastern North Carolina school districts. COLRS provides a full tuition scholarship for East Carolina University’s Masters in Library Science, which is an all-online degree program allowing students to study, work, and earn their degree while at home. A total of forty-five COLRS Program scholarships will be awarded over the next three years.

LSIT has been awarded a $737,000 grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to fund the COLRS Program. COLRS was co-developed and co-directed by Dr. John Harer and Dr. Larry White who are members of the LSIT faculty. “This grant will allow librarians to continue working in their communities while going to school to become licensed media specialists. It also allows school districts in rural areas to have licensed media specialists on staff that they may not otherwise be able to recruit.”, said Dr. Larry White. The COLRS project was one of thirty-five grant applications awarded nationally from over 100 eligible applicants and is the largest award of its kind in the state of North Carolina this year.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 15,000 museums. Its mission is to grow and sustain a “Nation of Learners” because life-long learning is essential to a democratic society and individual success. Through its grant making, convening, research and publications, the Institute empowers museums and libraries nationwide to provide leadership and services to enhance learning in families and communities, sustain cultural heritage, build twenty-first-century skills, and increase civic participation.

East Carolina University is a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina. An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer College of Education Office of the Dean East Carolina University 154 Speight Building ● Greenville, NC 27858-4353 252-328-4260 office ● 252-328-4219 fax www.ecu.edu Page 2 of 2

The following eight North Carolina students will receive the scholarship: Jill Rene’ Bateman- Whitson from Snow Hill, Daneika Shontell Bynum from Wilson, Milton R. Dail, Jr. from Washington, Brandi Caviness Dowd from Carthage, Laura A. Hiles from Southern Pines, Gail Holloman Holmes from Greensboro, Teresa A. Mullen from Raleigh, and Kimberly Allen Townsend from Greenville.

For more information contact Dr. John B. Harer at 328-4389 or Dr. Larry Nash White at 328-2315 in the College of Education’s Department of Library Science and Instructional Technology. You may also contact Eileen Maxwell with the Institute of Museum and Library Services at 202-653-4632 or [email protected].

East Carolina University is a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina. An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer