School of Information Science and Policy records,
- Author:
- State University of New York at Albany. School of Information Science and Policy.
- Call Number:
- MSS UA-670 local
- Abstract:
- These records document the administrative, curricular, and social activities of the School of Information Science and Policy from its establishment as a one year undergraduate school for librarians in 1926 through its merger with the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy as a graduate school for information professionals in 1986. The bulk of the records, which consist of correspondence, meeting minutes, memoranda, annual reports, accreditation reports, course outlines, syllabi, bulletins, circulation records and newspaper articles, were created between 1926 and 1966. The majority of the correspondence in the Subject Files Series relates either to Martha Caroline Pritchard (1926-1954) or to the school's relationship with the American Library Association. The records are of particular significance due to the important roles played by Ms. Pritchard and the ALA in shaping the early administrative and curricular history of the School of Information Science and Policy.
- Historical Note:
- The School of Information Science and Policy traces its origins to January 5, 1887, when Melvil Dewey first opened the Columbia College School of Library Economy. When Dewey left Columbia to assume the position of Director of the New York State Library, the library school moved with him to Albany and became an adjunct of the New York State Library. In 1926, the school moved back to Columbia University. To insure that a library school remained in the Capital Region, James Sullivan established a new Library School as part of the New York State College for Teachers, which had previously offered courses in librarianship. In 1921, Elizabeth Cobb became the primary instructor in the State College's new Department of Library Science and supervised the department until 1926, when the Department of Library Science was replaced by the new State College Library School. Martha Caroline Pritchard became the first head of the New York State College for Teachers Library School in 1926. The nascent program soon received national recognition when the American Library Association's (ALA) Board of Education accredited the department as a Type III (undergraduate) library school in 1934. By 1951 the school had expanded to a five year curriculum and in that year it offered its first Masters degree. However, six years later the school failed to gain accreditation under the 1951 standards for five-year programs adopted by the ALA. In 1966, after significant improvements, the ALA re-accredited the program. In 1986, the school merged with the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy. The new School of Information Science and Policy prepared its students for an assortment of careers including information systems and library management, information policy, the economics of Information, government information resource management, archives and records management, and information technology applications.
- Physical Description:
- 8.7 cu. ft
- Access Terms:
- Access to the collection is unrestricted.
- Notes:
- School of Information Science and Policy records. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York.
- Subjects:
- Information science Study and teaching New York (State), Universities and colleges Accreditation, Education Curricula, Information science Study and teaching, and Universities and colleges Accreditation
- Genres/Forms:
- Outlines. aat, syllabi. aat, reports. aat, Publications. aat, scrapbooks. aat, and accession records. aat
- Corporate Names:
- State University of New York at Albany. School of Information Science and Policy, American Library Association, State University of New York at Albany Curricula, American Library Association, and State University of New York at Albany
- Geographic Terms:
- New York (State)
Access
Rare books do not circulate
These materials must be viewed onsite in the Special Collections Reading Room.
Using the Archives Hours