Program Presentation

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

Required Data

Unit and Chief Administrator

School of Information and Library Science
Joanne Gard Marshall, Dean and Professor

Parent Institution, Chief Executive, and Chief Academic Officer

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Michael Hooker, Chancellor (deceased June 29, 1999);
William O.McCoy,Interim Chancellor
Richard J. Richardson, Provost
[Dean Marshall reports to the Provost]

Accrediting Agency for the Parent Institution

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Name and brief descriptions of programs submitted for accreditation

Master of Science in Library Science (MSLS)
The MSLS program prepares students for professional employment in information and library service. It is designed to educate students for work involving the collection, organization, storage, and retrieval of recorded knowledge for a variety of individuals and groups. Analysis and design skills are emphasized.
The MSLS degree program is intended to prepare students for careers in library service in areas, such as library administration, archives and documents librarianship, cataloging, public and reference services, acquisitions and collection management, children's librarianship, access and manipulation of database information, special collections, and subject areas. Graduates of the program are ready to practice within various settings: academic, public, or special libraries, information centers, or school library media centers.
The program requires 48 semester hours of course work, including a five-course core (15 semester hours) and a research methods course (three semester hours), elective courses in a specialization area, a comprehensive examination, and a master's paper. Basic knowledge of computing is a prerequisite. The program is offered on campus. Students may pursue the degree on a full- or part-time basis but must complete the program within five years.
Master of Science in Information Science (MSIS)
The MSIS program is designed to prepare students to contribute to the design, development, and maintenance of information systems and networks; to provide leadership in the development of new technologies and new applications relating to the delivery of information to users; and to demonstrate a theoretical knowledge of information science, including the theory of information storage and retrieval, systems science, and social, political, and ethical implications of information systems.
The MSIS degree program is intended to prepare students for careers focusing on the design, implementation, evaluation, and administration of a wide variety of information systems including databases, networks, multimedia, the World Wide Web, instructional technologies, and other emerging technologies.
The program requires 48 semester hours of course work, including a five-course core (15 semester hours) and a research methods course (three semester hours), elective courses in a specialization area, a comprehensive examination, and a master's paper. Basic knowledge of computing is a prerequisite. The program is offered on campus. Students may pursue the degree on a full- or part-time basis but must complete the program within five years.

Summary of Review Process

Then Dean Barbara Moran appointed Evelyn Daniel to be COA and Graduate School eview Process Coordinator in the summer of 1998. At the Fall Faculty Planning Day, faculty reviewed the Standards for Accreditation of Master's Programs in Library & Information Studies, the Guidelines for the Program Presentation and the Program Review Guidelines from the Graduate School at UNC-Chapel Hill. Faculty/staff/student task forces were formed around the various sections of the Guidelines supplemented by the reporting requirements of the Graduate School. These groups worked through the fall 1998 and spring 1999 semesters collecting and analyzing data. Surveys, focus groups, interviews (both formal and informal) were used to collect data to supplement existing information. Task Force leaders reported from time to time at faculty meetings with advice and recommendations. Appendix A shows the committee structure and lists individuals who assumed major leadership responsibilities for sections of the review.

New Dean Joanne Marshall took office in January, 1999 and has been working with the faculty and staff since her arrival -- reviewing all aspects of the School and its constituencies, the University and the State. This Program Presentation presents a rich description of the School and its programs within its environment. It is a co-written, collaborative effort by faculty and staff of the School.

Organization of the Report in Relation to the ALA/COA Standards

After this introduction and a preliminary chapter providing background information about the organizational setting, the history of SILS and a description of the school's planning process and vision for the future, Chapters 3, 4 and 6-9 provide descriptive material about aspects of the school and its programs, addressing each of the six ALA/COA standards in turn.

For convenience, a summary at the end of most of these chapters provides the school's self-assessment of the topic in relation to the standards. The exception is Chapter 9 ("Leadership, Governance and Administration of the School"), where the information from the standards is integrated with the text throughout the chapter.

Chapter 4 ("Master's Program Presented for Accreditation") provides data on the curriculum for both master's degree programs being submitted for accreditation. Chapter 4 and Chapter 7 ("Students") are closely related. Chapter 5 describes other degree and non-degree programs offered by SILS; following each program description, a concluding section addresses its impact on the master's programs.

The final chapter, Chapter 10 ("Future Challenges for SILS"), returns to the themes identified in Chapter 3 and discusses challenges and future directions for the school.

Thirty appendices are provided, with referrals from the text. They provide additional data, examples and further details about the school. Of particular note is Appendix U ("Abridged Curriculum Vitae for Faculty").

Revised 10/25/99