Pratt Institute School of Information

Last updated
Pratt Institute School of Information
Pratt Manhattan Center 2021.jpg
Pratt Manhattan Center at 144 West 14th Street
Type Private information school
Established1890
Dean Anthony Cocciolo
Students309 students
Location
New York City
,
New York
,
United States
Campus Urban
Colors Black, White and Yellow [1]
   
Website pratt.edu/information
Logo for Pratt Institute School of Information.png

The Pratt Institute School of Information is the information school of the Pratt Institute, a private university in New York City. The school administers the oldest Library and Information Science program in North America. It was created in Brooklyn, New York City, in 1890 shortly after Melvil Dewey created such a program at Columbia University in 1887. [2] [3] Based in Manhattan, the school administers a master of information and library science degree program that has been accredited by the American Library Association since the 1924/1925 academic year. [4]

Contents

History

A listing of the students from 1890 enrolled in the morning and afternoon cataloging classes, as well as a list of students enrolled in the Library training class. Pratt Institute - Report of students enrolled for Library Department for 1890.jpg
A listing of the students from 1890 enrolled in the morning and afternoon cataloging classes, as well as a list of students enrolled in the Library training class.

Charles Pratt, founder of Pratt Institute, recognized the need for a library that served both the faculty and students of the Institute as well as Brooklyn residents. He also recognized the need to have a facility for training of library staff. In June 1890, Pratt Institute offered courses in cataloging and library economics. [5] [6] In 1895, a regular faculty, chosen for its aptitude in teaching, was organized. [7] Mary Wright Plummer, who was a graduate of Melvil Dewey’s class of 1888 from Columbia University, led it. [3] In 1896, the Library School relocated to Pratt's new library building designed by William Tubby, which continues to act as Pratt Institute’s primary library. [3]

Under Plummer's leadership, the school enacted a stiff entrance exam and exams in German and French. [8] The entering class was consistently around 25 students. [8] In 1911 when Plummer left to direct the Training School at New York Public Library, Josephine Adams Rathbone was appointed vice-director. Both Plummer and Rathbone were elected as presidents of the American Library Association.

Notable alumni from this early period include Anne Carroll Moore, who was a student of Mary Wright Plummer, and became a faculty member and the first children’s librarian at New York Public Library, serving in that position for 35 years (1906–1941). [3] [9] [10] Another notable student from this period is Mary Elizabeth Wood, who promoted the development of libraries in China and established the first program in that country to train librarians. [11]

In 1939, Pratt began to grant the degree of bachelor of science in library science and, in 1950, the master of library science degree. [3] Notable figures from the twentieth century include Nasser Sharify, who worked to develop the field of international librarianship as dean and professor from 1968 to 1987. [12] Soon after Nasser Sharify stepped into the role of Dean in 1968, the school’s name changed to the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS). This would reflect the advances in technology and information science and Pratt’s embrace of these changes. “This action went far beyond a mere change in nomenclature,” Dean Sharify wrote in his 1978 history of the school. “Rather, the new designation gave recognition to an emerging and important new discipline [Information Science].” [3]

Subsequent to the School's name change, the school rewrote its goals and objectives and began to expand its technology curriculum. In need of more space for computer labs, GSLIS moved from the library on the Brooklyn campus to its own building, the Information Science Center (ISC), in 1974. It included laboratories built for more hands-on technical computer study, including an instructional materials lab, an information science lab, and a technical processes lab.

A class in the Pratt Institute Library School, 1897. A class in the Pratt Institute Library School, 1897.jpg
A class in the Pratt Institute Library School, 1897.

The school celebrated its centennial in 1990. In the United States House of Representatives, New York Congressman Major Owens (first librarian to serve in Congress) gave a salute to Pratt Institute's library school "both for its 100th anniversary, and for being the oldest such library program in the country." [13]

Pratt Institute School of Information relocated to the Pratt Manhattan Center at 144 West 14th Street in Manhattan in Fall 2002, and it continues to operate from that location. [14] In 2004, Dean Tula Giannini repositioned the School to focus on archives and cultural heritage, introducing advanced certificate Programs in archives and museum libraries. In [15] fall 2015, Dean Giannini, changed the name of the School from School of Information and Library Science (SILS) to School of Information (SI) as part of a strategic plan to transform the school for the 21st century digital age, which includes three new master degrees and advanced certificates (see below under "Academic programs").

