History
For more than 100 years, the School of Information Sciences (iSchool) has trained students to become leaders in the information professions. Its origins date back to 1901 when the first training school for children’s librarians opened its doors at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. In 1961, the Carnegie Library School became the Graduate Library School of the University of Pittsburgh and was subsequently renamed the School of Information Sciences in 1996. By 2005, the school was officially recognized as one of the founding members of the iSchools organization, a collective of information schools dedicated to advancing the information field. Commonly known as the iSchool at Pitt, the iSchool is home to four National Science Foundation CAREER award winners, an American Library Association-accredited Master of Library and Information Science program that is ranked in the top ten of graduate library programs by U.S. News & World Report, and is one of approximately 20 centers in the United States to hold five Committee on National Security Systems certifications.
Mission
The Information Sciences building in the late 1960s.
The Mission of the School of Information Sciences is to support and advance the broader education, research, and service mission of the University by educating students, furthering knowledge, and contributing our expertise to advance humankind’s progress through information.
This mission is achieved through specific actions:
- Providing a high-quality undergraduate program in Information Science
- Offering superior graduate programs in Library and Information Science, Information Science, and Telecommunications
- Engaging in research and scholarly activities that advance learning through the extension of the frontiers of knowledge and creative endeavors
- Cooperating with industry and government to transfer knowledge
- Extending our expertise to local communities and public agencies to contribute to social, intellectual, and economic development in Pennsylvania, the nation, and the world.