KNOXVILLE — A new University of Tennessee program is attracting minority library school graduates to careers as academic librarians.
The two-year Minority Librarian Residency Program at UT offers on-the-job training and career guidance from experienced librarians.
Residents participate in library committees, professional associations and other activities and complete a specialized project in their second year of the program.
“This initiative for entry-level librarians offers benefits for the residents and for the UT Libraries,” UT Libraries Dean Barbara Dewey said. “It gives beginning librarians substantial professional experience early in their careers, increases library faculty and staff diversity, and strengthens programs and services while promoting a more welcoming environment for all students.”
The first three participants in the program all recently received master’s degrees in library and information science.
They are: Kawanna Bright, who graduated in June from the University of Washington; Jayati Chaudhuri, who earned her master’s degree last fall from the University of Rhode Island; and Maud Mundava, who graduated this spring from State University of New York-Buffalo as a Fulbright Scholar.
The Minority Librarian Residency Program is funded by the UT Libraries and the UT Chancellor-s Office. For more information, go to: http://www.lib.utk.edu/announce/MinorityLibnResidents.html