Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies won $197,000 in federal grant money Sept. 25 to research how eighth graders use the public library.

The school will conduct the study to better understand why and how eighth grade students use libraries, said Raymond F. von Dran, dean of the School of Information Studies. Through these recommendations it will develop new ways to interest the students and improve the library’s accessibility.

Von Dran said he helped organize the school’s grant effort.

‘If we know why (eighth graders) go to libraries and what motivates them, then we will motivate them more,’ von Dran said.

After a national call for proposals, a board of SU faculty members prepared one, which was chosen after a peer review. The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded the grant.

Bethany Lesser, a deputy press secretary, spoke for Sen. Charles E. Schumer who announced that SU won the grant.

‘He works hard to make sure that there is enough funding for everyone, but his priority is New York schools,’ she said.

Schumer works to inform New York schools of funding and grant opportunities, and he is thrilled Syracuse got the grant, Lesser said.

The school receives federal funding for many programs in addition to the library field.

‘This is just one small piece of the puzzle,’ von Dran said. ‘We receive millions of dollars from the federal government.’

The school received $1 million for Web-based Information Science Education, von Dran said. WISE allows IST students to take classes from other universities through the Internet. Students watch the lectures from these other classes on video and can even respond to the professor’s questions.

Published on September 27, 2006 at 12:00 pm