Montana State Library Awards Stipends to Montana Libraries for Additional Staff
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2006
Contact: Sara Groves
(406) 444-5357
( HELENA)---The Montana State Library announced today that $60,000 has been awarded to two Montana libraries to assist with hiring a professional librarian. The award recipients are Helena Public Schools and the Bitterroot Public Library in Hamilton.
Each of the recipients will receive $15,000 for two years. The recipient libraries are required to match the $15,000 stipend with their own funds, and to make every effort to continue the position after the two-year grant period.
Helena Public Schools will use the stipend money to hire a full-time librarian at Jim Darcy Elementary School. The Bitterroot Public Library in Hamilton plans to use the stipend money to add a children’s/youth services librarian to the staff.
“It has been repeatedly demonstrated that school librarians are critical to the learning and teaching process, and that the presence of a qualified full-time librarian has a positive impact on student achievement,” said Suzi Watne, Media Services Coordinator for Helena Public Schools. “The stipend from the Montana State Library provides an excellent opportunity for Helena Public Schools and our students.”
“Adding a children’s librarian to our staff will greatly increase our ability to address the needs of our growing community,” said Gloria Langstaff, Director of the Bitterroot Public Library. “An additional staff person will help us to provide more children’s and youth programming, outreach to local organizations and participation in family community events.”
“We are delighted to have the opportunity to assist Montana’s libraries in hiring a professional-level librarian,” said Darlene Staffeldt, Montana State Librarian. “Today’s librarians help people sort through an overwhelming amount of information to find what they need, and help to enhance learning in families and communities throughout Montana by building 21 st Century skills.”
The $60,000 in stipend money is part of a $206,167 “Recruiting and Educating Librarians for the 21 st Century” award from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The three-year grant is funding a statewide promotion/recruitment campaign designed to attract Montana residents to the library profession, with an emphasis on recruiting more Native American librarians. The State Library has also received an additional grant from IMLS in the amount of $460,189, which is also to be used to recruit future librarians and provide additional staffing in Montana libraries.
Visit http://msl.mt.gov/greatcareer to learn more about a career in Montana’s libraries. For more information about the Professional Education and Employment for Librarians (PEEL) project, contact Sue Jackson at the Montana State Library at (406) 444-5350 or at sujackson@mt.gov.
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