Library Science Education Program Plan 2014 04a
Monday, April 28, 2014
Following an internal review of the Library Science Education (LSE) Program conducted by the
Library Faculty during the 2013/2014 academic year, and after consulting with the Provost again
on April 23, 2014 about the future of this program, I have made the decision that the following
plan for the program will be implemented:
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On July 1, 2014 the Library Science Education Program will cease to exist as a separate
department of the Missouri State University (MSU) Libraries and will merge with the
Reference and Government Information (RAGI) Department.
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Specifically, LSE will become part of the Information Literacy (IL) Program within
RAGI. Information Literacy will continue to be one of three major service
programs within RAGI, the others being reference services (including research
consultations) and government information services (local, regional, state,
federal, and global, including the United Nations).
■
Student opportunities and services currently associated with the LSE
Program, such as advising, the Student Library Science Association,
practicum experiences, and service learning, will be coordinated by RAGI
as of July 1, 2014.
●
On July 1, 2014 the Head of RAGI (or his or her designee) will become the coordinator
of the LSE Program, which will become part of the IL Program.
●
On July 1, 2014 the faculty members and the graduate assistant currently in the LSE
Program will begin reporting to the Head of RAGI.
○
The Head of RAGI will work with the two faculty members currently in the LSE
program to determine their teaching and librarianship responsibilities within
RAGI.
●
The current Library Science Education course offerings will remain on the books until
decisions about future course offerings are made on a course-by-course and IL
programmatic basis.
●
Library Science courses will retain their status as undergraduate and graduate electives.
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On or before January 1, 2015 all of the faculty offices, graduate assistant work spaces,
and other spaces and equipment currently utilized by the LSE program will be moved to
the RAGI offices and work areas on the First Level of Meyer Library.
●
●
The Library Science Minor will be discontinued as soon as possible, while honoring and
enabling the ability of currently declared minors to complete their studies in this
discipline.
○
Beginning immediately, as students inquire about the Library Science Minor, they
will be advised that we are initiating steps to discontinue the minor as soon as
possible.
○
With all due speed, we will begin the curricular process to gain approval to
officially discontinue the minor.
○
The LSE coordinator (i.e., the Head of RAGI or his or her designee) will make
sure that currently declared minors have a reasonable opportunity to complete all
of their coursework in the minor before the minor officially ends.
After July 1, 2014, and with all reasonable and deliberate speed, the Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) between MSU and the University of Missouri School of
Information Science & Learning Technologies (SISLT) will be reviewed and revised.
○
The MSU Dean of Libraries, the Head of RAGI, and the IL/LSE Coordinator (if
the Head of RAGI designates an IL/LSE Coordinator) will comprise the team that
works with representatives from SISLT on this review and revision of the MOU.
The Dean of Libraries will serve as the MSU team leader in this process. The
Dean of Libraries will be the team leader in this effort.
●
We will continue to monitor the School Library Media Specialist Certification Program
from MSU to make sure it is a viable, efficient, and effective way to train the next
generation of School Library Media Specialists.
●
For all other aspects and implications of these changes (e.g., Do we need to maintain a
separate website for the LSE Program?), we will work together in the coming months to
address these other aspects.
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To summarize, the MSU Libraries will continue to offer for-credit courses and other
formal educational experiences, as opportunities and needs arise, in Library Science
Education, Information Literacy, and other areas within the broad and expanding field of
Information Studies (IS).
○
These for-credit courses and other formal educational opportunities generally will
fall under the Information Literacy programmatic areas within RAGI.
○
Scholarships and other types of financial aid will continue to be offered to
students taking for-credit courses in LSE, IL, and other areas of IS.
○
As always, library faculty and staff members are encouraged to develop ideas for
new courses and other formal educational experiences, in person and online,
that will meet the needs of the population served by MSU.
Tom
Thomas A. Peters
Dean of Library Services
Duane G. Meyer Library, Room 302
Missouri State University
901 S. National Ave.
Springfield MO 65897
Email:
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tpeters@missouristate.edu
417-836-4525
309-660-3648
Thomas A. Peters
TAPintoIT