Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) has been selected by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to receive a $652,000 Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program Grant. The 3-year project, entitled “Leaders for Pacific Libraries,” will enable PREL to bring continuing education opportunities to preprofessional library staff throughout the Pacific region. The specialized training sessions will assist library staff from libraries, archives, museums, and related information agencies in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Hawai‘i, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.
The training will be provided through three annual workshops and one summer institute. The three workshops will be held in conjunction with the annual Pacific Islands Association of Libraries, Archives, and Museums (PIALA) conference in 2007, 2008, and 2009. The workshops will focus on building expertise in digital library development, grant writing, and preservation. In addition, a final summer institute will provide intensive digital library training to selected trainees and will culminate in the development of a Pacific Digital Library. Each cohort will be provided with regular support and instruction through videoconferencing.
The “Leaders for Pacific Libraries” project builds upon the successful IMLS-funded “Pacific Library Training Institute,” which held summer institutes in 2006 and 2007 and will hold another in 2008.
PREL is an independent, nonprofit 501 (c)(3) corporation that works in partnership with the Pacific educational community to provide quality programs and products developed to promote educational excellence, including professional development and educational materials. In addition, PREL administers the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Pacific, 1 of 10 Regional Educational Laboratories funded through the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education. With a commitment to ensuring that all students have an equal opportunity to develop a strong academic foundation, regardless of circumstances or geographic location, PREL serves the U.S.-affiliated Pacific islands, including American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) (Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap), Guam, Hawai‘i, the Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI).
For additional information about this media release or PREL and its work please contact Jackie Burniske, Executive Director, Center for Information, Communications, and Technology by telephone at (808) 441-1300 or by email at burniskj@prel.org.
(Posted Tuesday, April 29, 2008)