SLAIS
Academic Unit Plan
December 15, 2000
There has rarely been a better time to enter the information professions. Moreover, there can be few better places to study than at the University of British Columbia's School of Library, Archival and Information Studies (SLAIS).
Society at large, and each individual, recognizes the importance of information as a basis for informed decision-making and knowledge production. This is equally true in the public and private sectors. Professional librarians, our graduates, are working in fields as diverse as opening doors to learning for pre-schoolers to offering value-added information services for leaders in major corporations. They are contributing to academic achievement in schools, colleges and universities, and developing independent entrepreneurial companies to manage print and digital information for business and industry. Generally hired as managers and trainers on graduation, they work in partnership with other individuals and agencies. And who better to organize the Internet than librarians? They are working today as indexers, software developers, webmasters and Internet trainers. The career options are limitless.
Professional archivists are likewise moving beyond traditional roles and responsibilities. Some maintain municipal archives for legal or cultural purposes while others organize virtual archives of images on the World Wide Web. Still others appraise, arrange, and describe the papers of significant individuals as well as the electronic records of organizations and associations. Whether working with community members or contributing to the bottom-line of corporations, archivists make records accessible for groups as diverse as genealogists, native land claims researchers, and major insurance agencies.
At SLAIS we are in the business of preparing professionals to exercise leadership in planning, implementing, and promoting the preservation, organization, and effective use of society's recorded information and ideas. We offer programs in Library and Information Studies and in Archival Studies as well as a joint program. In addition, we sponsor a multidisciplinary Master of Arts in Children's Literature with five other departments and a master's degree in Teacher-librarianship with the Faculty of Education. SLAIS also provides opportunities for post-master's study.
SLAIS is an internationally recognized School with innovative programs and exceptional research productivity. Our programs have received international awards and full professional accreditation following each regular review for the past forty years. Our faculty members have received more awards for service to the professions than all other Schools in the country while receiving some of the largest research grants to support students.
As a small, research-intensive professional unit, the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies reflects and resonates the academic plans and priorities of the University, the Faculty of Graduate Studies, and the Faculty of Arts.
I. Retention and Renewal of Faculty and Staff
Both internal and external reviews have recognized the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies for the high quality of its teaching, its responsiveness to student needs, and its scholarly productivity during a time of change. Faculty retention and renewal are essential to maintain and build on these strengths. The School has developed a faculty renewal plan and begun to implement it. A new faculty member was hired in July 1999, a second in July 2000, and the competition process for two positions is currently underway. In addition, the School has begun the process of instituting a doctoral level program, which will enhance the School's desirability for prospective faculty.
It is essential that SLAIS continue its pre-eminent position as a graduate program with both professional and research dimensions. Competition for new faculty in our disciplines is fierce, with three openings for every new candidate. The complications of competing on an international scale with salaries based on a weak Canadian dollar in an expensive real estate market further compound the issue.
Opportunities/ Priorities/ Goals
Faculty Renewal
In the faculty renewal plan, the priority areas of recruitment for the School were (1) the theory and design of information systems and technology and (2) management and marketing of information agencies and services, particularly in the corporate sector. These priorities remain important as faculty renewal is based on retirements in critical areas such as the organization of information and reference/information services.
Among the factors to consider are:
- retirements expected over the next five to ten years;
- new areas of knowledge emerging in the fields of library, archival, and information studies;
- the desirability of increasing opportunities for interdisciplinarity and cross-appointments; and
- the need to recruit scholars who reflect diverse multicultural and international communities.
As a result of this period of renewal, the School will:
- maintain its profile outside the university;
- maintain a collegial and intellectually rewarding environment that nurtures and encourages individual and collaborative teaching, research, and learning;
- formalize procedures for nurturing and mentoring new faculty, particularly in proposal writing and grant development;
- continue the current practice of offering a total of two 3-credit courses of teaching release to new tenure-track faculty during their first two years.
The School will also make every effort to renew its case for additional support staffing, particularly a management and professional position for student services(e.g., professional experience placements; projects; research administration) and the information technology laboratory. The current allocation of staff is inconsistent with comparable schools of similar size at UBC and elsewhere.
II. The Learning Environment
The School of Library, Archival and Information Studies has developed a graduate curriculum which is cohesive, research-based, flexible, well-taught, and which demonstrates congruency of the School's goals and objectives with those of Trek 2000 and the Academic Plan. There is also evidence of a strong research culture among students at the School.
In 1999, the Society of American Archivists recognized the Master of Archival Studies program for its "leadership role in the advancement of scholarly research, the development of the profession across North America (as well as internationally), and above all, the improvement and expansion of the field of archival endeavor." It is the only education program to be so honoured. In 2000, the American Library Association recognized the Master of Library and Information Studies for its vision, mission and goals; its intensive curriculum revision process; and the First Nations concentration.
The School has recently substantially increased the number and value of scholarships and bursaries through aggressive fundraising and collaboration with alumni. It has formed three student association chapters for different professional environments and instituted a student-based colloquia and speaker series.
Students may enter SLAIS in January, May or September; courses are offered morning, afternoon and evening, including weekends. Development of web-based versions of the "Core" courses in the Master of Library and Information Studies program is underway.
