Category: School of Information Science (UofSC)

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SLIS Hooding Welcome

[The following a copy of my welcome for the SLIS Hooding Ceremony]

Welcome all. Graduation represents a moment in time. It is a moment of gratitude. Graduates, I ask you to take a moment to recognize those who helped you get to this point, be they in the audience or on this stage.

One person I know I am grateful is my predecessor Dr. Sam Hastings who has sent the following message:

Dear Graduates,

I am so sorry to miss this great event but wanted you to know that I am thinking about you and sending buckets of congratulations!  We are very proud of you and know that you will do great things in your lives.  Of course, we expect you to protect everyone’s right to read and get the information they need to be free and productive.  Your degree puts you in the elite group of Americans with master’s degrees.  16 % of our population.  So go forth, remember that you will always have a home with us and as our alumni, you have earned the right to be a little “Cocky!” I hope you and your families enjoy today.

All the best,

Dr. Sam

This is also a moment for us to express our gratitude for you. You are entering professions with skills that span from storytime and the preservation of our history to the support of mankind’s exploration of the universe. What’s more you do this at a time of great change and great need. And for that we are grateful, for indeed at this time our society needs you more than ever.

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December Update

[As director of the University of South Carolina School of Information and Library Science I send out a monthly update to faculty, students, alumni, and partners. This month seemed like a good time to sharing them here a well.]

It is time for a December update on the school. Today marks the end of the Fall semester, and the halfway point for my first year as director. Given the end of the year and commencement is coming pardon me if I get a bit reflective in this update.

November and December have been busy months for SLIS. Here is just a taste of what have been up to:

  • Darin Freeburg had an article accepted to the Journal of Information Science.
  • Jennifer Arns presented at the Copenhagen Business School at the Design Conference.
  • Heather Moorefield-Lang had two proposals accepted at ALA Conference. By the way she is also running for AASL region 4 director, so if you are an AASL member in Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, or West Virginia please consider supporting her.
  • Cocky’s Reading Express continues to keep rolling and is the subject of a piece for ETV’s Palmetto Scene for their work with SCE&G. Also, our own doctoral candidate Liz Hartnett will join the South Carolina Center for Children’s Books and Literacy in the new year.

This month caps off a very busy semester for SLIS. Here is list of some of the things we’ve been working on this semester:

  • Began the search for 4 new members of the faculty.
  • Prepared for our ALA Accreditation by drafting a pretty hefty program study.
  • Celebrated the 10th Anniversary ALL Awards and recognized champions for literacy in South Carolina.
  • Raised the visibility of research at SLIS highlighting our research related to the 1,000 year Columbia Flood, our international work, and posting a major presence at conferences such as IFLA.
  • Built strong collaborations with the Honors program and the Schools of Education and Engineering.
  • Made improvements to Davis College including better lighting and an upgraded teaching lab.
  • Continued to work to grow our undergraduate program and improve all of our degrees with your feedback.

Not bad for a semester. And we have no plans to slow down in the new year.

I also had a great trip to Maine for the Maine Library Association Conference in November. A shout out to our Maine alums (and current students). I learned a lot about the history of bringing the South to the North.

At the conference, I talked about how these days of fake news and an unprecedented presidential election make it an extremely important time for librarians and librarianship. You can hear the whole thing here: https://davidlankes.org/?p=9050

We have all been doing a lot of thinking about these kinds of issues as we work through our Knowledge School Initiative. Through listening sessions and site visits to iSchools it is becoming more and more apparent that it is time to move the conversation of Library and Information Science as a field forward.

For too long we have participated in a semantic game with librarianship and information science. Are they separate? Is information science the evolution of library science or the transferrable parts outside the context of libraries?

Here is where I keep finding myself: library science is the soul of information science and must act as the conscience. It is the necessary question about why we organize and how we should use our knowledge, technology, and tools. It is the quest for social justice in social science.

The knowledge school we are envisioning at SLIS – that we are building in South Carolina with our students, staff, faculty, alumni, and partners – is one grounded in great scholarship that makes a difference in society. As a scholarly community, it is our obligation to identify important issues in our communities, to investigate them, and then to make our communities better with what we find.

