Lifelong Access Libraries Institute Fellowships

News from MBLC:

Americans for Libraries Council
Lifelong Access Libraries Institute Fellowships

July 30-August 4, 2006 at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Americans for Libraries Council (ALC) seeks Fellows for its first annual Lifelong Access Libraries Institute. The Institute will introduce participants to Lifelong Access, a new framework for working with active older adults that that promotes productive aging through learning and civic engagement. Lifelong Access is based on an understanding of older adults as resources for their communities and offers an alternative to the predominant deficit-based model of aging.

The Institute will focus on three primary areas: (1) concepts and research underlying new approaches to working with midlife and older adults; (2) promising practices in library services, including the Lifelong Access framework for new older adult services; and (3) leadership and skills in community librarianship.

The Institute is based on the principle of "action learning," in which the acquired skills and knowledge are put to practical use at libraries over a sustained period of time. Candidates and their library directors must be prepared to implement Lifelong Access in their own libraries, test and refine the model, help disseminate the model, train or mentor other adult services librarians, and participate in evaluation of the Institute. The Fellows will be linked electronically in a national community of practice based on information exchange and communications.

The Institute is part of the Lifelong Access Libraries initiative, funded by a major grant from The Atlantic Philanthropies. Institutes will be conducted in 2006, 2007, and 2008.


Selection of Fellows

Fellows will be selected by a panel of national advisors and staff of Americans for Libraries Council. Applicants should be mid-career practicing librarians. They should include in their application packet a letter from their library director in support of their application and expressing a commitment to improve the library's services and resources for midlife and active older adults.
Applicants will be evaluated in part on the basis of:

* Evidence of success in the design and implementation of new programs and services;

* Experience in building collaborations and working successfully in partnerships with community organizations, groups, or agencies;

* Enthusiasm for becoming an active member of the Lifelong Access community of practice and a commitment to sharing experiences and insights through the online Lifelong Access network;

* Readiness to make presentations at library conferences and to contribute written materials to professional literature.


To Apply
The application is available online and must be accompanied by a letter of support from the library director. Selection will be on a competitive basis. The cost of Fellows' travel, tuition, and room and board for the Institute will be covered by ALC. A limited number of qualified candidates not selected as Fellows may participate at cost. Deadline for submitting an application is April 15. Please visit our website http://www.lff.org/programs/lifelong.html for further details.


About Lifelong Access Libraries(tm) and Americans for Libraries Council Lifelong Access Libraries(tm) is an initiative developed by Americans for Libraries Council to transform library services for active older adults making the transition to new forms of retirement. Lifelong Access Libraries regards aging as an opportunity for individual and social renewal and establishes libraries as centers for lifelong learning and civic engagement. The national initiative is funded by a grant from The Atlantic Philanthropies, with additional support from local funders.

Americans for Libraries Council is a national nonprofit that champions the role of libraries in American life and promotes new approaches to sustaining and developing libraries in the 21st century. Through its program division, Libraries for the Future (www.lff.org), the Council develops and oversees national programs to strengthen individual libraries and library systems.


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Robert C. Maier, Director
Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners
98 North Washington Street, Suite 401
Boston, MA 02114
617-725-1860 or 800-952-7403 (in state) extension 249
Fax: 617-725-0140
robert.maier@state.ma.us