Are you a Virginian thinking about a professional career as a librarian or information professional?
The University of Tennessee School of Information Sciences (SIS) has an established, proven, and rich history of education in Virginia beginning in 1996 when SIS faculty delivered real-time compressed video instruction to four University of Virginia campuses. That agreement with UVA set in motion a great relationship which exists to this day. In 2000, our program began online instruction to Virginia students through Centra Symposium, a real-time, dynamic web application, which allows full student participation in classes. At least 150 students have graduated from SIS while living and working in Virginia. We invite prospective librarians to consider UT SIS as the most dynamic, student-centered, and diverse LIS program for your needs. But don’t just take our word for it; listen to what the State Librarian of Virginia says about us:
Who Are We?
SIS Faculty:
SIS faculty are ranked No. 1 in the nation for per capita journal articles published. One of our professors, Carol Tenopir, is ranked as the single most research productive library and information science faculty member in the United States. While our faculty are ranked #1 in research, several have also garnered several national teaching awards, such as the Outstanding Information Science Teacher award co-sponsored by ASIS&T and the ALISE Award for Teaching Excellence in the Field of Library and Information Science Education.
SIS also employs instructors who work in Virginia, such as Vera Fessler, the Associate Director of the Fairfax County Public Library, and Denise Bedford, Senior Information Officer at the World Bank in Washington D.C. Because of our faculty’s experience and connections with federal institutions, we have a keen understanding of the unique needs of librarians in the Commonwealth of Virginia – in both rural and urban settings.
SIS Students:
Half of our 250 students learn from their homes or office via our online learning program. We have a rich geographic diversity of students from all over the country, many of whom are working in libraries in Virginia and the Northeast. SIS student cohorts, such as those in northern and southwestern Virginia, are groups of committed students who study and socialize together, and meet at conferences when possible. Many of our students come to our program from successful careers in profuse professional arenas, and thus entrance into our program is highly competitive. We encourage prospective students to apply to our program, whether you have library experience or not.
Where Are We?
The University of Tennessee School of Information Sciences is on the UT campus in Knoxville, Tennessee. Our students, however, are everywhere. The online learning environment at SIS is synchronous and fully participatory. Unlike some distance education LIS programs, full-time faculty teach all of our required courses and many electives.
Why SIS?
The University of Tennessee School of Information Sciences is an exciting and growing program that is nationally acclaimed. SIS offers students an individualized program in consultation with your advisor – you get to choose the program strengths that best complement your learning objectives. SIS faculty have particular strengths in international scholarly literature, scientific and technical communication, corporate and medical librarianship, public librarianship, youth services, knowledge management, and information seeking and use.
SIS is also YOUR regional program.
How Does the World See SIS?
SIS is ranked the 16th best out of some 58 graduate programs in library and information sciences accredited by the American Library Association, according to a 2006 survey by U.S. News & World Report. Our school library media program graduates have earned a perfect 100% score on the PRAXIS exams, which exceed state and national scores. In a word, all SIS faculty are national superstars. Several professors have won national teaching awards and their teaching and research are recognized annually.
What About Program Requirements and Costs?
Virginia students are fortunate that they can take advantage of the Academic Common Market, which allows Virginia students to take classes at in-state costs, or $329 per credit hour. SIS requires students to attend a 2-day orientation before classes start, and also for a culminating experience, which is either a 4-hour comprehensive exam or the defense of one’s thesis.
Our program requires 42-credit hours to graduate. Total in-state tuition costs for a degree are $13,818 as of May 2008.
How Does SIS Help Graduates Find Jobs?
SIS continually helps place graduates in public and private institutions around the country, such as the Smithsonian, the National Institutes of Health, the Library of Congress, and National Geographic. The school maintains a comprehensive and up-to-date website for job hunters, and we have in place a student lifecycle program that helps students prepare for a new professional position. SIS graduates enjoy gathering at conferences around the country, such as ALA, SLA, and ASIST, and actively support yearly programs on-campus.
When Should You Apply to SIS?
SIS admits students only in the fall semester, and it is best to submit
your application packets by the end of the calendar year.
Want to Know More?
We invite you to ask our graduates, who live and work in Virginia, about their experiences at UT SIS. (See the list below.)
Tanya Arnold is our Student Services Coordinator, and she is here to answer all of your questions. Give Tanya
a call at (865) 974-2858 or write her at tnarnold@utk.edu.
Virginia Librarians & SIS Graduates
In the past decade, SIS has graduated some 150 alumni who are now living and working in Virginia. Feel free to contact these librarians and information professionals and ask them about their experience at SIS.
