Digital libraries offer a rich set of opportunities for serving the information needs of various communities. Digital libraries serve many applications, from newspaper archives to interactive depictions of the U.S. Civil War. There is a global need for well-trained individuals capable of designing innovative 21st century digital libraries and services. Inspired by the many national and international opportunities and supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the School of Library and Information Science offers focused training in digital librarianship as part of its M.A. degree program.
The Digital Librarianship Program interweaves 36 credit hours of course work with mentored project work, creating a full range of learning opportunities. Students follow a “clinical rotation model” and contribute to different projects over the 1.5-year time period. A spectrum of digital projects is offered, ranging from the standard to the entrepreneurial. These projects are led by experienced personnel from the University of Iowa Libraries, Academic Technologies, International Writing Program, School of Library and Information Science and the UI WiderNet Project. Examples include projects on digital newspapers, oral histories of journalists, public health information services, institutional repositories, web crawlers, and “eGranaries” of digital collections for developing countries. Biweekly seminars and capstone presentations by nationally known visionaries in digital librarianship round out the curriculum.
Well-trained librarians are central to our national effort to broadly and equitably distribute the benefits of digital libraries and services. Digital libraries have the power to promote information literacy – a basic human right – in our digital world (proclaimed recently by UNESCO and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions). If you are excited and inspired by these opportunities to make a difference in this digital world, send us your application.