Course Descriptions

All courses are worth 3 credits unless otherwise noted. Course descriptions are also available via the University of Hawaiʻi Course Catalog. In exceptional circumstances, instructors may waive a prerequisite course requirement or permit students to take a prerequisite course concurrently.

Course syllabi are only for informational use and are subject to change.

NOTE: Deleted courses and LIS 693/694 "special topics" courses from previous semesters are available on the Course Archive page.

Notation key:
Courses marked SLO satisfy the indicated Student Learning Outcome.
Courses marked Core are core-eligible.
Courses marked SLM are required for the School Library Media track.
Courses marked Prereq require successful completion of a prerequisite course.

  • LIS 601 Introduction to Reference & Information Services SLO 1 Core SLM

    Course Details

    Philosophy, principles, and practice of reference services in libraries, information centers and information literacy. Bibliographic control, reference research, reference interview, online searching, evaluation of bibliographic and webliographic material. Field component.
  • LIS 602 Resource Discovery SLO 3 Core Prereq

    Course Details

    Techniques and strategies for search and discovery of information resources from professional online databases and the internet. Query formulation and use of advanced functions to match retrieved resources with user needs for research and reference work.
  • LIS 605 Metadata Creation for Information Organization SLO 3 Core

    Course Details

    Theory and practice of metadata creation for organization of information resources, cataloging code for resource description and access, Library of Congress and Dewey Decimal Classification schemes, use of OCLC. Emphasis is on practical rather than philosophical topics, and on practice at the level common at academic or large public libraries.
  • LIS 610 Foundations of the Information Professions SLO 2 Core SLM

    Course Details

    Lecture/discussion course on role of libraries, their social utility in information societies. History and future of libraries in changing technological world. Information professions, information ethics, intellectual freedom, intellectual property, information access, national/international library developments.
  • LIS 611 Intellectual Freedom SLO 2

    Course Details

    Seminar course surveying the core philosophical principles of intellectual freedom with special application to librarianship and information science. Covers key areas of controversy, patron rights, and ALA resources.
  • LIS 612 History of Information SLO 2

    Course Details

    History of the recording, preservation and transmission of knowledge. Development of libraries and other information organizations as instruments of cultural transmission.
  • LIS 614 Navigating Information Organizations SLO 6 Core

    Course Details

    Principles of effective management of information organizations, with emphasis on organizational information flows, team skills and communication, planning, resource allocation, assessment, outreach and advocacy.
  • LIS 615 Collection Management SLO 3 Core

    Course Details

    Principles and issues of collection management and care. Criteria and tools for selecting and deselecting materials. Relationships with publishers/producers.
  • LIS 619 Preservation Management SLO 3

    Course Details

    Introduction to preservation management. Focuses on management strategies for preservation of materials in libraries and archives. Covers preservation planning, condition surveys, disaster planning, grantsmanship, and basic issues relating to deterioration.
  • LIS 620 Conservation of Library and Archival Materials SLO 3 Prereq

    Course Details

    In-depth exploration of the nature of library and archival materials and factors that cause deterioration. Hands-on approach provides practical experience testing and analyzing basic conservation treatments, and understanding the role of conservation in preservation planning.
  • LIS 630 Community Engagement SLO 5 Core

    Course Details

    Explores how information professionals in libraries and other settings collaborate with community members and organizations. Provides an overview of theory and practice emphasizing critical analysis of policies, services and trends.
  • LIS 631 Introduction to Hawaii and Pacific Librarianship SLO 5 Core

    Course Details

    Overview of resources and issues concerning librarianship in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands. Course will cover reference strategies and materials to answer common research questions, collection development and management issues.
  • LIS 633 Indigenous Librarianship SLO 5

    Course Details

    Development and delivery of information services with and for indigenous communities. Issues include cultural protocols, traditional knowledge organization and ethics of access.
  • LIS 634 Multicultural Resources for Diverse User Groups SLO 5 Core

    Course Details

    Examines resources and materials targeted for diverse user groups in libraries and community organizations, locally and globally. Surveys issues and trends related to diversity initiatives affecting the publishing industry, libraries, and cultural institutions worldwide.
  • LIS 635 Traditional Literature and Oral Narration SLO 5

    Course Details

    Analysis of traditional literature including Asian and Pacific Island resources. Selection and evaluation of traditional literature emphasizing cultural values. Introduction to oral tradition, history and techniques of storytelling.
  • LIS 641 Digital Librarianship SLO 4

    Course Details

    Lecture with demonstrations to introduce the essential types of digital resources and the software tools for finding high quality and relevant information efficiently from digital journal archives and reference databases.
  • LIS 645 Asian Research Materials and Methods SLO 3 Core

