School of Library & Information Science - About

Overview

The School of Library and Information Science at Kent State University:

• is one of the largest professional library and information science programs in North America, with 650 graduate students at two program sites in Ohio and thriving online component;
• is recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of the nation’s top 20 (at #18) graduate schools in the field, with a youth librarianship program that is ranked 10th;
• offers the only American Library Association accredited master’s degree program (M.L.I.S.) in Ohio, with strengths ranging from traditional library careers such as public librarianship, children's and young adult, K-12 school libraries, and organization of information, to digital libraries, digital preservation and museum studies;
• is home to two degrees: the Master of Library and Information Science (M.L.I.S.) (http://www.kent.edu/slis) and the multidisciplinary Master of Science (M.S.) in Information Architecture and Knowledge Management (http://iakm.kent.edu);
• offers the M.L.I.S. program at two locations, Kent and Columbus (housed in the State Library of Ohio), with newly renovated and expanding facilities, and online through the eDegree option.
  
• offers concentrations in Health Informatics, Knowledge Management and User Experience Design through the IAKM program, with many online offerings;
• is characterized by a creative, innovative, diverse, collegial, collaborative, and highly productive faculty, with an excellent record in scholarship, research and grantsmanship;
• is a member of a dynamic, unique college, the College of Communication and Information (CCI), whose other schools are Communication Studies (Comm Studies), Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC), and Visual Communication Design (VCD), with demonstrated success in collaboration and interdisciplinary research;
• offers doctoral studies through the CCI interdisciplinary doctoral program;
• is a leader on campus in the use of information technologies for pedagogical innovations and online course delivery;
• has more than 60 years of continued growth and success.

• is a comprehensive graduate and undergraduate university;
• is in the top 200 best universities worldwide (http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/);
• is located in Kent, Ohio, within 45 minutes of Cleveland, Akron and Youngstown;
• is the second largest university in Ohio, with an enrollment of more than 43,000 students on its eight campuses;
• is ranked among the nation's 77 public research universities demonstrating a high level of research activity and among the top 76 colleges and universities in community engagement by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Points of Pride

Each year, SLIS faculty earn acclaim for publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at international and national conferences. Our alumni are leaders in their fields, and our students are noted for their outstanding scholarship. For more information about what makes Kent State SLIS a leader in educating library and information science professionals, visit our Points of Pride page.

Academic Programs

In addition to the M.L.I.S. degree, SLIS at Kent State offers professional development workshops and certificates of advanced study (CAS), for professionals who already hold a master's degree, as well as a unique Master of Science program in Information Architecture and Knowledge Management (IAKM) — with concentrations in user experience design, health informatics and knowledge management.

Locations and Facilities

The school's administrative and faculty offices, as well as state-of-the-art labs and classrooms, are located in Kent, Ohio, on the third floor of the University Library on the Kent Campus. SLIS also has offices, classrooms and a lab in Columbus at the State Library of Ohio to serve students in the middle part of the state.