![]() | This article reads like a press release or a news article and may be largely based on routine coverage .(December 2013) |
Other name | INFO College |
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Former names | The School of Library and Information Services (1965), College of Library and Information Services (1973), College of Information Studies (2001) |
Motto | Connecting People, Information, and Technology for Good |
Type | Public |
Established | 1965 |
Founder | Paul Wasserman [1] |
Parent institution | University of Maryland, College Park |
Affiliation | https://www.ischools.org/ |
Dean | Dr. Keith Marzullo |
Location | , , 20742 , 38°59′17.4″N76°56′29.4″W / 38.988167°N 76.941500°W |
Campus | suburban |
Language | English |
Website | ischool |
The University of Maryland (UMD) College of Information is a teaching and research college located just outside of Washington, DC on the UMD College Park campus in the state of Maryland, USA. The UMD College of Information, also known as the INFO College, offers bachelors, masters, and doctoral degree and certificate programs. Research at the college spans areas of information science, from AI to cybersecurity to archives, and is driven by a mission to use information and technology to solve real world problems and do good.
The College of Information was founded in 1965 at the University of Maryland (UMD) in response to demand for library education in the DC/MD/VA area, which lacked a library school in a public university at that time. Originally named the School of Library and Information Services, the school's first home was in the University's McKeldin Library and it offered a Master of Library Science (MSL) degree program.
Paul Wasserman was the school's first Dean, bringing with him extensive experience as an educator and librarian, with notable appointments at the Brooklyn Public Library, NY 1949-53 and Cornell University, Graduate School of Business and Public Administration 1953-65. Wasserman, who served as Dean for five years, was known for his advocacy of research and innovation in the field of information science. Under his leadership, the school became the first Information School to require a technology course, began recruiting international faculty and students, became accredited by the American Library Association in 1967 (which the college maintains today), established the controversial High John Library in 1967, and launched a PhD in Information Studies program in 1969.
In 1970, the school moved to UMD's new Undergraduate Library, which was later named for R. Lee Hornbake, the University Vice President and VP for Academic Affairs, a strong supporter of library education and services. In 1973, the school was renamed the College of Library and Information Services.
In the 1980s there was heated debate over whether Library Schools should be a part of major research-oriented universities. The University of Chicago's Graduate Library School was closed in 1989 and its closing was attributed to "the divorce of the School's research activities from what the profession perceived as its needs for training." Shortly thereafter, in 1990, Columbia University's School of Library Service was closed. There were reports of fierce opposition from tenured faculty to sever ties to all library communities and reorient priorities to support newly emerging information communities as well as deemphasize professionally relevant education and practitioner connections. [2] In 1991, coupled with the economic downturn (the University had implemented furloughs as well) there was a call for the College of Library and Information Services at Maryland to be shut down. It was proposed that the college became a department rather than a self-standing college. There was a public, open meeting where the issue was debated. The college was given support by Representative Steny Hoyer. In addition, past deans, faculty and alumni were on hand to counter the proposal. Former students spoke up in defense of the program, attributing their successes in public service jobs to the college's educational programs. The college was able to avoid being shut down.
In the 1990s, library schools, including the UMD College of Library and Information Services, began to expand their areas of research and education in response to the rapidly advancing information age. More and more information was being produced and being disseminated from ever-increasing sources. The college was expanding into data science and policy, digital literacy, and how the new world of information and technology could be leveraged to benefit individuals and social challenges.
In 1993, Ann Prentice became dean of the college. During this time period, the University of Maryland's Provost prompted a general review of the college and a reexamination of the goals and mission statement. The Provost wanted to promote more innovation, creation, research, and services. Therefore, the college went through significant changes as the MLS curriculum was revised and the college began to morph into what it is now, the College of Information.
In 2001, to reflect this evolution in its scope of academics and research, the school was renamed the College of Information Studies. Dropping “libraries” and replacing “services” with “studies” was deliberate, and reflected both the broader scope of its research while still respecting its impact on practice and policy in libraries.
Bruce Dearstyne took over as Interim Dean in 2001 after Prentice retired, and the transformation continued under his leadership. His signature initiative was introduction of the Master of Information Management program (MIM) in 2003.
In 2005, Jenny Preece became Dean and served through 2015. Under Preece, in 2005, the UMD College of Information Studies joined the growing iSchools Organization (now an international organization of over 120 Information Schools). The iSchools Organization, of which the College of Information remains a member today, promotes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the opportunities and challenges of information management, with a core commitment to concepts like universal access and user-centered organization of information.
