Below is a list of courses that was completed during my time as a graduate student at Kent State University.
MLIS Program (37 Total Credits)
Information Access and Discovery Pathway
MLIS Core Courses (16 Credit Hours)
LIS 60010 - THE INFORMATION LANDSCAPE (3 credits):
Exploration of the nature of information and technology in information-intensive environments. Topics addressed include information lifecycle processes such as production, storage, sharing, and consumption; social, cultural, economic, legal, and technological contexts for understanding information processes; the roles of information professionals and agencies, and their place in the larger information marketplace; and current and emerging information technologies that shape the information economy.
LIS 60020 - INFORMATION ORGANIZATION (3 credits):
Introduction to the theory and practice of information organization and retrieval in various information environments. Familiarity with principles, standards, tools, and current systems relating to the organization of information and retrieval. Exploration of supported information system functions such as searching, browsing, and navigation. Assessment and evaluation of information organization and retrieval systems.
LIS 60030 - PEOPLE IN THE INFORMATION ECOLOGY (3 credits):
Takes a user-centered approach in exploring the information needs and behaviors of people (as individuals and in groups, communities, and institutions) in relation to the larger information ecology that surrounds them. Topics covered include an overview of information ecology; the user-centered paradigm; major information needs and information behavior theories, models, and findings; the landscape of information sources and services for users; factors that influence people’s information needs and behaviors; and user empowerment, information ethics, information fluency, and related issues.
LIS 60040 - INFORMATION INSTITUTIONS AND PROFESSIONS (3 credits):
Examined the political, social, economic, and technical forces that influence the larger environments in which information institutions are situated. This course explored characteristics of the environments in which information professionals may work, including but not limited to academic, school, public, and special libraries, museums, archives, cultural heritage institutions, government organizations, corporations across all industries, and information creators and publishers. The course explored characteristics of the information profession including core values and principles, emerging professions, and understanding possible futures in the profession, and explored ideas of organizational behavior in information institutions that operate across the institution as a whole, within groups, and within individuals in the organization.
LIS 60050 - RESEARCH AND ASSESSMENT IN LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE (3 credits):
Focused on quantitative and qualitative research methods applicable to information settings and environments. Explored research design, data analysis, proposal development, and ethical issues.
LIS 60280 - MASTER'S PORTFOLIO IN LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE (1 credit):
Completed in a student’s last semester. It included the creation of an electronic portfolio to represent and self-evaluate the student’s experience throughout the MLIS program, considering program learning outcomes, and preparation for a career in the field of library and information science.
MLIS Foundational Courses (6 Credit Hours)
LIS 60601 - INFORMATION SOURCES AND REFERENCE SERVICES (3 credits):
Introduction to use and evaluation of basic sources of reference information, computerized and noncomputerized; reference interview and question-negotiation techniques; administration of reference and information services.
LIS 60613 - INFORMATION NEEDS, SEEKING AND USE (3 credits):
Surveyed theories and research related to people’s interactions with information. The theories covered included information context and situation, information needs, information seeking, exploration of information sources, communication and collaboration in the information search process, information use, and other interactions among people, information, and information systems.
MLIS Elective Courses (15 Credit Hours)
LIS 60401 - LEADERSHIP IN LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION CENTERS (3 credits):
This course reviewed the concept of leadership while delving into its relationship to and differences from management, and its application in the personal and professional lives of information professionals. Beginning with an examination of personal leadership styles, the course reviewed the major philosophies of leadership thought that affect the library and information fields, the role of mentors, team building, project management, the moral and ethical responsibilities of leading others and leading through change in the information world.
LIS 60608 - THE PUBLIC LIBRARY (3 credits):
Analysis of the historical, sociopolitical, technological, fiscal, and organizational factors affecting American public librarianship. Included evaluation, planning, networking, funding, automation, buildings, and censorship.
LIS 60614 - COLLECTION MANAGEMENT IN LIBRARIES (3 credits):
Principles of collection development and management for public, academic, school, and special libraries, including maintenance (weeding and analysis), needs assessment, acquisitions, e-resources, licensing, and preservation.
LIS 60650 - INFORMATION POLICY (3 credits):
Political, economic, cultural, and legal issues regarding the production, distribution, and use of information (print, electronic, and Web). Policy-making process, standards, and protocols, intellectual property, information economy, the impact of computers on access and policy, privacy rights, the transnational flow of information, and the Internet and the World Wide Web.
LIS 60652 - FOUNDATIONS OF RECORDKEEPING IN SOCIETY (3 credits):
An introduction to the core principles and practices of recordkeeping and the multiple and complex roles records and archives play in identity, evidence, transparency, memory, accountability, equity, representation, and trust in society. This course covered historical and contemporary recordkeeping contexts related to individuals, family, community, organization, corporate, academia, and government, as well as traditional, contextual, and digital formats of records and archives.