Welcome to the Library and Information Science Program at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Sciences. For more than 100 years, the School of Information Sciences has been educating information professionals. Our degree programs and specializations, carefully crafted to meet the needs of both students and the library profession, have received national recognition. Our Master of Library and Information Science degree program is accredited by the American Library Association and has been ranked as one of the top-ten programs by US News & World Report in the magazine’s 2007 edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools.” We strive to provide you with an environment, faculty, and courses that will give you the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary for succeeding in a career in the information professions.

We live in an age where information defines, assists, and challenges us. Books continue to pour from presses and newspapers are still delivered to our doorsteps, but we also now are inundated with information from television, the World Wide Web, portable data assistants, and cell phones. The meaning of information is debated. The ethical dimensions of information use are contested. And notions like privacy and intellectual property are rapidly evolving. How we harness and use a growing array of information tools have led to new opportunities for working in a field encompassing both traditional and new and emerging information specialists.

It is an exciting time to be an information professional. Medical informatics specialists, webmasters, digital librarians, school media specialists, information policy experts, archivists, preservation administrators, academic librarians, and other types of librarians and information professionals are playing important roles in society and government, corporations, and cultural organizations. These information professionals are meeting the needs of all elements of our society, working on policy issues, devising new means for preserving documents in paper and digital forms, and experimenting with new ways to improve access to information vital to government, corporations, universities, and cultural organizations.

If you are interested in pursuing a rewarding career, come join the Library and Information Science program at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Sciences. We offer a Masters in Library and Information Science degree – a one-year, 12-course (36-credit) program, which is accredited by the American Library Association. We are expanding the opportunities for individuals already working in the field and holding an MLIS degree to upgrade their knowledge or change their professional orientation through our Certificate in Advanced Studies degree. And, for those interested in research and academic careers, we offer a rigorous PhD program in Library and Information Science.

You can explore the many educational opportunities here at SIS by browsing through our website. If you wish to have additional information sent to you, you will find ways of requesting such materials on our program’s website. Also, please feel free to contact me, and I will make sure you receive what you need. I look forward to seeing you at our school – and engaging you in dialogue about the opportunities offered by the information fields.

Richard J. Cox
Professor and Chair, Library and Information Sciences Program