US Congressman Major Owens (first librarian to serve in Congress) gave a salute to Pratt Institute Library Science Department on its 100th Anniversary. 101st Congress, 2nd Session, A Salute to Pratt Institute's Library Science Department on Its 100th Anniversary.jpg
US Congressman Major Owens (first librarian to serve in Congress) gave a salute to Pratt Institute Library Science Department on its 100th Anniversary.

Timeline

Academic programs

Pratt School of Information administers a Master of Science in Information and Library Science (MSLIS) degree accredited by the American Library Association; a M.S. in Museums and Digital Culture; a M.S. in Information Experience Design; a M.S. in Data Analytics and Visualization; and a MSLIS and M.S. History of Art dual degree program. Advanced certificate programs administered include an archives certificate, a museum-libraries certificate, user experience (UX) certificate, digital humanities certificate, conservation and digital curation certificate, and spatial analysis and visualization certificate.

Notable people

Alumni

Library Journal Movers and Shakers

  • 2003 Anne Coriston [27]
  • 2004 Mary Graham [30]
  • 2004 Suzan Lee [31]
  • 2004 Jerome Myers [32]
  • 2006 Kerwin Pilgrim [33]
  • 2006 Gary Shaffer [34]
  • 2007 Lisa Von Drasek [35]
  • 2009 Lia Friedman [36]
  • 2010 Gretchen Caserotti [37]
  • 2010 Stephanie Chase [38]
  • 2010 Lisa Chow [39]
  • 2010 Sandra Sajonas [40]
  • 2011 Tracey Crawford [41]
  • 2012 Davis Erin Anderson [42]
  • 2012 Nate Hill [43]
  • 2013 Dalia R. Levine [44]
  • 2014 Erin Shea [45]
  • 2017 Rebecca Pou [46]
  • 2017 Nicholas Higgins [47]
  • 2018 Jennifer Ferretti [48]
  • 2023 Robert Weinstein [49]
  • 2023 Rakisha Kearns-White [50]

Faculty

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Librarian</span> Profession

A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users.

A teacher-librarian or school librarian or school library media specialist (SLMS) is a certified librarian who also has training in teaching.

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."

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 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">Nasser Sharify</span>

Nasser Sharify was born in Tehran, Iran. Since 1987, he served as a Distinguished Professor and Dean Emeritus of Pratt Institute, School of Information and Library Science in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loriene Roy</span> American librarian from Texas

Loriene Roy is an American scholar of Indigenous librarianship, professor and librarian from Texas. She was the first Native American president of the American Library Association when she was inaugurated in 2007.

Lotsee Patterson is a Comanche librarian, educator, and founder of the American Indian Library Association. She has written numerous articles on collection development, tribal libraries and Native American Librarianship. A Native American, Lotsee Patterson first became interested in collecting Native American objects, as her mother was a collections director. In the late 1950s, she read the 1983 publication The Museum Handbook of Native American History. She saw that Native Americans were less well documented than other cultures and often paid exorbitant prices for materials that were soon obsolete. Patterson is a University of Oklahoma Professor Emeritus of Library and Information Studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Elizabeth Wood</span>

Mary Elizabeth Wood was an American librarian and missionary, best known for her work in promoting Western librarianship practices and programs in China. She is credited with the foundation of the first library school in China, the Boone Library School, as well as spurring the development of Chinese librarianship as a modern profession.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Wright Plummer</span> Former president of the American Library Association (1856–1916)

Mary Wright Plummer was an American librarian who became the second female president of the American Library Association (1915–1916).

A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library, and may hold a degree in librarianship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josephine Adams Rathbone</span>

Josephine Adams Rathbone was a librarian, library educator, author, and president of the American Library Association in 1931–1932. She was born in Jamestown, New York. She began her studies at the University of Michigan from 1887 to 1891, then moved to New York where she graduated from the New York State Library School in 1893 earning a B.L.S. After working for two years as an assistant cataloger at the Pratt Institute Free Library she was appointed "chief instructor" at the Pratt Institute Library School in 1895 under Mary Wright Plummer. When Plummer went to the New York Public Library to establish its Training Class in 1911, Rathbone was appointed vice-director of the Pratt Institute school, a position she held until she retired in 1938.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratt Institute Libraries</span>

Pratt Institute Libraries is the academic library system of Pratt Institute. The main library is located on the main campus in Brooklyn, NY, with a branch library in Manhattan. The collection focus includes the arts, architecture, design, information science and allied fields. Holdings include 200,000 printed volumes, over 600 periodicals, rare books, digital images resources including Pratt Institute specific Digital Image Collection, and the Institute's archives. It has the distinction of being the “first free public library in Brooklyn” and its Brooklyn building is a New York City designated landmark.

