HRE Online’s Community College Teaching and Learning (CCTL) program has partnered with the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) to educate aspiring community college librarians. The Network of Illinois Learning Resources in Community Colleges (NILRC) has received a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarians program. The program funds twenty students to become community college librarians.

The grant, titled "Librarians Serving Community-based Higher Education," partners NILRC with eleven community colleges in Illinois and Missouri in an effort "to build a diverse professional workforce that understands community-based library staffing and service strategies as well as the challenges of serving a non-traditional, diverse, commuter-based student population." Students in the grant cohort will receive tuition awards to pursue the M.S. degree on campus or online from GSLIS and will have complementary coursework in community college foundations through HRE’s CCTL program. The partner community college libraries will offer the students mentoring throughout the graduate program and a paid internship position for six months following degree completion.

Candidates must meet admission requirements for UI GSLIS and will apply to NILRC for consideration for inclusion in the grant cohort. Information about admission into the cohort is available from Sally Duchow, NILRC IMLS Grant Project Manager (sduchow@uiuc.edu) or by visiting the program website.