Strategic Plan

Vision

The Department of Library and Information Science aims to shape the global conversation in interdisciplinary research and education. We advance knowledge to realize societal and technological transformation in partnership with information organizations and communities.

Mission

Our work is guided by professional ethics as well as our commitment to the communities we serve. We are dedicated to library, archive, and data science education. We develop and disseminate rigorous innovative interdisciplinary research that informs and impacts the library and archives fields, data and information science disciplines, and community engagement. We work in service to support our intellectual communities.

Process

This plan was developed over the course of the academic year 2023/2024 with input from the department and LIS advisor board. The following faculty were the primary authors of this document: Andrea Copeland, William Helling, Angela Murillo, Lydia Spotts, and Charles Sutton. Angie Harmon provided key administrative support. We view this document as a guiding tool to be assessed and updated as we progress in our work to achieving the state goals.

Graduate Research & Faculty Development

Initiative 1: Create Ph.D. program

• Step 1: Development PhD program proposal with community engagement focus
  • Step 1.1: Submit program for review in Spring 2024
• Step 2: Create new courses to support new program
  • Step 2.1: Develop new courses Fall 2024 and Spring 2025
• Step 3: Recruit students
  • Step 3.1: Recruit two students in Fall 2024 to start Fall 2025

Initiative 2: Hire new faculty to support research

• Step 1: Hire Clinical faculty in the area of critical data studies for the undergraduate program
  • Step 1.1: Search Fall 2024, Start Fall 2025
• Step 2: Hire TTF in the area of archives, digital preservation, or community informatics
  • Step 2.1: Search Fall 2025, Start Fall 2026

Initiative 3: Foster research among graduate students (including masters)

• Step 1: Promote directed readings, research and thesis option
• Step 2: Encourage participation in the Luddy Graduate Capstone Event
• Step 3: Encourage faculty to work with students who have developed proposals in 505 and 506

Initiative 1: Improve communication of IU and IUI undergraduate research opportunities

• Step 1: Identify undergraduate research opportunities for both students and faculty involvement
• Step 2: Coordinate communication of undergraduate research opportunities for both undergraduate students and faculty involvement
• Step 3: Promote faculty involvement with undergraduate research programs

Initiative 2: Improve coordination of current Luddy-related undergraduate research opportunities

• Step 1: Identify ways to improve Capstone participation
• Step 2: Identify ways to update Luddy undergraduate research website communication
• Step 3: Identify ways to improve communication/coordination of Luddy honors students utilizing Luddy classes for honors projects
• Step 4: Identify Polis-related undergraduate research opportunities

Initiative 3: Improve incentives for faculty to include undergraduate students in research opportunities

• Step 1: Provide faculty with travel assistance for students to attend conference when publishing or presenting with students (undergrad or grad)
• Step 2: Promote programs which provide faculty stipends for working with students

Initiative 4: Organize and promote coop program to coordinate students' opportunities at Lilly

• Step 1: Work with advisors to promote
• Step 2: Work with new clinical faculty to find opportunity for similar programs

Initiative 1: Promote Data Literacy and Critical Data Studies undergraduate course(s) to campus

• Step 1: Submit S201 to be considered for a general education course
• Step 2: Build a set of data ethics resources for faculty involved with the data/information literacy intitative as part of a CLT Curriculum Enhancement Grant
• Step 3: Promote S302 and S404 as critical data studies courses and consider them to be submitted as a general education course

Initiative 2: Engage LIS in undergraduate teaching

• Step 1: Identify current areas, e.g. creating a data specialization, where LIS undergraduate/graduate courses overlap or could be cross listed to benefit both the DS and MLIS program, as well as other Luddy programs
• Step 2: Explore the possibilities of graduate DLIS students to teach undergraduate classes
• Step 3: Engage current DLIS faculty as instructors in Luddy undergraduate courses

Initiative 3: Consider undergraduate program(s) sustainability

• Step 1: Continue cooperative strategies across all departments to share resources and faculty
• Step 2: Continue course map discussions across all departments for shared courses
• Step 3: Updating current Data Science and AI courses for more hands-on/experiential learning

Initiative 4: Promote Data Science degree

• Step 1: Continue Data School Boot Camp
• Step 2: Develop strategy to participate in Luddy Summer High School Workshops
• Step 3: Continue participation with school, campus, domestic, and international outreach initiatives
• Step 4: Promote 4+1 accelerated programs (and all aspects of the 4+1 programs)

Initiative 1: Introduce in Spring 2024; fully implement by Fall 2025

Initiative 2: Showcase student achievements and competencies

• Step 1: My Journey core assignments
  • Step 1.1: Upload Resume
  • Step 1.2: LinkedIn Profile (or alternative)
  • Step 1.3: Personal Strategic Plan

