Standard II. Curriculum
II.2 The curriculum is concerned with recordable information and knowledge, and the services and technologies to facilitate their management and use. The curriculum of library and information studies encompasses information and knowledge creation, communication, identification, selection, acquisition, organization and description, storage and retrieval, preservation, analysis, interpretation, evaluation, synthesis, dissemination, and management.
The curriculum of the iSchool’s MLIS program focuses on the life cycle of information and knowledge, and places a strong emphasis on the services and technologies employed in the LIS profession. Students need to complete a minimum of 36 credits to obtain the master’s degree. Even if they are enrolled in one of the MLIS specializations, 12 of the 36 credits are core courses that provide a thorough understanding of the principles, theories, issues and values of the LIS and associated professions. These core courses explore: the information world, including the information professions and organizations in which they work (LIS 2000 Understanding Information); key concepts and techniques in information organization and retrieval (LIS 2005 Organizing and Retrieving Information or LIS 2224 Archival Access and Representation); the management and leadership of information organizations (LIS 2700 Managing Libraries and Information Systems and Services in Changing Environments or LIS 2215 Preservation Management); and the computing and network technologies used to create, manipulate and disseminate information and knowledge (LIS 2600 Introduction to Information Technologies).
Required courses in the MLIS degree
Children & Youth; Health; Individualized; Information Technology; Reference |
Digital Libraries |
Archives and Information Science (reflects changes approved October 2012) |
School Library Certification Program |
LIS 2000 Understanding Information |
LIS 2000 Understanding Information |
LIS 2000 Understanding Information |
LIS 2000 Understanding Information |
LIS 2005 Organizing and Retrieving Information |
LIS 2005 Organizing and Retrieving Information |
LIS 2224 Archival Access and Representation |
LIS 2005 Organizing and Retrieving Information |
LIS 2600 Introduction to Information Technologies |
LIS 2407 Metadata or LIS 2670 Digital Libraries or INFSCI 2140 Information Storage & Retrieval |
LIS 2600 Introduction to Technologies |
LIS 2600 Introduction to Technologies |
LIS 2700 Managing Libraries and Information Systems and Services in Changing Environments |
LIS 2700 Managing Libraries and Information Systems and Services in Changing Environments |
LIS 2220 Archives and Records Management |
LIS 2774 School Library Center Management |
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LIS 2215 Preservation Management |
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LIS 2222 Archival Appraisal |
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Forming a cohesive foundation of knowledge, the core courses cover the basic concepts for library and information professionals. These core courses provide a solid foundation for students’ more advanced learning objectives and professional goals. They also serve as prerequisites for many of the elective courses, so that students in the subsequent courses can start from a uniform foundation. Although there is no specific sequence for these core courses, students are advised to take them early in their program of study, taking account of the need to accommodate the prerequisites for their intended electives.
Some specializations have a stronger emphasis on certain aspects of the discipline, so the ratio of core courses to elective courses can vary across specializations. For example, the Digital Library specialization expands the technology core to include INFSCI 2140 Information Storage & Retrieval, LIS 2407 Metadata, and LIS 2670 Digital Libraries, whereas the APRM specialization replaces LIS 2005 and LIS 2700 with LIS 2220 Archives and Records Management, LIS 2222 Archival Appraisal, LIS 2223 Archival Access, Advocacy, and Ethics, and LIS 2224 Archival Representation. (Beginning in 2013, LIS 2224 will combine Archival Representation and Access, in a similar reconfiguration to the melding of courses on Information Organization and Information Retrieval, enabling students to take more elective courses reflecting the increasing breadth and diversity in contemporary archival practice.
Students, with the help of their advisor, select the required number of electives to meet their personal professional goals. The MLIS courses are organized into broad categories covering different aspects of the discipline, to help students construct a coherent program of study in accordance with their personal preference for a broadly-based or specialized professional education. The table below shows the present classification of LIS courses.
MLIS Course Schema
2000 - 2099 |
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2100 - 2199 |
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2200 - 2299 |
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2300 - 2399 |
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2400 - 2499 |
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2500 - 2599 |
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2600 - 2699 |
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2700 - 2799 |
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2800 - 2899 |
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2900 - 2999 |
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3000 - 0000 |