Learn about UBC School of Information’s vision, mission, goals, and objectives; as well as department-wide commitments through reports such as the 2026-2030 Strategic Plan, 2022-23 External Review/Self-Study and the First Nations Curriculum Concentration Review.
Vision and mission
Our vision
A thriving iSchool, known for exceptional student experiences and outcomes, societally relevant faculty research, alumni and community engagement, and faculty/staff work environment; recognized within UBC as an essential hub for vibrant, multi-disciplinary, cross-campus collaboration in the areas of archives, records and information management, human-computer interaction and design, Indigenous information initiatives, cultural informatics, digital media and media studies.
Our identity
An iSchool with an arts perspective: (information, technology and people) + (media, design and culture).
Our mission
Through innovative research, education and design, our mission is to enhance humanity’s capacity to engage information in effective, creative and diverse ways.
The School of Information mission is grounded in a fundamental belief in the value and importance of information and records to the lives of individuals, communities and society more broadly.
Current and future access to information and records in their many manifestations is essential as a means of preserving and shaping memory and culture, enabling democracy through evidence, accountability, transparency and education, and supporting almost all forms of human activity.
To ensure that individuals and communities can engage (i.e. confront, experience, challenge and use) information, the School of Information develops and disseminates theoretical and applied knowledge concerning the production, management, storage, preservation, access and use of information and records and educates students as information professionals and researchers.
We acknowledge that no single perspective on the complex and situated concept of information is sufficient or universally valid. We respect and welcome diverse and critical perspectives that enrich our understanding and practices. In this work, the School of Information is committed to furthering the goals of the Faculty of Arts and UBC and supporting the many scholarly, academic and professional associations dedicated to the fields of library, archival and information studies.
Our membership in the iSchools Organization signifies an explicit commitment to the notion expressed in the iSchools Charter, that “expertise in all forms of information is required for progress in science, business, education, and culture. This expertise must include understanding of the uses and users of information, the nature of information itself, as well as information technologies and their applications”.
(Approved by a vote of faculty, November 25, 2015)
Strategic Planning Reports
Strategic Plans
External Reviews
First Nations Curriculum Concentration Review