Rhoda Garoogian (1933–1998) was an American author and librarian who served as the Assistant Dean of the Pratt Institute School of Information and Library Science beginning in 1977, and Acting Dean from 1989 to 1991. Much of her scholarship was in the field of education for librarians and practices of library use, and she also co-authored a series of city ranking guides with her husband, Andrew Garoogian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loida Garcia-Febo</span> Puerto Rican American librarian

Loida Garcia-Febo is a Puerto Rican American librarian and library consultant. Garcia-Febo served on the Governing Board of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) 2013-2015 and 2015-2017 and she was a member of the executive board of the American Library Association 2015-2020 serving as a board member and president. She was president of the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking (REFORMA) from 2009 to 2010.

Fobazi Michelle Ettarh is an American academic. She has been librarian at Temple University Libraries, California State University, Dominguez Hills and Rutgers University. Her research focus includes inclusion, equity, and diversity in libraries, and her work led her to coin the term "vocational awe."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Ehimigbai Ifidon</span> Retired Nigerian Librarian and Administrator

Professor Samuel Ehimigbai Ifidon is a Nigerian retired librarian. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Classics from the University of London; postgraduate diploma, from the University of Ibadan, Masters of Library and Information Science, University of Western Ontario, Canada; Doctorate Degree from the University of Ibadan. A Chartered Librarian, Fellow of the Nigerian Library Association and member of Nigerian Institute of Management. He has published 7 books, 8 chapters in books, and over 50 articles in national and international journals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James M. Matarazzo</span> American academic and librarian

James M. Matarazzo was an American academic and librarian who taught at Simmons University for almost 50 years. He was a national and global leader in the field of special libraries.

Nicole Amy Cooke is an African-American librarian and the Augusta Baker Endowed Chair at the University of South Carolina. Her research focus on critical cultural information studies in libraries and her advocacy for social justice have earned recognition in the library profession.

The American Library Association Equality Award has been given annually by the American Library Association since 1984 in recognition of achievement for outstanding contribution toward promoting equality in the library profession, either by a sustained contribution or a single outstanding accomplishment. The award may be given for an activist or scholarly contribution in such areas as pay equity, affirmative action, legislative work and non-sexist education. The inaugural award was bestowed on Margaret Myers, Director, Office of Library Personnel Resources of the American Library Association in 1984.

