The School of Library and Information Science (or SLIS) at Simmons University was founded in 1902 as a undergraduate level library science department intended to prepare librarians for the field. SLIS became a graduate program in 1913, with the introduction of a one year program of studies. Although originally an in-person program on Simmons’ Boston campus, we have expanded to include three campuses: the main campus in Boston, SLIS West in Greenfield, MA (established in 2001), and our virtual campus online (established in 2011).
Simmons’ School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) has been around for over 100 years and boasts one of the largest alumni networks in the profession (perhaps you are one of them!). Our nationally accredited program¹, ranked 9th by U.S. News & World Report, is dedicated to preparing its students to inspired service, advocacy, and leadership in the field. You can read more about SLIS’ mission and vision here.
While at SLIS, students learn how to apply standards; communicate to their audiences; demonstrate technological aptitude; analyze and research; develop outreach initiatives for diverse communities; build leadership skills; and understand professional ethics and values. You can read more about SLIS’ student learning outcomes here.
Within SLIS, students can pursue graduate degrees and certificates. Students can choose to focus through our curriculum concentrations on Archives Management, Cultural Heritage Informatics (CHI), Information Sciences & Technology (IS&T), Libraries and Librarianship, School Library Teacher (SLT), and Self-Directed.