Graduate Course Descriptions

Link to the Syllabus Database

  • LIS 4101 Collection Development for Children (3) Developing library collections for children ages birth to twelve and the uses of such literature in public and school libraries.
  • LIS 4102 Collection Development for Teens (3) Developing library collections for teens ages twelve to eighteen and the uses of such literature in public and school libraries.
  • LIS 4104 Collection Development of Non-Fiction (3) Developing collections of informational literature for children and adolescents, ages birth to eighteen years, and the uses of such literature in public and school libraries.
  • LIS 4105 Collection Development of Graphic Novels (3) Developing collections of graphic novels for children and adolescents, ages birth to eighteen years, and the uses of such literature in public and school libraries.
  • LIS 4511 Information Architecture (3) Introduction to basic concepts, principles, and practice of information architecture; tools and techniques such as labeling, navigating, searching and knowledge organization for information representation on the World Wide Web.
  • LIS 4513 Information Techniques for Social Media (3) Introduction to theories and practical approaches to analyzing social media data.
  • LIS 4900 Special Topics in Library and Information Science (3) Prereq.: Permission of department. May be taken for a max. of 6 sem. hrs. of credit when topics vary.
  • LIS 7000 Information and Society (3) Information as a concept, and its uses and meanings in contemporary global society.
  • LIS 7002 Information Resources (3) Preparation for reference services; including the reference interview; selection and use of general, scholarly and specialized reference resources in various subject fields.
  • LIS 7004 Management of Information Organizations (3) Basic functions of management and their application to the operation of information organizations.
  • LIS 7008 Information Technologies and Systems (3) Identification of technology; information searching skills; evaluation of search systems.
  • LIS 7009 Understanding Research (3) Research methodologies applicable to library and information phenomena; definition of research problems, selection of inquiry tools and data collection; emphasis on evaluation of research.
  • LIS 7010 Organization of Information (3) Concepts and principles of information organization; methods and tools used for organizing information, including bibliographic control and metadata creation.
  • LIS 7011 Information Behavior (3) User-centered approaches to meeting information needs of individuals and communities; community analysis, user studies and user-centered design of services and resources.
  • LIS 7100 Youth Services Librarianship (3) Administration and management of developmentally-appropriate public library services for children and teens, birth to 18 years.
  • LIS 7110 Adult Services in Public Libraries (3) Designing, planning, and providing library and information services to meet the educational, informational, and recreational needs of adults throughout their life span.
  • LIS 7203 Sources of Government Information (3) Government publications as products of government activity and as sources of information.
  • LIS 7205 Business Information Resources (3) Information resources in major areas of business and economics.
  • LIS 7400 School Library Management (3) Management of libraries and information services in k-12 schools; emphasis on the roles and responsibilities of the school librarian. 
  • LIS 7401 Academic Libraries (3) Study of libraries in higher education; their development, organization, financing and administration; human resources; collections; services; and futures.
  • LIS 7403 Special Libraries and Information Centers (3) Major types of special libraries; their purpose and function in business, government and other organizations; principles of administration; technical processing; reference services; special methods, routines and records.
  • LIS 7405 Public Libraries (3) Role of the public library in past and present American society; its relationship to the social and political communities.
  • LIS 7408 Introduction to Archival Theory, Principles & Practice (3) Introduction to the theory, principles and practices of the archival endeavor; particular focus on introducing the key archival functions of appraisal, accessioning, arrangement and description, preservation, reference and outreach.
  • LIS 7410 Digital Libraries (3) Current activities, models, methods and tools for digital library creation and support; theoretical and practical aspects of digital library creation, using a variety of formats and approaches.
  • LIS 7503 Information Technology and Public Policy (3) Examines the impact of information technology and public policies on economic, social and political systems; focuses on major public policies related to information technologies within the United States and selected countries.
  • LIS 7504 Preservation Management of Physical Records (3) Study of preservation as a management function, highlighting causes of deterioration of print and non-print collections, as well as policies and practices that ensure their maximum usable life, and disaster planning.
