Acting Head, Leavey Library and Reference & User Engagement
Introduction
This guide is intended to support the USC Libraries in the subject areas of library and information science. It also serves as a resource for the Master of Management of Library and Information Science (MMLIS) degree program and the Graduate Certificate in Library and Information Management (LIM) offered by the Marshall School of Business.
Please explore the tabs at the top of this guides and let us know if you have any suggestions or ideas for improvement.
LA Times Reading Room in USC's Doheny Memorial Library
Key Online Reference Works in LIS
Need to look something up quickly? Try these online reference works:
- Dictionary of Information and Library Management by Covers all aspects of librarianship and information and knowledge management. Includes terms connected with information management, classification, cataloging and electronic knowledge management.Call Number: ebookPublication Date: 2006
- Libraryspeak: A Glossary of Terms in Librarianship and Information Management byCall Number: ebookPublication Date: 2007
- ACRL Multilingual Glossary of TermsDesigned to assist ESL speakers, this PDF provides definitions of 85 key library terms in English, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, French and Spanish. Provided by the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL).
- Online Dictionary for Library and Information ScienceA free online dictionary from ABC CLIO covering key terms and concepts in library and information science.
History of Library Education at USC
As shown on the historic plaque found on the third floor of Doheny Memorial Library, USC has a long history of library education and the MMLIS program represents a renewal of that tradition.
The following description is from the USC Archives:
"The USC School of Library Science originated from an organized instructional program provided by the Los Angeles Public Library. This program, started in 1891 for the Library's employees, remained a training class until 1914 when the Library instituted a formal one-year library school program. Classes at LAPL terminated in 1932 due to fiscal problems. Summer sessions held at the University of Southern California from 1933-1936 met the need for library training in the region. After four years of pressure from the Alumni Association of the Public Library for a graduate library school, USC finally acquiesced and officially inaugurated a School of Library Service in September 1936. The school's name was changed in June of the following year to the School of Library Science. In 1980, the School altered its name once again, this time to reflect the changing occupational climate. Accompanied by an entirely redesigned program, the newly dubbed School of Library and Information Management veered away from providing solely traditional library school courses and offered students three areas of specialization: library science, information science, and information management."