ESU shares federal grant

Emporia State University will get $857,754 from the federal government to head up a regional project to find and keep library students and staff.

The ESU award is part of nearly $21 million in grants announced by first lady Laura Bush this week. The 35 grants are meant to help recruit and train librarians to offset a shortage in library workers and an expected shortage of library directors.

ESU's School of Library and Information Management will lead a project to recruit, train and keep 18 minority library staff and students in Kansas, Colorado and Oregon. Candidates will get full scholarships and may work toward a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree.

ESU's partners in the program are the Oregon State Library, the Multnomah County Public Library, the Portland Community College Library, the libraries at the Boulder and Denver campuses of the University of Colorado, the University of Kansas libraries, the Kansas City, Kan., public library, and the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library.

The grant has a $518,375 match. It was the only award announced for a Kansas college.

Bush made the announcement in New Orleans, where the American Library Association is holding its national convention. This is the first major convention to be held in the city since Hurricane Katrina.

The grants benefit 26 doctoral, 361 master's, 3,201 continuing education and 289 pre-professional students.

Last Updated July 2, 2007>