Learn about UBC iSchool’s vision, mission, goals, and objectives; as well as department-wide commitments through reports such as the 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)
Goals and objectives
- Reinforce the reputation and identity of the School of Information to external partners and the broader community.
- Continue to strengthen alliances within the Faculty of Arts and the university that increase the campus-wide visibility of the School of Information.
- Develop and implement a comprehensive recruiting plan to encourage and support high-quality applicants, especially those from under-represented communities.
- Develop an equity and diversity statement and associated action plan reflecting School of Information values and goals.
- Offer complementary curricula aligned with the School of Information learning outcomes and responsive to the needs of the associated professional communities and potential employers (MLIS/MAS).
- Continue to strengthen and support pathways and concentrations that enable students to specialize in areas of interest and prepare for a broad range of careers.
- Foster an intellectual milieu that stimulates a positive commitment to professions, scholarship, and life-long learning (MLIS/MAS).
- Expand commitments to undergraduate education to increase the impact and visibility of the School of Information and support recruitment to its graduate programs.
- Sustain reliable community input processes, assessment and planning at the course, program and school-wide levels, including the implementation of a program-level capstone assessment.
- Increase the level and quality of technology-enhanced learning and strengthen student outcomes relating to technology use.
- Provide clear teaching expectations and development opportunities for adjunct faculty.
- Nurture a culture of inquiry within the school, both informally and formally, through an ongoing commitment to research-focused activities for graduate students and faculty.
- Sustain societally relevant research agendas leading to scholarly publication and knowledge exchange.
- Increase the level of support for faculty to establish research groups and partnerships and acquire external research funding.
- Increase public exposure to iSchool research through communication and social media channels.
- Establish and sustain a School of Information advisory board.
- Maintain ties with library, archival and information-based associations in British Columbia, Canada, and internationally.
- Reinforce core values of reciprocity, social responsibility, and professional ethics in teaching, research and service commitments.
- Encourage student engagement in scholarly and professional communities.
- Provide leadership in cross-campus research initiatives and collaborations.
- Initiate and develop collaborations with international academic institutions.
2022-23 External Review/Self-Study
The School of Information (iSchool) was one of eighteen academic units at UBC Vancouver to undergo an External Review in the academic year 2022-23. UBC organizes these reviews to promote accountability and transparency, and improve academic excellence.
This document is a collaborative and comprehensive review of our unit’s academic programs, goals and achievements, administrative procedures, and future plans.
Re-envisioning the First Nations Curriculum Concentration
In 2021, the School of Information launched a year-long review of the First Nations Curriculum Concentration (FNCC). Entitled FNCC & Reciprocity, the project was grounded by interviews and sharing circles with FNCC students, FNCC alumni, and UBC-Vancouver faculty and staff who regularly work with FNCC students.
This project took place on the unceded, traditional and ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam) Nation. School of Information students, staff and faculty continue to benefit from the guidance and teachings from members of this community. Funding for this project was generously provided by UBC’s Advancing Educational Renewal Grant Program.
