PELSC Participants DelaRosa and Icenhower earn MLS
NETLS is proud to announce that two of our member library directors graduated from Texas Woman's University on December 19, 2009, receiving their Master of Library Science degree.
Delene DelaRosa, Quitman Public Library, and Jackie Icenhower, Atlanta Public Library, were among the 22 students completing the Professional Education for Librarians in Small Communities (PELSC) grant project.
The PELSC grant project is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and by the Tocker Foundation, and includes partnership with the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and the Texas Library Association. The grant offers an online degree program that enables library workers currently serving in small and rural communities throughout Texas to earn a master’s degree in library science, providing full support for tuition, fees and travel stipends. “This program will result in a significant improvement of the management of libraries serving small communities,” said Dr. Ling Hwey Jeng, director of TWU’s School of Library and Information Studies and co-principal investigator of the project. “That means better library services for people living in small communities, and more effective use of public resources in those communities.”
Participants in the PELSC grant program formed a cohort, completing their coursework successfully. The program also created mentoring pairs in a formal mentoring project, matching students with mentors who are all professional librarians in public libraries in Texas. Nine of the participating mentors are from NETLS member libraries.
The grant students were provided funding to attend the annual Texas Library Association (TLA) conferences during their course of study in the PELSC program. They will also be participating in the PELSC Leadership Institute at the upcoming 2010 TLA Annual Conference in San Antonio.
The PELSC grant program was led by the Honorable Dr. Robert S. Martin, prior to his retirement from Texas Woman's University, and Drs. Ling Hwey Jeng and Janine Golden.