That is the signature we have at SLIS. I am only the latest steward of a tradition that sees the role of academia to be an engine of optimism and positive change. It is a tradition that sees illiteracy and works to bring the right of reading to all. It is the tradition that sees the importance of faith communities to community knowledge and seeks to ensure those communities get beyond echo chambers of like ideas. It is a tradition that has examined the history of our profession in social movements and seeks to keep that spirit of activism alive. We marry statistics and data science with marches on the capital. We prepare students in a classroom and on the front lines. We use busses, and YouTube, and journal articles to not only hold up a reflection to our society, but to spur action.

Whether you celebrate Christmas, or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or simply enjoy the bright lights in the dark winter day I wish you peace, and rest, and rejuvenation. Take this time to seek out and model the best of our values. You are part of an important movement and we have need of each and every one of you in the New Year.

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The Knowledge School and an Election Mandate

I know many will wake up this morning after an election with strong feelings about the result. While some may embrace the results many will be disappointed or scared. This message is neither to console or celebrate. Rather this message is about the unique obligations of a knowledge school in light of this national election.

Over the past months, and certainly in the months ahead, there will be many of our information school colleagues that will study and write about the information angle of the election. Good scholarship will be done in looking through data, understanding the role of social media, and seeking to predict changes in the information policy landscape under a populist president.

Our colleagues in library schools will parse apart the results of local bond issues and document the role librarians played in political literacy. There will be those in libraries that will see the results of the election as a need to reinforce the classic role of libraries as objective dispensers of truth.

All of these works will be useful and will help us to better understand a new reality where polls and predictive models failed spectacularly. However, while we may do some of this kind of work, our role as a knowledge school is different. Our role is not simply to document the campaign. Our role is not simply to analyze the data generated by the candidates. Our role is to act.

Democracy is not about voting. Voting is a periodic decision: democracy is sustained conversation, oversight, and advocacy. The work of a citizen did not end yesterday; it began. For those who chose or opposed a candidate, there is now the vital work of holding those chosen to account. An election doesn’t change a constitution. An election doesn’t change demographics.

The role of a knowledge school, the role of you and me, is to reinforce the values and principles we hold dear and support the communities that make up our nation and the world. We cannot simply explore the racial makeup of the electorate without providing opportunity for all races. Our values of diversity in decision making and ensuring equity of opportunity for all religions, classes, and ideology must be put into action, not theses.

If this election has shown us anything it is not that our communities are facing too little information, it is that information alone is insufficient for informed action. The problems our communities face is not one of access to resources, but access to the right resources provided to the ready learner. The problems are about creating a culture of literacy, open civic conversation, and knowledge. We must not mistake describing people’s opinions with facilitating learning.

These days after the election our work becomes more crucial than ever. From working with incarcerated youth, to illiteracy in our rural communities, to preparing libraries to be beacons in the face of natural disaster, to improving peoples use of health information, to transforming people from consumers to makers, to ensuring access to our history, to ensuring that people of faith understand their neighbors, to transforming libraries into places of enlightenment as well as places of escape, to ensuring universal design lifts the opportunities of all citizens, our work is more important today than yesterday. This school, our knowledge school, was not elected last night, but it was mandated.

So let us take the day to mourn or celebrate, or simply explore how we see the world, but tomorrow we have work to do. Tomorrow we have a region that needs better education. We have a state that needs more inclusive institutions. Tomorrow we have a new administration that needs oversight and a direct link to the best scholarship we can provide. We have a country that is increasing living in echo chambers built in walls of selective data that needs action to push them to greater insight. Tomorrow, in essence, needs us: scholars, librarians, information professionals, staff, faculty, alumni, and students focused on making a better world.

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Building the Knowledge School

“Building the Knowledge School” 2016 Charleston Conference. Charleston, SC.

Abstract: The rise of the information school movement has been seen as both a positive and negative reality in the preparation of librarians. Have undergraduate programs taken away resources and attention from the masters in library science? Has the growth of faculty with little or no understanding of libraries diluted the field? Lankes will lay out his thoughts for moving past the arguments to defining a knowledge school. A school focused on impact in communities and built upon the values of librarians, but serving the needs of a broader information infrastructure.

