LIS Program Assessment
Program Vision
The Library and Information Science (LIS) program empowers people through information and technology to bridge the gap between research and practice to create a better world.
Program Mission
We create transformative, inclusive, collaborative and responsive library and information science education that not only makes a difference in students’ lives and the communities we serve, but also prepares innovative and future-oriented information professionals who are prepared to serve the public good.
Goals
- Goal 1. Educational Success and Lifelong Learning. We educate and prepare future-thinking information professionals, who recognize the need for learning across their career-spans, grounding them in the core values of librarianship, which include “access, equity, intellectual freedom and privacy, public good and sustainability .”
- Goal 2. Research and Creative Excellence. We conduct and disseminate research and creative activities that inform and empower the field to solve problems, bridge research and practice, and promote innovative thinking.
- Goal 3. Service and Community Engagement. We engage with our various communities, embracing all forms of difference, both to understand their needs and to provide leadership, teaching, research and service that help address those needs. We strive to ensure full representation, participation, and access for all people in a global society, and challenge all forms of exclusion.
LIS PROGRAM OUTCOMES
Updated August 8/15/2025
The following outcomes are undergirded by the application of ethics, the use of technology, and the value of belonging and inclusiveness.
**Broad categories in bold are presented here only to provide a helpful context for the outcomes as they relate to the planning documents and to the previous PLOs.
MEAN MLIS CAPSTONE SCORE
Capstone portfolios are scored on a 0 – 3 scale as follows: 0 – Fails to meet expectations; 1 – Below expectations; 2 – Meets expectations; 3 – Exceeds expectations.
| Program Learning Outcome (PLO) | AY 24 – 25 | Fall 2024 | Spring 2025 | Fall 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLO1. Organize, describe, and enable equal access to information and information technologies, to contribute to a well-informed society and the public good. [Information Organization and Access, Retrieval and Human Information Needs and Behaviors] | 2.07 | 2.07 | 2.05 | 2.01 |
| PLO 2. Assess and respond to the needs of all members of our communities, particularly those who are underserved. [Planning, Outreach, & Advocacy] | 2.09 | 2.04 | 2.05 | 2.05 |
| PLO 3. Analyze problems and propose solutions through the application of evidence. [Evidence Based Practice] | 2.08 | 2.03 | 2.07 | 2.02 |
| PLO 4. Utilize instructional strategies and communication in both formal and informal interactions to promote information and digital literacies. [Instructional Communication] | 2.09 | 2.09 | 2.18 | 2.03 |
| PLO 5. Advocate for intellectual freedom, public policies, laws, organizations, and resources that promote and support an informed democratic society. [Advocacy and Public Policy] | 2.04 | 2.01 | 2.03 | 2.01 |
| PLO 6. Embrace change to lead organizational innovation. [Leadership, Innovation, and Management] | 2.19 | 2.22 | 2.15 | 2.21 |
| PLO 7. Communicate and collaborate with colleagues and communities, particularly those that are underrepresented and underserved. [Communication and Collaboration] | 2.78 | 2.76 | 2.84 | 2.82 |
Retention Data
Average Retention Rate 87.75%
TIME TO GRADUATION DATA*
- Mean Time to Graduation, MLIS General Program: 2.6 years
- Mean Time to Graduation, MLIS with School Media Licensure : 3.1 years
*Note: These data are from February 1, 2021.
Placement*
76% of students indicate they hold or will hold positions in the field one year after graduation.
*Note: At 6 months, one year post degree completion.
These data are from the 2023 Library Journal Placement and Salaries Student Survey.
MLIS School Library Concentration Stats
- 95% of School Library Media Coordinator Concentration MLIS Students hold positions in a school library by graduation
- 100% Of School Library Media Coordinator Concentration MLIS Students pass the School Librarian Praxis # 5312