IMLS Grant

Project: Education and Training for Improved Access and Collaboration in Two Communities
Grant Award Number: MH-00-15-0031-15
Grant Period: August 1, 2015 through July 31, 2018 (including a one-year extension)
Initial Principal Investigator: Dean Irene Owens (Retired)
Current Principal Investigators: Dr. Pauletta Bracy and Dean Jon Gant, PhD
Other Grant Team Members: Mr. Connie Floyd (Chair, Dept. of Art), Mr. Kenneth Rodgers (Director, NCCU Art Museum), Dr. Carlton Wilson (Dean, College of Arts and Sciences)

In 2015, the NCCU School of Library and Information Sciences was the recipient of an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant award of $147,941 for the project “Education and Training for Improved Access and Collaboration in Theee Communities.”  This project represents a partnership between SLIS, the NCCU Art Museum, Shepard Library University Archives, NCCU Department of History, and neighboring institutions including the North Carolina Museum of Art, Ackland Art Museum (UNC-Chapel Hill), and Nasher Museum of Art (Duke Universty).  Collectively, these units offered SLIS students specialized training in museum informatics and museum studies, via travel to key museum conferences, and hands-on service learning experience through coursework and practicum.

NEEDS / PURPOSE

This grant has been awarded by IMLS through the Laura Bush 21st Century Grant, and was among only 17 out of 38 applications funded in that award cycle.  Funding for the grant will provide students with undergraduate or graduate degrees in any discipline, but particularly in art, public history, or African American history the opportunity to obtain a Master of Library Science degree with a concentration in Archives (with an emphasis in museology).  The grant will provide tuition and stipend for the Master in Library Science degree and participation in a Practicum at one of the three major museums in North Carolina.  Additionally, students will attend an annual conference of the Association of African American Museums, an organization dedicated to serving the interests and needs of Black museums and cultural institutions nationwide.  The roots of this organization run deep into the fabric of American life.

Black museums instilled a sense of achievement within Black communities, while encouraging collaborations between Black communities and the broader public.  Most importantly, the African American Museums movement inspired new contributions to society and advanced cultural awareness (aam-us.org | retrieved on November 2, 2013)

The concepts of this grant are consistent with the tenets of the African American Museums movement, the IMLS vision for “A democratic society where communities and individuals thrive with broad public access to knowledge, cultural heritage, and lifelong learning” (imls.gov).  The third tenet of the grant is consistent with two findings of a needs assessment survey conducted in 2008 by the Association of African American Museums.  An additional survey modeled the Association of African American Museums and was conducted  by the African Museum.  The survey includes results of 99 museums from 32 countries and was funded by the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), the Smithsonian Institution, and a Strategic Partnership Grant from Michigan State University (MSU).  Both surveys produced a priority list of needs: http://achsp.matrix.msu.edu/report.pdf

PROJECT PARTNERS

North Carolina Central University Art Museum |  Dr. Ken Rogers
Served as the site for the student independent study focused on expanding the capacity of the Art Museum to use digital tools to support collection documentation and management.

Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill  |  Carolyn Allmendinger
Provided the graduate students with internships to help them explore museology in a professional museum setting.  The students were exposed to advanced leaderships skills through the collection collaboration on African American Art with the Ackland, NCCU Art Museum and the Nasher Museum.

North Carolina Museum of Art, Art Reference Library   |  Natalia Lonchyna
Provided internships for the graduate students to support various projects for the Art Reference Library.  The Library supported a project helping curators examine African American artists in the museum’s permanent collection and researched and compiled bibliographies of several artists.

Nasher Museum of Art, Duke University  |  Sarah Schroth
Provided practicum in archival documentation using Nasher’s databases (The Museum System and eMuseum); gave student exposure to museum informatics to support museum practices.

NCCU Department of History  |  Dr. Jim Harper, Dr. Paul Baker, and Dr. Charles Johnson
Served critical role as the curriculum partner for the museology program by offering HISG 5738: Museum Interpretation, HISG 5740: Education and Public Programs, HISG 5742: Leadership in Museums,  and, HISG 5744: History of Museum Curatorship.

University Archives, James E. Shepard Library, NCCU |  Mr. Andre Vann
Mr. Vann (Director) provided training, mentorship, and leadership development to the student participants to support student practicum.  He also instructed students.

GRANT PARTICIPANTS

Five students of the School of Library and Information Sciences participated in courses and projects related to this grant:

  1. Tanika Alston (Fall 2017 graduate)
  2. Crystal Mitchener
  3. Christine Perry
  4. Carol Stone-El (Fall 2017 graduate)
  5. Stephen Whitley

CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

MLS Core Courses (NCCU School of Library and Information Sciences)

  • LSIS 5000: Foundations of Librarianship
  • LSIS 5120: Management and System Analysis
  • LSIS 5225: Selection and Use of Information Resources
  • LSIS 5325: Uses and Users of Information
  • LSIS 5425: Organization of Information
  • LSIS 5810: Research Methods
  • LSIS 5620: Practicum (with the Ackland Museum, Nasher Museum, or NC Museum of Art)
  • LSIS 5700: Independent Study (with the NCCU Art Museum)
  • six hour language requirement

Additional Required Courses (NCCU School of Library and Information Sciences)

  • LSIS 5420: Introduction to Digital Librarianship

Additional Required Courses (NCCU School of Library and Information Sciences)

  • LSIS 5420: Introduction to Digital Librarianship
  • LSIS 5830: Metadata for Digital Librarianship

Elective Courses (NCCU School of Library and Information Sciences)

  • One type of library course (Academic, Public, or Archives)

Concentration in Museology (NCCU Department of History)

  • HISG 5738: Museum Interpretation
  • HISG 5740: Education and Public Programs
  • HISG 5742: Leadership in Museums
  • HISG 5744: History of Museum Curatorship


OUTCOMES

  • The School of Library and Information Science is preparing proposals for the creation, approval, and implementation of a new Master’s program in Museum Informatics
  • Students participants provided a strategic plan for the development of a digital publication of collections within the NCCU Art Museum
  • Tuition support was provided for student participants, with additional stipends to defray other educational expenses
  • Student participants have performed over 100 hours of service learning in area institutions
  • Students attended key museum conferences, including the annual conference of the Association of African American Museums (AAAM)
  • This project provides a national template for universities to offer a museum studies program

STUDENT PROJECTS

A sampling of student projects related to this grant will be forthcoming.