Opportunities/ Priorities/ Goals
The School will:
- recruit high quality students for all SLAIS programs;
- ensure that as many courses as feasible are taught by tenure-track faculty members, especially the required courses in each program;
- employ teaching methodologies that accentuate active versus passive roles, such as case studies, problem solving, resource-based learning, collaborative research between students and faculty, and group research;
- develop a required, not-for-credit professional program sequence for graduate students (e.g. working in teams, interviewing, effective presentations, journal publication, grant proposal writing, consulting, etc.);
- publicize to potential students the availability of student research assistantships, academic assistantships, and participation in faculty-led research projects;
- provide an annual forum for dissemination of student and faculty research;
- promote aggressively the First Nations curriculum concentration across Canada and the United States;
- ensure that students have interdisciplinary study opportunities through course selection outside SLAIS, recruitment of other UBC graduate students to single courses, and collaborative research with other academic units;
- institute joint graduate degrees or collaborative programs in Health Informatics (University of Victoria), Publishing (Simon Fraser University), Business Administration, Journalism and Museology;
- establish a Cooperative Work Experience program through the Faculty of Arts;
- develop courses for web-based and other "distance" modes of delivery;
- create variable credit courses;
- recruit students reflective of the communities we serve [UBC equity funding has supported a major initiative here];
- enhance program offerings in management, and marketing, particularly in the corporate environment;
- develop a proposal for an interdisciplinary undergraduate major/minor in communications, media and information studies;
- conduct a study of the current labour market to ensure that the curriculum focuses on current and emerging markets; and
- collect data to ensure that program decisions and unit priorities are based on evidence with accountability for research, teaching, and service.
Facilities and Resources
Every external study of SLAIS since 1961 has implored the University to improve space allocation. Funds must be allocated for renovation and refurbishing. To date, School-raised funds have provided for new paint, carpet, equipment, and furniture.
Space options need to be congruent with plans for additions and renovations to the Main Library and the School's CFI proposal.
Further, the School will continue to work vigorously with the University Library to ensure availability of the electronic indexes, abstracts, and journals required for our programs.
III. Research Excellence
The School of Library, Archival and Information Studies is committed to enhancing its existing strong research culture. To that end, the School has taken the following significant steps to support research productivity and focus more attention on national competitive research grants: annual peer review of research and scholarly activity, differentiated teaching loads, School-based research seed money, and student/faculty collaborative research. All of the current research faculty members hold research grants, ranging from a thousand dollars to a million dollars. The School has applied for two 21st century chairs: one in Electronic Records and one in Children's Literature. In addition, the School has formally begun the process of instituting a doctoral level program, which will enhance opportunities for research.
To further develop an already significant research culture among the students, the School established a new required course in collaborative research to enable students to participate in collaborative work on critical areas of investigation and refereed reporting. Annual research fora at SLAIS and regular provincial, national and international conferences provide a showcase for faculty and student research.
Opportunities/ Priorities/ Goals
The School will continue its recent program of:
- support for research grant applications;
- funding for graduate research assistantships;
- dedicated space for graduate research assistants;
- careful delineation and determination of its doctoral program with close supervision of the program and its initial students; and
- application for MCRI and CFI funding.
IV. Links with the Community
The School of Library, Archival and Information Studies has excellent links with the academic and professional communities. Faculty members participate in professional and scholarly associations at an international, national, and local level. SLAIS engages adjunct faculty and speakers from the professions. Many courses encouraging professional experience enable students to work with the professional communities. Incoming students receive complimentary membership in the Archives Association of British Columbia or the British Columbia Library Association. New graduates in Library and Information Studies receive Canadian Library Association (CLA) membership through a partnership with the CLA.
Opportunities/ Priorities/ Goals
The School will:
- expand research and academic program linkages with the community through initiatives to establish formal research partnerships;
- further research for associations, institutions, government, and industry;
- establish a formal internship program;
- work closely with the industry-based SLAIS Advisory Council to identify opportunities for research collaboration and teaching linkages; and
- establish a focused partnership with the alumni association.
Continuing Professional Education
- assign responsibility for the continuing education program with academic assistant support.
V. EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE
The School of Library, Archival and Information Studies is committed to ensuring transparency and efficiency in governance. To make the most efficient use of faculty and staff resources, the School has reduced the amount of service required from faculty members on committees by reducing the number of standing committees to a minimum. SLAIS standing committees include both student and alumni representatives.
Opportunities/ Priorities/ Goals
The School will:
- develop a role statement for the [new] Director of the School;
- re-commit to shared governance and shared decision-making through shared responsibility and accountability;
- involve students in decision-making at the committee and faculty levels;
- ensure open communication by mounting agendas, minutes, and news on the website.
Addenda
- SLAIS Policy and Procedures Handbook
- SLAIS Adjunct Faculty Handbook
- SLAIS Student Handbook 2000-2001
- Planning Documents
1993
- SLAIS Mission, Goals and Action Plans
1995
1999
- SLAIS Program Presentation for the Committee on Accreditation [375 pp.]
- External Review Panel Report and Committee on Accreditation Final Report
- Arts 2000 and Beyond
2000
- SLAIS Planning Priorities
- Trek 2000: A Vision for the 21st Century
- Strategies and Targets-Operational Timetable 2000-2001
- LASSA Program Assessment [annual]
- UBC Academic Plan
- UBC Academic Plan Operation Schedule
- UBC Academic Plan Schedule [link revised October 2003]
- UBC Strategic Research Plan [link revised October 2003]
