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Simmons Library School Awarded Major Grant to Educate "Next Generation" of Library Leaders

BOSTON (August 16, 2005) — Noting a looming crisis in library leadership nationwide as a record number of senior librarians begin to retire, the national Institute for Museum and Library Services has awarded the Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) in Boston more than $780,000 to establish a unique doctoral program in management leadership.

The Institute's three-year grant of $787,465 will fund the establishment of a Ph.D. program in Management Leadership at the Simmons GSLIS. The program will prepare 15 full-time, working professionals in library and information sciences to move into "next generation" senior leadership posts in libraries and other information-related organizations. Courses will be offered on a flexible schedule, and will allow students to customize their study and research to their career needs and the needs of their employers.

The grant was awarded by the IMLS as part of their 2005 Librarians for the 21st Century program.

In addition to training leaders for management of complex, information-based organizations in a global society, the Simmons Ph.D. program will develop a body of scholarly and practice-based research that it will disseminate to the profession, and will continually update and examine leadership issues in information-related organizations.

"There is an urgent need for new models of senior leadership as library managers and directors retire in record numbers," said Simmons GSLIS Dean Michele Cloonan, "We are especially delighted with this opportunity to help shape the future of library leadership.

"Organizations are growing more complex and are changing rapidly in today's global society, and the highest level of knowledge and intellectual capital are critical for their success. We look forward to providing a leading program in higher education that gives the next generation of leaders the most up-to-date intellectual and experiential tools necessary for success."

The program's principal organizers are Simmons GSLIS professors Peter Hernon and Candy Schwartz, both recognized leaders in their fields. For more information about the management leadership Ph.D., contact Schwartz at candy.schwartz@simmons.edu.

The Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science, established in 1902, was one of the first schools of its kind in North America and currently is one of the largest. The school educates approximately five percent of the nation's librarians and supports more than 9.000 alumni in library and information science positions around the world, many in leading national organizations.

In addition to the Ph.D. in Management Leadership, the Simmons school offers academic programs in archives, library, and information science. These include a Master of Science, as well as a Ph.D in Library and Information Science to begin in 2006. The school also provides specialized degree, dual-degree, and continuing education programs.

For more information about the Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science, visit www.simmons.edu/gslis.