    Course Details

    Literature of Asia in Western and Asian languages; bibliography, reference tools, research methods, sources, published and archival repositories.
  • LIS 646 Advanced Cataloging and Classification SLO 3

    Course Details

    Continues LIS 605 with study of authority work, and further study of non-book materials cataloging, including electronic and internet resources. Extensive use is made of OCLC Connexion cataloging client.
  • LIS 648 Government Documents SLO 1

    Course Details

    Survey of government documents at the federal, state/local and international levels in all formats. Covers methods of acquisition and organization, including depository arrangements. Current issues of government information dissemination policies and practices discussed.
  • LIS 650 Management of Libraries and Information Centers SLO 6 Core SLM

    Course Details

    Basic theories and principles of administration for effective management of public, academic, and special libraries and information centers, with emphasis on planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and control. Administrative aspects of public and technical services, facilities, planning, evaluation, public relations, interagency cooperation, and the management of change in bureaucratic organizations.
  • LIS 651 Archival Arrangement and Description SLO 3 Core

    Course Details

    Principles and techniques for arrangement and description of archival materials. Topics include basic metadata standards, authority sources, record context, series identification, scope and content.
  • LIS 654 Records, Archives & Memory SLO 2 Core Prereq

    Course Details

    The history and nature of records, archives and the archival profession. Topics include cultural memory, ethics and values, and colonized and indigenous materials.
  • LIS 655 Digital Archives SLO 4 Core

    Course Details

    The role of technology in archival theory and practice. Topics include digital preservation, authenticity assessment, arrangement, description and access.
  • LIS 656 Moving Image Archives SLO 4

    Course Details

    Principles and technologies of processing, preservation, and accessibility of archival audiovisual materials in moving image archives. Topics include moving image repositories, critical analysis of archival footage, format identification, digitization strategies, equipment and vendor considerations.
  • LIS 657 Records Management SLO 4

    Course Details

    Management of records in all media formats. Selection of media format based on government and internal records requirements. Problems associated with electronic media such as legality and shelf life
  • LIS 658 Archival & Special Collections Management SLO 6 Core

    Course Details

    Management of archives, manuscript collections and special collections using approaches and best practices from archival studies. Topics include management theory, appraisal theory, facilities issues, privacy, intellectual property, records management, advocacy, fundraising, reference and educational outreach.
  • LIS 661 Informatics SLO 4 Core

    Course Details

    Sociotechnical concepts and processes underlying information systems, services and use.
  • LIS 662 Asian Informatics SLO 5 Core

    Course Details

    Combined online lecture and discussion on information communication technologies that have transformed East Asia in various ways, including media, mobile phone, social media, publishing, e-government and e-commerce.
  • LIS 665 Digital Instruction SLO 4 Core

    Course Details

    Study and application of principles and practices that influence digital instruction related to information literacy in libraries and other information environments. Focus on application of instructional design and standards-based outcome assessment. Field research component. Note: prior to Fall 2017, this course was titled "Teaching Information Technology Literacy."
  • LIS 672 Technology for Libraries & Information Centers SLO 4 Core Prereq

    Course Details

    Survey of theories, concepts, methods and practices relating to the application of information technology to support the administration and use of information resources. Includes digital, printed and audiovisual materials.
  • LIS 673 Media Technology & Resources SLO 4

    Course Details

    Overview of the use of media technology and the development of media collections and services in libraries. Use and integration of new emerging technologies, including problems and issues.
  • LIS 674 Database Design & Creation SLO 4

    Course Details

    Designing and creating textual and/or directory databases from the viewpoint of information specialists and content providers. Needs analysis, file design, record content and structuring, software choices. Students implement a prototype database.
  • LIS 676 Creating Digital Libraries SLO 4

    Course Details

    Principles, techniques and technologies supporting the creation of user-centered digital libraries. Selection, organization, maintenance, access and retrieval of digital collections.
  • LIS 677 Human Dimension in Information Systems SLO 4 Prereq

    Course Details

    Lecture/discussion course on human element in information systems, including physical, cognitive and affective behavior in interaction with information systems. Information retrieval, human computer instruction and cognitive science research, quantitative and qualitative research methods. Research component.
  • LIS 678 Personalized Information Delivery SLO 4

    Course Details

    Study of the components of personalized information systems: information filtering systems with emphasis on modeling and representation of documents, queries, user information preferences, and user-system interaction. Topics include advanced Information Retrieval (IR) models, metadata and markup languages, query operations, thesaurus based IR, acquisition of user profiles, and user/system performance evaluation.
  • LIS 681 Books & Media for Children SLO 3

    Course Details

    History and criticism of children’s literature; contemporary books and media; trends in book publishing and media production; developmental needs and interests of children; selection and evaluation, and research studies.
  • LIS 682 Books & Media for Young Adults SLO 3

