iSchools and non-iSchools in the USA: An examination of their master's programs

Abstract

Discussions have been carried out in recent years regarding the emergence of iSchools in the field of library and information science (LIS). One theme in the discussions centres on whether those iSchools, deriving from LIS programs, are indeed different from other non-iSchools of the field. To address this question, five iSchools and five non-iSchools that host the ALA-accredited master's program are compared in terms of program requirements, core courses, concentrations/specializations, and other related parameters. Few distinctive differences are observed between the two groups except for more course offerings by the iSchools and higher number of concentrations/specializations among the non-iSchools. This study also examines issues concerning the iSchool movement (e.g., exclusiveness) based on the findings obtained. Although branding is a common practice, it is the collaboration and interaction among all the schools, with or without the "i" prefix, that would truly advance the information field in general and facilitate information education in particular.