Dr. Ken Haycock Writes Chapter on “Building the World’s Largest MLIS Program” for The Bowker Annual 2008

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Ken HaycockDr. Ken Haycock, professor and director of the San José State University School of Information, wrote a chapter originally titled “High Tech, High Touch, High Quality: Building the World’s Largest MLIS Program” for The Bowker Annual 2008, 53rd edition, published by Information Today, Inc. Haycock writes, “San José offers the only ALA-accredited program in library and information science in the California state university system of 23 universities; it is the largest program in the world with unique offerings such as the Executive MLIS, a new Master of Archives and Records Administration, and a collaborative international Ph.D. program. …There is a high success rate in placement of students in school, public, and university libraries as well as the for-profit (e.g., high-tech companies in Silicon Valley) and not-for-profit (e.g., Department of Homeland Security) corporate sectors.” In summary,

An aggressive strategic plan focusing on high expectations, quality controls, and innovative programs and their delivery has been achieved through broadly based governance committees involving faculty, students, and alumnae. It is reviewed and renewed annually. The school sets high standards for both entry (GPA) and exit (the e-portfolio). It takes a unique approach to part-time faculty with an international pool of recognized scholars as well as professional leaders, coordinated through full-time tenure-track faculty, trained in the use of technology and attending a biennial faculty institute on pedagogy in higher education. Class size is small and intensive training is provided for teaching on-line.

The school is on track to achieve its vision for 2010: to be recognized as a leader in graduate education in library and information science, delivering innovative, high-quality programs across the state, the continent, and beyond.

The full text is available on our Web site with permission from Information Today, Inc. Building the World's Largest MLIS Program(revised published title) [PDF: 10 pages].

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