    Course Details

    History and criticism of literature for young adults. Contemporary books and media. Trends in media for young adults. Developmental needs and interests of adolescents. Selection and evaluation. Research studies.
  • LIS 683 Services in Public Libraries SLO 6

    Course Details

    Planning and implementing services and programming in public and school libraries. Trends, issues, networking, public relations, outreach, competencies, services for the disabled and other special groups.
  • LIS 686 Information Literacy & Learning Resources SLO 1 SLM

    Course Details

    Process approach to teaching information retrieval, analysis, and use. Emphasizes concepts, practices in effective instructional design, selection of resources that meets learning needs.
  • LIS 690 Library Internship Program Prereq

    Course Details

    Field experience in library or information agency settings with supervision of professional librarians or information specialists. Available to classified students only. Selection based on academic advisor approval, application form, interview and possession of required competencies. Students must apply and be accepted before registration. Selection is by agency. Grade options for this course are CR/NC.
  • LIS 691 Masters Seminar I

    Course Details

    Seminar for entering students focused on the development and articulation of a reflective professional philosophy, in preparation for the culminating portfolio or thesis. Peer mentoring, faculty and student presentations. MLISc degree required course. 1 credit. CR/NC only.
  • LIS 692 Masters Seminar II

    Course Details

    Seminar for graduating students focused on the refinement and completion of the culminating portfolio or thesis. Peer mentoring, faculty and student presentations. MLISc degree required course. 2 credits. CR/NC only.
  • LIS 693 Special Topics in Librarianship

    Course Details

    Includes issues of topical interest in the profession. Each course concentrates on one major topic of current interest, such as library service to the aged, reprography, medical librarianship, knowledge management, art librarianship, cartography, etc. Repeatable.
    • LIS 693 Indigenous Oceania Approaches to Archival Advocacy & Ethics SLO 5 Prereq

      Course Details

      This course is designed for those interested in careers in archives, library special collections, Indigenous librarianship, or museum education. This course is designed to address the unique preservation, collection and management of island-based collections, with a particular emphasis on the islands of Oceania.

      This course differs from other special topic courses on Indigenous librarianship and Hawai'i and Pacific Librarianship by focusing on the particular ethical and environmental preservation/conservation challenges of island archipelagos in the Pacific. Libraries and archives being a particularly western construct, this course will examine Indigenous Oceania methods of knowledge storage and continuum, understandings of time and understandings of access to certain types of knowledge. We will ask how those methods pose unique challenges for archivist and librarians in Oceania.
    • LIS 693 Records, Archives, & Memory Prereq

      Course Details

      The history and nature of records, archives, and the archival profession. Topics include cultural memory, ethics and values, and colonized and indigenous materials. (Synonymous with LIS 654 credits).
    • LIS 693 Responding to Reading in Libraries SLO 5

      Course Details

      This course explores reader response theory as a foundational understanding of the reading process in library contexts and settings. Consideration of ways in which responsive reading effects various literary formats available in libraries. Critical examination of ways in which library services impacts reading engagement and interests of library users. This course is particularly useful for those interested in public, school, and academic librarianship.
  • LIS 694 Special Topics in Information Technology

    Course Details

    Includes issues of topical interest in information technology. Each course concentrates on one major topic of current interest, such as information transfer, networks, library information systems, artificial intelligence applications. Repeatable three times, up to nine credits.
    • LIS 694 Digital Humanities SLO 4

      Course Details

      The digital humanities (DH) are an emerging cluster of tools, practices, and areas of research focusing on the intersection of traditional humanities research and digital technology. Increasingly, libraries are looking for librarians with experience in the digital humanities or DH-adjacent areas. This course will explore the history of the digital humanities and humanities computing, current tools and methods, and the theoretical underpinnings and critiques of current scholarship.
    • LIS 694 Organizational Storytelling SLO 4

      Course Details

      This course will provide students with the skills to strategically stitch together a contiguous narrative (storytelling) across media and platforms, resulting in cohesive organizational stories. Students will determine best practices for storytelling projects through engagement with course readings, engaging in asynchronous discussion based on course materials, and the creation of a social media strategy for a non-profit organization.
  • LIS 696 Practicum in School Librarianship SLO 6 SLM Prereq

    Course Details

    Skill development and application of academic study through observation and practice in a fieldwork setting under the supervision of a cooperating professional librarian. Seminar sessions are required. Grade options for this course are CR/NC.
  • LIS 699 Directed Reading and/or Research Prereq

    Course Details

    Individualized program of directed reading and/or research outside the scope of regularly titled courses. Enrollment requires approval before end of previous semester, with specification of goals, work requirements, number of credits, rationale.
  • LIS 700 Thesis Research

    Course Details

    Research for master’s thesis.