| November 27, 2001 - The library world's gone corporate
- or has the corporate world gone 'library'? Now more than
ever, corporations generate massive amounts of valuable data,
and companies need people who specialize in the design and delivery
of this information. In response to this change, Long Island
University's Palmer School of Library and Information Science
has added a new concentration to its Master of Science in Library
& Information Science (MSLIS). The new Business Concentration
trains students to work as information specialists in corporations,
financial services firms, consulting firms, and Fortune 500
businesses.
In order to develop this pioneering program, the Palmer School
convened a focus group of executive-level information professionals
in May 2000. The input of focus group members helped guide
the design of the program as a whole, as well as that of individual
specialized courses. Focus group members included Adam Bernacki
of Dun&Bradstreet; Mark Biles and Carol Ginsberg of Deutsche
Bank; Martin Cullen of Lehman Brothers, and president-elect
of the SLA-NYC chapter; Lucy Lettis of Arthur Andersen, a
Palmer School graduate; Trish Foy, Jessica McBride, and Bill
Patterson of PricewaterhouseCoopers; and Pamela Rollo, Credit
Suisse First Boston.
"What we found," said Alison Dickey, Assistant
Dean for the Westchester and Manhattan campuses, "was
that library schools are training people to deliver information,
but not to understand how businesses use it. We asked the
focus group, 'what skills do library school students bring
to you, and what do they lack?'" The group's answers
helped shape the new concentration.
Graduates of the program obtain the ALA-accredited Master
of Science degree in Library and Information Science degree.
But there's a difference-this concentration emphasizes information
processing in the business world. It features specially developed
elective courses that provide training in computer-based information
sources, it covers the mission and organization of business
information services, and prepares students with presentation
and analytical skills.
The 36-credit program, which started in August of 2001, enables
students to earn the ALA-accredited MLIS degree in five semesters.
Classes are held in the evening and on weekends, a flexible
design that allows working adults to obtain the degree in
less than two-years of part-time study. Courses are taught
by professionals from the New York business community and
Palmer School faculty and feature such topics as Business
Database Searching, Business Organization and Finances, and
Competitive Intelligence. Classes are held at the Bobst Library,
New York University in Washington Square.
The Palmer School of Library and Information Science is part
of the College of Information and Computer Science at the
C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University. The College is
also home to the Department of Computer Science/Management
Engineering. Degree and certificate programs at the College
are designed to meet the demands for trained professionals
with complementary expertise in computer technology and information
management.
For more information about the program, please contact Alison
Dickey, Assistant Dean, in Manhattan at (212) 998-2680 or
Westchester at (914) 773-3384 or Evangeline Booth, Program
Director, in Manhattan (212) 998-2680, or e-mail adickey@liu.edu
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