Invitation to participate in a focus group at the DLF Fall Forum, 10/25/04 Date: Monday, October 25, 2004 Time: 10:45 am - 12:30 pm (lunch will be served) Location: Hyatt Regency Baltimore, Constellation C In conjunction with a recent IMLS grant to Indiana University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (see details appended to this message), we are organizing a focus group at the DLF Fall Forum in Baltimore, October 25 from 10:45-12:30 at the conference hotel. Professor Leigh Estabrook of the University of Illinois Library Research Center will be the facilitator and box lunches will be served. As stated in the grant proposal, the focus groups to be conducted in the first year of the grant are part of a needs assessment to inform curriculum development for a digital libraries specialization at Indiana and Illinois. If you would like to contribute your views on needed preparation for work in digital libraries through participation in the focus group, please contact Leigh Estabrook at [log in to unmask] or 217/333-4209 as soon as possible. We are very interested in involving participants in the DLF Fall Forum in this effort. The project abstract follows: Indiana University, School of Library and Information Science - Bloomington, IN $939,618 2004 Librarians for the 21st Century Indiana University, School of Library and Information Science, will collaborate with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to create the first research-based, comprehensive master's-level and post-master's in library science (MLS) degree to educate librarians for work in digital library programs. New internships in digital library projects will be added to libraries at both institutions, and post-MLS enrollees will be required to complete an internship. The pilot project will feature paid fellowships for a limited number of students. During the grant period, the project will also host an annual conference of representatives from schools of library and information science that are developing digital management programs, with a goal of developing recommendations for core competencies in digital information management. Match: $452,352 The project is led by Kristine Brancolini and Javed Mostafa at Indiana and William Mischo and Linda C. Smith at Illinois. Linda C. Smith Professor and Associate Dean Graduate School of Library and Information Science University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 501 E. Daniel St. Champaign IL 61820 217/333-7742 [log in to unmask]