Coursework

The MLIS program consists of a total of 63 quarter credits. These credits are divided up between core courses (34 credits) and electives (29 credits). The core courses are organized around the lifecycle of information which examines the concepts of knowledge from creation and publication through selection, organization, retrieval, access and use. This course structure combined with elective classes has given me the opportunity to gain experience and knowledge of an overreaching conceptual structure which provides an excellent foundation in library and information science. This, combined with the opportunity to explore and focus on topics that interest me personally have better prepared me for a career in information sciences. Class descriptions listed below were taken from the student guide available on the UW web page and the student course catalog for the University of Montana. The links following the course description provide an example of my work in that class.

Core (Required) Courses:

LIS 500 The Life Cycle of Information (2 credits - Stuart Sutton)
Overview of the major concepts, processes and systems, actors, and operations in the life cycle of information. Introduction to the creation, publishing and distribution, evaluation and selection, organization, access, retrieval, and use of information. Exploration of the social context in which these processes and their stakeholders interact.

LIS 510 Information Behavior (4 credits - Trent Hill)
Introduction to the user-centered approach to information behavior. Theoretical foundations of various information behaviors such as information need, utilizing, gathering, seeking, and evaluating. Synthesis of user studies, construction of user profiles, performance of gap analysis, and application of the results of user studies to improve services and system design. - Information behavior models comparison (.pdf)

LIS 520 Information Resources, Services, and Collections (4 credits - Lorri Mon)
Concepts, processes, and skills related to parts of the life cycle of knowledge involving creation, production, distribution, selection, collection, and services to facilitate access. Specific discussion topics include characteristics of recorded knowledge; organizations and services devoted to managing access to recorded knowledge; principles associated with development of recorded knowledge and collections. - Collection Development Top 10 (.docx)

LIS 530 Organization of Information and Resources (4 credits - Lisa Fusco)
Introduction to issues in organization of information and documents including: analysis of intellectual and physical characteristics of documents; principles and practice in surrogate creation, including standards and selection of metadata elements; theory of classification, including semantic relationships and facet analysis; creation of controlled vocabularies; and display and arrangement. - Assignment 2: Subject Analysis & Indexing (.doc)

LIS 540 Information Systems, Architectures and Retrieval (5 credits - Terry Brooks)
Introduction and overview of information systems, system architectures, and retrieval models. Emphasis given to the role of users in the design, development, and evaluation of information retrieval and database management systems. - Mapping Society: Implications of Location Information Architecture, Systems and Retrieval (.doc)

LIS 550 Information in Social Context (4 credits - Stuart Sutton )
Concepts, processes, and issues related to the larger social context within which the life cycle of knowledge is played out. Discussion topics include intellectual freedom, information as public/private good, intellectual property, privacy, confidentiality, information liability, information and telecommunications policy, the economics of information, and other professional values. - Book Review: Etzioni, Amitai. The Common Good (.docx)

LIS 560 Instructional and Training Strategies for Information Professionals (3 credits - Lorraine Bruce)
Develops knowledge and skills in instruction and training functions for library and information settings. Issues and strategies for learning and teaching. Design, development, and evaluation of information and technology literacy programs. Addresses the needs of users when designing and delivering instruction. - Training and Development Program (.docx)

LIS 570 Research Methods (4 credits - Hazel Taylor)
Research as a process from problem definition and formulation of questions to design, data collection, analysis, and reporting. Students recognize research opportunities, translate them into researchable frameworks, design research projects, and implement results in libraries and other information agencies - Individual Research Design (.doc)

LIS 580 Management for Information Organizations (4 credits - Jochen Scholl )
Introduction to internal and external management issues and practices in information organizations. Internal issues include organizational behavior, organizational theory, personnel, budgeting, planning. External issues include organizational environments, politics, marketing, strategic planning, funding sources - Final Group Project (.doc)

Elective Courses:

LIS 541 Internet Technologies and Applications (3 credits - Joshua Ayson)
Overview of Internet technologies including networking hardware, the TCP/IP protocol suite, addressing, packets and routing, the client/server model. End-user applications for communication and collaboration such as telnet, FTP, email, conferencing, and streaming media. Web site creation, development, and management. Credit/no credit only. About Me (.html)

LIS 526 Government Publications (3 credits - Lorri Mon)
Introduction to government publications of the United States and their acquisition, organization, and use. Other topics covered include the public's right to know, the Federal Depository Library Program, government influences in our daily lives, and future directions in government information. Credit/no credit only. - Yogi… A Bear? A Baseball Player? Or Crime Stoppers Next Superhero? (.doc)

LIS 531 Catalogs, Cataloging, and Classification (4 credits - Lisa Fusco )
Develops an understanding of library catalogs as information retrieval systems. Introduces library cataloging and classification. Focus on principles and standards in the creation of catalogs and cataloging records. Includes practice in descriptive and subject cataloging and classification. Evaluation of a catalog (.doc)

LIS 536 Indexing and Abstracting (3 credits - Trent Hill )
Exploration of issues in subject representation. Survey of different approaches, techniques, and methods for representing the subject matter of documents, including an evaluation of the role of users and context in subject representation. Formulation of policies for indexing and abstracting services. - Context in Indexing (.doc)

LIS 537 Construction of Indexing Languages (4 credits - Trent Hill)
Exploration of the design, construction, evaluation, and maintenance of controlled indexing languages, including studies of how users are integrated into the design process. Through completion of thesaurus construction project, prepares students to design index languages, plan and implement a design project, and evaluate indexing languages. - Jazz Thesaurus (.docx)

LIS 538 Metadata: Evolving Principles and Practices (3 credits - Stuart Sutton)
Principles, skills and practices in the conceptualization and implementation of metadata and metadata systems with a focus on semantic interoperability in distributed environments. Topics include metadata development for attribute and value spaces, metadata registry roles and services, organizational mechanisms, Web Services and advanced search engines. Prerequisite: LIS 530, LIS 540 or equivalent. - Application Profile (.docx)

IMT 531 Metadata Design and Interoperability (3 credits - Sam Oh) Design principles of metadata schemas and application profiles—implementation of interoperable application profiles using XML technology. The major focus of this class is to achieve syntactic and semantic interoperability among diverse metadata schemas and application profiles. Prerequisites IMT530/INFO430/LIS530 & IMT541/INFO340/LIS540, or instructor's permission. Final Project (.pptx) Application Profile (.xsd)

LIS 590 Directed Fieldwork (2 credits - Lorraine Bruce )
Minimum of 100 hours, maximum of 200 hours of professional, supervised fieldwork in a library or professional information setting. Fieldwork is a one-quarter experience; however, this may be repeated in a different setting with a different set of learning objectives for a subsequent quarter. Library and Information Science majors only. Credit/no credit only. Prerequisite: 30 credits in Library and Information Science program. - Final Evaluation (.docx)

Transfer Courses:

GEOG 488 Thematic Cartography and GIS (4.5 credits. - Paul B. Wilson, Ph.D.) Communicating and analyzing topical information with maps. Choropleth maps, dot maps, proportional figure maps, isarithmic maps, and others. Includes computer mapping and GIS exercises. - Point Symbol Mapping: Dots and Proportional Figures (.doc)

GEOG 489 Cartography/GIS Laboratory (1.5 credits.- GPA 4.0 - Paul B. Wilson, Ph.D.) Lab to accompany cartography and GIS courses.