Library Science

 LIB 5000 Foundations of Library Science (3 credit hours)

 An introduction to the library and information science field, this course will cover the history, development, and evolution of libraries and their diverse roles in society. It will also provide grounding in relevant policy, legal frameworks, and ethical considerations involving foundational issues such as privacy rights, freedom of expression, equal access, copyright, and intellectual property. Finally, current cultural and social trends and conversations impacting libraries will be explored.

 LIB 5020 Information Sources and Services (3 credit hours)

 This course examines how patrons locate, evaluate, use, and share information, and what libraries can do to promote and support patron information literacy and fluency. Information needs analysis, search strategies, ethical uses of information, evaluation of reference services, virtual reference services, the reference interview, and cultural influences on issues related to reference services will be explored and examined in this course.

 LIB 5030 Organization of Information (3 credit hours)

 This course examines the skills and knowledge necessary for today’s librarians to process and organize all types of media and information formats, including print, non-print, and electronic resources. Descriptive and value-added cataloging, MARC records, Resource Description and Access, virtual libraries, union catalogs, digital information sources and storage devices, automated cataloging systems, folksonomies and social classification, indexing, subject heading lists, classification systems and current organizational practices, and theories and rules are explored and evaluated.

Electives (9 credit hours)

 MTL 5240 Designing Digital Learning (3 credit hours)

 Students will engage in an exploration of a variety of design issues related to student-centered learning. Topics will include surveying instructional design models, examining the theoretical and pedagogical research base that informs the design of authentic learning contexts, identifying relevant instructional and assessment strategies, and utilizing the appropriate digital tools and media to develop innovative instructional environments.

 MTL 5310 New Media and Emerging Literacies (3 credit hours)

 This course requires students to analyze and evaluate the role of new media, technologies, and literacies for individuals, societies, and cultures. Emphasis is placed on understanding the form and language of a variety of texts, including print and non-print. Students develop perspectives regarding the socio-cultural contexts of media production, dissemination, consumption, interpretation, and effects, including an examination of media representations in both local and global contexts. Students will synthesize theoretical knowledge of literacies by using and creating with new media and technologies for multiple audiences and perspectives.

 MTL 5330 Social Media, Network Communications, and Digital Culture (3 credit hours)

 This course engages students in examining the design and implementation of networked systems, including not only technical infrastructures and physical hardware, but also online systems and social networking structures, including personal learning networks and learning management systems. Within this context, students will examine social, ethical, and legal issues in the context of information systems and algorithms.

 MTL 5350 Societal & Legal Issues in Digital Learning (3 credit hours)

 The advancement of digital technologies and their inclusion in learning environments cause myriad social, legal, and ethical considerations. In this course, students will focus on the intersection of these considerations with existing policy and law. Topics include privacy, selection of instructional materials, digital identity, copyright/fair use, intellectual property, and cyberbullying/harassment.

 MTL 5650 Designing for Online Engagement (3 credit hours)

 This course provides a theoretical and practical opportunity for learners to study ideas and issues related to designing effective and engaging online learning experiences. Topics include technological possibilities for cultivating community and presence, organizing meaningful student interactions, scaffolding learning needs, incorporating authentic assessments, and evaluating effectiveness.

Elective (3 credit hours)

LIB 5330 Information Literacy & Teaching (3 credit hours)

 Providing quality instruction skills to future academic librarians is both necessary and important. Information Literacy (IL) is a lifelong learning skill that allows one to locate and recognize different types of information; evaluate and use the information; and communicate their own ideas. This course examines the theory and practice of IL delivered in academic libraries paying particular attention to the fundamentals of information literacy, instructional design, methods of teaching, assessment, learning preferences, outreach, and evaluating programs.

LIB 5340 Leadership in Information Organizations (3 credit hours)

 Students will learn about different types of leadership styles including transformational, toxic, democratic and others. Topics covered will include leadership theories, decision-making, planning, assessment, disaster response, library expenditures, fundraising, and leadership development among others.

LIB 5520 Capstone (3 credit hours)

 This course provides students the opportunity to reflect on their learning throughout the program by exploring how their work reflects the program's learning objectives.  Students will engage in the development of a portfolio that they will be able to use in their professional careers.

MTL 5450 Accessibility, Equity, and Inclusion in Media and Technology (3 credit hours)

 This course provides a critical orientation to issues of accessibility, equity, and inclusion in media, technology, and learning design. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate matters related to the structures and impacts of technology on gender, race, ability, and other differentials. Students will strengthen their critical thinking skills in using, consuming, and designing with media and technology, applying accessibility strategies to improve access, expand inclusion, and enhance opportunities for diverse perspectives.

MTL 5642 Design and Development of Digital Materials (3 credit hours)

 This course introduces students to design and production using a range of digital media and tools. Practical and creative design are emphasized through issues concerning compositionality, information design, service, website management, and a review of current research on effective design for online environments.

 RES 5000 Research Methods (3 credit hours)

 The primary purpose of this course is to enable practitioners to read, interpret, and conduct research aimed at improving their practice in their professions. The course includes a study of research methods, encompassing those used in action research, experimental, non-experimental, and qualitative research, evaluation, and policy analysis designs.