ABOUT SLAIS
About SLAIS
Why Choose SLAIS
Supporting SLAIS
About SLAIS
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 the master's degree in Library and Information Studies and the master's degree in Archival Studies. In addition, we sponsor a multidisciplinary Master of Arts in Children's Literature with five other departments. Opportunities are also available for post-master's study.
Accredited by the American Library Association with the Canadian Library Association, SLAIS is an internationally recognized School with innovative programs and exceptional research productivity. Our programs have received international awards and we have always received full accreditation for the past forty years. Our faculty 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. Scroll through our web site, look at our course offerings, examine our research interests and make SLAIS your choice to begin a new career in a new century in one of the best universities in the world.
Why Choose SLAIS
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 School of Library, Archival and Information Studies (SLAIS).Society at large, and each individual it seems, has come to recognize 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 preschoolers 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 electronic resources for small firms. 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, web-masters and Internet trainers. The choices are limitless.
Professional archivists are likewise moving beyond traditional roles and responsibilities. Some maintain municipal archives for legal or cultural purposes while other organize virtual archives of images on the web. The papers of significant individuals are appraised, arranged and described, as are the electronic records of corporations. Whether working with community members or contributing to the bottom-line of corporations, archivists make records accessible for groups as diverse as genealogists and native land claims researchers.
Alumni and friends of SLAIS are invited to support SLAIS in a number of ways. You can provide financial gifts to support students through SLAIS Scholarships, or innovative collaboration, capital projects and other initiatives through the SLAIS Teaching & Learning Enhancement Fund. To donate to either of these funds, contact SLAIS Administrator Mary Grenier at grenier@interchange.ubc.ca.
You can also provide students with valuable experiential learning opportunities by hosting students for practicum and internship placements, proposing professional experience projects, or offering a paid co-op work placement. Your organization benefits as well from hosting enthused and well-prepared students who are eager to learn, apply their new skills and share their perspectives and new knowledge. To learn more about hosting students, contact SLAIS Student Services Coordinator Michelle Mallette at michelle.mallette@ubc.ca.
You are also welcome to propose courses or apply to teach as adjunct faculty. This is an excellent way to share your knowledge and skills with enthusiastic and engaged students who are eager to benefit from your experience. To learn more about these opportunities, visit the adjunct faculty information page.
