Master of Library Science Program (M.L.S.)

Goals
Objectives
M.L.S. / M.I.S. Common Core Requirements
Course Requirements

Goals of the M.L.S. Program

The school has identified the following goals for the Master of Library Science program:

1. To promote an understanding of the role of libraries in society, and of the professional and ethical responsibilities of librarians.
2. To foster a user-centered approach to the development and management of information resources.
3. To understand the theory and practice of information collection, organization, retrieval, and analysis with regard to print, nonprint, and electronic resources.
4. To prepare professionals who will promote access to information and be aware of their role in an information-based society.

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Objectives for Students in the M.L.S. Program

Students who complete curricular and other requirements of the program will be able to:

1. Understand the generation and dissemination of information and the role of libraries and information centers in the communication process.
2. Develop and organize collections of information to meet user needs and assist their publics in using those collections.
3. Demonstrate the management skills and technical expertise necessary to support and implement information policies and programs.

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M.L.S. / M.I.S. Common Core Requirements

Note: SLIS now offers a dual M.I.S./M.L.S. degree option (see "Dual Master's Degree Programs" in this bulletin).

A candidate for either the Master of Library Science or the Master of Information Science degree must complete at least three of the following courses:

L503 User Needs and Behavior in Theory and Practice

L505 Organization and Representation of Knowledge and Information

L509 Introduction to Research and Statistics

Management component (if not counted toward the M.I.S. or M.L.S. core requirements): either L527 Management of Libraries and Information Centers or L547 The Organizational Information Resource.

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Course Requirements

A candidate for the Master of Library Science degree must complete 36 semester credit hours of graduate course work, all of which must be taken from the IU School of Library and Information Science. A maximum of 6 graduate credit hours from another ALA-accredited master's degree program may, with the permission of the dean, be applied to the M.L.S. degree. The transferred courses must have a grade of B or higher and must be taken within the five-year time frame allowed for completion of the degree. Only within recognized joint programs, as outlined in this bulletin, may other non-SLIS courses be applied toward the M.L.S. degree.

M.L.S. Core Requirements: In addition to the common core course requirements noted above, students in the M.L.S. degree program must, in consultation with the faculty advisor, select and complete at least three of the following six M.L.S. core courses:

L520 Bibliographic Access and Control

L522 Perspectives on Librarianship, Literacy, Communications, and Reading

L524 Information Sources and Services

L526 Library Automation

L527 Management of Libraries and Information Centers (unless counted toward the common core management component)

L528 Collection Development and Management

M.L.S. Elective Courses: In addition to the six courses (18 credit hours) taken from the common and M.L.S.-specific cores, students must select a minimum of 18 credit hours of elective courses to complete the 36 credit hours required for the M.L.S. degree. Elective courses for the M.L.S. degree may be chosen from the common core, the M.L.S. or M.I.S. core, or the large pool of other SLIS courses available to all master's degree students. Care must be taken to ensure that prerequisites have been satisfied before registering for any course. In no case may more than 6 credit hours to be applied toward the degree come from the workshop courses listed under the L595 course number.

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