SIRLS Vision, Mission, and Goals
The School of Information Resources and Library Science (SIRLS) is an academic department and a professional school in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at The University of Arizona, Arizona’s only public land grant university. The Library and Information Science disciplines (LIS) and interdisciplinary perspectives relevant to knowledge and information resources comprise the intellectual foundations of the school.Vision Statement
Through research, education and service, SIRLS influences the interdisciplinary understanding, interpretation, creation, and use of the emerging knowledge and information environment of the 21st Century.
Mission
SIRLS’ Mission is two-fold.
- To educate a diverse cadre of students who have the foundational knowledge and the competencies for developing, as their careers unfold, into formal and informal leaders in library and information environments and in the library and information professions.
- To foster understanding of the creation, organization, management, access and use of knowledge and information resources in libraries and a multitude of settings and cultural communities.
Goals
1. Master’s Education for the Library and Information Professions
SIRLS provides education at the master’s level for the library and information professions focusing on services and technologies for the creation, organization, management, access and use of knowledge and information resources in libraries and other information settings and environments.
2. Creation of New Knowledge in the Library and Information Fields
SIRLS faculty conducts original scholarly inquiry and research relating to the creation, organization, management, access and use of knowledge and information resources in a multitude of settings and cultural communities. Through the dissemination of these results in the library and information communities, other relevant communities, and society at large, the SIRLS faculty fosters dialogue about professional and societal issues important to the knowledge and information environment of the 21st Century.
3. Diversity Woven Throughout the Fabric of SIRLS
SIRLS strives to weave diverse perspectives into the fabric of all its activities by achieving diversity in its student body, faculty and staff and by integrating diverse perspectives on library and information issues into its curriculum, research and outreach activities.
4. Service, Outreach, and Community
SIRLS acts as a catalyst for enhancing knowledge and information resources, technologies and services in Arizona , the Southwest, and the nation through connections and interactions with the library and information professional communities, with employers in library and other information-based settings, and with other disciplines and constituencies interested in knowledge and information issues in a changing society.
5. Networked Digital Knowledge and Information in a Changing Society
SIRLS faculty and students develop evolving understanding of the creation, distribution, organization, management and use of digital networked knowledge and information resources and the professional, cultural, and societal issues arising in the changing technological and global environment of the 21 st Century.
6. Continuum of Education for Library and Information Work
While the education of library and information professionals at the master’s level is SIRLS’ primary educational focus, SIRLS makes smaller but important contributions to library and information education at the pre- and post-master’s level, within the scope of its resources.
