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Certificate of Advanced Study in Digital Libraries

This program is a technically oriented CAS concentration in Digital Libraries. There are many directions from which to approach the study of Digital Libraries: as technologies with special concerns of theory and implementation; as large- (or small-) scale information organization and access tools; as learning environments; as enablers of community information exchange; as arenas for social interaction, etc. This program aims to give students a thorough and technically focused background in Digital libraries that will enable them to understand these issues, and serve as designers, decision-makers, and creators of Digital Libraries. Students will gain advanced-level knowledge of digital asset management; information and collection modeling; design of human-centered, digitally mediated information services; and information policy. The program assumes existing MS-level knowledge of Library and Information Science, including basic information organization; indexing and cataloging; information needs and uses; reference and user services, and libraries-in-society. The CAS-DL program was made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum & Library Services.

Coursework | Admission Requirements

Coursework

Course requirements include four (4) required CAS-DL Core courses, four (4) elective courses from the CAS Digital Library Electives, and LIS593 "C.A.S. Project." The project must entail a Digital Libraries-related project defined and monitored in consultation with the student's CAS advisor, and comprising two course units.

Each student must work with his/her CAS advisor(s) to craft a coherent course of study that meets the student's interests, integrates courses across categories, and satisfies the CAS-DL Program's requirements.

DL Core

• LIS590DIL "Introduction to Digital Libraries" Covers principles and comparative case studies of Digital Libraries and content management systems, including creation, organization, ongoing management, archiving, and preservation of digital assets.
• LIS590IML "Information Modeling" Covers issues of Document Modeling and Collection Modeling in an integrated way.
• LIS590DEL "Design of Digitally Mediated Information Services" Covers the design and analysis of services and intermediaries, specifically those that are automated and/or occur through digital channels. Includes the role of people in those services.
• LIS590MD "“Metadata in Theory & Practice”" Covers the design and application of metadata schema in a variety of settings, as well as examining issues of  interoperability and the social and political factors influencing the development and implementation of metadata schema.

Electives

• LIS556 Implementation of Information Storage and Retrieval Systems
• LIS566 Architecture of Network Information Systems
• LIS590AMD Agents and Multi-Agents for Dynamic Information Systems
• LIS590CD2 Current Topics in Collection Development
• LIS590CI Community Information Systems
• LIS590CW Computer Supported Cooperative Work
• LIS590DC Foundations of Data Curation
• LIS590DH Digital Humanities
• LIS590DM Document Modeling
• LIS590DP Document Processing
• LIS590DS Implementation of Distributed Information Systems
• LIS590EL E-Learning: Social & Technical Issues in E-Learning  Research & Practice
• LIS590EP Electronic Publishing and Information Processing Standards
• LIS590IA Information Architecture
• LIS590II Interfaces to Information Systems
• LIS590IP Information Policy
• LIS590IQ Information Quality: Principles and Practices
• LIS590KR Knowledge Representation & Formal Ontology
• LIS590RPE Rapid Prototyping & Evaluation
• LIS590UMI Understanding Multimedia Information: Concepts & Practices
• LIS590X01 Data Administration Concepts and Database Management [in  cooperation w/Syracuse University]
• LIS590X03 Managing Information Systems Projects
• LIS590X06 Creating, Managing and Preserving Digital Assets

Admission Requirements

CAS applicants must have completed a master's degree in library and information science or a closely related field, with a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. A minimum grade-point average of 3.0 also is required in the last two years of the applicant's undergraduate degree program. The Admissions Committee makes every effort to assess applicants on their probable degree of success in the program, rather than relying only on how well the applicant meets the formal requirements. Contact the GSLIS admissions officer with questions about the admissions process: (217) 333-7197.

Prerequisite Knowledge

As a prerequisite for this degree, all students must master the content of LIS452 (Foundations of Information Processing in LIS) and LIS456 (Information Storage and Retrieval). If not already in the student's portfolio upon admission, these courses may be taken while at GSLIS as remedial courses that don't count toward the ten required CAS courses.

All applicants must fulfill these minimum requirements:

1. A master's degree in library and information science.
2. A grade-point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in master's-level coursework and in the last two years of undergraduate coursework.
3. Satisfactory letters of reference from three individuals, with at least one from a librarian/information scientist and the remainder from employers or teachers, including a representative of the library/information science program that granted the professional degree.
4. International applicants whose native language is not English must submit evidence of having passed the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of 620 or higher (or 260 or higher for the computer-administered version). The test can be administered in the student's home country but should be arranged at least one year before the applicant expects to begin the program.

Note: The University's Division of English as an International Language offers courses to help currently enrolled Illinois graduate students whose native language is not English. These courses may be used to improve a student's language proficiency so that he or she is able to function as effectively as possible within the university environment. The division also operates an Intensive English Institute and the LinguaCenter, where other kinds of help may be obtained.

Application Process and Deadlines

Please see the Admissions section of our website for specific application requirements, deadlines, and forms.