A St. John’s education offers a strong theoretical foundation
coupled with the practical experience necessary for success in
today’s work world. Through a mixture of service learning courses,
special projects, field trips and internships you will be exposed
to the rich and extensive library resources that only New York can
offer. Enlivened by St. John’s distinctive vision of leadership and
service, our graduates excel in the competencies and values
required of information professionals in a rapidly evolving global
community
The program will prepare graduates to:
Apply theory to practice.
Basic Principles
- Demonstrate knowledge of library and information science
theory, information creation, and delivery.
- Apply the basic principles involved in the organization and
representation of knowledge and information structures, including
access to a library's traditional and electronic resources.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the full life-cycle of
information, from its creation or acquisition through its
destruction.
- Evaluate critically information resources in all formats,
integrate them to meet the needs of library clients, and discard or
archive them as appropriate.
- Apply the principles and practice of effective reference
interviewing to interpret and respond to user requests for
information.
- Demonstrate the ability to formulate effective search
strategies for both print and electronic resources, including
interpretation of user requests, identification and selection of
appropriate sources, execution of basic and complex searches, and
evaluation of results.
Research
- Demonstrate an understanding of research, evaluation methods,
and research findings within the library and information science
fields and an awareness of the literature, and be able to conduct a
literature review.
- Demonstrate mastery of the fundamentals of research and
evaluation methods.
Management
- Demonstrate the ability to build and lead an effective
information services team, and champion the professional and
personal development of people working within the information
organization.
- Be able to explain the fundamental principles of planning,
management, evaluation, and marketing as they apply to information
organizations.
- Be able to demonstrate the ability to outline the principles of
project management and organize people to accomplish complex
tasks.
- Be able to explain how change occurs, and know how
institutional and individual change strategies and options are
developed.
- Be able to develop information policies for the organization,
regarding externally published and internally created information
resources, and advise on the implementation of these policies.
- Be able to conduct long-range planning and policy formulation
for technology services and training needs, including the need for
new technology.
- Analyze a leadership problem in terms of values and strategies,
applying current and traditional concepts from the literature, and
explain the differences between leadership and management.
Demonstrate oral and written communication
skills necessary for professional-level presentations and
collaborative work.
- Produce contextually appropriate papers and reports based on
current research and literature.
- Demonstrate contextually appropriate oral presentation
skills.
Demonstrate professional engagement
through participation in colloquia, professional associations, and
interactions outside of class.
- Be able to articulate the importance of continuing education
and lifelong learning as principles of good service, and as
personal guidelines for continuous professional development.
- Be able to maintain an understanding of societal trends
affecting the profession.
Demonstrate an understanding of ethical
standards, intellectual freedom, and intellectual
property.
- Articulate a well-founded philosophy that reflects an
understanding of social, legal, and ethical frameworks in library
and information science.
- Demonstrate the ability to evaluate organizational policies and
practices in light of intellectual freedom and other accepted
standards of the information professions.
- Be able to explain basic principles of intellectual property
and their application.
- Be able to advocate for the information privacy of clients and
maintain awareness of, and responses to, new challenges to
privacy.
Experience practice through shadowing,
service learning, fieldwork, or internships, and reflect on it in
writing.
- Graduate assistants, interns, and other students with field
experience will present information about their experiences to
their peers.
- Complete at least one of the following and reflect about it in
writing: shadowing, service learning, fieldwork, or
internship.
- Exhibit leadership skills including critical thinking, risk
taking, and creativity, regardless of position within the
management structure.
Demonstrate an understanding of the
practical application of creating, accessing, evaluating, and
managing information, and be able to discuss the impact of
technology on the creation of, organization of, distribution of,
and access to information.
- Be able to demonstrate basic knowledge of the concepts and
processes related to the assessment and evaluation of the
specifications, economic impact, and efficacy of technology-based
products and services.
- Demonstrate comprehension of and proficiency in the use of
current information and communication technologies and tools
consistent with prevailing service norms and professional
applications.
Demonstrate an understanding of social
justice and service.
- Be able to articulate service concepts, principles, and
techniques to facilitate information access and use.
- Participate in a service-learning project grounded in a social
justice framework.