References

  1. ↑ "Pratt Institute Identity Guidelines" (PDF). Pratt Institute. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  2. ↑ Adams Rathbone, Josephine. "The Pratt Institute School of Library Science." Library Journal 46 (1922): 935-936. Accessed December 23, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Sharify, Nasser. "The Pratt Institute Graduate School of Library and Information Science." In Allen Kent, Harold Lancour and Jay E. Daily (eds.), Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, Vol. 23. New York: Marcel Dekker, 1978. Accessed December 23, 2013.
  4. 1 2 Accredited Library and Information Studies Master's Programs from 1925 through Present, American Library Association.
  5. 1 2 Richardson Jr., John V. "History of American Library Science: Its Origins and Early Development." In Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, 3rd Ed. Boca Raton, FL: Taylor & Francis, 2010.
  6. 1 2 Vann, Sarah K. Training for Librarianship before 1923. Chicago, Illinois: American Library Association, 1961.
  7. 1 2 White, Carl M. The Origins of the American Library School. New York: Scarecrow Press, 1961.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Brand, Barbara B. "Pratt Institute Library School: The Perils of Professionalization." In Suzanne Hildenbrand (ed.), Reclaiming the American Library Past: Writing the Women In, pp. 251–278. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing, 1996.
  9. ↑ Miller, Julia (1988). "Anne Carroll Moore: Our First Supervisor of Work with Children". New York Public Library. By Julia Miller, May 1988; revised by Julia Mucci, May 2004. Archived 2013-01-12. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
  10. ↑ Lepore, Jill (2008, July 21). "The Lion and the Mouse: The battle that reshaped children's literature". The New Yorker. On Moore and E. B. White (8 pages).
  11. ↑ Mary Alice Wood. Encyclopædia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/647365/Mary-Elizabeth-Wood
  12. 1 2 Scope and content of collection, Nasser Sharify papers, Hoover Institution Archives. Accessed March 10, 2014.
  13. ↑ "A Salute to Pratt Institute's Library Science Department on Its 100th Anniversary". 101st Congress, 2nd Session. October 16, 1990. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  14. 1 2 "Pratt SILS Now Anchored in Manhattan." Library Journal (September 27, 2002). Accessed March 14, 2014.
  15. ↑ "School of Information and Library Science Renamed | Pratt Institute". News | Pratt Institute. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
  16. 1 2 3 Pratt Institute School of Information Records, Administrative History, Pratt Institute School of Information On-site Archives and Special Collections.
  17. ↑ Marshall, John David. (2000). "The Library History Round Table's First Twenty-five Years: Reminiscences and Remarks on Recent Research." Library & Culture, Vol. 35 No. 1, pp. 41–50.
  18. 1 2 Pratt Institute Public Affairs (1991). Dr. S. M. Matta Appointed Acting Dean at Pratt Institute, Pratt Institute School of Information On-site Archives and Special Collections.
  19. ↑ Library Journal (2005, November 15). "People".
  20. ↑ Pratt Institute Communications. (2015, October 5). School of Information and Library Science Renamed. Pratt Institute On-site Archives and Special Collections.
  21. ↑ Giannini, Tula. (2016, November 30). Pratt School of Information joins the iSchool organization. Pratt Institute School of Information On-Site Archives and Special Collections.
  22. ↑ Pratt Institute Communications. (2016, August 26). School of Information Launches Two New Master of Science Programs. Pratt Institute On-site Archives and Special Collections.
  23. ↑ Pillow, Kirk. (2017, April 10). School of Information Leadership (email letter to Pratt Institute Community).
  24. ↑ Pratt News (2018, May). Pratt Names Anthony Cocciolo Dean of the School of Information.
  25. ↑ Ernesto de la Torre Villar (1993). "Maria Teresa Chavez Campomanes." World Encyclopedia of Library and Information Services, ed. Robert Wedgeworth (Chicago, IL: American Library Association).
  26. ↑ Pratt Institute School of Information Records, sub-series S9.1 – Pre-1945 Student Records, folder f9.1.208 – Chavez, Maria Teresa, Pratt Institute School of Information On-site Archives and Special Collections.
  27. 1 2 "Anne Coriston | Movers & Shakers 2003". Library Journal. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  28. ↑ Hummel, Penny. (2009). “Making the library be alive”: Portland’s librarian, Mary Frances Isom. Portland, OR: Multnomah County Library.
  29. ↑ Library of Congress (1920). Report of the Librarian of Congress and Report of the Superintendent of the Library Building and Grounds. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
  30. ↑ "Mary Graham | Movers & Shakers 2004". Library Journal. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  31. ↑ "Suzan Lee | Movers & Shakers 2004". Library Journal. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  32. ↑ "Jerome Myers | Movers & Shakers 2004". Library Journal. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  33. ↑ "Kerwin Pilgrim | Movers & Shakers 2006". Library Journal. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  34. ↑ "Gary Shaffer | Movers & Shakers 2006". Library Journal. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  35. ↑ "Lisa Von Drasek | Movers & Shakers 2007". Library Journal. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  36. ↑ "Lia Friedman | Movers & Shakers 2009 – Activists". Library Journal. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  37. ↑ "Gretchen Caserotti | Movers & Shakers 2010 – Innovators". Library Journal. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  38. ↑ "Stephanie Chase | Movers & Shakers 2010 – Community Buliders". Library Journal. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  39. ↑ "Lisa Chow | Movers & Shakers 2010 – Change Agents". Library Journal. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  40. ↑ "Sandra Sajonas | Movers & Shakers 2010 – Change Agents". Library Journal. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  41. ↑ "Tracy Crawford | Movers & Shakers 2011 – Advocates". Library Journal. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  42. ↑ "Davis Erin Anderson | Movers & Shakers 2012 — Change Agents". Library Journal. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  43. ↑ "Nate Hill | Movers & Shakers 2012 — Innovators". Library Journal. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  44. ↑ "Dalia R. Levine | Movers & Shakers 2013 — Innovators". Library Journal. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  45. ↑ "Erin Shea | Movers & Shakers 2014 — Marketers". Library Journal. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  46. ↑ "Rebecca Pou | Movers & Shakers 2017 – Digital Developers". Library Journal. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  47. ↑ "Nicholas Higgins | Movers & Shakers 2017 – Advocates". Library Journal. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  48. ↑ "Jennifer A. Ferretti | Movers & Shakers 2018 – Community Builders". lj.libraryjournal.com. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  49. ↑ "Robert Weinstein | Movers & Shakers 2023—Community Builders". lj.libraryjournal.com. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  50. ↑ "Rakisha Kearns-White | Movers & Shakers 2023—Change Agents". lj.libraryjournal.com. Retrieved 2023-04-10.

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