Welcome to the Information and Library Science Department
Explore the field of information:
Discover a career in information and cultural institutions
The Information and Library Science Department offers:
- B.S. in Information Management and Services
- M.L.S. (Master of Library Science) program, accredited by the American Library Association (ALA)
- Connecticut Certification as a School Media Specialist, accredited by NCATE
- Sixth Year Diploma in Information Studies
- Continuing Education
- Distance Learning, leading to the ALA-accredited M.L.S. degree, licensed and accredited by the Board of Governors, Dept. of Higher Education, State of Connecticut
ILS: Carrying Tradition into the Future (YouTube)
In 1940, Connecticut's first credit courses in library education were offered at Yale University under the auspices of Connecticut's four-year state colleges. This arrangement continued until the State Board of Education authorized a comprehensive undergraduate degree program in library science at Southern in 1946. In 1954, the board authorized the master's degree program. Southern's Master of Library Science (M.L.S.) program has been accredited by the American Library Association since 1972.
Today, Southern's information and library science programs continue the tradition of a solid experience in library science while offering an array of electives such as digital libraries, information architecture, network management, and instructional design.
In the Master of Library Science program all students receive a strong foundation in reference, cataloging, foundations of librarianship, information technology, and evaluation and research.
Electives allow students to prepare for professional positions in public libraries,
academic libraries, special libraries, and school media library centers, as well as
non-traditional information careers. Offerings of all core courses and a large array
of electives through online study have permitted students from across the country
and around the world to complete an American Library Association (ALA) accredited
Master of Library Science through Southern.
ILS: Carrying tradition into the future
As you begin to explore the degrees offered by the Department of Information and Library
Science, you may want to learn as much as you can about the broader information and
library field.
You may want to begin with a general overview of library and information science
Education & Careers (American Library Association).
A number of information organizations (ALA, ASIS&T, ACM, ALISE) maintain extensive
websites that will help in gaining a broader perspective of the information field:
- AAM Home American Association of Museums
- ALA Home American Library Association ("The Voice of American Libraries")
- ASIS&T Home American Society for Information Science & Technology ("The Information Society for the Information Age")
- ACM Home Association for Computing Machinery ("The First Society in Computing")
- ALISE Home Association for Library and Information Science Education ("Promoting excellence in library and information science education")
- AAMC Home Association of Art Museum Curators
- ACM Home Association of Children's Museums
- ALA-APA Home ALA-Allied Professional Association
- NPS Home National Parks Service
- SAA Home Society of American Archivists
Last updated: March 9, 2013