IMLS’s Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian program (LB21), now entering its fifteenth year, focuses on recruiting and educating the next generation of librarians and developing a diverse workforce of librarians.

On Tuesday, November 7, from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. ET, IMLS, representatives from ALA-accredited LIS programs, and key library stakeholders and thought leaders met to discuss how to position library and information science graduate programs for 21st century practice. Members of the public were invited to watch the event via livestream and to join the conversation on Twitter with #LB21focus.

IMLS Event Livestream

IMLS hosted a meeting to explore how the formal education component of LB21 can best support library and information science (LIS) programs to meet the needs of students and libraries and to increase diversity within the library profession.

November 7, 2017 Agenda

9:00 AM – 9:30 AM: Welcome and framing
9:30 AM – 10:45 AM: “Diversifying the Field of Professionals” panel
11:05 AM – 12:20 PM: “Skills, Expertise, and Competencies” panel
1:20 PM – 2:35 PM: “Alternative Models and Barriers to LIS Graduate Education” panel
2:55 PM – 3:55 PM: “Going Forward” panel
3:55 PM – 4:05 PM: LB21 funding opportunities
4:05 PM – 4:15 PM: Closing remarks

Detailed agenda (PDF, 122KB) available

Event Steering Committee

R. David Lankes* (Host), University of South Carolina
Eileen Abels, Simmons College
David Ferriero, National Archives
Miguel Figueroa, ALA Center for the Future of Libraries
Susan Hildreth,* University of Washington
Vailey Oehlke,* Multnomah County Library
Siobhan Reardon, Free Library of Philadelphia

Event Final Report

The Positioning Library and Information Science Graduate Programs for 21st Century Practice report summarizes issues and themes from the meeting.