The Illinois Library and Information Science Training Grant Program, administered by the Illinois State Library, provides grants each year to college graduates who possess exceptional academic achievement and an interest in becoming librarians. More than 500 students have received the grant since the program was implemented. The fifteen scholarships may be used for either full or part-time studies at an American Library Association-accredited graduate library school.
APPLICATIONS ARE NOT BEING ACCEPTED FOR 2011.
A Statement from Illinois State Library Director Anne Craig:
"For many years, the State Library has used federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to provide statewide continuing education (CE) programs to the library community. These programs include Synergy, the Illinois Library Leadership Initiative; the Small Public Library Management Institute; the Institute for School and Public Librarians; and the On the Front Lines Conference. LSTA money has also been used to provide 15 scholarships each year to students entering library school.
As FY11 progresses, my staff and I have determined that we may need all available LSTA funding to preserve Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White’s foremost library priorities: delivery of materials, maintenance of the catalogs at the state’s regional library systems, and the Talking Book libraries. Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes’ website states that the payment cycle is now at 150+ working days, in comparison to about 100 this time last year. Given what we know right now, FY11 will be even more challenging for service providers like the library systems than was FY10. As a result, we have made the difficult decision to put our traditional CE programs and scholarships on hold during FY11, excluding programs already underway and scholarships already announced. One State Library CE program, ILEAD U, is operated with a three-year Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian competitive award; ILEAD U will continue through 2012.
My staff and I believe that funding must be available throughout FY11 to support delivery, the catalogs and the Talking Book Centers. Our patrons have made it clear to all of us that prompt delivery of library materials is their paramount concern. And if our catalogs cease functioning, there will be no materials to deliver. Secretary White is focused on ensuring that resource sharing is supported for the duration of this fiscal crisis and beyond."
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