IREX Fellowship for International Librarianship

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IREX announces a unique opportunity for three Library and Information Science graduate students with an international orientation to take part in a fellowship focused on impact assessment and community building in two national library development programs in Romania and Ukraine.

The selected fellows will serve for three months during the summer of 2010 in the Washington, DC headquarters office of IREX and visit one of the participating countries for one to two weeks during the summer for hands-on research.  Each fellow will be expected to produce one scholarly article on a topic related to impact assessment or community building, as agreed on with IREX staff.  One of the fellows will be selected to submit a proposal to co-present with an IREX staff member at IFLA 2011. If accepted, the trip would be funded as part of the fellowship.

Fellow activities will include:

• active participation in the administration and implementation of two major Gates Foundation-funded library development programs
• research and reporting on the impact of library field interventions in Ukraine and Romania
• development and revision of community building and advocacy resources for librarians
• preparation and presentation of new project ideas for improving library relevance and effectiveness
• support IREX presence and participate in the ALA Annual Conference in Washington DC in June

Fellowship benefits include:

• $2500/month stipend for three months
• $250 travel allowance for travel to/from Washington, DC at start and end of fellowship
• one research trip to either Ukraine or Romania
• opportunities to participate in and present at public events in the Washington development and ICT4D community
• support in conceiving and writing an article for publication on a topic related to impact assessment or community building in library reform in Romania and/or Ukraine

Successful applicants will have a background that includes the following elements:

• currently studying for an MS or PhD in Library and Information Science at the time of the fellowship
• a record of academic excellence at the undergraduate and graduate level
• exceptional writing skills, as evidenced by previous publications in journals or periodicals and/or presentations at academic conferences
• significant international experience, including time spent living and working abroad and proficiency in at least one foreign language
• significant experience working or volunteering in a library, preferably a public library

Fellows will be selected through a competitive process. For consideration, please submit:

• a CV
• a statement of interest that outlines your reasons for applying, the strengths you bring to the fellowship and the contributions you feel you could make to the programs (no more than 500 words)
• an essay that examines an element of library system development that you find of particular interest and that you would like to pursue in your research with the program (no more than 1000 words)
• three letters of recommendation, including at least one from a professor and one from a supervisor at a library position

Completed applications submitted no later than March 15, 2010. For questions or to submit your application, email gl@irex.org.

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