University at Albany (University at Albany, School of Information Science and Policy)

The State University of New York at Albany School of Information Science and Policy will improve education and training of visual resources (VR) professionals by providing the library community with the information necessary to support the development of successful training and education programs for the next generation of VR professionals. This research will identify current and future competencies required for the profession and evaluate American Library Association-accredited library and information science (LIS) schools for their capacity to meet these competencies. Guidelines and a statement of core competencies will be established to serve as potential standards for the training and education of VR professionals. In addition, a strategic document consisting of recommendations and strategies as well as instructional modules will be created to facilitate the integration of core competencies into existing LIS programs. Materials will be created that are targeted toward recruitment of minorities and distributed to historically black- and Hispanic-serving colleges. Match: $77,845