Knowledge River is a program within the School of Information (SI) at the
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
in
Tucson
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
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that focuses on educating information professionals who have experience with and sensitivity to
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
and
Native American populations. Knowledge River also fosters understanding of library and information issues from the perspectives of Hispanic and Native Americans and advocates for
culturally sensitive
Cultural sensitivity, also referred to as cross-cultural sensitivity or cultural awareness, is the knowledge, awareness, and acceptance of other cultures and others' cultural identities. It is related to cultural competence (the skills needed for ...
library and information services to these communities. "Knowledge River brings Hispanics and American Indians into
he SI
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
graduate program and succeeds by building coalitions between the library, library school, academic departments on campus and the surrounding community and serves as a role model of how it can be done."
Each year, Knowledge River selects a cohort of students to be Knowledge River Scholars. Knowledge River Scholars receive a financial aid package and opportunities for academic support, specialized advising, and professional development activities, as well as regular SIRLS services and activities. Financial aid for Knowledge River Scholars comes mainly in the form of graduate assistantships, which allow students to gain practical experience in libraries and other information environments. Knowledge River Scholars graduate with an
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...
ALA-accredited MA in Information Resources and
Library Science
Library science (often termed library studies, bibliothecography, and library economy) is an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education, and ...
.
Librarian
A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users.
The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...
s today stand at the front line of information service in colleges and universities, corporate settings, and, of course, in schools and public libraries. As a Knowledge River graduate, you can help members of your community use information and technology to improve their lives. Or you can bring valuable cultural perspectives and diversity to settings outside Native American and Hispanic communities. Notable alumni include
Allison Boucher Krebs, who was the Chair of the Society of American Archivists Native American Archives Roundtable and on the Advisory Board of the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums.
In 2001, the University of Arizona School of Information Resources and Library Science applied a $500,000 federal grant to boost the numbers of Hispanics and American Indians who are employed as academic or public librarians. This grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Science was awarded to launch the "Knowledge River" project, aimed at increasing minority recruitment in library and information science degree programs. Fewer than five percent of librarians are Hispanic and less than one percent of them are American Indian. "We will work with local and national experts to develop and enrich our curriculum and develop research projects" says Brooke Sheldon, then director of SIRLS.
In 2011, Knowledge River received an additional award of $844,965 through the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarians IMLS Grant Program. Aside from using these funds to add 33 new library science students, the money will be used to improve the online presence of the program.
[Everett-Haynes, La Monica (2011, June 28). UA's Knowledge River Program Lands Federal Grant. UA News. Retrieved from uanews.org]
References
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University of Arizona
Native American librarianship