January 18, 2012 Library Leaders Announce New Digital Curation Residency Program

Library and information science (LIS) professionals specializing in digital collections will have an opportunity for a quality educational experience next year. The Library of Congress Office of Strategic Initiatives (OSI) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced today that they will collaborate to develop and implement a national residency program in digital curation, involving the collection, selection, management, and long-term preservation and accessibility of digital assets.

The primary goals of the IMLS/Library of Congress Residency Program in Digital Curation are to foster the creation of a cadre of experts in the field and encourage LIS schools to include more experiential learning as part of their standard curricula. “This initiative will define the core components of a digital curation experience in the field and set the stage for a national model in the industry,” said George Coulbourne, OSI’s executive program officer.

The program is designed to enhance the LIS curricula by complementing classroom instruction with hands-on field experiences at leading institutions in the Washington, D.C. area. Keeping residencies geographically focused will allow the participants to benefit from both individual project-based learning and team interaction.

Those selected to take part in the program will be outstanding graduate-level students currently enrolled in nationally accredited LIS programs, as well as recent post-master’s graduates with an LIS concentration. Organizers plan to start taking applications this summer.

Leading practitioners and scholars will help design the program. The residency is expected to become a highly visible national model that will be openly and widely shared through the use of such tools as project manuals, online toolboxes, wikis, etc.

The Office of Strategic Initiatives’ mission is to support the Library of Congress’ vision and strategy by directing the overall digital strategic planning for the Library and the national program for long-term preservation of digital cultural assets, leading a collaborative institution-wide effort to develop consolidated digital future plans, and integrating the delivery of information technology services.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the institute, visit www.imls.gov External.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. It seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov.