Graduate School of Library and Information Science
Summary Report for the
Cross-Campus Initiatives Retreat: Positioning the Campus for the Future
Introduction
The faculty of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS)
developed this report as a “committee of the whole”, participating in a half-day retreat on
January 30 to discuss the proposed campus initiatives and prepare our response. Though
relatively small in number (20), our multidisciplinary faculty is well positioned to
contribute in several ways. This report identifies potential connections of GSLIS faculty
to each of the four areas and discusses a fifth area of opportunity that we feel holds
considerable promise as a focus for cross-campus investments.
In 1981 the Graduate School of Library Science became the Graduate School of Library
and Information Science. This name change signaled the broadened scope of curricula
and research activity to encompass “information and knowledge creation,
communication, identification, selection, acquisition, organization and description,
storage and retrieval, preservation, analysis, interpretation, evaluation, synthesis,
dissemination, and management” (American Library Association, Standards for
Accreditation of Programs in Library and Information Studies 1992, p. 2). This breadth
is reflected in the subject areas in which our faculty earned their doctoral degrees
(communications, computer science, history of science, human resource education,
information science, information studies, library and information science, philosophy,
sociology) and in the major GSLIS research themes we have articulated (distributed
communities; historical studies; Internet studies; managing heterogeneity and diversity in
large scale information systems; readers, writers, and texts; literature, librarianship, and
youth; technology and scholarship—all described in greater detail at
http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/gslis/research/index.html).
Curricular offerings reflect a similar breadth and multidisciplinary character. The
information technology studies undergraduate minor, introduced in fall 1999
cooperatively with the Institute of Communications Research (ICR), is designed for
students in any major. Core courses include LIS 201 Information, Technology, and
Organizations; LIS 202 Social Aspects of Information Systems; and LIS 391 Literacy in
the Information Age. Electives range from LIS 250RGI Race, Gender and Information
Technology to LIS 220 The Design of Usable Information Interfaces (a description of the
program can be found at http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/gslis/degrees/undergrad.html). The core courses
for the M.S. program are LIS 380 Information Organization and Access (emphasizes
information organization and access in settings and systems of different kinds) and LIS
390 Libraries, Information and Society (explores major issues in the library and
information science professions such as intellectual freedom, professional ethics, social
responsibilities, scholarly communication, and intellectual property). The core reading
list for Ph.D. students (http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/gslis/degrees/phd-reading.html) draws on literature
from several different disciplines.
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GSLIS research entities—the Information Systems Research Laboratory
(http://www.isrl.uiuc.edu) and the Library Research Center
(http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/research/lrc.html)--have expertise that can contribute to cross-campus
initiatives. GSLIS auxiliary units—the Center for Children’s Books, Community
Networking Initiative/Prairienet, Information Researchers, Publications Office
(descriptions available at http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/gslis/outreach/index.html)--likewise already
engage in cross-campus collaborations.
I.
Potential Contributions to Campus Themes
In organizing this section of our report, we provide a consistent framework for addressing
each of the four themes: a brief narrative on the GSLIS perspective on the theme;
examples of faculty expertise, research projects, courses, and doctoral research relevant
to the theme; and identification of existing cross-unit contacts relevant to the theme.
1. Biotechnology/bioengineering in a “nano” world
GSLIS perspective:
Research in the life sciences is creating very large data sets, ranging from human genome
resources to repositories of descriptions and images of many species of plants and
animals. Bioinformatics broadly defined, ranging from molecular biology to
biodiversity studies, explores ways in which information technology can enhance access
to and use of these resources. Tools for data retrieval, mining, and visualization all
contribute to this effort.
Examples of relevant GSLIS activities:
 Chip Bruce has collaborated with others on the Biology Student Workbench, enabling
students and teachers to access bioinformatics analysis and visualization tools and
protein and gene sequence databases.
 Bryan Heidorn is developing the Biological Information Browsing Environment
(BIBE) to enhance access to information about plants and animals through new
approaches for retrieval and display of data about different species.
 Bryan Heidorn, Ann Bishop, and Chip Bruce are collaborating with NCSA and the
Missouri Botanical Garden on the Tropicos database and development of the National
Biological Digital Library.
 LIS 250G Science and the Internet provides a hands-on introduction to understanding
and using scientific information, especially that which is available on the Internet.
