Tom Reichert, Dean
David Lankes, Ph.D., Associate Dean and Director, School of Library and Information Science

Overview

As a professional school grounded strongly in the sciences and liberal arts, the School of Library and Information Science emphasizes the value of a broad educational foundation as well as proficiency in information and communication skills. Information Science is the study of the cognitive, social, technological, and organizational roles of information in all its forms and rests on three foundations: content, people, and technology. That is, the substance of the information being created, communicated, stored, and/or transformed; the people who interact with this content; and the technology used to support content creation, communication, storage, or transformation.

The program emphasizes research-based learning and incorporates opportunities for service learning, internship, and work-study in a wide range of public and private organizations and agencies. In addition to providing a strong background for graduate work in library and information science, law, social science, and business, the graduate will be well suited to compete for beginning level positions as a competitive intelligence analyst, consultant, database developer and analyst, data mining specialist, information architect, archivist and records manager, information broker, information consultant, Internet researcher, knowledge management consultant, online searcher, navigation designer, researcher/analyst, Web designer/developer/programmer, and others related to organizational needs for workers who understand information resources and services.

Admission

First-year Students. In order to be admitted to the B.S. in Information Science degree program of study in the School of Library and Information Science, first-year students must meet all University admission requirements. In order to continue in the program, each student must attain a minimum USC GPA of 2.50 upon completion of 30 degree-applicable hours. Credit received for remedial work is not counted toward the 30 hours.

Transfer Students. A student desiring to transfer to the B.S. in Information Science program of the School of Library and Information Science from either another college or school of the University or another institution must have a cumulative minimum GPA of 2.50 on all work attempted. Transfer students from other institutions must take at least half of the information science course work in residence at the University of South Carolina Columbia. Required information science courses from schools taken from other schools must be validated by proficiency tests. No more than 12 semester hours of required information science courses from other schools may be applied toward the B.S. degree in Information Science.

Completion of ENGL 101  and ENGL 102  with grades of C or higher are prerequisites for admission to the B.S. in I.S. upper-division program.

Progression Requirements

Each student within the school is expected to make orderly progress toward a baccalaureate degree. To facilitate this, the school’s undergraduate program is divided into upper and lower divisions.

1. Lower-division students are those who have earned fewer than 60 semester hours toward the degree or who do not meet admission requirements to the upper division.
2. Admission to the upper division is based upon a minimum 2.50 cumulative USC GPA; completion of SLIS 201  and SLIS 202  with grades of C or higher; completion of 60 or more semester hours toward the degree; completion of most general education requirements (see below); selection of a particular program of study within the School; and selection and approval of a minor. All students desiring to be admitted to the upper division must formally apply for admission some time after completion of 45 semester hours and SLIS 201  and SLIS 202  and before completion of more than 75 hours of University course work.
3. All students must maintain a minimum 2.50 GPA on USC courses in order to maintain good standing in the School and to graduate with a B.S. in Information Science. Grades will be reviewed at the end of each semester. Students who have less than a 2.50 GPA on USC work are not in good standing and will be placed on probation within the School. With the exception of upper-division courses, they may continue to take course work toward their degree if seats are available.
4. All majors within the School will be expected to pass all Information Science courses used toward the degree with a minimum grade of C.
5. No Information Science course may be repeated more than once by any student.

Second Degree. Students from other USC colleges who expect to obtain a second baccalaureate degree from the School of Library and Information Science must file a statement of intent with the School before completing 90 semester hours, must meet regular admission and progression requirements of the School, must be assigned an Information Science advisor, and must formally apply to and be accepted by the School not later than the next-to-the-last semester in which the student expects to receive the Information Science degree.

Programs and Courses

Programs

• Information Science Minor
• Information Science, B.S.

Courses

• SLIS 201 - Introduction to Information Science
• SLIS 202 - Introduction to Information Literacy and Technology
• SLIS 220 - Using Information Resources
• SLIS 301 - Information Storage and Retrieval
• SLIS 310 - Research Methods in Information Science
• SLIS 315 - Information Policy
• SLIS 325 - Children’s Literature
• SLIS 330 - Introduction to Computer Technology and Applications for Information Environments
• SLIS 402 - Introduction to Management Within Information Environments
• SLIS 410 - Knowledge Management
• SLIS 420 - Communication and Information Transfer
• SLIS 429 - Information Management for Journalists
• SLIS 430 - User-Centered Information Architecture
• SLIS 434 - Introduction to Knowledge Discovery
• SLIS 435 - Digital Information Infrastructure
• SLIS 440 - Competitive Intelligence
• SLIS 450 - Information Issues in Cultural Heritage Institutions
• SLIS 480 - Emerging Topics in Information Science
• SLIS 494 - Independent Study in Information Science
• SLIS 496 - Internship in Information Science
• SLIS 501 - Teaching and Training in Distributed Environments
• SLIS 523 - Materials for Early Childhood
• SLIS 525 - Materials for Children
• SLIS 527 - Materials for Adolescents
• SLIS 529 - Special Topics in Library and Information Studies
• SLIS 530 - Applications of Information Technology and the Infrastructure
• SLIS 534 - Knowledge Discovery Techniques
• SLIS 600 - Storytelling: Theory, Practice, and Development