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 The Library and Information Science (LIS) Program at Western University is an ALA accredited LIS program designed for students who in interested in the field of librarianship and information studies. This graduate and PhD level program is offered through the Faculty of Information and Media Studies. The school seeks graduates from all university disciplines. The curriculum of the LIS program emphasizes exploration of relevant literature and is designed to develop advanced research skills needed the professional field. Programs within LIS are offered at the Master and PhD level. The LIS program is dedicated to both the information profession and professional librarianship in addition to graduate education.

History
The Library and Information Science Program at Western University was started in 1966 under the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS). The school was established by the Board of Governors and the Senate of the University in response to a proposal from the Ontario Provincial Government. During this early period the program was a three-term MLS program designed to exemplify the goals and objects of an educational nature. The faculty started out small with seven full-time and 3 part-time in 1967, and growing by 1969 to 10 full-time and 8 part-time. In 1967 there were 40 full-time and 20 part-time students enrolled and by 1969 the program had 71 full-time and 14 part-time. These individuals created the foundation which resulted in the second program in Canada to offer first-professional degree MLS. Generous financial resources were acquired which resulted in a new building and learning resources, including library materials. The first graduating class has 32 students in total  Graduate School of Library and information Science Program Presentation, 1997. In 1985 the name of the degree was changed to Master of Library and Information Science in order to reflect changing nature of the discipline and with this offered new elective courses. Western’s MLS program has continually held its ALA accreditation since 1967/68 and was the 4th program of its kind in Canada.

Western’s LIS program has fallen into various administrative faculties since its inception in 1967. It started out in 1967 as its own professional school being called the School of Library and Information Science. This name remained until 1995 when the Master’s and PhD programs were listed under the Graduate School of Library and Information Science. In 1996 the program had another name change moving to the Faculty of Communication and Open Learning until 1998. In 1998 there was another rebranding which placed the programs in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies. This remains the same today.

From 1977 to 1991 Western’s MLIS program had partnered with the University of Ottawa’s Library Science program. This partnership was originally established to allow Ottawa University students to complete their program when that program was terminated. The admission requirement for this program with the same as the program taking place at Western in London, Ontario. This program proved to me popular and was kept up until the end of 1991.This program enabled students in this area to enrol in Western’s MLS program and complete a significant portion of the program in Ottawa. After 1985 Ottawa students were required to complete one term of their degree in London, and classes in Ottawa were taught by faculty from Western but this eventually changed and Ottawa faculty were included. This program ended due to financial restrictions in 1991 <Graduate School of Library and Information Science Calendar, 1990-1991.

From its inception, the Master’s LIS program has been distinct from the other seven accredited Canadian Universities. This is due to the fact that it is possible to complete the program in one calendar year, three academic terms. There is also an emphasis on the ‘seminar’ method resulting in student centered learning. This method was largely preferred by students and professors. The program grew in recognition and soon had a large national and international constituency with approximately one third of its students coming from outside Ontario. Along with this came an increase in the number of part-time students. The MLIS program was founded on the belief that there is a common set of principles underlying the practices of all information professions. There has been a long tradition in this program of developing curriculum that strives for a balance between professional practice and research based theory.

Locations
The Library and Information Science Program at Western has be housed in several buildings over the years. During the early years from 1967-1982 it was housed in the School of Library and Information Science building. In 1982 it was moved to Elborn College and remained there until 1998. In 1998 the faculty was moved to Middlesex college for several years, 1998-2003, until coming to its present location in the North Campus Building (NCB) in 2003. The majority of the Library and Information science program is housed on the second floor of NCB along with the classrooms. There is a FIMS graduate student lounge on the 4th floor which students can access. Also on the second floor of NCB is the Graduate Resource Center (GRC) which is a faculty supported library which provide information and resources to the FIMS graduate community. The GRC provides resources and information to the following subjectsHealth Information Science, Journalism, Media Studies, Popular Music and Culture, Library and Information Science. This library is managed by the FIMS librarian, two full-time library assistants and also employs several part-time student assistants. There are also three FIMS graduate computer labs that students and faculty have access to. .

A new academic building is in the process of being constructed and will house the Faculty of Information and Media Studies and Nursing program. It is expected to be completed December 2016, and ready for classes January 2017

Western MLIS Program Structure
The MLIS program is a professional based Master program designed to emphasize participation through a seminar style method of education. Tests and exams are not a common method of evaluation in this program but there is a strong focus on group collaboration, presentation skills, and high quality academic writing. Emphasis is given to developing a strong theoretical foundation on library and information science through analysis, comparison, and synthesis of relevant research. The role of the professors is somewhat untraditional as they act as guides to the student's own discovery and learning to encourage self-reliance and self-confidence.

The MLIS program can be completed in one year (15 credits) if students take the full course load and do not wish to experience co-op. There are 5 required courses which all Master's students are required to take (LIS 9001, 9002, 9003, 9004, 9005). Students are also permitted to take a reduced course load or 3 or 4 courses, or complete the program with Part-Time status. There are 5 core competency areas including Information Organization, Curation and Access, Information Policy, Connecting People with Information, Information and Communication Technology and Managing and Working in Information Institutions.

