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You may well have read a dozen or more of these letters of welcome by now, so this will be brief. We are a School of Library and Information Science. We know what we are, and where we are going. We've been around for more than a half century and have graduated almost 8,000 students in that time. Our alumni are to be found all across the United States and worldwide.
What makes us different? Well, unlike most schools, we offer master's degrees in both library science and information science, not to mention an unmatched array of dual/joint degree programs. Whether your interest is in rare books, information policy, digital libraries or information visualization, this is the place for you. More to the point, we'll show you how these seemingly disparate areas of interest can support each other.
Where others see barriers and boundaries we see opportunities for interaction and integration. We are not ideologically hidebound, and we'll expect you to critically evaluate the research literature of the field, demonstrate your analytic skills and justify the positions you take. If that appeals, spend some time reading about us. Better still, come join us in Bloomington or Indianapolis.
The Indiana University School of Library and Information Science is committed to excellence and innovation in the education of librarians and other information professionals, the creation of knowledge, and service in a diverse and changing global information environment.
To accomplish this mission, the school’s goals are:
To prepare socially responsible graduates for fulfilling careers characterized
by ethical practice, professional values, analytical skill, leadership, and
lifelong learning;
To contribute knowledge and advance theory by working from cognitive, social,
behavioral, cultural, and technological perspectives; fostering on
interdisciplinary collaboration; and cultivating an appreciation for the role
of information in society;
To serve our students, our state and local constituencies, society, and the
library and information science profession; and
To model a climate of intellectual engagement, openness, integrity, and respect
within the school.
The School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) and School of Informatics (SoI) have common research and teaching interests in understanding the complex relationships among information, technology and people. With the approval of IU President Michael McRobbie, the schools have begun exploring opportunities that could result from a merger.
Both schools are members of the iSchools Caucus; Indiana University is the only university with two distinct members in this group of distinguished schools and colleges of information and computing. A merged school would build upon IU’s strengths in these areas and bring together a range of disciplines, unequaled among iSchools, that is essential to investigate the technologies and implications of the information age. As discussions move forward, SLIS and SoI are committed to maintaining the integrity and strength of their existing programs.
Faculty and staff from both schools on both the Bloomington and IUPUI campuses of Indiana University will be involved in the merger discussions. The Bloomington portion of the School of Informatics, which contains degree programs in both computer science and informatics, is called the School of Informatics and Computing. President McRobbie has asked for a proposal to present to the Board of Trustees at their October 2012 meeting; the tentative effective date for a merger would be July 2013.
Questions or comments can be sent to:
Debora Shaw-School of Library and Information Science, shawd@indiana.edu
Jim Shea, School of Informatics and Computing, jpshea@indiana.edu