Slides: Slides in PDF

Audio:

Building the Knowledge School from R. David Lankes on Vimeo.

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Announcing a School of Library and Information Science Listening Tour

headphones with cord isolated on white background

Greetings. My name is David Lankes and I am the new director of the University of South Carolina’s School of Library and Information Science. The staff, students, and faculty of the school have been busy over the past few months building and refining a growth plan for the school. We’re calling it the “Knowledge School,” and we need your input and help.

The plan covers ideas to improve the professional image of librarians, expand the undergraduate program in information science, and grow the national and international reputation of the school. It seeks to build on a strong foundation, but it requires your input. What are your thoughts on our current programs? What opportunities do you see for greater partnerships? How can we both support the library community, and expand our reach into industry and government all while retaining our core values of helping communities make better decisions? What tools do you need to better connect to the school?

I hope you can make one of the following sessions. Each one will layout our current plans as a starting point for discussion and input to move us forward.

Tuesday, November 8, 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
University of South Carolina’s Thomas Cooper Library
Hollings Library Program Room

Thursday, November 10, 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
South Carolina Library Association Conference
Columbia Marriott, 1200 Hampton St, Columbia
Palmetto Balllroom

Tuesday, November 22, 10:00 a.m. – Noon
Richland Library Main, 1431 Assembly St, Columbia
2nd Floor Theater

If you can’t make the meeting I hope you’ll still share your ideas with me at [email protected]. We are open to all your ideas and suggestions both now and in the future.

If you would like to host a session in your community please let me know.

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Help Enhance South Carolina’s Emergency Response for Persons with Disabilities During and After a Crisis

Hurricane Matthew Survivors with Disabilities

Are you a survivor of Hurricane Matthew with a disability living in South Carolina?

If so, The University of South Carolina needs your input regarding your experiences during the Hurricane Matthew and the subsequent flooding. The information collected will not be identifiable and will be used to enhance South Carolina’s emergency response services for persons with disabilities during and after a crisis.

COMPLETE SURVEY HERE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SCHurricaneDisability

If you have any questions or if you would like assistance (ie. have the survey read to you, alternative format, etc.) completing the survey, please contact Dr. Robert Dawson at 803-386-1711 or email at [email protected].

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Faculty Position in LIS Technology Instructor at the University of South Carolina

The University of South Carolina School of Library and Information Science in Columbia invites applications for a non-tenure track instructor position to begin Fall 2017.

Shape the future of library and information science. Pursue your interests in a diverse, intellectually stimulating, and multi-disciplinary environment that provides support and encouragement as part of a collaborative work culture. An earned Masters in library and information science, information technology, or a related field is required, and doctoral candidates who are ABD with a fixed graduation date are encouraged to apply. This position requires experience and enthusiasm for teaching in both online and face-to-face formats. Non-tenure track faculty at The University of South Carolina are engaged in research, service, instruction, and administration.

The School is particularly interested in candidates with a specialization in one or more of the following:

  • library systems
  • web development
  • technology acquisitions
  • system implementation

Selected candidates will be expected to help with the school’s commitment to diversity through research, teaching, and service.

The School of Library and Information Science has a growing Bachelor of Science in Information Science program and a joint Certificate of Health Communications with Public Health and Communication.  The School’s MLIS degree program is fully accredited by the American Library Association.  The school library preparation program is part of the University’s Professional Education Unit which is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).  The School also offers three programs of advanced study beyond the Master’s degree (the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Library and Information Science, the Specialist in Library and Information Science, and the Ph.D. in Library and Information Science).

The School has a strong commitment to distance education and is one of two Schools in the College of Information and Communications.

The second is the School of Journalism and Mass Communications. The School is located on the campus’ historic Horseshoe. It has nationally recognized programs in school library media, youth services, and medical librarianship. Since its inception, the School has emphasized the use of information technology as a vital component of library and information services.