Initiative 3: Provide students with necessary tools and resources to secure employment in their field

• Step 1: Refinement of resume and professional online profile
  • Step 1.1: Resume peer review (2)
  • Step 1.2: Inclusion of coursework and student projects in LinkedIn profile
• Step 2: Build professional development skills
  • Step 2.1: San Jose job report
  • Step 2.2: Labor discussion
  • Step 2.3: Negotiating/interviewing
  • Step 2.4: Professional organization spotlight

Initiative 4: Improve community among students

• Step 1: Formation of cohorts
• Step 2: Mentorship/guidance from faculty member (DLIS Community site)

Initiative 5: Alignment with LIS Career Week

Initiative 6: Collect and incorporate student feedback and assessment data – 2025, 2027, 2029

• Step 1: Build in opportunities for students to give feedback
• Step 2: Conduct assessments – annual or biennial

Student Success and Opportunity

Initiative 1: Address student success in course work

• Step 1: Raise our Standard in Training for Teaching with Technology
  • Step 1.1: Strengthen the Instructor Handbook to include technology resources to be applied in classes
  • Step 1.2: Incorporate more technology training in the Associate Faculty training course
  • Step 1.3: Promote teaching through the implementation of technology throughout the curriculum

Initiative 2: Engage LIS in undergraduate teaching

• Step 1: Use the IU Canvas Semester Checklist
• Step 2: Use the IU Online Course Development Basics
• Step 3: Incorporate Instructional Design into course creatiom
• Step 4: Incorporate Center for Teaching and Learning into our routines

Initiative 3: Ensure accessibility of our output

• Step 1: Achieve WCAG level AA for Canvas courses and all documents created (Word, .pdf, etc.)
• Step 2: Reach minimum digital accessibility guidelines for IU courses
• Step 3: Remove .pdfs of course readings from Canvas courses and point to IUI library database to be compliant with licensing
• Step 4: Use IU Expand for training example: 7 Simple Steps for Creating More Inclusive Digital Content

Initiative 4: Address equity and inclusion issues exacerbated by technology

• Step 1: Incorporate awareness of technology bias in courses
• Step 2: Ensure equitable access for students to all course technologies

Initiative 5: Implement technology in courses

• Step 1: Monitor student adherences to Program Goal #7 (Innovate Professional Practice with Information Services and Technology) via data pulled from Canvas course mappings
• Step 2: Review existing courses considered “technology courses” and revise or propose new courses (e.g., Python programming)
• Step 3: Add required technology electives for specializations

Initiative 6: Optimize opportunities for technology in teaching and research

Initiative 7: Draw upon the strengths of our socio-technical discipline to address societal goals

• Step 1: Seek community engagement opportunities in technology
• Step 2: Address emerging and future needs in technology

Initiative 8: Ensure all faculty maintain technical competence

• Step 1: Increase professional development opportunities in technology training
• Step 2: Offer emerging technology info sessions and workshops
• Step 3: Provide departmental technology resources

Initiative 9: Maintain awareness of our technology holdings

• Step 1: Create an inventory of what technology we are using in classes
• Step 2: Create a wish-list for technology we would like to use in classes

Initiative 10: Foster real-word relativity with our discipline

• Step 1: Review our contributions to our world
  • Step 1.1: Consider societal impact for good and bad via the technologies we promote (e.g., generative AI)
  • Step 1.2: Build our reputation as leaders in socio-technical topics
  • Step 1.3: Evaluate our student’s career preparedness in technology
• Step 2: Consider international collaborations
  • Step 2.1: Promote more global classroom opportunities via our existing technology
  • Step 2.2: Integrate real-world technology issues in coursework
  • Step 2.3: Seek international collaboration in research relevant to technology

Initiative 11: Contribute to our school

• Step 1: Raise our status in IUI Luddy
  • Step 1.1: Communicate with other programs on a regular basis concerning collaboration on technology
  • Step 1.2: Create paths where LIS students can benefit from technology courses offered by other programs
  • Step 1.3: Develop courses with cross-program relevance in mind
  • Step 1.4: Promote more non-LIS enrollment in our course offerings
• Step 2: Invest in resources
  • Step 2.1: Establish technology resources for our online students (i.e., virtual labs)
  • Step 2.2: Encourage cross-program investment in technology investments (i.e., server access)

Initiative 1: Promote the Helsinki Study Abroad program

• Step 1: Continue working with the Luddy marketing team and the IUI Study abroad team to take advantage of marketing opportunities (i.e., digital advertisement, study abroad fairs, etc.)
  • Step 1.1: Continue updating messaging in marketing materials. (i.e., Canvas announcements, emails, etc.)
  • Step 1.2: Create marketing templates/protocols for future promotion and marketing
  • Step 1.3: Create an annual marketing schedule to time promotions effectively

