A year-long institute was held at Tennessee Technological University to train teachers as school librarians, with emphasis on using the media center in reading instruction. The institute's objectives were: 1) to provide economically and educationally deprived teachers with graduate training; 2) to train participants in the use of media centers in reading instruction; 3) to demonstrate the feasibility of interdisciplinary graduate programs which met the needs of students in the Southern Appalachian Area; and 4) to demonstrate a graduate program which could be implemented at other universities. The 19 participants took courses in reading, children's literature, library science, the psychology and sociology of the disadvantaged child, testing, research and the use of media, a practicum and an interdisciplinary seminar were also provided. The institute was judged a success, for each of its four objectives was achieved. Eighteen of the participants received the M.A. degree and returned to positions of professional responsibility in media centers or related fields, the majority in the Southern Appalachian Area. (PB)