Founded in 1801, the University of South Carolina-Columbia is the flagship campus of an eight-campus, fully accredited, state-supported system. USC­ Columbia has strong undergraduate and graduate programs and other highly regarded professional schools including: medicine, law, education, engineering, social work, pharmacy, public health, arts and sciences, nursing, and business administration. The University is a Carnegie Research I institution. Approximately 33,000 students are enrolled on the Columbia campus and more than 44,000 throughout the system. The City of Columbia is the state capital with a metropolitan area population of almost half a million. It is a state center of financial, transportation, and industrial development, and it has a rich historical and cultural tradition.  It is located within easy driving distance of both mountains and coast.

Responsibilities:

  • Instruct undergraduate and graduate courses in both face-to-face as well as online environments
  • Remain current in developments and trends in subject and research areas
  • Establish a growing research agenda
  • Provide service to the department, college, university, profession, and community

Minimum Qualifications:

  • Masters in library and information science, information technology, or a related field is required, and doctoral candidates who are ABD with a fixed graduation date are encouraged to apply
  • Ability to teach at the undergraduate and graduate level
  • Knowledge in creating educational materials for face-to-face and online instruction

Preferred Qualifications

  • Teaching experience at the collegiate level
  • Teaching experience in an online or distance education environment
  • Experience in management or teaching management courses

Applications and nominations are invited for this position available in August 2017. Salary is fully competitive. The Committee will begin full review of applications and nominations October 31, 2016 and will continue until the position is filled.

TO APPLY: Applicants should send a letter of application and a complete resume/CV including the names of three references to Ms. Angela Wright at [email protected] or by mail to School of Library and Information Science, University of South Carolina, Davis College, 1501 Greene Street, Columbia, SC 29208.

For further information, questions, or to submit nominations, send an email to Dr. Heather Moorefield-Lang, Committee Chair at [email protected] or call at 803-777-0224

School Information is available at http://www.sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/cic/library_and_information_science

Minorities and women are encouraged to apply. The University of South Carolina is responsive to the needs of dual career couples.

The University of South Carolina is an equal opportunity institution.

[Be aware it may take the official university a couple of days to post the job and application information]

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Faculty Position: Information Scientist and Information Designer at the University of South Carolina

The University of South Carolina School of Library and Information Science in Columbia invites applications and nominations for two tenure-track faculty positions at the Assistant or Associate Professor level to begin fall 2017.

Shape the future of library and information science. Pursue your interests in a diverse, intellectually stimulating, and multi-disciplinary environment that provides support and encouragement as part of a collaborative work culture. Be a strong voice in the shaping of a growing information science undergraduate program. An earned doctorate in library and information science or a related field is preferred, while strong candidates who are ABD with a fixed graduation date will be considered. This position requires a clearly articulated research agenda, and enthusiasm for and excellence in teaching in both online and face-to-face formats.

The School is particularly interested in two candidates with specializations in one or more of the following areas:

  • Information Science
  • Information Retrieval, Storage, and Access
  • Human Computer Interaction
  • Databases
  • Knowledge Management
  • User Experience and Service
  • Web Systems
  • Metadata
  • Data Analytics

Selected candidates will be expected to help with the school’s commitment to diversity through research, teaching, and service.

The School of Library and Information Science has a growing Bachelor of Science in Information Science program and a joint Certificate of Health Communications with Public Health and Communications. The School’s MLIS degree program is fully accredited by the American Library Association.  The school library preparation program is part of the University’s Professional Education Unit which is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).  The School also offers three programs of advanced study beyond the Master’s degree (the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Library and Information Science, the Specialist in Library and Information Science, and the Ph.D. in Library and Information Science).  Faculty teach across all degree programs.

The School has a strong commitment to distance education and is one of two Schools in the College of Information and Communications. The second is the School of Journalism and Mass Communications. The School is located on the campus’ historic Horseshoe. It has nationally recognized programs in school library media, youth services, and medical librarianship. Since its inception, the School has emphasized the use of information technology as a vital component of library and information services.

