Standard II. Curriculum

II.7. The curriculum is continually reviewed and receptive to innovation; its evaluation is used for ongoing appraisal, to make improvements, and to plan for the future. Evaluation of the curriculum includes assessment of students’ achievements and their subsequent accomplishments. Evaluation involves those served by the program: students, faculty, employers, alumni, and other constituents.

The LIS program conducts regular audits of the electives and special topics courses. The program faculty gathers a significant body of data in order to appraise, improve, and plan for the future. For example, the offering of courses is determined on data provided about course enrollment: LIS 2670 Digital Libraries and LIS 2184 Legal Issues in Information Handling: Copyright and Fair Use in the Digital Age are now being offered in more terms because the enrollments in the courses indicated a high level of demand. The specialization-specific courses in the Health Resources and Services specialization are being offered online more often due to increasing enrollments in the online sections and decreasing enrollments in the on-campus sections.

Demographic enrollment data led the program to offer more practical experience and out-of-the-classroom learning opportunities. As the age of the incoming students declined, it was apparent that they would not have the benefit of practical experience as did earlier cohorts of students who were much older. Therefore, the curriculum would have to facilitate students’ and employers’ desires for more real-world, hands-on experience.

Other data sources include the following: annual learning assessments, surveys of currently-enrolled students, an alumni survey, an employer/partners survey, and input from the newly-reconstituted MLIS Advisory Group. The School’s Board of Visitors and various advisory groups offer additional feedback with regard to employer’s needs and expectations.

In general, new courses or major course revisions are undertaken in response to changes in the field as evidenced by changes in professional standards, changes in user populations, and changes signaled in the academic literature. For example the LIS 2194 Information Ethics now addresses cyberbullying, privacy and security – issues which have surfaced in academic journals, practitioner publications, and the popular media. Another example would be the addition of a health-related course addressing the particular needs of a prevalent population within Western Pennsylvania: the Special Topics course on “Information Resources, Services, and Technology in the Aging World.”

To ensure that the curriculum is reflective of changes in the associated professions, faculty maintain close relationships with practitioners and potential employers. As an example, over the past four years, Leanne Bowler has been working closely with the Coordinators of Children’s Services and Teen Services at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (CLP), fine-tuning the field experience so that it provides rich opportunities for students to build competencies in services for children and youth. This close working relationship has led to the School being named as a partner in a current IMLS-funded project to plan and design 21st century learning labs, which is expected to open up internship opportunities for our students and create new research opportunities for LIS faculty. Ellen Detlefsen meets regularly with professional colleagues in health sciences libraries, particularly with reference to their participation in real-world projects for classes and field placements for MLIS students. Sheila Corrall has contributed to the strategic planning activities of the University Library System (ULS) at Pitt and is currently serving on the steering group for a staff skills and competencies evaluation project. Mary Kay Biagini maintains a close relationship with the school library community throughout Pennsylvania as does Richard Cox with the archival community.

For Fall 2013, a series of revisions will be made to the Archives, Preservation and Records Management (APRM) specialization in the MLIS program. The curricular changes recently approved (October 2012) by the LIS faculty and SIS Council also includes the change of the specialization’s name from APRM to Archives and Information Science (AIS). These curricular changes, with the addition of one new elective and the reworking of several required courses, have been made in response to and anticipation of changes within the archives field, namely a more intense focus on digital curation and stewardship, and on community knowledge and archives practices, as seen in other graduate archival education programs, conferences, and research and scholarly publications. This curricular revision represents a reduction of focus on preservation and records management and an enhanced stress on digital and research concerns. The name change to AIS also reflects this, as well as tying into the signature areas of the iSchool’s curriculum and research.

