The Department of Information & Library Science (ILS) assesses the Master of Library Science and Master of Information Science degrees yearly as part of our ongoing accreditation status in the following areas: recruitment, retention, graduation, and placement.
Learn more about our annual assessments
2024-2025 Assessment
Retention Rate for incoming cohorts retained or graduated:
- Fall 2024-2025: 84%
- Fall 2022-2023: 100%
- Fall 2020-2021: 88%
- Fall 2019-2020: 86%
- Fall 2018: 83%
- Fall 2017: 95%
- Fall 2016: 90%
Average time to completion: 70% of students complete their degree within 2 years. 96% complete within 5 years.
Placement rate for class of 2025 (Summer 24 / Fall 24 / Spring 25):
100% of MLS graduates found employment or continuing education within 12 months of graduation*.
100% of MIS graduates found employment or continuing education within 12 months of graduation**.
*Knowledge rate: 77%
**Knowledge rate: 90%
Past Year's Assessments
Retention Rate: The retention rate for the incoming Fall 2016 cohort: 90% retained or graduated. The retention rate for the incoming Fall 2017 cohort: 95% retained or graduated.
Average time to completion: 75% of students complete their degree within 2 years. 95% complete within 5 years.
Placement rate: 97% of MLS graduates found employment or continuing education within 12 months of graduation*. 100% of MIS graduates found employment or continuing education within 12 months of graduation**.
*Knowledge rate: 93%
**Knowledge rate: 94%
| Program | Core Course | # of Learning Outcomes | % of Outcomes Met |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIS | Z510 | 14 | 96% |
| MIS | Z511 | 7 | 100% |
| MIS | Z513 | 6 | 98% |
| MIS | Z515 | 5 | 97% |
| MIS | Z516 | 20 | 100% |
| MIS | Z556 | 15 | 100% |
| Total MIS: | 99% | ||
| MLS | Z501 | 7 | 90% |
| MLS | Z503 | 7 | 96% |
| MLS | Z550 | 7 | 100% |
| Total MLS: | 95% |
Recruitment and retention
ILS retained or graduated 96% of our students in the fall 2017 and fall 2016 class.
In 2017, ILS continued to expand our recruitment efforts both on and off campus by attending the graduate school fair, hosting local colleges for on-campus visits, creating a new web chat platform, and connecting with key on-campus student populations at an event hosted by academic advisors.
Additionally, ILS attended the American Library Association Annual Conference in Chicago, where assistant professor Devan Donaldson represented the department at a diversity recruitment event.
Recruitment efforts for 2018–2019 are underway, including a plan to formalize an ambassador program where all prospective applicants have the ability to talk with faculty, staff, and current students. The department will continue conducting outreach to other local Indiana colleges and working with the IU libraries to recruit high quality students.
| Program | Total applications | Number admitted | Number enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master of Library Science | 139 | 125 | 39 |
| Master of Information Science | 70 | 29 | 11 |
| Ph.D. in Information Science | 19 | 2 | 1 |
| Specialist in Library and Information Science | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Graduate Certificate in Information Architecture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Non-degree seeking | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Total: | 231 | 159 | 53 |
Graduation and placement
88% of M.I.S. graduates from summer 2016 to spring 2017 secured employment within six months of graduation.
100% of M.L.S. graduates from summer 2016 to spring 2017 secured employment or continuing education within six months of graduation.
| Program | July 2016 | December 2016 | Spring 2017 | Summer 2016 to 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master of Library Science | 6 | 9 | 40 | 55 |
| Master of Information Science | 5 | 6 | 19 | 30 |
| Ph.D. in Information Science | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Total: | 12 | 15 | 60 | 87 |
Progress goals and objectives
Fall 2017 actions:
- Associate Professor John Walsh was named the interim co-director of the HathiTrust Research Center
- ILS Advisory Committee for Professional Programs formed with area employers to provide guidance and feedback as the department prepares for re-accreditation
- Policy enacted that students desiring to graduate with a specialization must now declare the specialization before finishing 18 credits
- The department hosted the Document Academy conference with 28 participants from eleven countries
- Professor Ronald Day received university funding to hold an information, documents, and values seminar
- Professionals in Practice Series created to bring ILS alumni to campus to talk with students about their experiences post-graduation
- Student Advisory Council formed to provide students with an opportunity to participate in the formulation, modification, and implementation of policies affecting academic and student affairs
Spring 2018 actions:
- Added new cross-listed elective Makerspace course and a Youth and Teen Services course to the curriculum
- New tenure-track faculty hired to start in fall 2018
- M.L.S. students approved to take up to 6 credits of coursework towards their electives outside of the department
- Assistant Professor Devan Donaldson was awarded the Indiana University Trustees Teaching Award
- Reorganized curriculum to require students to take core courses in their first year
- Assistant Professor Robert Montoya initiated a Diversity and Critical Studies Group to engage people from all over the school, including students and faculty, and to focus on diversity as it pertains to the profession
- Center for Evaluation and Education Policy at IU has been contracted to conduct learning outcome assessments of the core courses for both the M.L.S. and M.I.S. programs
- ILS faculty participated in the school-wide Research Horizons presentations
Recruitment and retention
The retention rate from fall 2015 to fall 2016 for the fall 2015 class was 100% for M.L.S. students and Ph.D. students and 53% for M.I.S. students. Of the nine M.I.S. students that left the program, seven transferred to other programs in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering.
