Strategic Goal, Tactical Goals Implementation Tactics, and Program Goals of the Kent State University School of Library and Information Science

Strategic Goal

To ensure that the Kent State University School of Library and Information Science is one of the leading professional library and information science education programs in North America.

Tactical Goals

(1) To maintain and enhance the school's role as the only comprehensive, accredited, professional school of library and information science in the state of Ohio.

Implementation Statics:

1. environmental scanning and continuous curriculum development;
2. continuous review and improvement of instruction;
3. exploration of new programs and services;
4. securing of fiscal, physical, and human resources necessary for excellence;
5. retention of American Library Association accreditation through review under the 1992 Standards for Accreditation;
6. liaison to local, state, national, and international library information  agencies;
7. exploration and development of mechanisms for delivering the school's programs in new geographic venues;
8. expanded attention to the school's role in a culturally an ethnically diverse society;
9. expansion of student roles in planning and assessment;
10. expansion of student and alumni activities through further development of the Alumni an Friends Council and the core Constituency Advisory Teams (CCATs);

(2)  To foster research and development in library and information science.

Implementation Tactics:

1. expansion of support for faculty and student scholarship;
2. promote new research especially among tenure-track faculty;
3. development of an infrastructure for collaborative research involving library and information science faculty, students, other KSU departments and schools and the professional community;
4. increasing programs visibility through faculty and student leadership in professional associations, conferences, networks, and consortias at the local, regional, national, and international levels;
5. continued support of international scholar exchanges

(3)  To optimize the position and role of the school within the College of Communication and Information and the University.

Implementation Tactics:

1. exploration and development of appropriate interdisciplinary links to other schools in CCI;
2. exploration and development of appropriate interdisciplinary links to units outside the college;
3. leadership in college and university faculty governance committees.

Master of Library and Information Science Objectives:

By the completion of the master's program, students should be able to:

1. Analyze the changing cultural, educational, and social roles and responsibilities of librarians and information professionals, and the place of the library and other information agencies in society;
2. Select, acquire, and process information resources for libraries and other information agencies'
3. Interpret and effectively utilize general and specialized information sources and bibliographic tools;
4. Organize and describe information materials in a manner that will facilitate and enhance utilization of resources;
5. Interpret and apply basic management principles;
6. Describe advances in technology pertinent to the acquiring, organization, and dissemination of information and apply this knowledge to libraries and other information agencies;
7. Identify, analyze, evaluate, and conduct research in the field of library and information science and relate findings to the solution of problems in the profession;
8. Analyze the information needs and use patterns of specific user populations, describe the place of the library in the information transfer process, and the design of information services to meet user needs.