1. Southern Miss
School of Library & Information
Science in 2012
Teresa S. Welsh, Ph.D.
teresa.welsh@usm.edu
2. The University of Southern Mississippi
Accredited by SACS
Carnegie Doctoral/Research-
Extensive Institution
Carnegie Community
Engagement Classification
Ranked as one of nation’s
most environmentally
responsible universities
(Princeton Review, 2010)
Ranked in top 20 most
popular national universities
(U.S. News and World Report, 2011)
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3. Some History of LIS @ USM
Library science courses
first offered in1926
First M.S. in library science
awarded in 1965
First M.L.S. degree in 1977
Re-named School of
Library & Information
Science in 1993 - degree
became M.L.I.S.
Currently 175 students in
M.L.I.S. program Cook Library, 1940’s, USM McCain Archive
08/27/12 3
4. SLIS Mission, Vision
Mission:
to prepare qualified individuals for professional
roles in libraries and other information environments
with appropriate knowledge and skills to serve the
information needs of their communities.
Vision:
Excellent teaching
Innovative research
Distinguished service.
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5. SLIS MLIS Program
Accredited by American Library Association since
1980; only ALA-accredited program in Mississippi
Accredited by National Council for Accreditation of
Teacher Education (NCATE)
Assigned LIS leadership status by Board of Trustees
of State Institution of Higher Learning
Rated as top-tier program (level 5) by
University Priorities Committee (UPC)
IMLS Minorities Scholarship Grant
$400,000+ funds 10 students (PI Dr. Yu)
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6. SLIS – de Grummond Collaboration
SLIS & de Grummond
Children’s Literature
Collection, an
internationally-recognized
collection of primary-
source materials related to
children’s literature
Co-sponsors Fay B. Kaigler
Children’s Book Festival,
http://www.usm.edu/bookfest/
April 11-13. Karen Rowell,
Coordinator
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7. British Studies: LIS 580/587
St. Paul’s Cathedral Library
Barbican Library
Museum of London
British Museum & Archive
British Library
Greenwich Caird Library
London Library
Stratford-upon-Avon
National Art Library @ V&A
Oxford, Bodleian Library
Central Library, Edinburgh
National Archives, Scotland
Dunfermline Carnegie Library
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8. SLIS Online
1993 – IVN classes in Hattiesburg, Long Beach
1995 – 1st computer-enhanced hybrid course
2002 – M.L.I.S. degree all online with Blackboard,
online text chat
2007 – Web CT with WIMBA for interactive
audio classes
2012 – Blackboard 9.1, Collaborate
Live, Web 2.0 blogs, social media.
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10. ALA Accreditation in 2012
Accreditation report submitted in Spring 2012
Chapter I. Mission, Goals, Objectives
Chapter II. Curriculum
Chapter III. Faculty
Chapter IV. Students
Chapter V. Administration and Financial Support
Chapter VI. Physical Resources and Facilities
ALA Core Competencies in Librarianship
Re-accredited by ALA Committee on Accreditation
(COA) in June 2012 for maximum 7 years.
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11. What’s new at SLIS?
Technical elective requirement, Spring ’12
LIS 516: Media Utilization
LIS 557: Computer Applications in Libraries
LIS 558: Internet Resources and Applications
New courses:
LIS 500: 1-hr. LIS Orientation course
LIS 519: Programs and Services for Youth
LIS 590: Library Instruction
Grad. Certificate in Archives & Special Collections
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12. Who’s who at SLIS?
Emeritus Faculty
Dr. Antonio Rodriguez-Buckingham donated collection of
rare books to Cook Library
Dr. Joy Greiner, working on history of SLIS
New Faculty
Dr. Brenton Stewart, Assistant Professor
Dr. Stacy Creel, Assistant Professor
Dr. Yan Wu, Visiting Assistant Professor
Mr. Edmand Pace, Visiting Instructor
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13. What is new at SLIS?
New Web site:
More scholarship information
Elective course recommendations for specialized tracks
New refereed e-journal
SLIS Connecting: http://aquila.usm.edu/slisconnecting/
Recent student publications:
http://ocean.otr.usm.edu/~w146169/mentorpubs.htm
Future:
Graduate Certificate in Youth Services
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14. SLIS needs you!