Founded in 1801, the University of South Carolina-Columbia is the flagship campus of an eight-campus, fully accredited, state-supported system. USC­ Columbia has strong undergraduate and graduate programs and other highly regarded professional schools including: medicine, law, education, engineering, social work, pharmacy, public health, arts and sciences, nursing, and business administration. The University is a Carnegie Research I institution. Approximately 33,000 students are enrolled on the Columbia campus and more than 44,000 throughout the system. The City of Columbia is the state capital with a metropolitan area population of almost half a million. It is a state center of financial, transportation, and industrial development, and it has a rich historical and cultural tradition.  It is located within easy driving distance of both mountains and coast.

Responsibilities:

  • Participate in instruction, research, publication, grant writing, and other scholarly activities
  • Instruct undergraduate and graduate courses in both face-to-face as well as online environments
  • Mentor and advise undergraduate and graduate students
  • Provide service to the department, college, university, profession, and community

Minimum Qualifications:

  • Earned doctorate in by time of appointment in library and information studies or related field
  • Capacity to teach in an undergraduate program
  • Ability to conduct scholarly research in the field
  • Capacity to teach and mentor at the graduate level
  • Knowledge in creating educational materials for face-to-face and online instruction
  • Understand and appreciate information science’s connection to field of librarianship

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Teaching experience at the collegiate level
  • Teaching experience in an online or distance education environment
  • Active involvement in one or more professional organizations appropriate to area of expertise
  • Experience in management or teaching management courses
  • Experience in procuring grants or external funding

Applications and nominations are invited for positions to be available in August 2017. Salary is fully competitive. The Committee will begin full review of applications and nominations October 31, 2016 and will continue until the position is filled.

TO APPLY: Applicants should send a letter of application and a complete resume/CV including the names of three references to Ms. Angela Wright at [email protected] or by mail to School of Library and Information Science, University of South Carolina, Davis College, 1501 Greene Street, Columbia, SC 29208.

For further information, questions, or to submit nominations, send an email to Dr. Heather Moorefield-Lang, Committee Chair at [email protected] or call at 803-777-0224

School Information is available at http://www.sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/cic/library_and_information_science

Minorities and women are encouraged to apply. The University of South Carolina is responsive to the needs of dual career couples.

The University of South Carolina is an equal opportunity institution.

[Be aware it may take the official university a couple of days to post the job and application information]

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Faculty Position in Schools and Youth at the University of South Carolina

The University of South Carolina School of Library and Information Science in Columbia invites applications and nominations for one tenure-track faculty position at the Assistant or Associate Professor level to begin fall 2017 in the area of school librarianship and/or youth services.

Shape the future of library and information science. Pursue your interests in a diverse, intellectually stimulating, and multi-disciplinary environment that provides support and encouragement as part of a collaborative work culture. An earned doctorate in library and information science or a related field is preferred, while strong candidates who are ABD with a fixed graduation date will be considered. This position requires a clearly articulated research agenda, and enthusiasm for and excellence in teaching in both online and face-to-face formats.

The School is particularly interested in candidates with a specialization in school libraries and/or youth services. Selected candidates will be expected to help with the school’s commitment to diversity through research, teaching, and service.

The School of Library and Information Science has a growing Bachelor of Science   in Information Science program and a joint Certificate of Health Communications with Public Health and Communications. The School’s MLIS degree program is fully accredited by the American Library Association.  The school library preparation program is part of the University’s Professional Education Unit which is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).  The School also offers three programs of advanced study beyond the Master’s degree (the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Library and Information Science, the Specialist in Library and Information Science, and the Ph.D. in Library and Information Science).  Faculty teach across all degree programs.

The School has a strong commitment to distance education and is one of two Schools in the College of Information and Communications.

The second is the School of Journalism and Mass Communications. The School is located on the   campus’ historic Horseshoe. It has nationally recognized programs in school library media, youth services, and medical librarianship. Since its inception, the School has emphasized the use of information technology as a vital component of library and information services.

