University of British Columbia School of Information

Last updated
University of British Columbia
School of Information
UBC-3.jpg
Irving K. Barber Centre
Type Public
Established1961
DirectorLuanne Sinnamon
Administrative staff
More than 20 staff and faculty (15 full-time tenured/tracked faculty), 25 seasonal lecturers
Postgraduates 130 MLIS, 30 MAS, 30-40 Dual, 20 MACL, 15-18 PhD
Location, ,
Campus Urban, 402 ha (993 acres)
Colours   Green
AffiliationsUniversity of British Columbia, Vancouver
Website ischool.ubc.ca

The University of British Columbia School of Information is a graduate school at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver offering a Master of Archival Studies (MAS), a Master of Arts in Children's Literature (MACL), a Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS), a DUAL Master of Archival Studies/Master of Library and Information Studies (MASLIS) and a Doctor of Philosophy in Library, Archival and Information Studies (Ph.D.). Founded in 1961 as the School of Librarianship, the iSchool is currently located in the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre. The school changed its name in 2020, but was previously known as the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies (SLAIS or SLAIS, The iSchool at UBC). [1] UBC iSchool is an internationally ranked, multi-disciplinary school, ranked first in the world for graduate education in library and information management based on 2019 and 2020 QS ranking. [2] [3]

Contents

Academic programs

UBC iSchool offers four master's degrees and a doctoral degree. Students can also specialize in the First Nations Curriculum Concentration if they want to work with, or within Indigenous knowledge organizations. [4]

The Master of Archival Studies and Master of Library and Information Studies degrees are 48-credit programs, consisting primarily of coursework, with an optional 12-credit thesis option.

The Master of Library and Information Studies degree is accredited by the American Library Association. The degree was first offered in 1995 and superseded the Master of Library Studies, which had been offered since 1971. Prior to that, the school offered a one-year Bachelor of Library Science. [5]

The Master of Archival Studies degree program follows the guidelines for archival education published by the Association of Canadian Archivists and the Society of American Archivists. The degree program began in 1981 and was the first stand-alone degree program in archival science in Canada or the United States. [6]

The Dual Master of Archival Studies/Master of Library and Information Studies program enables students to earn both the MAS and MLIS degrees within three to five years, following the completion of 81 credits. [7]

The Master of Arts in Children's Literature is a 30-credit interdisciplinary program, composed of courses from the departments of English, French, Language and Literacy Education, Theatre and the School of Information. [8] [9]

The Doctor of Philosophy in Library, Archival and Information Studies program was introduced in 2003, with Archival Studies and Library and Information Studies streams. [10]

Research

Research is carried out across a number of areas.

New Media

At the iSchool, a number of faculty do research in the new media space: Internet research, online social networks, e-learning, new media literacy, youth and new media, e-books, social media, open data and government, user engagement, social tagging, researchers on GRAND (Graphics, Animation and New Media), as well as faculty associated with the Faculty of Art's Bachelor of Media Studies.

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)

HCI is necessarily an interdisciplinary field, engaging researchers who design, build, test, evaluate and examine the impact of new computer implementations for individual, group and community use across levels of skill, ability, and facility with technology. It addresses multiple contexts from work to learning and includes both fixed and mobile technologies and applications. [11]

Cultural Heritage

Collection, preservation, access and use in library, archival and museum contexts, as augmented and challenged by digitization, digital production (‘born digital’ materials), participatory culture, and access through contemporary media. Cultural Heritage Management addresses what in the cultural realm will be retained, by whom, in what manner, and with what access (i.e. whose history will be digitized, retained and made available). Research addresses both traditional and newly emerging contexts. It includes new access protocols and technologies for physical and digitized cultural artifacts held in traditional institutions, documentation, preservation, and sustainability of cultural knowledge and practices. For example, professors and students from the iSchool at UBC work with the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre and others to support the Indigitization program, which provides funding and training for Indigenous communities and organizations to digitize cultural heritage materials. [12] [13]

Records and Information Management

Archival science is concerned broadly with the creation and preservation of representations of transactions (i.e., records and archives) that can provide information and evidence about past activities of individuals and organizations. Archival Science explores the theoretical and practical conditions that lead to, or work against, creation and preservation of persistent and trustworthy records and archives. It also touches on issues of representation, openness, transparency, privacy, security, accountability, internal control, compliance and risk and risk management.

Children and Young Adult Literature and Services

This research depends on a multi-disciplinary approach bringing an understanding of child development, cognition, literacy, and literary analysis to bear on creative and critical evaluation of children's literature and young adult literature in traditional and new media formats. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archive</span> Accumulation of historical records

An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archivist</span> Professional who preserves information for long-term use

An archivist is an information professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist can consist of a variety of forms, including letters, diaries, logs, other personal documents, government documents, sound or picture recordings, digital files, or other physical objects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archival science</span> Science of storage, registration and preservation of historical data

Archival science, or archival studies, is the study and theory of building and curating archives, which are collections of documents, recordings, photographs and various other materials in physical or digital formats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UBC Sauder School of Business</span> Business school of the University of British Columbia

The UBC Sauder School of Business is the business school of the University of British Columbia. The faculty is located in Vancouver on UBC's Point Grey campus and has a secondary teaching facility at UBC Robson Square downtown. UBC Sauder has been accredited by AACSB since 2003. The current Dean is Darren Dahl.

The Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS), also referred to as the Master of Library and Information Studies, is the master's degree that is required for most professional librarian positions in the United States. The MLIS is a relatively recent degree; an older and still common degree designation for librarians to acquire is the Master of Library Science (MLS), or Master of Science in Library Science (MSLS) degree. According to the American Library Association (ALA), "The master’s degree in library and information studies is frequently referred to as the MLS; however, ALA-accredited degrees have various names such as Master of Information Studies, Master of Arts, Master of Librarianship, Master of Library and Information Studies, or Master of Science. The degree name is determined by the program. The [ALA] Committee for Accreditation evaluates programs based on their adherence to the Standards for Accreditation of Master's Programs in Library and Information Studies, not based on the name of the degree."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of library and information science</span> Overview of and topical guide to library science

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to library and information science:

Education for librarianship, including for paraprofessional library workers, varies around the world, and has changed over time. In recent decades, many institutions offering librarianship education have changed their names to reflect the shift from print media to electronic media, and to information contained outside of traditional libraries. Some call themselves schools of library and information science, or have dropped the word "library" altogether.

The University of British Columbia Library is the library system of the University of British Columbia (UBC). The library is one of the 124 members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). In 2017, UBC Library ranked 29th among members of the ARL for the number of volumes in library, making it the third largest Canadian academic library after the University of Toronto and the University of Alberta. However, UBC Library ranked 23rd for the titles held and second in Canada, and had a materials expenditures of $13.8 million, placing it 44th.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preservation (library and archive)</span> Set of activities aimed at prolonging the life of a record or object

In conservation, library and archival science, preservation is a set of preventive conservation activities aimed at prolonging the life of a record, book, or object while making as few changes as possible. Preservation activities vary widely and may include monitoring the condition of items, maintaining the temperature and humidity in collection storage areas, writing a plan in case of emergencies, digitizing items, writing relevant metadata, and increasing accessibility. Preservation, in this definition, is practiced in a library or an archive by a conservator, librarian, archivist, or other professional when they perceive a collection or record is in need of maintenance.

Oral history preservation is the field that deals with the care and upkeep of oral history materials, whatever format they may be in. Oral history is a method of historical documentation, using interviews with living survivors of the time being investigated. Oral history often touches on topics scarcely touched on by written documents, and by doing so, fills in the gaps of records that make up early historical documents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Washington Information School</span> Information school of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington

The Information School is the information school of the University of Washington, a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Formerly the Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences since 1984, the Information School changed its focus and name in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irving K. Barber Learning Centre</span>

The Irving K. Barber Learning Centre (IKBLC) is a facility at the Vancouver campus of the University of British Columbia. The learning centre is built around the refurbished core of the 1925 UBC Main Library. The Centre is named for Irving. K. Barber, a philanthropist and graduate of UBC.

The University of Texas School of Information is a graduate school and undergraduate school at the University of Texas at Austin, offering master's and doctoral degrees in information studies, as well as certificates of advanced study and an undergraduate minor. In 2021, they began offering a bachelor's degree in informatics. UT iSchool graduates find careers in archival enterprise, information architecture, information policy, information systems design and management, information usability, librarianship, multimedia design, museum work, preservation and conservation, and records management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Western Ontario Faculty of Information and Media Studies</span>

The Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS) is a faculty at University of Western Ontario, located in London, Ontario, Canada. The faculty offers programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels focusing on the advancement of knowledge in media, communications, and information technologies.

Luciana Duranti is an archival theorist and professor of archival science and diplomatics at the University of British Columbia School of Library, Archival and Information Studies in Vancouver, Canada. She is a noted expert on diplomatics and electronic records. Since 1998, she has been the director of the electronic records research project, InterPARES. She has disclosed the concept of the archival bond originally initiated by Italian archivist Giorgio Cencetti in 1937.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Library and Information Science program at the University of Western Ontario</span>

Located in London, Ontario, Canada, the Library and Information Science (LIS) program at the University of Western Ontario offers both Masters and PhD level programs through the Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS). Its Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program is one of seven Canadian MLIS programs currently accredited by the American Library Association (ALA). Both the PhD and Masters programs in Library and Information Sciences at Western FIMS emphasize research skills development, engagement with professional literature, information technology learning, and professional career preparedness.

The School of Library and Information Studies is situated at the University of Alberta in Edmonton and is part of the Faculty of Education. The School offers a Master's 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 Digital Humanities and a Master of Business Administration (MLIS/MBA). SLIS offers an Individual Interdisciplinary PhD opportunity in conjunction with other University of Alberta departments that serve as home units for PhD programs. The School also offers the only fully online MLIS in Canada.

Jennifer Douglas is a Canadian archivist and academic who researches the creation of personal archives and their place within with traditional archival practice.

References

  1. ""UBC iSchool has a new name."". ischool.ubc.ca. June 2018.
  2. "QS World University Rankings for Library & Information Management 2019". Top Universities. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  3. "QS World University Rankings for Library & Information Management 2020". Top Universities. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  4. "First Nations Curriculum Concentration". UBC iSchool. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  5. "Highlights | About | School of Information. UBC iSchool. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  6. Eastwood, Terry. "Archival Research: the University of British Columbia Experience." The American Archivist 63 (Fall/Winter 2006): 243-257.
  7. "Dual Master of Archival Studies and Library and Information Studies". UBC School of Information. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  8. "Master of Arts in Children's Literature". UBC School of Information. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  9. "Supporting Units". Master of Arts in Children's Literature. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  10. "PhD Program". UBC School of Information. UBC School of Information. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  11. "About HCI@UBC | HCI AT UBC". hci.ubc.ca. Archived from the original on 2014-10-18.
  12. "Current Research Projects | SLAIS, the iSchool @ UBC". slais.ubc.ca. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  13. "Indigitization | Toolkit for the Digitization of First Nations Knowledge". www.indigitization.ca. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  14. "Home | Master of Arts in Children's Literature (MACL)". macl.arts.ubc.ca. Retrieved 2023-12-24.