School Media Specialists in Virginia (SIS Graduates)
- Barbara Kreuter, Children's and Youth Services Librarian, Staunton Public Library, brinkleycourt@gmail.com
- Susan Light, Library Media Specialist, Christiansburg HS, slight@mail.mcps.org
- Anne Symonds, Library Media Specialist, James River Day School, symonds_a@jamesriverdayschool.com
- Deborah Youngman, Media Coordinator, debbie@va.net
Academic Librarians in Virginia (SIS Graduates)
- Wally Grotophorst, Associate University Librarian, Digital Programs and Systems, George Mason University, wallyg@mail.gmu.edu
- Lucretia McCulley, Director of Outreach and Instruction Services, University of Richmond Libraries, lucretiamcculley@yahoo.com
- Leanne Strum, Head of Technical Services & Systems, Regent University Library, lstrum@regent.edu
Public Librarians in Virginia (SIS Graduates)
- Laura Yust, Library of Congress, lyus@loc.gov
- Amy Bond, Director of Lonesome Pine Regional Library, acbond@gmail.com
- Patricia Hatfield, Director of Smyth-Bland Regional Library, path@sbrl.org
- Cynthia Hart, Virtual Librarian at Virginia Beach Public Library System, CHART@VBGOV.COM
- Elizabeth Lewis, Director of Library Development and Networking Division, Library of Virginia, Elizabeth.Lewis@lva.virginia.gov.
- Joyce Odom, Tech. Services Manager, Suffolk Public Library, joy_burd@yahoo.com
- Alene Sternlieb, Information Services Manager at Sherwood Regional Library, Fairfax County Public Libraries, as3v@juno.com
Special Librarians or Information Professionals in Virginia (SIS Graduates)
- Glenna Owens, Associate Director of Appalachian School of Law Library, gowens@asl.edu
- Robert Pillow, Director of Marketing & Sales Support, VTLS Inc, pillowr@vtls.com
- Lisa Zolly, National Biological Information Infrastructure Program, lisa_zolly@usgs.gov
Testimonials from SIS Graduates:
“I can say with confidence that attending the University of Tennessee School of Information Sciences is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I found the program at UT SIS to be excellent preparation for an interesting career and a lifetime of continued learning and development. The courses I took were challenging and relevant to my interests. I found the program to be cutting-edge in content and use of technology. The professors were engaging and inspiring. My fellow students were a diverse group that made me aware of the wide variety of opportunities that would be available to me after graduation. After completing this degree program, I was able to secure a position at the Library of Congress. It was definitely an experience that I would encourage others to undertake.”
“The research skills that I acquired at UTK SIS, the understanding of database structures and exposure to a wide range of information and communication technologies have been especially valuable to me in my career.”
I had the good fortune to be an undergraduate at a university with tremendous resources. When I enrolled at SIS, I was equally pleased by the resources offered by the University of Tennessee, even to distance education students like me. At the top of my list is Hodges Library, naturally. It is also one of the things I miss acutely now that I have graduated. The collections, the online resources and the staff are real assets to an SIS student.
The quality of the distance education experience surprised me in the best of ways. I completed the SIS MSIS program almost entirely as a distance education student. Synchronous sessions gave me the sense that I was fully part of the class. On the rare occasions when technology failed, the SIS helpdesk solved the problem promptly and kindly. It is great to meet many of the friends met in those virtual classrooms when we all end up at the same conference now.
The SIS program prepared me well for my job working with children and teens in a public library. The range of projects done in small groups and on my own gave me a wealth of professional experience, often far more beneficial to my work now than I realized when I was a student.
“My degree at UTK is from 1981, but I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at SIS and I thought very highly of my professors. Many librarians "put down" their MLS, MLIS, etc. degree, but I have always highly valued my experience and I learned a lot!”
“I would be glad to talk to any prospective students. My experience at the UT Library School was fantastic. I was honored to have people like Wilma Dykeman as one of my instructors back in 1981. Every class was a great experience.”
“While I had never worked a day in a library before attending UT's School of Information Studies, I graduated well-prepared for my first library job. My introduction to computers, that also occured at UT during that time, started me on what has turned out to be a very enjoyable and rewarding career.”
“I must say that my experience at UT was extremely positive. I was fortunate enough to study under both Gary Purcell and Bill Robinson, both of whom are legendary figures in the school's history. In addition, I studied with George Sinkankas, who is not so well remembered, but I consider one of the finest teaches I've ever had in any discipline, at anytime, anywhere.”
"I am delighted that I followed through on my desire to return to school in mid career and enrolled in the University of Tennessee's distance education program to earn a master's degree in information sciences. It proved to be a challenging, stimulating, and intensely rewarding experience. The program is outstanding, the faculty exceptional, and the method of course delivery extremely convenient. UT's School of Information Sciences is highly regarded by library and information professionals nationally and has a distinguished track record in preparing today's students for tomorrow's leadership challenges."
