Montana State Library Awards $25,000 Scholarship
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 9, 2007
Contact: Sara Groves
(406) 444-5357
(HELENA) - The Montana State Library is pleased to announce that another Montana resident was selected to receive a $25,000 scholarship to attend graduate school as part of the State Library's PEEL (Professional Education and Employment for Librarians) program. The scholarship money is provided through a competitive grant, funded by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services' "Recruiting and Educating Librarians for the 21st Century" program.
"The goal of the PEEL Program is to increase the number of librarians in Montana who have obtained their masters degree in library science," said Darlene Staffeldt, Montana State Librarian. "As technology advances and the amount of available information increases, professional level librarians will be absolutely vital to Montana residents to help them access the information they need."
The $25,000 scholarship has been offered to Mary Drew Powers of Whitefish. Currently, Ms. Powers is the Assistant Branch Librarian with the Whitefish branch of the Flathead Public Library.
Ms. Powers is required to begin graduate school through the University of Washington distance MLS program this fall and complete the MLS degree by 2010. In return for receiving the scholarship, Ms. Powers, as with all PEEL scholarship recipients, will then be required to work for two years in a professional level position at a Montana public, school, or tribal college library.
The PEEL Program has provided a total of $365,720 in scholarship money to 17 Montanans throughout the state. Additionally, $60,000 in stipends has been provided to two Montana libraries to hire professional-level librarians.
Another $120,000 will be available in 2009 for which libraries can apply.State Librarian Darlene Staffeldt said, "The PEEL program helps all Montanans tremendously by working to further educate our library workforce at a time when rapidly-changing technology and the world's demand for information are making libraries more vital in everyone's daily lives."
To learn more about the PEEL Program, visit MSL's Web site at: http://msl.mt.gov/greatcareer. For more information, contact Sue Jackson, Library Development Consultant at the Montana State Library at (406) 444-5350 or at sujackson@mt.gov.
Through its statewide programs, the Montana State Library empowers Montanans; enhances learning in families and communities; builds 21st Century skills; and provides opportunities for civic participation. For more information, visit http://msl.mt.gov.
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