Talking Points
1. The rationale to eliminate SIRLS is NOT based on quality or
focused excellence issues. SIRLS has recently undergone two rigorous
academic reviews – accreditation and the Provost’s
Seven Year Academic Program Review. Both of these external/internal
teams gave very positive reports. In its final summary the APR
Team said, “SIRLS is an asset with enormous potential to
contribute significantly to the University of Arizona’s
plans for the future and to the well-being of the State.”
They added, “SIRLS is limited in its contributions only
by its faculty capacity.”
2. SIRLS has a strong history of educating Hispanic and Native
Americans. The SIRLS initiative “Knowledge River”,
funded by the Institute of Museums and Libraries with a $500,000
grant, has recruited its first cadre of Hispanic and Native American
students. Currently there are 30 Hispanic students and 9 Native
American students enrolled in the Masters program. This program
which has been called a national model for diversity efforts.
(Library Journal, Nov. 2002), includes curriculum enrichment to
reflect the interests of Hispanics and Native Americans in the
Information Age.
3. SIRLS is the only accredited Library and Information Science
School in Arizona, and the entire Rocky Mountain area (Utah, Nevada,
New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, etc.) We accepted 80 graduate
students into our program last fall so that we currently have
204 students. This represents an increase of about 60% since 2001
when we were working on accreditation. Of the 80 students admitted
last fall, 27.5% are minority students. Of all admitted students
the average GPA is 3.61. SIRLS is the largest graduate program
in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and one of the
largest in the University. Our growth potential is only beginning
to be realized.
4. Research and Creative Excellence: Although some of our faculty
have been here less than a year, they have demonstrated their
ability to obtain extra-mural research monies, internal research
monies, and external contract monies in this short time. In the
recent competition for Proposition 301 funds, all of the SIRLS
proposals were funded at some level. Five faculty members received
these grants; two have been awarded summer research development
grant stipends. Within the past year, SIRLS faculty has generated
about $769,000 in external funding.
5. This year SIRLS is receiving $563,350 in institutional support.
SIRLS has generated $589,715 in tuition revenue and $537,000 in
grants and contracts for a total of $1,126,715.
National Shortage of Librarians and Other Information Specialists
* It is estimated that 58% of professional librarians will reach
the age of 65 between 2005 and 2019.
* According to a Library Journal survey (2000), 40% of Library
Directors intend to retire within the next nine years. Thus, the
loss of as many as 68% of the current cohort by 2019 is projected.
* Currently, there are critical shortages of professional librarians
in managing computerized services, library administration, technical
services, and children’s services (in both school and public
libraries).
* Additionally, the Information Age has opened up thousands of
new jobs in the private sector, not just in corporate libraries
but in all aspects of information collection, organization, and
dissemination.
* Each year thousands of jobs go unfilled. As an example, SIRLS
graduated 87 students last year; 4000 jobs were posted on our
web site.
* There are 125,153 professional librarians in the United States.
Of these, less than 3% are Hispanic and Native Americans make
up less than 0.6 %.
* As a result of this critical shortage and under the leadership
of First Lady Laura Bush, the President’s 2003 Budget requests
a $10 Million initiative to educate and train librarians.
Created 1/17/03 by the School of Information Resources and Library
Science
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