Under Preece, the MIM program grew substantially. In addition, in 2011, the Master of Human-Computer Interaction (HCIM) program was launched. The college was emerging as a leader in research and education in data science and human-computer interaction. In the summer of 2015, Brian Butler took over as interim dean as Jenny Preece stepped down, which coincided with the college's inaugural MLS program being renamed the Master of Library & Information Science (MLIS).
In 2016, Keith Marzullo accepted the position of Dean of the College of Information Studies. Marzullo, a noted computer scientist, ACM Fellow, educator, and policy leader, spearheaded expanding the college's research areas of expertise and leadership in multidisciplinary collaboration, particularly within the University of Maryland (UMD) community. The college launched a Bachelor of Science in Information Science degree program (InfoSci) in 2016, Master of Professional Studies in Game, Entertainment, and Media Analytics (GEM) in 2021, Master of Professional Studies in Data Journalism (MPDJ) in 2022 in collaboration with the UMD Philip Merrill College of Journalism, Bachelor of Science in Social Data Science (SDSC) in 2022 in collaboration with the UMD College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, and Bachelor of Arts in Technology and Information Design (InfoDesign) in 2022.
In 2021, the College of Information Studies' Master of Library & Information Science (MLIS) program was ranked #4 in the USA in the U.S. News & World Report's 2021 LIS college rankings. This was a jump from the college's previous #8 ranking earned in 2017. In 2024, the Bachelor of Science in Information Science (InfoSci) program became the second largest degree program at the University of Maryland College Park.
As Dean, Marzullo continued the college's commitment to its membership in the iSchools Organization, becoming the iSchools Americas Chair in 2018-current, representing Canada, the United States, Central America, and South America. Under Marzullo, in 2024, the college changed its name to the College of Information, representing the college's evolving mission and growing scope, and aligning more closely with modern nomenclatures within the information field.
The Faculty of Information (or the iSchool at the University of Toronto) is an undergraduate and graduate school that offers the following programs: a Bachelor of Information (BI), a Master of Information (MI), a Master of Museum Studies (MMSt), and a PhD in information studies, as well as diploma courses. As a member of the iSchool movement, the Faculty of Information takes an interdisciplinary approach to information studies, building on its traditional strengths in library and information science, complemented by research and teaching in archives, museum studies, user experience, information systems and design, critical information studies, culture and technology, knowledge management, digital humanities, the history of books, data science and other related fields. It is located on St. George Campus, in the Claude Bissell building, at 140 St. George Street, which is attached to the John P. Robarts Research Library and the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library.
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Master of Professional Studies (MPS) is a type of master's degree concentrated in an applied field of study. MPS degrees are often interdisciplinary. While Master of Arts and Master of Science degree programs tend to focus on theory and research, Master of Professional Studies degrees tend to emphasize practical skills designed for current and aspiring professionals, including post-bachelor and post-graduate students, and often require some amount of fieldwork or internship to complement classroom learning.
The University of Michigan School of Information is the informatics and information science school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It offers baccalaureate, magisterial, and doctoral degrees.
The University of Maryland Libraries is the largest university library system in the Washington D.C.–Baltimore area. The system includes eight libraries: six are located on the College Park campus, while the Severn Library, an off-site storage facility, is located just outside campus, and the Priddy Library is located on the University System of Maryland satellite campus in Shady Grove.
The Drexel University College of Computing & Informatics (CCI), formerly the College of Information Science and Technology or iSchool, is one of the primary colleges of Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The College of Computing & Informatics has faculty and administrative offices, research laboratories, collaborative learning spaces, and classrooms located at 3675 Market Street Philadelphia, PA. The current dean is Yi Deng.
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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.
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Keith Marzullo is the inventor of Marzullo's algorithm, which is part of the basis of the Network Time Protocol and the Windows Time Service. On August 1, 2016 he became the Dean of the University of Maryland College of Information Studies after serving as the Director of the NITRD National Coordination Office. Prior to this he was a Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at University of California, San Diego. In 2011 he was inducted as a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery.
The Khoury College of Computer Sciences is the computer science school of Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. It was the first college in the United States dedicated to the field of computer science when it was founded in 1982. In addition to computer science, it specializes in data science and cybersecurity. The college was also among the first to offer an information assurance degree program.
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