  • LIS 7505 Introduction to Digital Curation (3) Introduction to archiving digital materials and the technological, ethical, and legal issues they routinely present to the archivist; includes characteristics of “good” digital materials and the role of metadata in creating and maintaining them, as well as the configuration of a trustworthy digital archival repository, and the tools and policies needed to create and maintain one.
  • LIS 7506 Preservation and Digitization of Audiovisual Materials (3) Introduction to the concepts and basic techniques for preservation and digitization of moving image and recorded audio materials. 
  • LIS 7508 Management of Knowledge-Based Assets in Organizations (3) Analysis of the nature and uses of knowledge-based assets in organizations; systems for managing knowledge-based assets will be considered in the context of institutions’ overall information ecology; examination of the role of librarians and information professionals in organizing and providing knowledge-based assets.
  • LIS 7511 Competitive Intelligence (3) Introduction to basic concepts and methods of competitive intelligence; fundamental skills and techniques to collect, analyze and distribute information about competitors and competitive environment.
  • LIS 7604 Principles of Records Management (3) Application of systematic and scientific controls to recorded information; life-cycle concept, legal requirements and implications of technology, as well as records inventory, appraisal, classification, retention and protection.
  • LIS 7608 Introduction to Cataloging and Classification (3) Prereq.: or coreq: LIS 7010 or permission of instructor. Principles underlying description, subject analysis, classification of library resources and authority control; current national standard cataloging rules, Library of Congress Subject Headings, Dewey Decimal Classification, Library of Congress Classification, and MARC (machine readable cataloging) formats are emphasized.
  • LIS 7609 Advanced Cataloging and Classification (3) Prereq.: LIS 7608 or consent of instructor. Detailed analysis of cataloging and classification of special resources, including serials, electronic and cartographic resources, kits, music, manuscripts, realia, including formatting of bibliographic representations; intensive survey of conceptual foundations of descriptive and subject metadata.
  • LIS 7612 Information Governance (3) Introduction to basic concepts, principles, strategies, and best practices of information governance.
  • LIS 7618 E-Discovery (3) An overview of processes, principles, and issues about e-discovery; introduction to ways, technologies, tools, and platforms used in identifying and handling electronic evidence for civil and criminal cases.
  • LIS 7700 History & Theory of Cultural Heritage Institutions (3) Socio-cultural history and theory of libraries, archives, museums and other cultural heritage institutions. 
  • LIS 7702 Seminar in Archival Appraisal (3) Appraisal and selection of archival materials from both a theoretical and a practical perspective. Extensive reading in the archival literature to form familiarity with the evolution of appraisal theory and current practices in the field.
  • LIS 7703 Seminar in Archival Studies (3) Advanced investigation of contemporary archival topics from a theoretical and applied perspective.
  • LIS 7704 Archival Arrangement & Description (3) Development of the intellectual framework and critical evaluation skills necessary for the arrangement and description of archival collections.
  • LIS 7705 Introduction to Museum Management (3) Introduction to the purpose, functions, organization and management of museums.
  • LIS 7800 The Art and Practice of Storytelling (3) Role of storytelling as a form of communication; preparation and presentation of stories for all age groups; planning story programs.
  • LIS 7807 Information Literacy Instruction (3) Theories, techniques, strategies and current practice for teaching the effective and efficient use of academic, school, public and special library resources.
  • LIS 7808 Special Topics in Library & Information Science (1-3) Prereq.: Permission of department. May be taken for a max. of 15 sem. hrs. of credit when topics vary.
  • LIS 7900 Internship in Library & Information Science (3) Prereq.: completion of 9 hrs. of LIS courses and permission of department. Preparation for course begins semester prior to registration. 40 hrs. per credit at field site. Experience in management, provision of services, and/or systems development.
  • LIS 7909 Directed Independent Study (1-3) Prereq.: completion of 9 hours of LIS courses. May be taken for a max. of 6 sem. hrs. credit.