Library and Information Science

Faculty

* Graduate faculty

*D. Nahl, PhD (Chair)—information services, human-system interaction
d. Bair-Mundy, MLIS—information systems
*V. Harada, EdD—school library administration, information literacy
*P. Jacsó, PhD—online technology, computer system analysis, databases
*R. Knuth, PhD—youth service, international librarianship
L. Quiroga, PhD—information retrieval, databases, library systems
A. Wertheimer, PhD—library history, Japanese American print culture

Adjunct Faculty

J. Adamson, MLIS—head, Systems Office, UH
K. Anderson, MLIS—reference librarian, Science and Technology, Hamilton Library
J. Barnwell, MLIS—librarian, Pacific Collection, Hamilton Library
R. Chapman, PhD—librarian, Honolulu Academy of Arts
S. Cheng, MA—head, Asian collection, Hamilton Library
M. Chopey, MLS—cataloging, UH
R. Christiansen, MLIS—humanities librarian, Hamilton Library
L. Davis, MLIS—preservation librarian, Hamilton Library
R. B. Elliott, MEd—technical coordinator, Wahiawa Middle School
N. Everhardt, PhD—Division of Library and Information Science, St. John’s University (Jamaica, NY)
L. Farmer, EdD—library media teacher services, California State University Long Beach
G. Fitzpatrick, MLIS—Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division
D. Flynn, MLS—business librarian, Hamilton Library
N. Fujii-Babb, MLS—librarian, Salt Lake/Moanalua Public Library
G. Geary, MLS—music librarian, Sinclair Library
R. Hensley, MLS—head, Public Services, Hamilton Library
J. Hori, MLS—curator, Hawaiian Collection, Hamilton Library
M. Jackson, PhD—Dean Emeritus
S. Johnson, MLISc—reference librarian, Business/Humanities/Social Sciences, Hamilton Library
C. Kellett, MLIS—systems librarian, Library Information Technology, Hamilton Library
V. Lebbin, MLS—social sciences librarian, Hamilton Library
S. Loftis, MLS—librarian, Hanahauoli School
A. Luster, PhD—head librarian, Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies
D. Minatodani, MLIS—librarian, Hawaiian Collection, Hamilton Library
J. Nordbotten, PhD—Department of Information Science, University of Bergen, Norway
L. Osborne, PhD—Dean of Information Technology and Libraries, Chaminade University
K. Peacock, PhD—curator, Pacific Islands Collection, UH
C. Saito, MLIS—school library media specialist, retired
S. Shaner, MLIS—Hawai‘i state archivist
M. Suzuki, MLIS—librarian, Government Documents, Hamilton Library
C. Tachihata, PhD—retired curator, Hawaiiana Collection, Hamilton Library
L. Wageman, MLS—retired head, Asia Collection, Hamilton Library
D. Weingand, PhD—Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Madison
P. Wermager, MLIS—head, Science and Technology, Hamilton Library
J. Yukawa, MLIS—CIS Doctoral student

The Academic Program

Founded in 1965, the Library and Information Science (LIS) Program prepares professionals for work in libraries and other types of information-handling agencies. It currently offers a master’s in library and information science (MLISc) and a Certificate in Advanced Library and Information Science and participates in an interdisciplinary doctoral program in Communication and Information Sciences. The LIS program is aware of the opportunities and the responsibilities inherent in its Pacific setting and the unique cultural amalgam of Hawai‘i. Its major goals are:

1. To furnish students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are basic to professional competence and career-long professional growth in the field of library and information services.
2. To expand the knowledge base of the profession through research.
3. To share its resources by extending services to the UH and its academic units and to the people of Hawai‘i and beyond.

Graduate Study

Master’s Degree

The MLISc degree program was first accredited by the American Library Association in 1967 and was reaccredited in 1974, 1980, 1986, 1996, and 2000. The curriculum is subject to continuous review and modification, and every effort is made in academic advising to ensure that students plan programs of study suited to their individual goals. Entering students are expected to be computer literate. Graduate standing is the normal prerequisite for all courses.

Degree Requirements

Students are required to take the following courses:

• LIS 601 Introduction to Reference and Information Services
• LIS 605 Basic Cataloging and Classification
• LIS 610 Introduction to Library and Information Science

In addition, they must take one of the following:

• LIS 650 Management of Libraries and Information Centers 
• LIS 684 Administration of School Library Media Centers

Plan A (Thesis)

The normal requirement for the MLISc degree under the thesis option is a minimum of 42 credit hours of approved graduate study. At least 27 credits must be taken in LIS courses or a combination of LIS and approved Information and Computer Sciences courses. In addition, 3 credit hours in LIS 695 Seminar in Research in Librarianship and 6 credit hours in LIS 700 Thesis Research must be taken. No directed reading credits are allowed as part of thesis research.