Our graduates are our product; SLIS grads are:
Accomplished professionals
Great mentors
Great recruiters.
Please keep in touch:
SLIS news ListServ:
https://mailman.usm.edu/mailman/listinfo/lisnews
Connect with me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/drtwelsh),
LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/teresawelsh)
Send me an email about awards, honors, new job or promotion,
professional publications, presentations, projects
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15. Recommended Resources
ALA Core Competencies, http://
www.ala.org/ala/educationcareers/careers/corecomp/corecompet
ALA Process, Policies, Procedures http://
www.ala.org/ala/accreditedprograms/standards/AP3Secon
dEdition_revised1-09-11.pdf
Norton, M.J., “The University of Southern Mississippi
School of Library and Information Science Distance
Education History and Programs,” in Barron, Daniel D.,
ed., Benchmarks in Distance Education: The LIS Experience.
Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2003.
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Notas del editor
The University of Southern Mississippi, celebrated its Centennial in 2010, committed to sustainability, diversity, equality, and excellence in research, teaching, and service: A Carnegie Research-Extensive University with more than 15,000 students, two campuses, and five teaching and research sites across South Mississippi as well as in France, Mexico, England, and Spain; accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) http://www.sacscoc.org/ Nationally recognized for its programs in polymer science, marine science, education, psychology, international studies, arts, hydrography and economic development. International Studies Program is one of oldest and largest in the U.S.: http://www.usm.edu/internationaledu/ Current and first female President, Dr. Martha Saunders, came from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she served as its first female chancellor. Four of six Deans are minorities (three females, one African-American male). Green Initiative and Office of Sustainability established by Dr. Saunders : http://www.usm.edu/green/
School of Library and Information Science supports the University’s commitment to sustainability, diversity, equality, and excellence in research, teaching, and service. SLIS has been accredited by the American Library Association since 1978/79. As the University’s largest master’s degree-granting program and one of only 14 fully online MLIS programs, SLIS attracts students from across the state and the nation; almost 50% of graduate students are out-of-state. Our students are diverse ethnically as well as geographically; SLIS actively recruits minority students through minority scholarships and through an IMLS grant of $499,000 to recruit and support ten additional minority students beginning in fall 2010. http://www.usm.edu/slis/Scholarships.php
The SLIS program emphasizes research. Each of the faculty has earned a Ph.D. (research degree), has published scholarly books/journal articles, and has presented research at national and international conferences. Our newest faculty member, Dr. Stacy Creel, a former editor of Voice of Youth Advocates , comes to us from St. John’s University in New York. Students are required to do bibliometric research in one of the core courses as well as a master’s research project at the end of the program. Some of these papers and projects have been published in LIS journals: http://ocean.otr.usm.edu/~w146169/mentorpubs.htm
SLIS co-sponsors the prestigious Kay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival with the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection, an internationally-recognized collection of primary-source materials related to children’s literature. http://www.usm.edu/bookfest/
One of the courses offered through the Southern Miss British Studies Program is LIS 580/587, British Libraries and Information Centers, a 6 credit-hour course. In summer 2010, 32 students from 17 different universities across the U.S. participated in the course, which is based in King’s College, near the South Bank of the Thames in London, and Dalkeith Estate near Edinburgh, Scotland. Distinguished British archivists and information specialists generously shared their knowledge and expertise on the history and preservation of their historic collections via behind-the-scenes guided tours and lectures at repositories such as the British Library Preservation Studio and Sir John Ritblat Gallery, Greenwich Maritime Museum Library, London Library Preservation Department, British National Art Library at the Victoria & Albert Museum, National Archives of Scotland, Dunfermline Carnegie Library Special Collections, and King’s College Maughan Library Special Collections. Students had the opportunity to examine some rare, historic treasures at each site, such as three different, original copies of Shakespeare’s First Folio . They learned about the history and content of the collections they visited, about archival conservation and preservation standards and practices, and about efforts to increase public access to primary-source materials through unique digitization initiatives such as British Library’s Turning the Pages virtual exhibit.