The faculty also attend many of the annual conferences of professional associations, such as the American Library Association, the Society of American Archivists, the Medical Library Association, the Pennsylvania Library Association, and the Pennsylvania School Library Association. This permits them to explore leading edge issues within the field, incorporating them into the curriculum. It also offers the opportunity for faculty to garner input on the academic program from alumni and leaders in the profession. For example, the LIS Program Chair met with 65+ alumni at the Pennsylvania Library Association Conference in 2012. In particular, input was sought about future revisions of the curriculum to meet the needs of the profession. This input will be considered in the comprehensive curriculum review, which is underway. One immediate result is that the need for a course in research methods was confirmed by the alumni present, a course now being offered as a special topics course (LIS 2970 Special Topics: Research Methods in Library & Information Science). Another curricular innovation under consideration is the addition of certificates in clearly-defined niche subjects – these were specifically requested by the alumni present.

The iSchool follows the success of graduates with great pleasure. Upon graduation, students are asked to complete a survey that gauges their satisfaction with the program and their immediate career plans (employment offered/taken, further graduate study). The 2010 alumni survey also asked questions to determine the first employment placement, the current occupation, and the time to first job after graduation. The University of Pittsburgh Alumni Society endeavors to track employment of graduates throughout their career, but participation is voluntary.

Many of our former students have been named as Activists, Advocates, Change Agents and Innovators in the annual Library Journal “Movers and Shakers” awards, achieving national recognition for making a difference in the profession, for example:

Corey Wittig (MLIS 2010), Digital Learning Librarian at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, was named as an Innovator in the 2012 Movers and Shakers awards, for his creative use of social media and technology to make the teen department visible, accessible and attractive.
Heather Holmes (MLIS 1998), Information Services Librarian at Summa Health System, Akron, Ohio, was named as a Change Agent in the 2011 Movers and Shakers awards, for her innovative work in developing a clinical medical librarian program at the Akron City Hospital, to provide point-of-care reference services and answer clinical questions at the bedside.
Chad Haefele (MLIS 2005), Reference Librarian for Emerging Technologies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Davis Library, was named as an Innovator in the 2011 Movers and Shakers awards, for his creative use of technology, including an alternate reality game (ARG), to support undergraduate learning.
Mandy Knapp (MLIS 2007), Adult Services Librarian, Worthington Libraries, Ohio, was named as an Advocate in the 2010 Movers and Shakers awards, for her achievement in challenging state budget cuts and restoring $147 million in funding for the Ohio library system by setting up the Save Ohio Libraries website.
Rachel Walden (MLIS, 2006), Librarian, Eskind Biomedical Library, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee was named as an Activist in the 2009 Movers and Shakers awards, for her success in raising awareness about the science and politics of women’s health issues through her blog, Women’s Health News.
Ingrid Kalchthaler (MLIS 1999), Head of Youth Services and Assistant Director, Shaler North Hills Library, Glenshaw, PA was also named as an Activist in the 2009 Movers and Shakers awards, for her work in creating libraries in homeless shelters, initiating a bully prevention program and events for homeschooled kids, while based at the Bethel Park Public Library in Pittsburgh.
Carlie Webber (MLIS 2001), Young Adult Services Librarian, Bergen County Cooperative Library System, Hackensack, New Jersey was named as an Advocate in the 2009 Movers and Shakers awards, for her passionate advocacy of Young Adult literature and services, which has earned her a national reputation.
Mark Vrabel (MLIS 1992), Information Resources Supervisor, Oncology Nursing Society, Pittsburgh was named one of Library Journal’s 2008 Movers and Shakers in the “Show Me the Evidence” category.

Further details about student success can be found on the iSchool’s alumni Web site:
http://www.ischool.pitt.edu/alumni/news/notes.php

The iSchool recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of alumni through programs such as the University of Pittsburgh Legacy Laureate Program (http://www.ischool.pitt.edu/alumni/about/laureates.php), Beta Phi Mu, and the Distinguished Alumni Awards (http://www.ischool.pitt.edu/alumni/about/awards.php). A complete list of alumni awards and recognitions is included in Appendices SCH 6, SCH 7, and SCH 8.