M.A. Concentration Areas

This course will focus on how to insure that we can reliably get quality information and will also consider information quality from the perspective of the suppliers of information.  Principles of evaluating information exchanges and sources will be discussed and topics will include the verification of the accuracy of information and the evaluation of resources in specialized subject domains.  Graduate-level requirements include a stronger emphasis on the group presentation. Participation, midterm exam, individual project, and short assignments will not contribute as heavily to the final grade.

Survey of a wide variety of children's and young adult literature with emphasis on bilingual/multilingual, multicultural, and multiethnic literature. Using children's and young adult literature to develop literacy, particularly for English language learners will also be studied.

Examines the full range of abilities needed for working with preschoolers and their families and caregivers in today's public libraries. Provides theory, practice, and a framework for thinking about early childhood development and literacy.

Study of the principles and practices of descriptive cataloging for bibliographic and authority control, and resource discovery. AACR2R, RDA, MARC, Dublin Core, OAI-PMH, and selected specialized metadata schemes for all forms and formats of materials are covered.

Designed for information professionals who intermediate between information seekers at all levels and information resources in all forms including texts, images, audio, and data. Course material and assignments focus on intermediating services such as interviewing; online searching of catalogs, indexes, and open-access repositories; instruction; and reference collection curation.
 

Explores the interconnectedness of information forms and environments (libraries, museums, archives, electronic, mass media, etc.) from different theoretical and cultural perspectives. Contrasts each with Native American and Hispanic experiences in information and library settings.

Addresses themes associated with the production of information artifacts and issues in documenting cultural diversity across the American culture landscape. The practices of collection and documenting cultures and communities will be explored in relation to the mission of libraries, archives, historical societies and other cultural heritage institutions concerned with the acquisition of information in books, journals and other textual materials, and in sound and visual documents.

This course explores the ways in which groups of persons may be knowers and what information rights this knowledge might give them, within groups defined by their ethnic or cultural origin, e.g., indigenous peoples, ethnic and racial groups. In addition, libraries and other information services can be designed so as to foster the development and preservation of group knowledge and respect for group information rights.

Since the 1990s, the concept of marketing as applied to library environments has been misunderstood. Instead of just public relations or advertising, marketing is the process of communicating with customers and potential customers to determine needs, to design services to meet them, to inform the community about services, and to evaluate them so that they can be improved. This course will look at the marketing cycle as it may be applied to a variety of library environments. It will look at the relationship of marketing to program planning, branding, focusing on customers and customer relations, promoting services, and evaluating them. It will look at both physical space and virtual space as they promote the image of libraries and provide places for service delivery.

Information Resource Development. Principles of identifying, selecting, acquiring, managing, and evaluating information resources for libraries, information centers, and other information-based settings.

Introduction to readers' advisory services in a public library setting. Emphasis on genre fiction, although non-fiction readers' advisory will also be addressed. Additional topics include the readers' advisory interview, tools and resources, and marketing fiction in your library. Graduate-level requirements include more extensive research and a higher level of performance.

All information organizations (libraries, archives, museums, and public and corporate organizations involved in information management) have leadership expectations of their professional employees whether they are in management positions or not.  This course focuses the theories, principles, and practices of leadership in these organizations.  The course will cover what is leadership and how it differs from management.  It will identify what it means to be a professional-- career versus job orientation; understanding personal strengths and management styles (Myers-Briggs, Emotional Intelligence); and professional values-- customer focus, continual learning, diversity.  It will also cover understanding organizations and organizational cultures; working on teams; collaboration and negotiation; project management; data based decisions;  program development and budgeting, assessment and evaluation; communication skills and interpersonal skills-- including giving and receiving constructive feedback; managing conflict; relationship building and networking; leading change and managing up; and what to look for in a new position.

This course covers theory, methods, and techniques widely used to design and develop a relational database system and students will develop a broad understanding of modern database management systems. Applications of fundamental database principles in a stand-alone database environment using MS Access and Windows are emphasized. Applications in an Internet environment will be discussed using MySQL in the Linux platform. Graduate-level requirements include a group project consisting of seven sections: Database Design; Implementation (Tables); Forms; Data Retrieval (Queries/Reports); Project Presentation; Project Report; and, Peer Evaluation.

This course is designed to introduce the basic concepts and applications of Internet-related information technology and its impacts on individual users, groups, organizations, and society. The topics in this survey course include computing basics, network applications, human computer interactions, computer-support cooperative work, social aspects of information systems, and some economic and legal issues related to digital services and products.

The U.S. government collects, generates, publishes and distributes a vast amount and variety of information. All information professionals-even those who do not intend to specialize as government document librarians-should understand the organization of and promote access to this body of work. In this course, lectures, discussions, and readings will acquaint students with theoretical and practical knowledge. The assignments will provide opportunities for deeper exploration of government information policies and resources. Graduate-level requirements include a policy paper worth 35% of their final grade.

Study of the user interface in information systems, of human computer interaction and of website design and evaluation. Graduate-level requirements include group work and longer examinations.

This course will enable students to examine the full range of skills needed for working with young adults in today's public library. It will provide theory and practice and give students a framework for thinking about services to young adults. Assignments are designed to have students work in teams and often require connections with young adults, fellow professionals and community representatives. Students will be challenged to envision the best in library service to young adults and to envision themselves as key players in their libraries and communities in the next critical decades.

Introduces the basics of copyright law and fair use, also discusses the theoretical foundations and history of copyright and the public domain. These issues are placed within a broader multicultural and international context. By the end of the course students will: (a) know the basics of copyright law and fair use as they apply to libraries and related information services, and (b) understand the importance of balancing the rights of intellectual property owners with the societal need for a robust public domain.  Graduate-level requirements include an individual project on a topic chosen in consultation with the professor.

Information seeking is the process or activity of attempting to obtain and use information from both human and virtual sources. It is a basic skill that people in the 21^st Century need for their academic and career work. LIS 587 addresses how to assist users of information services and libraries to accomplish this important task. The course addresses information seeking theories, methods and user behaviors with a goal of students gaining an understanding of how people seek, gather, retrieve and use information. The course draws on literature from library and information science, psychology and communications. Understanding information seeking is applicable broadly for information professionals.

The planning/evaluation cycle as an approach to assessing various information center services.

This course will address the impact of technology on the fundamentals of libraries, archives and records management. Many librarians, archivists and records managers who have been working for even a few years find that they need to know more about working with digital information, the shift from paper to electrons caused a shift in the fundamental nature of the professions. To thrive in the digital era, they need new skills to accomplish many of the same tasks. Collections will no longer be physical, bur virtual. Patrons will often be thousands of miles away, not just the other side of the reference desk. This course is intended to help you understand this new environment.

This course provides a basic understanding of technology in the digital information environment along with an introduction to practical hands-on skills needed to manage digital information. The course combines reading, discussion, collaboration, project work, independent study, and guided hands-on practice. The course covers the basic installation, setup and maintenance of key systems found in the digital information environment today. Linux is used as a foundation for learning while drawing parallels to the Windows server operating system, Unix operating systems, and other operating systems.

This course provides you with a basic understanding of the theory and practical approaches to the management of information and technology in the digital information environment. Management topics considered in this course range from the strategic (planning, leadership, and policy development) to the tactical (project management, the acquisition and deployment of technology). The course combines reading, discussion, collaboration, project work, independent study, and guided hands-on practice in order to reinforce the concepts described in the project objectives.

Specialized work on an individual basis, consisting of training and practice in actual service in a technical, business, or governmental establishment. Students concurrently enrolled in the M.A. LIS in the School of Information should enroll in a LIS 698 Capstone Internship for a 3 credit internship to satisfy the MA Capstone Internship requirement. See the MA Internship page for additional information.

Qualified students working on an individual basis with professors who have agreed to supervise such work. Graduate students doing independent work which cannot be classified as actual research will register for credit under course number 599, 699, or 799.