SCHOOL OF LIBRARY & INFORMATION SCIENCE
STRATEGIC PLAN 2011-2020
Mission
The School of Library & Information Science produces qualified, capable professionals for positions of responsibility in public and private libraries, archives and other information organizations which provide a diversity of services to their user communities and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in these fields. Faculty are expected, through their instructional, research, and service activities, to contribute tangibly to the development of the knowledge base in our disciplines.
Vision
The MLIS is the entry level professional degree required for positions in archives, academic libraries, corporate libraries, government libraries, health sciences libraries, public libraries, and many school libraries. In this age of information and digitization, SLIS pursues high-quality teaching, research, and service in order to produce ethically-grounded graduates who will empower people, organizations, and communities to access and handle information in all its forms efficiently and effectively. They select, acquire, organize, describe, preserve, and analyze information; they also provide and promote access to information and complex documentary research.Our graduates engage in activities as varied as early literacy instruction, knowledge management, health informatics, and the preservation of historical records. They perform in instructional, advisory, and administrative roles, in which they assist their clients with satisfying their informational, educational, recreational, and research needs, and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field of library and information science. They are making significant contributions statewide, nationally, and internationally. As part of a leading research-extensive university, through our research, scholarship, publications, and presentations we strive to be one of the best LIS schools in the United States, currently focusing on becoming one of the top 20 LIS schools in the U.S. News & World Report ranking.
Goal I: DISCOVERY
Promote research activities and enhance research production
Performance Indicators
- A total of nine scholarly publications by all SLIS faculty each year (an increase of 28% over the current average of 7 publications)
- An average of three applications for external grants and/or contracts from national sources will be submitted by SLIS each year (an increase of 33% over the current average)
- An average of one external grant and/or contract from national or international sources funded each year (an increase of 20% over the current average)
- More than 10 national or international presentations by SLIS faculty each year (an increase of 25% over the current average of eight presentations)
- An increase in the number of citations to faculty publications by two percent each year
- SLIS faculty will serve on a total of at least four editorial boards for scholarly journals (this maintains the current average)
Strategies
- Foster and maintain a rich, supportive, and stimulating research culture among the SLIS faculty members through regular Works in Progress Seminars and informal research meetings
- Bring one external speaker to SLIS each year to discuss research
- Recognize research accomplishments by SLIS faculty by announcing publications and funded projects on the SLIS website and through other channels
- Involve MLIS students in faculty research projects
- Develop an infrastructure to provide guidance and technical support for faculty to prepare research grant proposals
Goal II: LEARNING
Continue to have a strong MLIS program
Performance Indicators
- Continued accreditation by the American Library Association
- All 11 tenure-track faculty position filled (currently two positions are vacant due to budget cuts)
- Increase MLIS enrollment by 5% each year, from a base of 170 students in 2011
- An online degree option for MLIS students
- Students taking more than 50% of their courses in a distance format continuing to pass the SLIS comprehensive exam at the same rate as students in face-to-face classes
- Distance students involved in the life of SLIS by becoming officers in student organizations
- An average of 60 MLIS degrees will be awarded each year (current average is 55)
- At least 10 students will receive school library certification each year
- At least 75% of graduates who respond will find appropriate employment within one year
- At least 90% of graduates who respond will indicate that they are satisfied or very satisfied with the MLIS education they received
Strategies
- Fully prepare for the upcoming ALA accreditation visit in March 2012
- Continue to strengthen the MLIS program through regular, systematic review of the curriculum
- Replace faculty and staff positions lost during recent budget cuts
- Increase enrollment by designing an aggressive marketing campaign for recruitment of face-to-face and online students
- Continue to monitor alumni satisfaction and job placement through annual surveys
Goal III: LEARNING
Increase the number of graduate degrees offered by SLIS
Performance Indicators
- Approval of PhD proposal by LSU Board of Supervisors and Board of Regents in 2012; our Letter of Intent was approved by the Board of Regents in 2008
- Admit a total of 10 doctoral students by the third year of the program
- Receive funds for 12th faculty line
- Graduate an average of three PhD students per year starting in the fifth year of the program
- Develop an MA in Archival Science when we have graduated at least 10 students per year in this track for three years
Strategies
- Submit the PhD proposal in Spring 2012
- Publicize the PhD program nationally to recruit a diverse group of students
- Identify sources of funding to provide assistantships for three doctoral students per year including new fellowships, grants, and local employment
- Submit the MA in Archival Science degree proposal when targeted graduation rate is reached.
Goal IV: DIVERSITY
Broaden the racial, cultural, geographic, and intellectual diversity of the SLIS community
Performance Indicators
- Students from under-represented groups will increase to 15% of MLIS students from 12%
- Students from other states will increase to 15% of MLIS students 11%
- International students will increase to 3 % of MLIS students from less than 1%
- Faculty will continue to be diverse
- 15% of new doctoral students will be from under-represented groups
- Increase the intellectual diversity of the School by having at least one research speaker from another university come to SLIS each year
Strategies
- Recruit a diverse group of students nationally, especially from states with no MLIS program or with very expensive MLIS programs
- Recruit staff and student workers from the libraries at Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Louisiana and Arkansas by making onsite visits
- Expand into international markets (such as China, Caribbean countries) to recruit more MLIS students
- Encourage outstanding SLIS alumni from under-represented groups to pursue a PhD and possibly return to SLIS to join the faculty when they graduate
- Invite faculty from other universities to come to SLIS to present research seminars or to conduct research
Goal V: ENGAGEMENT
Strengthen the links between SLIS and external communities
Performance Indicators
- SLIS faculty will serve on a total of at least two executive boards/committees of professional associations (this maintains the current average)
- At least one member of the SLIS faculty will be elected to office in a professional association
- SLIS students will continue to be hired by state and local libraries, archives and information agencies
- At least 10 percent of SLIS courses will include a service learning component (an increase from 5%)
Strategies
- Senior faculty will look for opportunities to be involved in leadership roles in professional associations
- Faculty who teach service learning courses will help colleagues to develop new service learning assignments
- Adjunct faculty and instructors will meet with SLIS faculty to learn about service learning and will discuss opportunities for service learning in their courses
Goal VI: DEVELOPMENT
Continue to seek external funding for scholarships, professorships, research, and renovations
Performance Indicators
- One new endowed scholarship will be funded each year
- By 2015, 15% of all students (including 15% of part-time students) will receive scholarships or tuition waivers (currently fewer than 10% receive scholarships or tuition waivers)
- $250,000 of new planned giving will come in each year
- Funds to cover one-half of the cost of renovating Coates 263 will be raised by December 2013
- A third professorship will be established
Strategies
- Solicit donations for 80th anniversary celebration
- Develop a separate listserv for SLIS alumni
- Use telephone calls for fund raising with alumni
- Publicize naming opportunities for renovations of Coates 263 and SLIS labs
- Solicit donations for doctoral fellowships when PhD program is approved
- Include funding for graduate assistants in grant proposals
- Encourage well qualified students to apply for national scholarships
