About

Welcome to the School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS), part of the University of Alberta Faculty of Education. On July 1^st, 2021, the Faculty of Education joined the faculties of Arts, Law, and the Alberta School of Business under the new College of Social Sciences and Humanities; one of three new colleges at the U of A. 

We offer the only Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) program on the Canadian prairies, and in Fall 2013 we launched Canada's only fully online MLIS degree program. The MLIS program at the University of Alberta is accredited by the American Library Association (ALA) Committee on Accreditation, with the status of Continued accreditation. The next comprehensive review visit is scheduled for Spring 2028.

In Fall 2014, SLIS partnered with the Alberta School of Business to offer an MBA/MLIS combined degree program. We also offer an MA/MLIS combined degree program with the Master of Arts in Digital Humanities (DH) program, and are a home department for the program. SLIS also offers opportunities for Individual Interdisciplinary PhD's in conjunction with other University of Alberta departments that house PhD programs.

The School's vision for teaching, research, and service is grounded in a multi-disciplinary focus on issues of information access and equity.

Diverse members of the SLIS community engage with the information professions, post-secondary education, government, and not-for-profit settings in service of the public good. Engagement occurs both formally and informally through research and scholarship, project management, teaching and learning, academic and professional service, policy development, and volunteerism at the grassroots level. Our engagement relies on an ethos of collaboration, cultural awareness and an ethic of mutuality.

Follow the links to learn more about our Governance, History, Indigenous Activities, Strategic Directions, and our Vision, Mission, and Values.