Still number one
General March 31st, 2006
It might be bad form to copy/paste the assistant dean’s email into a blog posting, but I liked it and wanted to share. It’s good to be the top!
U.S. News & World Report has released its latest rankings of graduate professional schools of library and information science. GSLIS remains at the top of the list, sharing the number one spot with the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Congratulations to the faculty, staff, students, and alumni for their role in making GSLIS a leader among schools of information, sometimes called I-Schools.
“Since the last rankings in 1999, GSLIS has been and now continues to be the only school or college in the University of Illinois system that is ranked number one in this national survey. Maintaining this position in a time of declining state support is an accomplishment of which the School should be proud, but it has not been easy, and it will not be possible in the future without significant new investment,” said Dean John Unsworth.
We are pleased that not only did GSLIS retain the number one spot (with an average assessment score of 4.5/5.0), but that we ranked highly in a number of specialty groups.
In the Digital Librarianship category, new this year, GSLIS ranks first.
“Such recognition is an honor, given the level and quality of work going on in this area at other schools. The caliber of students we’re attracting to the program is a reflection of this work and we are excited to be among the leaders in digital librarianship,” said Jerome McDonough, Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator for the Certificate of Advanced Study in Digital Libraries.GSLIS also moved into first place in Services for Children and Youth, tied with Florida State University. “GSLIS has intensified its focus in the last several years, so we’re pleased that this work is being reflected in the rankings. In addition to unparalleled faculty and library resources, we cultivate a sense of community among our graduate students that creates lifelong affiliations. Over a third of our graduates have taken courses in youth services, an indication of our national impact on the future of information literacy, reading, and readers,” said Betsy Hearne, Professor and Director of the Center for Children’s Books.
Additional rankings include placing fourth in Information Systems, fifth in Law Librarianship (also shared with UNC), and tying for eighth with Syracuse and University of South Carolina-Columbia in Health Librarianship.
“The expertise found at GSLIS–in all forms of information analysis, organization, and use–is a prerequisite for progress in science, business, education, and culture. With that expertise, we can contribute to the success of the campus as a whole, across the entire spectrum of its new research, teaching, public engagement, and economic development initiatives,” said Dean Unsworth.
The field of library and information science is enormously diverse and full of possibilities, and the top positions are hotly contested.
Increasingly, universities across the country are recognizing the important role I-Schools play on their campus by investing heavily in their success, an investment that is reflected in these new rankings.
For example, in the seven years since the last rankings the University of Washington faculty has grown by more than 700 percent, from 6 to 44 and it has since moved from the eighteenth to the fourth position on this list.Discussing these rankings in relation to the University and campus strategic planning process that is now well underway, Dean Unsworth said, “at GSLIS we don’t just practice interdisciplinarity, we study and teach it as well–so I welcome the strategic plan’s articulation of a commitment to interdisciplinary research and education, particularly in the area of informatics. We have a great deal to contribute to the future of the University of Illinois.”
For the full list of rankings, see U.S. News & World Report’s website:
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