Library Informatics, B.S.

Available exclusively in a fully-online format.

By completing a bachelor’s degree in library informatics a student will be prepared to work in the expanding career fields of information evaluation and management. Professional positions are available in a wide variety of settings: libraries, corporate information centers, research divisions, government agencies, public service institutions, and more. Courses in this program focus on three broad areas of expertise for information specialists:

• Organizing information: Through coursework, students will learn to use technology, identification schemes, and classification models to manage information more effectively. Examples of specific course topics include the subject classification systems, meta-data programs, information policy, information entrepreneurship, preservation of original sources, and the unique organizational demands of multiple media materials.
• Accessing information: Coursework will guide students in the development of effective and efficient information retrieval and will build skills to devise effective search strategies for a wide variety of database structures and search engine protocols. Examples of specific course topics include the use of tertiary reference guides to streamline information seeking; publication and dissemination cycles; the structure of information searches to retrieve specific information characteristics; cost-benefit analyses of information searches; and ethical and legal issues in using information.
• Assessing information: Course content centers on evaluating usability, reliability, and sufficiency of information sources. Specific study would include applying critical thinking skills to the analysis of resources; matching information sources to specific audience needs; judging the relative value of various information packages; and evaluating decision-making models using data and opinion sources.

Four-Year Plan: Click here  to view the Four-Year Plan for this specific program. To find out more about Four-Year Plans, visit the Policies and Procedures  page.

♦  Indicates prerequisite.

These prerequisites are not included in the program totals in the table below, but they must be completed IN ADDITION TO other program requirements.