Information in Society

Information in Society is a specialization within the doctoral program. It is part of a broader initiative to enrich our school’s research focus on the societal impacts of information and information technologies.

We received a preparing future faculty grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to enhance and expand our doctoral studies in information in society, including policy, economic and historical dimensions. Our goal is to make visible, and draw together, key elements of the fragmented cross-disciplinary academic context within which the study of information in society is now occurring. Graduates of this specialization will be well prepared to teach the next generation of library leaders for whom it will be necessary to acquire a broad range of knowledge about the increasingly complex issues of our informationalized society and to operate at high levels of policy formulation.

Meet the faculty who are coordinating this initiative, and the current fellows.

We have also instituted a Speaker Series to further enrich the curricular aspects of this specialization.

Curriculum | Admission Requirements | Financial Aid | Research Resources

Curriculum

Information in Society fellows must meet the general doctoral program requirements.

Required Courses

All doctoral students must enroll in 590 HF, History and Foundations of Library and Information Science, and two research methods courses. See the Program Phases page for further explanation.

During the first semester, Information in Society fellows must also take 590 IS, the Information in Society seminar. Drawing on classic and cutting-edge research on the system of information provision, this course provides conceptual foundations for historical, political-economic and policy analysis of information institutions and infrastructures.

Elective Courses

Information in Society fellows will work with their advisers to design their programs of study, including which elective courses best meet their individual needs. Fellows are encouraged to look through the GSLIS course catalog as well as the campus-wide course catalog before meeting with their advisers.

Admissions

Students may be accepted with or without a master's degree in library and information science or a related field. Students with a master's degree must complete 48 hours of doctoral-level course work and 32 hours of dissertation work. For general admissions information, contact the GSLIS Admissions Office at (800) 982-0914 or (217) 333-0734, or send e-mail to -lis-apply, at illinois.edu-.

For more specific information on the Information in Society Concentration, please contact Professor and Associate Dean Linda Smith at (217) 333-7742 or -lcmith, at illinois.edu-.

Financial Aid

Funding is available to support a select group of fellows who are interested in pursuing the study of information in society, including policy, economic, and historical dimensions.

Fellows' interests may lie in any part of the emerging field of information studies, such as practices of information organization, library history, the political economy of information, or community information systems; fellows' academic backgrounds may be in library and information science, history, law, communications or other fields — as long as there is a shared commitment to engaging deeply with the processes that structure information in society. Fellowship recipients should be seeking to prepare for careers as faculty members in schools of library and information science.

Information in Society also funds postdoctoral positions. For information on postdoctoral fellowships in Information and Society, click here.

Research Resources

We have compiled a list of relevant organizations, conferences, and research units that Information in Society fellows may find useful. Click here for an incomplete list.

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