Welcome to SLIS!

I’m delighted that you’re visiting our website, and want to extend my warm wishes to get in touch or visit us. We’d love to meet you. We are a welcoming and vibrant learning community of students and scholars who are dedicated to creating a positive environment where learning and creative endeavors are supported and celebrated.

You’ve found us online, but we’re physically located on the top floor of The University of Alabama's main library. Our School is comfortably sized to ensure that students and faculty get to know one another, yet expansive enough to provide students with depth and breadth in their studies and internship experiences. SLIS is a part of the College of Communication and Information Sciences and has a substantial technological, physical, and organizational infrastructure supporting its diverse, fully accredited programs.

Through the MLIS program, SLIS prepares the next generation of library and information professionals to utilize and develop the exciting new array of information technology tools. More importantly, this new generation of professionals will be given the ability to manage this technology, to create a vision, and to articulate this vision in leadership roles. These abilities will enable our MLIS graduates to continue the tradition of service for which the profession is known.

In addition to attending classes at the main campus, students living in other parts of Alabama, southeast Tennessee, and northwest Georgia can pursue the MLIS by completing coursework at the UA Gadsden Center located in Gadsden, AL. One core course each semester is also offered in Birmingham, AL on the Samford University campus. A third way to study is via our fully online program, which is very successful and provides the opportunity to earn the MLIS from anywhere in the world, or our regional program based in Gadsden, which combines face to face and online classes.

SLIS is also very proud of our MFA in the Book Arts program, which graduates book artists proficient in the technical, intellectual and artistic facets of creating hand-made books. The program allows students to develop and hone technical knowledge of all facets of bookmaking, both historical and contemporary, an understanding of the historical evolution of the book, and the skills to express their creative and artistic vision.

If you’re interested in doctoral studies we invited you to consider our interdisciplinary Ph.D. program, administered by the College of Communication and Information Sciences. SLIS faculty members can support a range of research interests—check out our faculty directory.

To apply for any of our programs, please visit the Graduate School website for instructions and online application forms.

Sincerely,

Heidi Julien
Director
School of Library and Information Studies
513 Gorgas Library
Box 870252
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0252
Voice: 205-348-4610
Fax: 205-348-3746
info@slis.ua.edu