Library and Information Science graduate program cited among top ten

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Violet H. Harada, (808) 956-5814
Professor, Library and Information Science Program
Posted: Dec 8, 2010

For the fourth consecutive year, the school library media specialization in the UH Mānoa Library and Information Science (LIS) Graduate Program has been recognized as one of the top ten programs in the nation by the U.S. News and World Report in its “America’s Best Graduate Schools 2011.” It was ranked eighth in the top ten.  U.S. News and World Report analyzes more than 12,000 different graduate program areas for this special report. Rankings are based on expert opinions regarding program quality and statistical indicators that measure the quality of the faculty, research, and students.
 
The LIS Program is a master’s program in the UH Mānoa College of Natural Sciences, Department of Information and Computer Sciences. Dean Alan Teramura commented: “The LIS faculty have continued to maintain a high quality program for many years. Their peers acknowledged this during the program’s last accreditation review, when it was granted the maximum six years. I am pleased to learn that they have been selected for the fourth year in a row among the elite school library media specializations in the nation by the U.S. News and World Report.”
 
The graduates of the LIS Program make up 85% of the Hawaiʻi DOE’s school library workforce. Several of them have received national recognition. In 2007, Kapolei High School Library led by Carolyn Kirio and Sandy Yamamoto was cited as the National School Library Media Program of the Year by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL). This year, Kailua Elementary Library was selected as one of 35 exemplary programs across the nation by the AASL and librarian Darren Tanaka was commended for his innovative approaches to learning.
 
In 2009, the LIS Program received a $250,000 federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to design and implement training for teams of high school teachers and librarians working on capstone research projects with their students. This three-year grant enables the Program to support the state’s P-20 initiative.
 
For more information on the U.S. News and World Report rankings of America's Best Graduate Schools, visit: www.usnews.com/grad.