Pratt Institute School of Information and Library Science
| School of Information and Library Science | |
|---|---|
 Pratt Manhattan Campus | |
| Established | 1890 |
| Type | Private |
| Dean | Tula Giannini |
| Location | New York City, New York, United States |
| Campus | Urban |
| Colors | Black and cadmium yellow |
| Website | www.pratt.edu/sils |
 | |
Pratt Institute School of Information and Library Science (SILS) is the oldest Library and Information Science program in North America. It was created in Brooklyn in 1890 shortly after Melvil Dewey created such a program at Columbia University in 1887.[1][2] Pratt SILS is one of the five schools of Pratt Institute. Based in Manhattan, SILS administers a master of information and library science degree program that is accredited by the American Library Association.
History
Charles Pratt, founder of Pratt Institute, recognized the need for a library that served both the faculty and students of the Institute as well as Brooklyn residents. He also recognized the need to have a facility for training of library staff. In June 1890, Pratt Institute offered courses in cataloging and library economics.[3][4] Mary Wright Plummer, who was a graduate of Melvil Dewey’s class of 1888 from Columbia University, led it.[2] In 1895, a regular faculty, chosen for its aptitude in teaching, was organized.[5] In 1896, the Library School relocated to Pratt's new library building designed by William Tubby, which continues to act as Pratt Institute’s primary library.[2]
Under Plummer's leadership, the school enacted a stiff entrance exam and exams in German and French.[6] The entering class was consistently around 25 students.[6] In 1911 when Plummer left to direct the Training School at New York Public Library, Josephine Adams Rathbone was appointed vice-director. Both Plummer and Rathbone were elected as presidents of the American Library Association.
Notable alumni from this early period include Anne Carroll Moore, who was a student of Mary Wright Plummer, and became a faculty member and the first children’s librarian at New York Public Library, serving in that position for 35 years (1906–1941).[2][7][8] Another notable student from this period is Mary Elizabeth Wood, who promoted the development of libraries in China and established the first program in that country to train librarians.[9]
In 1939, Pratt began to grant the degree of bachelor of science in library science and, in 1950, the master of library science degree.[2] Notable figures from the twentieth century include Nasser Sharify, who worked to develop the field of international librarianship as dean and professor from 1968 to 1987.[10]
The school celebrated its centennial in 1990. In the United States House of Representatives, New York Congressman Major Owens (first librarian to serve in Congress) gave a salute to Pratt Institute SILS "both for its 100th anniversary, and for being the oldest such library program in the country."[11]
Pratt Institute SILS relocated to the Pratt Manhattan Campus at 144 West 14th Street in Manhattan in Fall 2002, and it continues to operate from that location.[12]
Timeline
- 1890 - Pratt Institute begins offering courses in cataloging and library economics.[3][4]
- 1895-1911 - Mary Wright Plummer directs the school.[2]
- 1895 - A regular faculty is organized.[5]
- 1896 - Library school relocated to Pratt’s new library building designed by William Tubby.[2]
- 1911-1938 - Josephine Adams Rathbone is vice director of the school, reporting to Edward F. Stevens (library director).[6]
- 1938-1955 - William (Wayne) M. Shirley directorship/deanship.[13]
- 1939 - Pratt offers the bachelor of science in library science.[2]
- 1950 - Pratt offers the master of library science degree.[2]
- 1955-1956 - Rice Estes acting deanship.[2]
- 1956-1968 - Louis D. Sass deanship.[2]
- 1968-1987 - Nasser Sharify deanship.[10]
- 1987-1988 - S. Michael Malinconico deanship.
- 1989-1999 - Seoud M. Matta deanship (1989-1992 acting dean).
- 1999-2001 - Anne Woodsworth deanship.
- 2002 - SILS relocates to the Pratt Manhattan Campus at 144 W. 14th St. in Manhattan.[12]
- 2002-2004 - Marie Radford acting deanship.
- 2005–present - Tula Giannini deanship.
Academic programs
SILS administers a master of information and library Science (MSLIS) degree accredited by the American Library Association; an MSLIS and M.S. History of Art dual degree program; a joint degree MSLIS-Juris Doctor and a MSLIS-LLM program with Brooklyn Law School; a MSLIS and MFA in Digital Arts and a M.S. in Museums and Digital Culture. Advanced certificate programs administered include an archives certificate, a museum-libraries certificate and library media specialist with New York State certification. Program concentrations include information policy and society (IPS), LEO (Literacy, Education and Outreach), digital humanities, rare books and special collections, user experience (UX), and research and assessment.