| Program | Total application | Number admitted | Number enrolled | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master of Library Science | 163 | 142 | 66 | |
| Master of Information Science | 76 | 54 | 22 | |
| Ph.D. in Information Science | 29 | 9 | 2 | |
| Specialist in Library and Information Science | 3 | 2 | 2 | |
| Graduate Certificate in Information Architecture | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Non-degree seeking | 2 | 2 | 1 | |
| Total: | 273 | 209 | 93 |
This past year, the Department of Information and Library Science (ILS) met with various organizations and groups on campus to expand and diversify the pool of applicants and, ultimately, the admitted student population. The department hosted an open house for undergraduate students on campus and attended the Graduate School Fair hosted at Indiana University.
ILS attended the 2016 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference for the first time as an exhibitor. At the conference, Assistant Professor of Information Science Devan Donaldson represented the department at a diversity recruitment event. He also met with student workers from libraries in the Atlanta area.
ILS also participated in the Getting You into IU diversity recruitment event hosted by the IU University Graduate School, at which prospective students met with current students, faculty, staff, and IU librarians.
In 2017, ILS plans to continue developing partnerships with campus groups while also targeting public libraries, academic research libraries, and university/college career centers across the state to recruit high quality, diverse students.
Graduation and placement
100% of M.I.S. graduates from summer 2015 to spring 2016 secured employment within six months of graduation.
93% of M.L.S. graduates from summer 2015 to spring 2016 secured employment or continuing education within six months of graduation.
| Program | July 2015 | December 2015 | Spring 2015 | Summer 2015 to Spring 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master of Library Science | 15 | 18 | 27 | 60 |
| Master of Information Science | 5 | 4 | 13 | 22 |
| Ph.D. in Information Science | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Total | 22 | 22 | 42 | 86 |
The vision, mission, and goals of our department
We use the vision, mission, and goals of our department to assess the programs we offer. We also regularly assess our vision, mission, and goals to ensure that they meet the evolving needs of our students and world.
Vision
We believe our department has a special role in the Information Age. We focus on the creation and management of, and access to, documents, data, and other types of information, and the study of such in overlapping information, communication, and media ecologies. We study the socio-technical means through which people, information, and technologies are joined in social, cultural, and organizational contexts.
Mission
We prepare socially responsible graduates for fulfilling careers characterized by ethical practice, professional values, analytical skill, critical thinking, leadership, and lifelong learning. We are committed to excellence and innovation in the education of librarians and other information professionals, the creation of knowledge, and service and understanding in a diverse and changing global information environment.
Goals
To accomplish our mission, we strive to:
- Contribute knowledge and advance theory by working from cognitive, social, behavioral, cultural, philosophical, and technological perspectives; fostering interdisciplinary collaboration; and cultivating an appreciation for the role of information in society
- Serve our students, our state and local constituencies, society, and the library and information science profession
- Model a climate of intellectual engagement, openness, integrity, and respect within the department
Other assessment methods
We also systematically review and update the ILS strategic plan so that it aligns faculty, alumni, and support units around our primary objectives as a department.Student outcomes
We assess our programs to ensure ILS graduates are prepared for successful careers in the field of information and library science.
Specifically, our goal for M.L.S. students is that they are prepared to:
- Assist and educate users of libraries and information tools and environments.
- Identify, secure, organize, and represent information resources.
- Provide effective leadership using appropriate management and evaluation tools.
- Demonstrate skills for the storage, transmission, and retrieval of digital resources.
- Demonstrate critical and appropriate technical expertise for their chosen career path.
- Understand and apply the ethical, cultural, and social values and traditions of the profession.
Our goal for M.I.S. students is that they are prepared to:
- Analyze, evaluate, design, and manage information technologies to support effective organizational activities, work practices, and human usability.
- Employ a sound conceptual foundation and critical understanding of research to enable them to develop strong, leadership-oriented careers as information professionals.
- Develop appropriate information management strategies and policies for organizations.
- Understand the theoretical and practical bases of information organization, storage, delivery, and retrieval systems.
- Understand the economic, social, political, and strategic value, and the ethical use of information and information technologies.