Contact: Contact: Dr. Allyson Carlyle
 Associate Professor and Ph.D. Chair
 (206) 619-1608; acarlyle@u.washington.edu 
http://www.infoscience.washington.edu 
 
University of Washington Information School Awarded IMLS Grant to  Support Four Doctoral Students from Underrepresented Groups in Library and Information Science
 
SEATTLE, Wash.-June 28, 2007-The Institute of Museum and Library Studies (IMLS) has provided a $730,000 grant to fund a cohort of four doctoral students from traditionally underrepresented groups at the
 University of Washington Information School.  In addition to  support for four new doctoral students in library and information science, the grantsupports development of an intense mentoring program.
 The School will award grants as part of the regular admissions process. The students will be accepted during the March 2008 admissions cycle, for matriculation in autumn 2008. Acceptance will be based largely on shared student-faculty interests.  Goals of this grant are to mount a vigorous recruitment effort to  attract a highly competitive pool of students from traditionally underrepresented groups; to provide intensive faculty mentoring for those students; to provide intensive mentoring and engagement with library leaders in the Puget Sound area; and to create a model for mentoring library and information science doctoral students, based on an evaluation of actual experiences in the project.  “The University of Washington has committed itself to increasing
 student diversity,” said doctoral program chair Allyson Carlyle. “A key goal of our new strategic plan is to recruit, support, and  place a high-quality, diverse student body of leaders and innovators in the information fields.  This grant fits squarely into this very important goal, and will support the quality and breadth of scholarship at the
 Information School.”  For more information about the Information School’s doctoral program, visit http://www.infoscience.washington.edu. 
ABOUT THE INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES
 The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums.  The Institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and museums  that connect people to information and ideas. Information about IMLS can be found at http://www.imls.gov.
 ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON INFORMATION SCHOOL
 The University of Washington Information School produces inspired academics and professionals who value the importance of information in our society. With its dedicated faculty and staff, The Information  School (iSchool) is about  changing lives for the better-through  information. Part of the oldest public university on the west Coast , the iSchool takes pride in its collaborative culture, and is a place where inclusiveness and connectedness are celebrated as necessary parts of academic excellence in the 21st century.