Notable people
Alumni
- Sarah Byrd Askew—pioneered the establishment of county libraries in the United States
- Shirley Barker—American author, poet and librarian
- Constance Bement—President of Michigan Library Association, 1923-24.
- Morris L. Cohen—Law librarian and professor of law
- Eleanor Estes—American children's book author
- Ann Herendeen—American author of popular fiction
- Zoia Horn—first librarian ever to be jailed for refusing to divulge information that violated her belief in intellectual freedom
- Mary Frances Isom—promoted libraries in Oregon and was head librarian of the Library Association of Portland from 1902–1920.[14]
- Daniel Lopatin—Electronic musician
- Herman H. B. Meyer—American Library Association president (1924-1925) and Chief Bibliographer at Library of Congress.[15]
- Susan Midler—sister of entertainer Bette Midler
- Joan Millman—Former member of the New York State Assembly
- Marvin H. Scilken—Advocate of practical customer-oriented librarianship and founding editor of the U*N*A*B*A*S*H*E*D Librarian, the how I run my library good letter.
- David Wellington—American horror author
- Margot Williams—Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and librarian
- Mary Elizabeth Wood—Promoted Western librarianship practices and programs in China
Faculty
- Anne Carroll Moore—Also an alumna, she led the development of the field of children's librarianship
- Mary Wright Plummer—Head of the School and second female President of the American Library Association (1915–1916)
- Josephine Adams Rathbone—Head of the School and President of the American Library Association (1931–1932)[6]
- Nasser Sharify—Dean Emeritus of the School and led the development of the field of international librarianship (d.2013)
See also
- Project CHART (Brooklyn Visual Heritage)
References
- ↑ Adams Rathbone, Josephine. "The Pratt Institute School of Library Science." Library Journal 46 (1922): 935-936. Accessed December 23, 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 Sharify, Nasser. "The Pratt Institute Graduate School of Library and Information Science." In Allen Kent, Harold Lancour and Jay E. Daily (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, Vol. 23. New York: Marcel Dekker, 1978. Accessed December 23, 2013.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Richardson Jr., John V. "History of American Library Science: Its Origins and Early Development." In Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, 3rd Ed. Boca Raton, FL: Taylor & Francis, 2010.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Vann, Sarah K. Training for Librarianship before 1923. Chicago, IL: American Library Association, 1961.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 White, Carl M. The Origins of the American Library School. New York: Scarecrow Press, 1961.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Brand, Barbara B. "Pratt Institute Library School: The Perils of Professionalization." In Suzanne Hildenbrand (Ed.), Reclaiming the American Library Past: Writing the Women In, pp. 251-278. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing, 1996.
- ↑ Miller, Julia (1988). "Anne Carroll Moore: Our First Supervisor of Work with Children". New York Public Library. By Julia Miller, May 1988; revised by Julia Mucci, May 2004. Archived 2013-01-12. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
- ↑ Lepore, Jill (2008, July 21). "The Lion and the Mouse: The battle that reshaped children's literature". The New Yorker. On Moore and E. B. White (8 pages).
- ↑ Mary Alice Wood. Encyclopedia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/647365/Mary-Elizabeth-Wood
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Scope and content of collection, Nasser Sharify papers, Hoover Institution Archives. Accessed March 10, 2014.
- ↑ 101st Congress, 2nd Session, A Salute to Pratt Institute's Library Science Department on Its 100th Anniversary. Accessed January 15, 2014.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Pratt SILS Now Anchored in Manhattan." Library Journal (September 27, 2002). Accessed March 14, 2014.
- ↑ Marshall, John David. (2000). "The Library History Round Table's First Twenty-five Years: Reminiscences and Remarks on Recent Research." Library & Culture, Vol. 35 No. 1, pp. 41-50.
- ↑ Hummel, Penny. (2009). “Making the library be alive”: Portland’s librarian, Mary Frances Isom. Portland, OR: Multnomah County Library.
- ↑ Library of Congress (1920). Report of the Librarian of Congress and Report of the Superintendent of the Library Building and Grounds. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.