Year after year, the MLIS curriculum is ranked among the top 5 program strengths, and this spring, students have even more courses to choose from with the addition of several new courses on political advocacy, RDA, social analytics, and other topics.

Graduate students enrolled in the Master of Library and Information Science online degree program at the San José State University School of Information have the opportunity to study new topics with the addition of several one-unit courses offered for the first time in the spring 2017 schedule.

Year after year, the MLIS curriculum is ranked among the top 5 program strengths in the biannual survey of recent alumni, and the iSchool continually introduces new courses to keep the curriculum fresh and current with the job market. Students will now have the opportunity to study indigenous librarianship, political advocacy, public communications, resource description and access, subject analysis, and social network management.

INFO 281 Indigenous Librarianship introduces students to the topic of indigenous librarianship, including knowledge organization, intellectual property rights and cultural appropriation, representation and evaluation of information sources, and initiatives in the digitization and revitalization of indigenous culture and language. At the end of the course, students will be “better positioned to undertake learning opportunities within indigenous-oriented libraries, archives, cultural centers and organizations,” according to the syllabus.

INFO 282 Seminar in Library Management: Political Advocacy is a four-week course that provides best practices in political advocacy for librarians. Through exploration of strategies used by community organizers, political action committees, and politicians, students will gain a better understanding of the political ecosystem through which libraries are funded. Various methods will be analyzed, such as those used for creating and delivering messages, goal setting, fundraising and budgeting, managing volunteers, and organizing events.

INFO 282 Public Communications Campaign is intended to prepare information professionals in the design, implementation, and marketing of various initiatives related to branding, events, programs, and other library activities. Students will be introduced to the potential of public communication campaigns and given the tools to carry out targeted campaigns by identifying needs, narrowing goals, developing research-driven campaigns, and measuring success.

INFO 287 RDA provides an overview of access points according to the principles and framework in resource description and access. Students will study the identification and assignment of access points for print, non-print, and electronic materials using authority files and locally created points of access.

INFO 287 Subject Analysis/Information Science introduces students to the application of cataloging and organization of information principles to multi- and hyper-media resources, complex serial publications, evolving standards for representation of nontraditional networked information, and cataloging policy development. The building and maintenance of bibliographic databases will be explored.

Through discussions, labs, and use of real-world tools, students enrolled in INFO 282 Social Network Management and Social Analytics will learn how social networks form and function and how to evaluate the effectiveness of efforts to engage with those networks. The course is two units and begins mid-semester on March 1.

INFO 284 Special Collections emphasizes the allied field of rare books and special collections librarianship. The course has been revitalized for the spring semester and covers the challenges and rewards of managing rare books and special collections in the digital age. Archives, rare books, manuscripts, and other formats will be discussed within the context of collection development and management, access, ownership, stewardship, digital delivery, and preservation.

While most courses offered in the iSchool’s master’s degree programs are three units, the expansion of one- and two-unit course offerings provides increased scheduling flexibility and program customization. For more information about the MLIS curriculum, visit the courses web page.