Initiative 2: Evaluate Helsinki Study Abroad program

• Step 1: Work with an evaluator from SEIRI to determine the best way to evaluate the first three years of the Helsinki Study Abroad program
  • Step 1.1: Reach out to Helsinki Study Abroad alums to gain feedback on previous years
  • Step 1.2: Create an evaluation protocol for future study abroad programs
  • Step 1.3: Revise (as needed) the current structure based on feedback from student feedback and evaluation
  • Step 1.4: Determine if there is enough interest to involve other institutions of higher education in Finland in addition to Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences
  • Step 1.5: Seek reciprocal visits between campuses of both students and teachers

Initiative 3: Expand DLIS global initiatives

• Step 1: Reach out to IU Gateway and International Collaboration Office to determine if there are any potential ways to expand current DLIS Global Initiatives
  • Step 1.1: Determine if there are any new avenues for students to enter the current Global Classroom (Information Structures for the Web) (e.g., students from another university)
  • Step 1.2: Determine if there are new opportunities for additional Global Classrooms for our DLIS (both undergraduate and graduate) students
  • Step 1.3: Revisit previous potential collaborations (Korea, Mexico City) to determine if there is any potential for collaboration

Initiative 4: Expand DLIS international research collaborations

• Step 1: Evaluate potential research opportunities with current DLIS International Partners to determine if there are any natural alignments with current faculty research agendas
• Step 2: Determine if there are potential undergraduate and graduate student research opportunities with current DLIS International Partners
• Step 3: Establish faculty exchanges between partner institutions

Student Success and Opportunity

Initiative 1: Increase retention and graduation rates

• Step 1: Experiential learning
  • Step 1.1: Integrate high impact practice experiences-including experiential learning-into curricular and cocurricular programs for all undergraduate students
• Step 2: Flexible learning
  • Step 2.1: Support student retention by meeting students where they are through online and hybrid learning options
• Step 3: Student well-being
  • Step 3.1: Promote student wellness, safety, and mental well-being

Initiative 2: Bolster graduate and professional education

• Step 1: Enrollment growth
  • Step 1.1: Grow enrollments in graduate programs at or above IUI’s peer institutions to strengthen research and attract top students and faculty who will build a vibrant academic community
• Step 2: Accelerated degree programs
  • Step 2.1: Align curricular offerings with workforce demands with a particular focus on accelerated degree programs. [Note: see Goal 2-Experiential learning “for all undergraduate students” and Goal 4 Metrics]

Initiative 3: Improve equity and inclusion across the student experience

• Step 1: Strengthening equity
  • Step 1.1: Boost participation in experiential learning opportunities for students from historically marginalized groups to help close the achievement gap, build confidence and resilience, and provide a sense of belonging

Initiative 4: Enhance community-engaged research and public scholarship

• Step 1: [Note: Goal 3 above and department goal of community-engaged doctoral degree]
• Step 2: Boosting credibility
  • Step 2.1: Increase recognition of IUI as a center for community-engaged research and public scholarship to enhance the reputation of the campus and university
• Step 3: Community engagement
  • Step 3.1: Develop internal capacity for community-engaged research and public scholarship to address the community’s needs and priorities

Initiative 4: Recruit and prepare students to succeed and become leaders in their field

• Step 1: Grow high-impact experiential and career-related student experiences that provide opportunities for students to apply learnings and develop professional skills
• Step 2: Build and support diversity with Luddy’s student body
  • Step 2.1: Build interest within diverse student populations for Luddy programs and careers through innovative partnerships and outreach efforts

Initiative 5: Amplify Luddy’s current centers of excellence

• Step 1: Design community-engaged research in direct collaboration with Hoosier communities
• Step 2: Invest in the development of new strategic growth area

Initiative 6: Serve as a thought leader in fostering technical excellence for societal impact

• Step 1: Build recognition as the leading experts in socio-technical topics
  • Step 1.1: Scale the reach and impact of Luddy’s centers of excellence to positively impact community health, well-being, and resiliency

Initiative 1: Review and plan for new standards

• Step 1: Identify new standards for review
• Step 2: Develop a plan for addressing those new areas

Initiative 2: Transfer to new plan for program goal assessment

• Step 1: Final documentation for ePort data
• Step 2: Documentation for collection and analysis of new assessment data
• Step 3: Determine feedback loop process for using assessment data given new process

Initiative 3: Prepare self-study

• Step 1: Create teams chapter of the self-study January 2026
• Step 2: Monthly team meetings until draft is in November 2026
• Step 3: Draft of Plan for self-study is due March 2026

Initiative 4: Plan for reaffirmation visit

• Step 1: Final study due January 2027
• Step 2: External Review Panel visit in March 2027