Existing cross-unit contacts:
Collaborations include that with NCSA on the Biology Student Workbench project and
with the Illinois Natural History Survey, Herbarium, and Department of Natural
Resources & Environmental Sciences on BIBE.
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2. The humanities in a globalizing world
GSLIS perspective:
“Literacy practices” encompass all strategies to understand texts as well as text-related
activities. This includes examining the changing nature of texts themselves as they are
transmitted via oral, print, and electronic media (including online communities, web sites,
video, hypermedia, virtual reality, and other new technologies). A complementary
approach is to revisit enduring questions about the readers and writers of texts. These
questions call for scholarly inquiry that builds upon traditions including reader response,
folklore theory, and writing studies. A special focus within the area of literacy is a
consideration of these questions in relation to young people as readers, viewers, and
listeners.
Examples of relevant GSLIS activities:
 Betsy Hearne investigates the aesthetic and socio-cultural dynamics reflected in the
stories that we tell to children, including the way stories cross generational, ethnic,
and media boundaries in the process of changing formats.
 Carole Palmer investigates the information environment of humanities scholars.
 Allen Renear and David Dubin coordinate the Electronic Publishing Research Group.
 Relevant courses include: LIS 199B Children, Literature and Culture; LIS 303
Literature and Resources for Children; LIS 304 Literature and Resources for Young
Adults; LIS 309 Storytelling; LIS 391 Literacy in the Information Age; LIS 450NL
New Literacies; LIS 450FL Folklore from Fireplace to Cyberspace: Continuities of
Folklore Across Forms, as well as LIS 212 Computing in the Humanities; LIS 450EP
Electronic Publishing; and LIS 450DP Document Processing.
Existing cross-unit contacts:
The Center for Children’s Books cooperates with the Education Library in developing
and maintaining a research collection in children’s literature.
3. American institutions in a demographically-changing world
GSLIS perspective:
The library as an American institution in a demographically-changing world is of course
of interest. But GSLIS faculty are also concerned with many other American institutions,
with a particular focus on the impacts of information technology (IT) and the potential for
IT applications to make institutions more responsive to demographically-changing
constituencies. Institutions of concern to GSLIS faculty include P-12 education, higher
education, telecommunications, community agencies, museums, nature centers, and
health care.
Examples of relevant GSLIS activities:
 P-12 education: Christine Jenkins and Betsy Hearne conduct research in youth
services librarianship (historical, feminist, multicultural, and international
perspectives); Chip Bruce leads development and application of the Inquiry Page,
supporting inquiry-based learning.
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Higher education: Leigh Estabrook is exploring the impact of distance education on
higher education institutions; Linda Smith is using LEEP’s virtual classroom
environment to study changing roles in teaching and learning.
Libraries: Carole Palmer’s research on the impact of digital technology on scholarly
inquiry includes study of digital collections and metadata for communities of users.
Telecommunications: Dan Schiller investigates the changing matrix of institutional
control over telecommunications.
Health care: Bruce Schatz’s studies in healthcare informatics focus particularly on
health care delivery systems for aging populations.
Community agencies: Extending her work with Prairienet, Ann Bishop is exploring
community-based creation of networked information services.
Relevant courses include: LIS 250RI Race, Gender and Information Technology; LIS
350AR Designing Universally Accessible WWW Resources; LIS 350GK
Technology-Supported Inquiry Environments for Learning and Teaching; LIS 350SH
The Social History of U.S. Culture and Information Industry; LIS 350TC Social
History of U.S. Telecommunications; LIS 432 History of Libraries; LIS 450CI
Community Information Systems; LIS 450ITL Inquiry Teaching and Learning; LIS
450MIH Medical Informatics and Healthcare Infrastructure.
Existing cross-campus contacts:
 Ann Bishop has been active in organizing students and faculty concerned with social
justice issues and the potential for participatory action research in this area.
 CNI/Prairienet is an active partner in the work of ESLARP, the East St. Louis Action
Research Project.
4. Arts in a technology-intensive world
GSLIS perspective:
Information technology affects the arts as there are new means to create, access, and
display art objects. For example, one can re-envision museums in the digital age through
the use of digital technologies and ubiquitous computing to broaden the base of museum
users, enhance and personalize the experience of visiting a museum, and extend the
educational reach of a museum.
Examples of relevant GSLIS activities:
 Stephen Downie specializes in music information retrieval and is collaborating with
scholars from many institutions to build a research community in this area.