General examination is not required for admission to candidacy. After completing 15 credits of course work, students are advanced to candidacy upon the recommendation of the program’s graduate faculty. The oral examination is not required, but research results will be presented at a student-faculty colloquium.

Plan B (Non-thesis)

The normal requirement for the MLISc degree under the non-thesis option is a minimum of 42 credit hours of approved graduate study. At least 36 credits must be taken in LIS courses or in a combination of LIS and approved ICS courses. Up to 6 credits may be taken in other schools or colleges when the courses are relevant to the individual student’s specialization and approved by the LIS program chair and the Graduate Division.

The maximum course load is 15 credit hours per term. Therefore, 42 credit hours would require at least two terms and a summer. A full load is a minimum of 8 credit hours per term. The program may be undertaken on a part-time basis but must be completed within five years (a two-year extension is allowed by the Graduate Division for a total of seven years).
Students who were in MLISc-degree programs from other ALA-accredited library programs may, in special circumstances, transfer up to 21 credit hours toward their MLISc degree at UHM, provided the work to be credited has been completed within the time limit previously cited. Such requests must be included in the application.

Comprehensive Examination

All Plan B students are required to take an oral comprehensive examination as a requirement for the MLISc degree. The examination is taken during the semester the student expects to graduate.

Distance Education

The MLISc program utilizes the Hawai‘i Interactive Television System (HITS) to deliver courses to remote sites in the state. LIS has been one of the pioneers on campus in using this innovative instructional delivery system. It currently offers approximately 40 percent of its courses through HITS; at least two courses are available through HITS each fall and spring, and two during summer sessions.

Summers–Only Program

Students may select to enroll in the MLISc program exclusively during the summer sessions. There are four sessions in the summer, each three weeks long. Only one course may be taken in each three-week session. Every effort is made to ensure a balanced selection of courses during the summers. The deadline for the summers-only program is April 1 of each year. The summers-only program is not open to international students.

Dual Master’s Degree Programs

Students may pursue the MLISc degree and a second master’s concurrently, cooperating with the following departments and fields of study: information and computer sciences (MS), history (MA), Pacific Islands studies (MA), American studies (MA), Asian studies (MA), and Law (JD). For more information on these programs, contact the LIS program chair or the other respective departments.

Doctoral Degree

Interdisciplinary Doctoral Degree Program

LIS participates in an interdisciplinary PhD program in Communication and Information Sciences (CIS) integrating computer science, communication, library science, and management information systems. Because of the broad knowledge base required to support the interdisciplinary approach, the program also draws on political science, economics, engineering, operations research, and behavioral sciences. This unique program is sponsored by four academic faculties: communication, information technology management, information and computer sciences, and library and information science.
For information on admission and requirements, refer to the “Communication and Information Sciences” section within the Colleges of Arts and Sciences.

School Library Media Specialist Certification

The LIS program recommends graduates to the Hawai‘i Department of Education for certification as school library media specialists. To be eligible, graduates must meet the MLISc degree program requirements and the course requirements approved for certification by the Hawai‘i Department of Education. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) is used in conducting periodic reviews of the program.

A student who enters the LIS program to earn this certification must have completed a state-approved teacher education program. For more specific and current information on prerequisites and required as well as recommended LIS courses, contact the LIS program chair.

Certificate Program

The Certificate in Advanced Library and Information Science (CALIS) offers two options. Option A is available for those who complete a successful, coherent program of specialized study and research beyond the MLISc degree. The program allows for specialization 1) applying computer and information technologies to information environments and 2) extending information management skills in information system design, evaluation, and the development of user services.

Option B focuses on school librarianship. It allows for specialization in 1) applying computer and information science technologies in elementary and secondary school libraries, and 2) extending curriculum planning skills in information literacy and general literacy instruction. 

For both options, students must complete a research paper that meets the approval of the CALIS Committee and give an oral presentation of their research to students and faculty. Students are expected to remain enrolled each semester until the requirements are completed. If it is necessary to withdraw temporarily, students must reapply for admission within application deadlines before returning. Credits more than five years old cannot be applied to the certificate requirements; thus, the program must be completed in five years. For more specific information on prerequisite and elective courses, contact the LIS program chair.

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Please note: This Catalog was prepared to provide information and does not constitute a contract. The University reserves the right to change or delete, supplement or otherwise amend at any time and without prior notice the information, requirements and policies contained in this Catalog.