Recruiting the under-represented: The science links experience

"Science Links" is a program funded by a grant from the Institute of Library and Museum Services to recruit and educate ten diverse students with strong science and technology backgrounds or interests to the field of science librarianship. This paper described the recruitment phase of the project, launched in the summer of 2005. Although national in scope, a key component of the recruitment process was an active public relations campaign that targeted students at Historically Black Colleges & Universities in the southeast. Six librarians from underrepresented groups employed at the University of Tennessee, along with the Co-Principal Investigators for the grant, explain the strategies used to identify and select institutions likely to produce a high number of applicants for on-site visits. Obstacles, challenges, and unanticipated issues faced during the recruitment phase are also addressed. Designed to be a collaborative effort, the program emphasizes the importance of partnerships in achieving success. One expected outcome will be a carefully evaluated model that may be used to recruit future science librarians, with an emphasis on those from minority populations. The initial recruitment phase concluded in February 2006, the deadline for applicants to submit a "letter of intent" to apply to the program.