Concentrations in MLIS

The Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program offers three optional concentrations. Each concentration is a set of elective courses that, when taken together, provide focused preparation in a particular area of the Library and Information Science field. These concentrations are intended as an advising tool to help students select electives that align with their interests. They are not academic credentials and do not appear on the student’s transcript.

Students are not required to choose a concentration.  While the MLIS degree prepares graduates for careers in public, academic, and special libraries, as well as archives and related information environments, students who know they want to specialize in a specific area may choose to follow one of the concentration paths.

1. Digital Information Management (DIM) Concentration

This concentration is to cover major DIM skills and knowledge with four required elective courses (listed below). As digital information becomes more integral to everyday life, particularly pervasive in the scholarly environment, skills and knowledge for providing digital information services have become more crucial to a new generation of information professionals. Librarians in today's digital age must understand the features of various data, information lifestyles, presentation, preservation, and curation of digital archives, in addition to manipulating books and print media. Ultimately, the concentration is to make our courses closely aligned with real-life requirements of the workplace in libraries and information centers to help ensure that our students are better prepared to meet current job competencies with up-to-date professional skills and knowledge while employed. 

ILS 554 – Data Analysis and Visualization (3 credits).

ILS 558 – Digital Preservation and Archives (3 credits).

ILS 567 – Metadata Management Tools (3 credits).

ILS 655 – Digital Librarianship (3 credits).

2. Academic Libraries Concentration

The Academic Libraries concentration will prepare students in the MLIS program for positions within academic libraries. Academic librarians are expected to serve the needs of post-secondary students, faculty and staff in complex and often interconnected institutions that range from community colleges to public and independent/private research-intensive universities. Students will learn about the organizational structure of academic libraries and the many roles that librarians play to support institutional objectives. In the context of Connecticut, the post-secondary student population in need of the services of academic libraries and their professional staff exceeds 150,000 across 43 institutions in the categories defined by the Connecticut Office of Higher Education. The Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU) alone comprises 17 campuses and approximately 85,000 students.

ILS 525 – Collection Development and Management (3 credits).

ILS 536 – Academic Libraries (3 credits).

ILS 575 – Instructional Design Principles (3 credits).

ILS 590 – Research in Library and Information Science (3 credits).

3. Public Librarianship Concentration

For candidates who wish to fully focus their career on public librarianship, this concentration is designed to align coursework more closely with the actual needs of today’s public libraries. This course of study prepares students to meet current job competencies and develop the professional skills and knowledge required to serve diverse communities effectively in a public library setting.

ILS 541 -- Leadership and Advocacy for Information Professionals (3 credits).

ILS 561 -- Public Libraries (3 credits).

Choose 6 credits:

ILS 516 -- Literacy, Literature and Reading in School and Public Libraries (3 credits).

ILS 523 -- Technical Services and Information Management (3 credits).

ILS 525 -- Collection Development and Management (3 credits).

ILS 528 -- Public Library Services for Children (1.5 credits).

ILS 529 -- Public Library Services for Young Adults (1.5 credits).

ILS 544 -- Introduction to Research Methods in Information & Library (1.5 credits). [This course does not replace ILS 590 as a prerequisite for ILS 699].

Last updated: November 18, 2025