PANEL Diversity and Commonality of Information Science Education in a Pluralistic World Ingrid Hsieh-Yee School of Library and Information Science, Catholic University of America hsiehyee@cua.edu 620 Michigan Ave., NE, Washington, DC 20064 Heting Chu Palmer School of Library & Information Science, Long Island University hchu@liu.edu 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville, NY 11548, USA Joseph Janes The Information School, University of Washington jwj@u.washington.edu Box 352840 Mary Gates Hall, Ste 370 Seattle, WA 98195-2840 Eileen Abels The iSchool at Drexel eileen.abels@ischool.drexel.edu 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-2875 William Moen Dept. of Library and Information Sciences, University of North Texas William.Moen@unt.edu 1155 Union Circle 311068, Denton, Texas 76203-5017 Samantha Hastings School of Library and Information Science, University of South Carolina hastings@sc.edu 1501 Greene St. Columbia, SC 29208

In a society that is increasingly diverse in culture, language, and technology, the field of information science education has continued to evolve and respond to the changing information environment. The iSchool movement has attracted a good number of library and information science programs, as well as programs in computer science, while many library and information science programs have revised their mission and curricula to meet the information needs of a pluralistic world without changing the name of their programs (they are often referred to as the LIS Schools). Although iSchools and LIS Schools may seem dichotomous, many of these schools share the history of library and information science education and may have more in common than their names imply. The proposed panel is designed to shed light on the diversity and commonality of information science education in the 21st century by examining the similarities and differences of these two types of schools (including their relationship to the tradition of library and information science education) and the extent to which these schools are meeting the needs of a pluralistic world.

The panel will have two parts. Part One is a report on the curricula offered at ALA-accredited LIS schools and iSchools. In Part Two panelists will respond to the curriculum analysis report and address these topics:
Panel description

In a society that is increasingly diverse in culture, language, and technology, the field of information science education has continued to evolve and respond to the changing information environment. The iSchool movement has attracted a good number of library and information science programs, as well as programs in computer science, while many library and information science programs have revised their mission and curricula to meet the information needs of a pluralistic world without changing the name of their programs (they are often referred to as the LIS Schools). Although iSchools and LIS Schools may seem dichotomous, many of these schools share the history of library and information science education and may have more in common than their names imply. The proposed panel is designed to shed light on the diversity and commonality of information science education in the 21st century by examining the similarities and differences of these two types of schools (including their relationship to the tradition of library and information science education) and the extent to which these schools are meeting the needs of a pluralistic world.

The panel will have two parts. Part One is a report on the curricula offered at both types of schools, and Part Two is a panel discussion that includes two panelists from iSchools and two from LIS Schools. The analysis of curricula will focus on required courses, electives, degree requirements, opportunities for students to pursue areas of special interest (such as tracks or specializations), and information settings or sectors covered by the programs. All ALA-accredited LIS schools and iSchools will be included in the report.

In Part Two panelists will respond to the curriculum analysis report and address the following topics

  • Their school's relationship to the tradition of library and information science education.
  • Their experience in changing from an LIS School to an iSchool in terms of changes in mission, curricula, faculty, students, standing in the parent organization, and the way the school operates daily.
  • Their rationale for remaining an LIS School and how they have changed their programs to meet the need of a pluralistic society.
  • Their perspectives on how they are meeting market needs.
  • Their experience in recruiting new students and placing graduates in libraries and non-library information environments.
  • Other critical issues the panelists wish to discuss with the audience.

A panel discussion with the audience will follow Part Two. To encourage participation announcements of the panel will be made to various listservs before the ASIST Annual Meeting to solicit topics for discussion from potential conference attendees.

Session moderators and presenters of curricula analysis results

Ingrid Hsieh-Yee, Ph.D.
Professor
School of Library and Information Science
Catholic University of America

Heting Chu, Ph.D.
Professor
Palmer School of Library & Information Science
Long Island University/C.W. Post
iSchool representatives and LIS School representatives

Joseph Janes, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Academics
Associate Professor
The Information School, University of Washington

Eileen Abels, Ph.D.
Master's Program Director, Professor
The iSchool at Drexel

William Moen, Ph.D.
Director, Texas Center for Digital Knowledge (TxCDK)
Associate Professor, Department of Library and Information Sciences
College of Information, Library Science, and Technologies
University of North Texas

Samantha K. Hastings, Ph.D.
Director and Professor
School of Library and Information Science
University of South Carolina

Sponsor: SIG ED

 information science education curricula information science schools faculty information science history trends information services librarianship iSchools LIS Schools Comparative analysis