Library and Information Service

Library and information services as a concentration prepares the student to perform and manage a wide range of tasks in libraries and information centers of different types. With a generalist background, a graduate might pursue a career as a reference librarian, a cataloger, an indexer, an Internet librarian, a vendor representative, an independent library consultant or entrepreneur, or a manager of public or technical services in public, academic, or special libraries or in the information industry.

The CUA School of Library and Information Science offers a variety of courses that focus on library and information services. Each student will take four required core courses along with appropriate mid-level and advanced courses. The student will consult with his/her advisor to determine which courses will best meet his/her personal and professional needs. Required core courses for all students are:

• LSC 551 Organization of Information
  
• LSC 553 Information Sources and Services
  
• LSC 555 Information Systems in Libraries and Information Centers
  
• LSC 557 Libraries and Information in Society
  

In addition to the required core courses, students can build a concentration in library and information services by choosing among the following specialty and elective courses:

• LSC 601 History of the Book
  
• LSC 603 Technical Services
  
• LSC 606 Cataloging and Classification
  
• LSC 607 Management
  
• LSC 608 Collection Development
  
• LSC 609 Preservation
  
• LSC 640 Computer Networking
  
• LSC 716 Indexing, Abstracting, Thesaurus Construction
  
• LSC 727 On-line Information Retrieval
  
• LSC 730 Users of Libraries and Information
  
• LSC 745 Research Methods in Library and Information Science
  

Suggested specialty courses should be chosen according to the student's career interests, and could include:

• LSC 704 Information Sources and Services: Humanities
  
• LSC 706 Information Sources and Services: Social Sciences
  
• LSC 708 Information Sources and Services: Science and Technology
  
• LSC 713 Advanced Cataloging and Classification
  
• LSC 728 Advanced On-line Information Retrieval
  
• LSC 742 Library Automation and Project Management
  
• LSC 801 The College and University Library
  
• LSC 807 The Public Library
  
• LSC 818 The Special Library/Information Center
  
• LSC 819 Information Sources and Services: Business and Related Fields
  
• LSC 823 The Federal Library
  
• LSC 840 Bibliography, Textual Studies, and Editorial Theory
  
• LSC 842 Special Collections
  
• LSC 906-908 Practicum
  

Associations of interest to students in Library and Information Services

Professional associations for librarianship are important sources of information about the profession, continuing education opportunities, scholarship support, and networking. Most have student membership rates. For further information contact:

Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies / American Library Association
50 East Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611

1-800-545-2433

American Society for Information Science
8720 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910
(phone) 301-495-0900

(fax) 301-495-0810

Special Libraries Association
1700 18th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009

202-234-7400 (phone)
202-265-9317 (fax)

State and Regional Library Associations

Publications of interest include:

American Libraries
Bulletin of the American Society of Information Science
Cataloging & Classification Quarterly
Library Journal
Library Trends
RQ
Special Libraries
State and regional library journals, newsletters, and Internet resources

Revised, February 1997

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