The
School of Library and Information Science offers a graduate-level
program of professional and academic preparation for careers in libraries
and information centers. The program is accredited by the American
Library Association. In concert with the mission of The University
of Iowa (UI), the School seeks excellence in its education of future
library and information professionals, its contribution to the knowledge
base of library and information science, and its service to the School's
local, regional, national and international constituencies. Library
and information professionals serve the needs of their own constituencies--children
and teachers, members of academic communities, employees of profit
and nonprofit organizations, and the public at large--ranging from
information poor to information rich. They work in the contexts of
issues such as information and communication technology, public and
private information policy, managerial policy, and regional, national,
and international economics.
Goals
The School of Library and Information Science offers a graduate-level
program of preparation for careers in all types of libraries and information
centers, that:
1. provides students with a strong, well-rounded education through
a curriculum that reflects the profession's immediate and long-range
needs and prepares students to be leaders in a changing field;
2. sustains an environment supportive of students, faculty and staff
from all segments of a multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual
society;
3. promotes excellence in research contributions to the base of theoretical
and practical knowledge in library and information science;
4. helps students develop an understanding of how to meet the varied
and changing information needs of individuals and groups in a global
society.
5. provides public service through continuing education programs,
consulting services for library and information centers, and participation
in professional organizations.
6. encourages its students, faculty members, and alumni to shape the
future of the profession by filling key roles in organizations involved
in all aspects of the information cycle.
Program Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the Master of Arts degree in Library
and Information Science will demonstrate knowledge and understanding
of:
1. The historical evolution of library and information science as
well as local, national and global trends, both current and future;
2. Professional, ethical and philosophical issues, including intellectual
freedom, the right to access information, privacy of information,
information literacy and multiculturalism;
3. The information cycle from production to use, the roles of its
participants--authors, librarians and information professionals, publishers
(both mainstream and alternative press), brokers and users;
4. Theories, principles and procedures for promoting effective selection,
acquisition, organization, storage, retrieval, evaluation, dissemination
and use of a variety of information carriers (e.g. text, sound, image,
video) in electronic and nonelectronic formats;
5. Current management theory and practice necessary to manage personnel
effectively, to plan information services, and to identify needs,
set goals, analyze problems, implement programs, and evaluate results
in both traditional and innovative settings;
6. Current technological concerns regarding design, evaluation, implementation
and management of hardware, software, telecommunication networks,
and information systems;
7. The discipline's research base including historical trends and
highlights as well as current scholarship and the synergism between
library and information science and other disciplines, such as communications,
computer science, cultural studies, education, history, linguistics,
sociology and psychology;
8. The close relationship between the discipline's research base and
the practice of the profession, and the application of established
research principles, results, and methods to current problems;
9. Cultural, social, economic, and intellectual factors influencing
the contexts that underlie users' information needs and appropriate
strategies to satisfy those needs.
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