 Michael Twidale and Boyd Rayward are exploring new possibilities for museums in
the digital age, including the Cyberdocent project.
 Doctoral student Tonyia Tidline’s dissertation focuses on “Art as Information”, the
information imparted through elements and culture of contemporary painting.
 Doctoral student Paul Marty is extending his experience building the virtual presence
of the Spurlock Museum to investigate other facets of museum informatics.
 Relevant courses include: LIS 350MUI Museum Informatics and LIS 250MSI Music
and Sound as Information.
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Existing cross-campus contacts:
Collaborations include Karen Ruhleder’s work on the Intelligent Virtual Ensemble with
researchers in Music, Computer Science, and the Beckman Institute; Michael Twidale’s
work with Beth Sandore and Nuala Bennett of the Library’s Digital Imaging & Media
Technology Initiative to explore multimedia exhibit catalogs; Bryan Heidorn’s
work with Nan Goggin of Art & Design on the possibilities of mobile collaboration in the
creation of art; and Chip Bruce's work with Liora Bresler and Brenda Trofanenko in
Education on arts education.
II.
Additional Area of Opportunity and Excitement: The Changing Role of
Information in Everyday Life
While section II identifies ways in which GSLIS faculty can contribute to each of the
four proposed themes, in this section we would like to propose a different lens for
focusing cross-campus research connections. At UIUC, where the invention of Mosaic
made the Web an information repository accessible world-wide, it is particularly
appropriate to reflect on the changing role of information (and the impact of information
technology) in everyday life. Individuals are confronted with an overabundance of
information (and misinformation). Research challenges abound, involving the technical
and the cognitive, managerial, social, and economic aspects of information technology
(IT) development, use, and impact. The more IT becomes integrated with and essential to
our lives, the more urgent is the need to consider IT from more than a purely technical
perspective. Some broad areas of research interest include (adapted from a discussion
document on Education and Research Agenda for a New IT Discipline, prepared by Larry
Finkelstein and Carole Hafner, Northeastern University, 2/10/2002):
a. The study of information: how it is acquired, organized, communicated, managed and
used by people and organizations, and how IT changes those processes, sometimes in
fundamental ways
b. The study of IT applications
c. Techniques and tools for managing the design, development and deployment of large
complex IT systems
d. The study of how IT affects human behavior and quality of life
e. The study of how IT affects social and political institutions, and how those
institutions in turn affect the development and use of IT
The National Research Council report on Making IT Better: Expanding Information
Technology Research to Meet Society’s Needs (2000) and the National Science
Foundation Information Technology Research Program (http://www.itr.nsf.gov) elaborate on
these themes and demonstrate the national interest in addressing such issues. UIUC is
well positioned to make this a focus for a cross-campus initiative, with GSLIS faculty
playing a key role. As noted in the Introduction to this report, GSLIS faculty research
interests encompass distributed communities, Internet studies, technology and
scholarship, and managing heterogeneity and diversity in large scale information systems.
Many of the examples of faculty research cited in Section II of this report also fit into this
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theme of the changing role of information in everyday life. Relevant research interests
range from human-computer interaction (Michael Twidale’s studies of collaborative
learning and new kinds of interaction with technologies) to global perspectives (Fernando
Elichirigoity is particularly concerned with understanding information technologies and
globalization). Caroline Haythornthwaite investigates the social networks associated
with distributed knowledge and learning communities. Les Gasser’s research includes
investigation of quality and reliability of information and information systems. Tim
Wentling is exploring relationships between eLearning and knowledge management in
corporations. Terry Weech’s interests include economics of information. Dan Schiller
and Robert McChesney are working to establish UIUC as a leading center of research on
global policy in information and communication.
A number of existing GSLIS courses can inform this perspective: LIS 436 Use and Users
of Information; LIS 449 Economics of Information; LIS 450CMC Computer-Mediated
Communication; LIS 450DK Distributed Knowledge; LIS 450EI Ethnography of
Information Systems; and LIS 450KS Knowledge Studies for Information Science.
Several of the projects identified above already involve cross-campus contacts. For
example, the work on distributed knowledge (Bruce, Haythornthwaite) is a collaboration
involving Nick Burbules in the College of Education, the NCSA Alliance, and other
universities; the Schiller-McChesney project is a collaboration of ICR and GSLIS. We
can envision involving researchers from several other campus units in addressing many
issues related to the changing role of information in everyday life.
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