Founded in 1801, the University of South Carolina-Columbia is the flagship campus of an eight-campus, fully accredited, state-supported system. USC­ Columbia has strong undergraduate and graduate programs and other highly regarded professional schools including: medicine, law, education, engineering, social work, pharmacy, public health, arts and sciences, nursing, and business administration. The University is a Carnegie Research I institution. Approximately 33,000 students are enrolled on the Columbia campus and more than 44,000 throughout the system. The City of Columbia is the state capital with a metropolitan area population of almost half a million. It is a state center of financial, transportation, and industrial development, and it has a rich historical and cultural tradition.  It is located within easy driving distance of both mountains and coast.

Responsibilities:

  • Participate in instruction, research, publication, grant writing, and other scholarly activities
  • Instruct undergraduate and graduate courses in both face-to-face as well as online environments in the areas of school librarianship and/or youth services
  • Mentor and advise graduate students
  • Provide service to the department, college, university, profession, and community

Minimum Qualifications:

  • Earned doctorate by time of appointment in library and information studies or related field
  • Ability to conduct scholarly research in the field
  • Ability to teach and mentor at the graduate level
  • Knowledge in creating educational materials for face-to-face and online instruction

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Teaching experience at the collegiate level
  • Teaching experience in an online or distance education environment
  • Active involvement in one or more professional organizations appropriate to area of expertise
  • Experience in management or teaching management courses
  • Experience in procuring grants or external funding

Applications and nominations are invited for this position available in August 2017. Salary is fully competitive. The Committee will begin full review of applications and nominations October 31, 2016 and will continue until the position is filled.

TO APPLY: Applicants should send a letter of application and a complete resume/CV including the names of three references to Ms. Angela Wright at [email protected] or by mail to School of Library and Information Science, University of South Carolina, Davis College, 1501 Greene Street, Columbia, SC 29208.

For further information, questions, or to submit nominations, send an email to Dr. Heather Moorefield-Lang, Committee Chair at [email protected] or call at 803-777-0224

School Information is available at http://www.sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/cic/library_and_information_science

Minorities and women are encouraged to apply. The University of South Carolina is responsive to the needs of dual career couples.

The University of South Carolina is an equal opportunity institution.

[Be aware it may take the official university a couple of days to post the job and application information]

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Faculty Positions: Seeking Geeks with Social Skills

img_0857Today we’re announcing a search for four new faculty positions at the University of South Carolina School of Library and Information Science (posts to follow). We are looking for three tenure track faculty and one instructor to be part of a growing program. The searches represent a continued commitment to librarianship and the School of Library and Information Science’s well-deserved reputation in youth services, school libraries, and doctoral study. However, these searches also represent a new strategy to ensure the values of librarianship (openness, learning, intellectual freedom & security, and intellectual honesty) spread throughout society.

We are looking to grow our undergraduate program in information science. In essence we are actively seeking geeks with social skills-in this case geeks being passionate people and social being social science. The future of librarianship depends not only in preparing leaders within libraries, but also in preparing the CIOs, mayors, principals, and trustees that will hire/manage/support tomorrow’s librarians. This means preparing, through undergraduate degrees and minors, information professionals that can sit at the intersection of technology, strategy, and people. These information scientists will bring a set of skills to this crucial intersection, as well as bringing values, ethics, and a mission based on improving society.

We are looking for diverse perspectives that represent the skills our students need, and the communities these future alumni will serve. Rather than seeking to solely train future librarians, we want to produce leaders and visionaries that will work with librarians and technologists, bankers and NGOs, entrepreneurs and activists to make real positive change in our communities.

Over the next several weeks and months, I will be announcing forums where the faculty, staff, and students of the University of South Carolina will be forging a school of thought around knowledge and impact. We are beginning a field-wide conversation on what comes after library schools and information schools: knowledge schools focused on impact and improving society.

All are invited to participate in this conversation, but right now I am looking for scholars (and yes, geeks of the highest order) that can help forge this new school of thought. You will be joining a dedicated corps of scholars, staff, and students with a history of seeking to change the world – through reading and data science; through maker spaces and image archives; through metadata and intellectual property; through graphic novels and knowledge management – not simply document it. You will be part of a growing program, at a growing university dedicated to crafting higher education for today and tomorrow.

[Be aware it may take the official university a couple of days to post the job and application information]