The School of Information Studies joins the Faculty of Arts

At its meeting of May 22, 2014, the McGill Board of Governors on the recommendation of Senate, approved the administrative relocation of the School of Information Studies (SIS) from the Faculty of Education to the Faculty of Arts.

The School offers graduate programs in Information Studies, including a PhD in Information Studies and a newly expanded Master of Information Studies (MISt) degree with specializations in Library Studies, Knowledge Management, Archival Studies, and Information & Communication Technology. Through these programs, the School graduates versatile information professionals and scholars who are positioned to provide leadership in the organizations they join and access to information and knowledge for the benefit of individuals, organizations, and society.

The School has fallen under various administrative umbrellas since its creation over a century ago, including the Faculty of Arts and Science from 1940-1965. From 1965 until 1996, the School was administered by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. When that Faculty was dismantled in 1996, the School was placed under the Faculty of Education.  

Over time, with technological development and expansion, the nature of SIS and its programs of study and research have changed.  Today, the discipline is increasingly multidisciplinary and shares many attributes, features, and methodologies with both the social sciences and the humanities.

The School’s move to the Faculty of Arts will provide expanded opportunities for both the School and the Faculty, including the potential for innovative new training partnerships and joint research projects with other Arts units. The integration of SIS in the Faculty of Arts will also facilitate student recruitment and provide an enhanced experience for students by giving SIS students increased access to courses and programs in a variety of disciplines in the University’s largest faculty, and Arts students access to courses offered by the School that provide technical skills that are increasingly necessary in today’s digital world.

Professor France Bouthillier, Director of the School of Information Studies commented: “The move of SIS to the Faculty of Arts is very promising as it will provide a new intellectual and multidisciplinary environment which will spark more collaboration in research and academic initiatives that will benefit both faculty members and students. It is a new chapter in the long history of the School that is truly exciting.”

Dean of Arts, Professor Christopher Manfredi said: “I am very pleased to welcome the School of Information Studies, its faculty, and its students to the Faculty of Arts. The School adds to the Faculty’s already impressive diversity of disciplines.”

The School’s administrative offices will remain in the historic mansion at 3661 Peel Street.