A new research and scholarship program for United States military veterans will help them achieve their educational goals of earning a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science and be ready for the job market.

The San José State University School of Information has partnered with the University of Texas at Austin School of Information and the University of Hawai’i at Manoa Library and Information Science Program on an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant funded project aimed at preparing military veterans for careers in the library and information science field.

Co-principally investigated by Dr. Sandra Hirsh of the SJSU School of Information, the three-year, two-pronged “Reaching Those Who Served” project seeks to learn more about the motivators behind choosing careers in librarianship for military veterans and how to effectively recruit more veterans into LIS graduate programs.

As part of the project development, 12 veterans will receive scholarships to enroll in the MLIS programs at the participating schools; four veterans will be admitted at each school. The grant partners will also interview librarians who are veterans and talk with admissions personnel and students at LIS programs.

According to the IMLS grant announcement, the research findings will inform new guidelines for recruiting veterans and identify potential organizations that serve veterans. “The project will illustrate how veterans successfully navigate the college admission process and which strategies are most effective for recruiting military veterans into LIS graduate programs.”

For more information about the grant and the project, visit the IMLS grant page.