Outgoing, people-oriented and knowledgeable people are being sought by libraries across the nation.

A recent grant received by the libraries at Iowa State, the University of Iowa and the University of Nebraska from the Institute for Museum and Library Services is helping to aid in the recruitment and education of students.

The grant, totaling more than $390,000, will help the Institute for Museum and Library Services recruit nine students to pursue library and information science degrees.

Three students with science and health science backgrounds will be trained at Iowa State under Lorraine Pellack, head of science and technology department for Parks Library.

While working 20 hours, the students will also be completing classes over the Iowa Communications Network from the University of Iowa’s School of Library and Information Science, the only school that offers a degree in librarianship.

The other six students will study and work at the University of Iowa and the University of Nebraska.

David Gregory, associate director for public services, said there is a shortage of librarians now and it is expected to get worse.

Part of the shortage is caused because 60 percent of professional librarians will turn 65 in the next 10 years and 40 percent of library directors will retire in 10 years, Gregory said.

The shortage has gained national attention, especially by the Institute for Museum and Library Services, he said. The grant received is part of a $10 million initiative to increase the number of librarians for the 21st century.

Students, faculty and staff interested in pursuing a librarianship should have a “willingness to be genuinely concerned of the information welfare of people,” he said.

People want free and ready access to information and need help organizing and evaluating it, he said. “This is what librarians do best,” Gregory said.

Ed Goedeken, humanities bibliographer and library professor, said he likes being a librarian because he likes working with people and books and the library is climate controlled.

“Every day I look forward to going to work. Every day,” Goedeken said.

The information is not well organized on the Internet, he said. Librarians compile the information to help translate it for everyone to understand, he said.

“There is always room for people to work in the world of information,” he said.