The requirements for the program have been fairly consistent throughout the history of the program. The admin requirements in 1989 to be considered for the MLIS program at Western were a 4 year degree from an accredited university with at least a B average in the last 10 courses, or a 3 year degree with a high B average (75%+) or a 3 year degree with at least a B average and take on the role of a special student, completing extra course work to obtain the equivalent of an Honours degree. On average the program rejected 27.8% of applicants. . . The current admission requirements are:

1. A four-year degree with an average of at least 70% in the last two years of full-time study; 2. A three-year Bachelor's degree in an academic discipline, with an average of at least 70% in the last ten courses taken, and the completion of a Bachelor of Education degree; 3. A three-year Bachelor's degree in an academic discipline, with appropriate additional course work at an accredited university as a special undergraduate student for the equivalent of a four-year degree. This would ordinarily consist of five full academic degree credit courses, usually (but not necessarily) in the student's previous area of specialization. Students who complete these additional courses and maintain an average of at least 70% over the most recently completed ten full academic degree credit courses may apply for admission; 4. A four-year degree, or the equivalent, with an average of at least 70%, and completion of a graduate degree in another academic discipline, with an average of at least 70%; 5. A four-year degree, or the equivalent, with an average of at least 70% and completion of two terms of study towards an MLIS or equivalent degree (with an average of at least 70%) at another ALA-accredited library school. Such students may apply for a transfer at the end of their second term for admission to a 10-course MLIS program. .

The Western MLIS COOP Program
Pioneered in 1979 Western's MLIS co-op combines graduate student's academic experience with the opportunity to partake in paid work experience in a relevant field. The co-op program at Western was the first LIS co-op program in Canada. .This optional program was a leader in the field both nationally and internationally being one of the first to offer a program of this type. The benefits to this program include learning new skills while experiencing the professional work environment and the opportunity to use newly developed skills and knowledge. This program is also great for making connections to professionals in the field and exploring the career opportunities that the LIS field has to offer.The practical experience that is gained during co-op is viewed as great compliment to the theoretical knowledge of their study terms. The number of placements varies each term, as it largely depends on the number of positions made available by employers. There are several requirements that must be met in order to be eligible to participate in a co-op term, as the co-op program is viewed as a privilege rather than a right. This include the completion of at least 4 of the required MLIS courses and an overage average at least 75%, with no course grade less than 70%. Co-op placements in this program have to be completed before the student begins their final academic term. The co-op placement must be for at least 14 weeks to correspond with the academic term. Graduate students apply to the job postings posted by the co-op office and employers select the student they wish to interview. After the interview process students rank the employers with whom they are prepared to accept a position and the employers rank the students with whom they are prepared to hire.

Western LIS PhD Program
Western’s LIS PhD program was approved in 1971 and launched in 1973-1974, after being approved by the Ontario Council of Graduate studies. It was initiated by   and started in the field of Bibliographical Control of Information. In its infancy the admission requirements for the PhD program were a previous M.L.S. degree, or a PhD in a another field with a B.L.S from an accredited school, or having completed at least 5 courses in Library and/or Information science. A formal interview was also required to determine several factors including: motivation and aptitude for LIS research and specific interest and understanding of Bibliographic Control of Information topics. Minimum time required to complete the LIS PhD program was 6 terms or 2 academic years. Requirements and areas of specialization changed over the years, by 1996 the areas of specialization were Information Systems, Information Needs and Uses and Information Policy. . The current PhD program offers 3 options for admission requirements. The first being that applicants will posses a 4 year Honours undergraduate degree and an MLIS from an ALA accredited school, they must also hold a minimum 78% average from their last degree. The second option is for applicants who hold a Master’s degree in another field, applicants must take 3 required MLIS courses with a minimum 78%, in addition to achieving 80% in LIS 9806 and 9809, and 78% in any PhD elective courses they choose to take. The final option is for applicants who hold a previous Master’s degree to complete the MLIS degree concurrently with their PhD. This requires applicants to hold at least 78% average in their last degree and take the required courses from the MLIS and PhD streams. The current areas of specialization are Information & Society and Information Organization and Technologies. In addition to these are research clusters which are commonly researched areas by Faculty and PhD candidates. These include Health Information and Policy, Marxist Political Economy of Information, Social Relations of Information Practices, Reading and Libraries,Theoretical Problems in Information Studies: Philosophy, Ethics, Epistemology, and Webometrics & Informetrics. The PhD program requires the supervision from an Advisory Committee which consists of 3 faculty members.

Deans of Library and Information Science at Western
School of Library and Information Science Andrew Delbridge Osborn PhD…………………………………………………...1967-1970 W.J. Cameron PhD …………………………………………………………………..1970-1984 Jean M Tague-Sutcliffe PhD ………………………………………………………1984-1995

Graduate School of Library and Information Science B.P. Frohmann PhD………………………………………………………………...1995-1996

Faculty of Communications and Open Learning G.A. Moran PhD.…………………………………………………………………….1996-1998

Faculty of Information and Media Studies M. Pendakur PhD…………………………………………………………………..1998-2000 Catherine Ross PhD ………………………………………………………………2002-2007 Thomas Carmichael PhD ……………………………………………………......2007-Present

Student Groups
There are several student groups the operate within the Library and Information Science program at Western. Some of these groups include MLIS Student Council, Librarians Without Borders, Special Libraries Association, Student Librarian’s Association for Children and Youth Services (SLACYS) and the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA).