Information Organization Concentration

Information Organization Concentration Declaration of Intent ( pdf | word.doc)

Career opportunities: Cataloger, Metadata Librarian, Indexer, Metadata Specialist, Taxonomist, Ontologist, Information Architect.

Program Requirements

• Students must submit a "Declaration of Intent" form (see above) to the IO Concentration Coordinator in order to be entered into the Concentrator database, have IO coursework progress and grades verified, and have the necessary paperwork processed for the transcript designation.
• • The form should be submitted as early as possible after completing the 511 core course, but it must be submitted no later than the beginning of the student's final semester in the MLIS program.
  • Simply indicating an interest in the IO Concentration at the time of MLIS application or elsewhere is not a substitute for submitting the required Declaration form and does not enter a student into the transcript-designated concentration.
• Students must take a minimum of 15 credits from the list of qualifying elective courses below. These courses are taken within the overall MLIS program in addition to the required core course (511). 
• Cataloging curriculum:
• • 711 is the basic, introductory course for cataloging and classification. 
  • Students interested in pursuing cataloging in greater depth, especially those interested in a career in cataloging, should, after completing 711, go on to take either or preferably both of the two complementary advanced cataloging courses: Resource Description for Library Catalogs and/or Subject Analysis in Library Catalogs. 
  • Additional advanced cataloging courses include Music Cataloging and Electronic and Media Resources Cataloging. 
  • Please see the list of courses with their prerequisites below. 
  • (Note: the former two separate cataloging tracks in effect during 2010-2012 have be eliminated.)
• Fieldwork with a focus on information organization is required, unless waived by the IO Concentration Coordinator for students who already have practical IO experience.
• • Waiving fieldwork does not reduce the required 15 elective credits for the concentration.
  • Practical experience is an critical component of preparation for a professional career. Such experience in the form of a fieldwork will count for a great deal when applying for jobs.
  • Fieldwork should generally be done later in a student's program, after relevant elective courses have been completed (e.g., completion of 711 before beginning a fieldwork in cataloging.)  
  • Fieldwork may be taken for 1, 2, or 3 credits during any one semester.
  • A maximum of 3 credits of fieldwork may be included as part of the 15 credits of electives for the concentration (an additional 3 credits may count toward the MLIS, but not toward the concentration).   
• The student’s concentration program must be approved by the SOIS Information Organization Concentration Coordinator. Submit the Declaration of Intent Form (above) for approval.
• A minimum grade of “B” (3.00 grade points) is required in all SOIS courses applied toward the concentration.
• A maximum of 6 transfer credits from an institution other than UWM may count toward the concentration, subject to Graduate School and SOIS transfer policies and procedures. UWM graduate coursework taken prior to admission to the current degree program is subject to standard transfer limits. Any transfer credits applied toward a concentration are part of the total transfer limit for that degree.
• A student may not earn a concentration and a certificate based on identical coursework.

Required Courses

• 511 Organization of Information (required for the MLIS and for all IO elective courses; does not count as one of the required 15 credits of IO electives).

Elective Courses

Students must take 15 credits, which is typically five courses, from the following list.  1-3 credits of 990 or 759 fieldwork are required as part of the 15 credits, unless waived. If the fieldwork requirement is waived, the student must still complete 15 credits of IO elective coursework.

• 711 Cataloging and Classification, in the near future to be renamed Introduction to Cataloging and Classification
• 714 Metadata
• 716 Indexing and Abstracting
• 717 Information Architecture and Knowledge Organization
• 750 Arrangement and Description in Archives (Prerequisite: 650)
• 719 or 791 Advanced Topics in the Organization of Information (Subtitled).  Courses offered under the 719 or 791 number may cover specialized skill-acquisition, issues, or theory topics. Prerequisites vary with topic. Students may take up to 9 credits maximum under the 719 or 791 number. In some cases additional credits may be allowed if necessary for completion of the concentration. Offerings may include:
• • Resource Description for Library Catalogs, in the near future to be renumbered 712 (Prerequisite: 711)
  • Subject Analysis in Library Catalogs, in the near future to be renumbered 713 (Prerequisite: 711)
  • Advanced Cataloging, in the future to be renamed Electronic and Media Resources Cataloging (Prerequisite: 711)
  • Music Cataloging (Prerequisite: 711)
  • Linked Data in Libraries: Mashups, Semantic Web & Web 2.0
  • RDF, Ontologies, and the Semantic Web
  • Classification Theory
  • Cross-cultural Issues in Organization of Information
  • New IO courses are first taught under the generic 719 or 791 Advanced Topics number. After 3 or more offerings, many become established with their own unique course number.
• 898 Master's Thesis (on an IO topic, directed by an IO faculty member)
• 990 Fieldwork in Library and Information Science Services (with a focus on information organization) (Prerequisites: all MLIS core courses and relevant IO elective courses)
  OR
  759 Fieldwork in Archives and Manuscripts (with a focus on information organization)

Related Courses (recommended, but not counted toward the concentration) include

• 682 Digital Libraries
• 780 XML for Libraries
• 787 Library Automation
• 788 Information Systems: Analysis and Design

For additional information or questions, please contact:
Steven Miller
IO Concentration Coordinator
mll@uwm.edu

Other Graduate Degree Concentrations/Specializations

Archival Studies Concentration (transcript designated)
Information Organization Concentration (transcript designated)
Public Library Leadership Concentration (transcript designated)
Academic Libraries
Special Libraries
Digital Libraries
Information Law, Policy & Ethics
Information Technology (IT)
Information Literacy