The University of Tennessee

The University of Tennessee’s School of Information Sciences, partnering with Clinch Powell Regional Library, Fort Loudoun Regional Library, Sevier County Public Library, and Watauga Regional Library, will build on the existing Information Technology Master’s scholarship program to train thirteen new, rural paraprofessionals in information technology and management skills while they complete their online master’s degrees. The project will also support one graduate student assistant. The Southern and Central Appalachian region continues to experience debilitating poverty and unemployment, low levels of information literacy and educational attainment, and a lack of access to and use of information technology. Libraries are key community anchor institutions that are particularly well situated to develop information-related solutions to meet the region’s needs.