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=School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alberta=

About
The School of Library and Information Studies is situated at the University of Alberta (also known as UAlberta, U of A) in Edmonton and is part of the Faculty of Education. The School offers a Masters program in Library and Information Studies (MLIS) that is accredited by the American Library Association, as well as combined programs with a Master of Arts in Humanities Computing (MLIS/MA in HUCO) and a Masters of Business Administration (MLIS/MBA). The School also offers the only completely online MLIS in Canada and is the only ALA accredited school on the Canadian prairies.

Mission Statement
The School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) at the University of Alberta envisions a society where institutions which create opportunities for individuals to use and prosper from information, promote learning, enable communities to connect and explore new ideas are celebrated. Their mission is to offer programs, instruction and partnerships which create active leaders within the library and information studies world and society overall. SLIS aims to honour values such as integrity, diversity, respect, fairness, curiosity, accountability, pride, and excellence in each of its endeavours.

History
After World War II, with the economy recovering, demand for both libraries and knowledgeable library professionals greatly increased and the need for more widely available library education began to increase within library associations across the prairies. In 1965 the University of Alberta Board of Governors at last decided to create a library school at its Edmonton Campus. The plan for the new School of Library Science was completed in 1966, and the first students began the Bachelor of Library Science(BLS) program in 1968.

Originally, the school was located in the Education Library at the University of Alberta (Now the HT Coutts Education Library). In August of 1970 the school was moved into Rutherford Library (now Rutherford South) where it remains today.

The first program that was offered by the School of Library Science was the BLS. This program began with an intense 4-week orientation, which included a road trip across the prairies to visit different libraries in Canada. This program was granted accreditation by the American Library Association in 1970. This Accreditation was also granted to the first graduating class, which graduated the year before. The Master of Library Science was added to the programs offered in 1971 as a one year degree designed to be completed after the BLS. In 1974 this program was updated to become a 2-year MLS program in order to maintain the standards which had been set for library education across Canada. In 1975 the School changed its title to become the Faculty of Library Science. One year later, the BLS was removed in 1976. Twelve years later the Faculty of Library Science changed its name again to the Faculty of Library and Information Studies, offering the current Master of Library and Information Studies degree that we see today. In 1992 the Faculty of Library and Information Studies was placed within the Faculty of Education, and renamed as the School of Library and Information Studies. In 2003, the joint HuCo MA-MLIS Degree was introduced. More recently, the School introduced the first Canadian completely online MLIS degree in 2013 and in 2014 the joint MBA-MLIS was established. The School has maintained its ALA Accreditation since 1970 and continuing through to today.

MLIS

 * Course based
 * The school offers both an online and in-person course based MLIS. These two programs involve completing 48 credits of coursework (16 courses), which can be done either full time or part time. Full time students will finish this program in 2 years. Meanwhile part-time students have up to 6 years to complete all of their course work. There are 5 required courses which also cover the ethics training requirements established by the University of Alberta Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. At the end of the program a capping exercise must be completed, which highlights work done by the student throughout their program and demonstrates the student’s commitment to goals and values such as research, leadership and intellectual responsibility.


 * Thesis Based
 * The school also offers an in-person Thesis-based MLIS. This involves the completion of 13 courses and a thesis paper (equivalent to the same 48 credits as the course-based MLIS). Students are normally admitted to the course-based program first, and can then switch to a thesis-based program after their first year. The thesis-based program typically takes one semester longer than the course-based program, thus students normally convocate in the fall of their second year, rather than in Spring term.

Combined Programs

 * The combined Masters of Business Administration (MBA) /MLIS is a course-based inter-faculty joint degree. The MBA portion of this degree is organized by the University of Alberta School of Business. This program involves 81 credits in total (45 MBA credits and 36 MLIS credits) and is completed over 3 years. There are 4 required MLIS courses and 12 required MBA courses. Two capping exercises must also be completed at the end of the program, one for each faculty’s requirements.


 * The combined Master of Arts in Humanities Computing (HuCo) /MLIS is a three year inter-faculty joint degree with both extensive coursework and a thesis component. The HuCo portion is organized through the Humanities Computing Department within Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Alberta. This program requires the completion of 45 credits and a thesis. There are 9 required MLIS Courses and 6 required HuCo courses. The thesis component is co-supervised by one member from each department (one supervisor from the HuCo department and one from the School of Library and Information Studies).

Doctorate of Philosophy

 * The School also offers an interdisciplinary Ph.D. This Ph.D. must be done alongside another department on campus with an established Ph.D. program. Students in this program are co-supervised by a SLIS faculty member, as well as a faculty member from their other chosen department.

Work experience opportunities

 * Practicum
 * SLIS offers a 100 hour practicum as a Fall or Spring elective to all students enrolled in the program. Students are able to take their practicum placements in any library located around Canada or internationally. A practicum placement provides students with a hands-on immersive experience in the library field under the supervision of an experienced librarian or information worker.


 * Partners Week
 * Partners Week is a program that connects students with LIS professionals in Edmonton, to discover more about work environments, different types of employment and issues facing librarians in the workplace.

The U of A also offers numerous networking events throughout the year including the annual student-run Forum for Information Professionals conference, career talks, and research colloquiums.

Research
Research conducted by professors and students at SLIS is highly valued and encouraged. The school fosters an interest in diverse topics in library and information studies and encourages their students and faculty to explore any area of interest. Current areas of research that faculty are engaged with include: Academic freedom, bibliometrics, children's and young adult literature, digital libraries, global citizenship, human computer interaction (HCI), intellectual freedom, interpreting multimedia, information behaviour, information ethics, information literacy, information retrieval, information systems, information organization and representation, knowledge management, knowledge network analysis and visualization, readers' advisory services, scholarly communication, and text mining and competitive intelligence. The annual Forum for Information Professionals is another event where students are able to showcase their research projects and share them with other information professionals in this student-run one-day conference.

Student Groups

 * Library and Information Students Association (LISSA): The Library and Information Students Association represents all students enrolled at the school. The Association acts as a liaison between the students and faculty and is also responsible for putting on a number of social activities including a Welcome event and the year end party.


 * Future Librarians for Intellectual Freedom (FLIF): The Future Librarians for Intellectual Freedom group work to promote awareness of social responsibilities and intellectual freedom library-related issues for the public and for information professionals.


 * Canadian Association of Professional Academic Librarians (CAPAL): The CAPAL student chapter provides both on-campus and online MLIS students with opportunities to enhance their professional skills, and engage in discussions with academic librarians and peers through online events.


 * Partners Week: Partners Week is an opportunity for students to investigate potential career paths and put their schoolwork into context by meeting with library professionals.


 * Forum for Information Professionals (FIP): An annual one-day event of presentations and discussions on current topics facing librarianship, which is hosted by SLIS students and organized by the Forum for Information Professionals committee.

Alumni
The Library and Information Studies Alumni Association (LISAA) represents all alumni of the SLIS program, alongside graduates of the previous Bachelor of Library Science degree.