[Asis-l] University of Kentucky School of Information Science

[Will Buntin]

UK SLIS is now the UK School of Information Science


The School of Library and Information Science in the College of
Communication and Information at the University of Kentucky is now the
School of Information Science. The name change follows the expansion of
programs at the School (both at the graduate and undergraduate level) and
the increasing diversity of professions in the information field.

The name “Information Science” encompasses the School’s array of
programs—including Information Studies, Information Communication
Technology, Instructional Communication and Research, and Library
Science—at the broadest level. Students pursuing programs of study under
the Information Science umbrella go on to pursue careers in a variety of
fields and settings including (though not limited to) libraries, schools,
law firms, healthcare organizations, and companies in the private and
public sectors.

The School of Information Science has a long history of pioneering
education for information professionals: In 1918, the first classes in
library science were offered at the University of Kentucky. In 1932, the
Department of Library Science was formed, becoming the Graduate School of
Library Science in 1968 and finally the College of Library Science in 1970,
earning it the distinction of being the first college of library science in
the United States. The College of Library Science became the College of
Library and Information Science in 1982 and in 1993 merged with the College
of Communications to form the College of Communications and Information
Studies, becoming the School of Library and Information Science.
Instructional Communication and Research became a unit of the school in
2013, and the Information Communication Technology Program debuted in 2014.

The School has also been a campus leader when it comes to innovating and
offering online programs. This dates back to 1973 when it first established
a distance learning program for the master’s in library science. Since
then, the School introduced a fully-online master’s degree in library
science in 2009, and an undergraduate online minor in Information Studies
in 2013.

“The name change is reflective of wider use of Information Science to
describe programs at similar institutions that are also members of the
iSchools collaborative, a collection of information schools dedicated to
advancing the field in the 21st Century,” says Dr. Jeffrey T. Huber, the
School’s director. “The name recognizes the broader scope of programs,
courses, and areas of faculty research in the School.”

Currently the School has 36 faculty members across all its units, with
plans in place to recruit new faculty. The name change was approved
unanimously by School faculty and was brought about by the addition of new
programs, two new degrees, as well as a minor.

The School of Information Science is part of the College of Communication
and Information, the iSchool at the University of Kentucky.  The School
continues striving toward its goal “to be one of the nation's best schools
for information professionals, excelling in teaching, scholarship, and
professional service.

The name change was official as of July 1, 2015.

For more information, please see infosci.uky.edu

Will Buntin <https://plus.google.com/u/0/106665301967621814787/posts>
  Assistant Director Administration and Enrollment Planning
   School of  Information Science <http://cis.uky.edu/sis/>
   University of Kentucky
  319 Little Library Building  Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0224


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