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Career Enhancement Program Call for Applications—Deadline Nov. 3

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ARL is now accepting applications for the Career Enhancement Program. Master of library and information science (MLIS) students from racial and ethnic minority groups, who have successfully completed a minimum of 12 credit hours (or will complete 12 hours by the scheduled internship) in an American Library Association (ALA)–accredited program, are encouraged to apply for this enriching experience.

The ARL Career Enhancement Program, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and ARL member libraries, provides each fellow a rewarding compensation package with a potential value in excess of $10,000 per person.

Program Components

The ARL Career Enhancement Program has three main components:

Paid Internship

Each fellow will have a unique opportunity to work in an ARL member research library for 6–12 weeks to gain both educational and professional experience while enrolled in an MLIS program. Fellows will be assembled in groups of two or three to create a fellowship cohort at each host institution.

Leadership Development

The fellows will participate in the annual ARL Leadership Symposium held January 29–February 1, 2015, during the ALA Midwinter Meeting. During the symposium, the fellows will explore the major strategic issues facing research libraries today and discuss appropriate strategies for securing a professional position in research libraries upon graduation. The fellows will have an opportunity to meet and network with other ARL diversity programs participants, library leaders, and other MLIS students who attend the annual event.

Career Placement

ARL staff will work with each fellow to help them connect with member libraries and to assist with networking during the job search process.

Applicant Eligibility

Eligible applicants for the ARL Career Enhancement Program must:

  • Be accepted into an ALA-accredited library and information science program
  • Be a member of a racial/ethnic minority group as described by the US Census Bureau or Statistics Canada
  • Complete a minimum of 12 graduate-level credits in library and information science prior to beginning the internship

Selection and Institutional Match

The ARL Career Enhancement Program has a unique process for selecting and matching fellows with host institutions. Each host designates a staff member to serve on the coordinating committee. The committee will evaluate the entire applicant pool, select participants, and then enter into dialogue with other coordinators about the institution that is best positioned to create a rewarding internship experience for each fellow. The assignments will be based on the fellows’ skills, knowledge, and expectations for the internships, as well as the institutions’ ability to create and manage a meaningful experience.

Applications

Applications are being accepted until 11:59 p.m. eastern standard time on November 3, 2014, and should be submitted online. For more information about the program, the application process, timelines, and host institutions, visit the ARL Career Enhancement Program website.


The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 125 research libraries in the US and Canada. ARL’s mission is to influence the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the diverse communities they serve. ARL pursues this mission by advancing the goals of its member research libraries, providing leadership in public and information policy to the scholarly and higher education communities, fostering the exchange of ideas and expertise, facilitating the emergence of new roles for research libraries, and shaping a future environment that leverages its interests with those of allied organizations. ARL is on the web at https://www.arl.org/.

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