Ensuring a Vibrant Future for LIS in iSchools: The Friday Harbor Papers, Volume 1

Abstract

Schools of library and information science led the establishment of the iSchool movement 20 years ago. Today, as iSchools balance investments across a growing range of disciplines and academic programs, their choices have serious consequences for the field of LIS and the library profession. Library-centric research and education can be diluted or diminished, or it can be reinforced and enriched. This position paper, produced by the LIS Forward initiative, aims to ignite deliberation and action to strengthen LIS in iSchools. Asserting that the future of iSchools and LIS is linked, we provide a profile of LIS in iSchools, perspectives from leadership and early-career faculty, and suggestions for strategic directions and investments. We invite LIS constituents to respond and expand on this position paper, to help advance a vibrant field that centers libraries and works synergistically within iSchools to solve the information grand challenges of this era.