Congratulations to SLIS student Jose Guerrero who recently was awarded an IMLS Rare Book School Fellowship. Guerrero was one of twenty selected for IMLS-RBS Fellowships for Early-Career Librarians. The fellowships were awarded by the Rare Book School (RBS) at the University of Virginia.

The IMLS-RBS Fellowship program is designed to help educate and contribute to the professional development of early-career special collections librarians, with a special emphasis on recruiting participants currently underrepresented in the field.

Fellowships include funding to take a course at Rare Book School as well as to attend the annual conference of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) of the Association of College & Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association. "I am delighted that, with our partners, we are able to foster the professional development of these talented individuals. The many gifts and diverse perspectives that the new fellows will bring to Rare Book School, to RBMS, and to the larger community are sure to enrich us all," said RBS Director Michael F. Suarez, S.J.

The program is funded by a $279,830 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through their Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, and includes a previous cohort of twenty fellowships awarded last year. The grant also funds a replicable, longitudinal study of the program's impact on the professional development and career
growth of participating fellows.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)

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. Its mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Its grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow IMLS on Facebook and Twitter.

About Rare Book School (RBS)
Rare Book School provides continuing-education opportunities for students from all disciplines and levels to study the history of written, printed, and digital materials with leading scholars and professionals in the fields of bibliography, librarianship, book history, manuscript studies, and the digital humanities. Founded in 1983, RBS moved to its present home at the University of Virginia in 1992. RBS is a not-for-profit educational organization affiliated with the University of Virginia. More information about RBS is available at http://www.rarebookschool.org.