The University’s School of Library and Information Science ranked 22nd among 50 other colleges in the library and information studies division in the list of the US News and World Report’s Best Grad Schools 2013.
 
Dean Beth Paskoff said being ranked by the national organization is an honor because the school was not included in the list when she became dean 12 years ago.
 
“This is a very positive indication of the strength of our program,” Paskoff said. “All of the programs that are ranked above us not only have master’s degree programs, but they also offer a Ph.D.”
 
Paskoff said the school worked to get state approval for a Ph.D. program for several years and is hoping to obtain it soon. LSU has the only library and information science master’s program in the state, but there are no library and information science Ph.D. programs in Arkansas, Mississippi or Louisiana, Paskoff said.
 
The rankings included the top 50 master’s degree programs accredited by the American Library Association, according to US News and World Report’s website. Questionnaires were sent to the deans and directors of each program, and those people ranked each school’s program based on academic quality.
 
“It is a reflection of the importance of the research our faculty do and the very high quality of our master’s education,” Paskoff said.
 
There are three primary specializations in the University’s School of Library and Information Science program: archives, information management and librarianship. Librarianship is the largest specialization, which focuses on working in a variety of libraries and reaching out to the public with help in evaluating information.
The program is developing a specialization in digital curation.
“As technology changes, our profession adapts and provides information for people to use,” Paskoff said.
 
Paskoff said libraries still provide books, but they now have laptops, digital music and downloadable books to loan to keep up with the evolving technology.
 
The School of Library and Information Science is included in the merger into the College of Human Sciences and Education, which will be effective July 1.
 
Students will not see a difference when the merger occurs because the curriculum, faculty and recruitment will all remain the same, Paskoff said. The program will still be eligible to be ranked in future reports and will be considered as the only master’s program in library and information science in Louisiana.
 
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Contact Shannon Roberts at [email protected]