Compare & Contrast: Library Programs (2)

The idea to take a deeper look into the University of Michigan’s School of Information occurred recently. Originally, I was interested in knowing about the Research classes that they offered to their students. Also, a student at U of M who shared that she had to take a Statistics class further piqued my curiosity about Michigan’s requirements. Next, what will follow is what I learned about the University of Michigan’s School of Information along with Wayne State’s School of Library and Information Science. *It should be noted that everything provided about each school may be found directly on their websites. *The websites for both universities will be provided at the end of this blog.

The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, is considered to be the top university in the state of Michigan. This university offers its students a Master in the School of Information, where WSU offers its student a Master in the School of Library and Information Science. Forty eight credit hours are required to obtain a MSI Degree from U of M, Ann Arbor. Here’s Michigan’s MSI Degree Requirements:

· 2 core courses (Information in Social Systems: Collections, Flows, and Processing & Contextual Inquiry & Project Management)

· 3^rd core technology course (Networked computing: Storage, Communication, and Processing) may be waived based

· 3 management course credits (Special Topics: Information & Control, Principles in Management, Choice Architecture) some of the choices

· 3 research method credits (Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis, Qualitative Methods, Research Methods) some of the choices

· 3 Cognate courses taken elsewhere at U-M

· 8 Practical Engagement credits (6 for students who enrolled before Fall 2008) earned through for-credit internships or class-based experimental learning

· Any specialization requirements

· Additional credits to total 48

A major difference in these two universities is that one offers a specialization of Library and Information Science. Of course, the university that offers this specialization is U of M, and they offer these specializations as well:

· Archives and Records Management

· Community Informatics

· Human-Computer Interaction

· Incentive-Centered Design

· Info Analysis and Retrieval

· Information Policy

· School Library Media

· Preservation of Information

· Social Computing

Overall, Michigan’s MSI Degree appears to offer its students an array of opportunities that will increase their skill sets in this competitive field.

Furthermore, Wayne State University is known for being the third top school in the state of Michigan. Standout fields for this university include sociology, medical research, and a host of others. I began my MLIS Degree at WSU in the fall of 2008, and I must admit that things have changed. First, when I enrolled in the program here, it was just that a Master’s program. In 2009, WSU’s Library and Information Science Program became the School of Library and Information Science. In order to obtain a MLIS Degree, students must complete thirty six credit hours. The MLIS Degree requirements at Wayne are as follows:

Core Classes

· LIS 6010 Introduction to the Information Profession

· LIS 6080 Information Technology

· LIS 6120 Access to Information

· LIS 6210 Organization of Knowledge

· LIS 7040 Library Administration and Management

· OR

· LIS 7310** School Library Media Programs (Students in the School Library Media Specialization are required to complete LIS 7310 instead of LIS 7040)

· LIS 7996 Research in Library and Information Science

Although, Wayne’s MLIS Degree offers concentrations vs. specializations some of them are similar to Michigan’s MSI specializations.

Concentrations and Suggested Classes:

· Academic Libraries

· Archival Administration

· General

· Health Sciences Librarianship

· Information Management

· Law Librarianship

· Organization of Information

· Public Libraries

· Public Library Services to Children and Young Adults

· Reference Services

· School of Library Media Endorsement

· Special Libraries

· Urban Libraries

The SLIS offers seven specialized programs to its students, but I’ve focused on the Master of Library and Information Science. This was done to provide an overview of one of the more popular SLIS programs.

Rankings for some of the top Library and Information Studies were conducted by U.S. News & World Report. The rankings place the School of Information at U of M, Ann Arbor, in the number five spot. While the rankings place Wayne State’s School of Library Information Science in the number twenty spot. Even more impressive, was that there were not too many other states having two or more universities to appear on this ranking. Whether it’s Michigan or Wayne State at least students should have the comfort of knowing their attending credible library and information institutions.

www.si.umich.edu
www.slis.wayne.edu