Notes from the Chair

We're Accredited until 2015!

2009-02-11T17:01:00.004-10:00

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything. One reason is I had misplaced my blog password, but the bigger reason is that I’ve been focusing my writing energy into publications. It’s been a good week for writing; however, I should take a moment to share some good news. The press release from COA will come out in a few weeks, but it is official. The American Library Association - Committee on Accreditation gave us full accreditation. Our next visit should be in 2015.

If you’re not employed in a school that gets accredited you probably can’t appreciate the relief, but it is palpable to say the least. For the few of you who haven’t heard us talk about the process, let me briefly recap some of the highlights in brief.

We were accredited back in 2000 (before I came to Hawaii). We were supposed to be re-accredited back in 2006, but COA was gracious to extend our accreditation due to the flood, which destroyed our records. I should add that ever since 2000, LIS faculty, staff, and students have been working on developing the program for the next accreditation. Of course, we don’t do it for COA, but we are careful to be able to document to COA why we’ve made the changes we’ve done.

The buildup for the accreditation visit was our Program Presentation (as seen above). All members of the LIS faculty collaborated on writing a Program Presentation. Dr. Jacso was in charge of editing the volume. We also had help from Caitlin Nelson and Kale Kingsbury as Student Staff Members. Of course, Michelle, Michele, Lauren, Lauren, and Gail all greatly helped too, as did other students, and previous staff members. Janice, Nolan, Wesley, and Gerald also helped from the ICS staff. We sent a draft of the Presentation in fall, and the final version in August. You can download the first volume [at our COA Site] if you are interested. The second volume, with the supporting documentation, is available in the LIS Program office.

COA appointed an External Review Panel of six LIS professors/ administrators and practitioners from around the country. Four of the External Reviewers came in October to investigate the LIS Program. Working with two off-site members, they issued a 24-page Report (which soon will be available on our website too). We could disagree with interpretations in some parts of the report, but they offered some excellent suggestions. We’re already trying to implement some of their suggestions as part of our Strategic Planning.

The last stage was a hearing with the actual Committee on Accreditation at the ALA Midwinter Conference in Denver. I represented the Program. ERP Chair Ma’lis Wendt also was present to report and answer questions. At the meeting COA members spent 45 minutes asking us questions they had from reading the Program Presentation and ERP Report. You have no idea how tense I was about that meeting. I finally calmed down two days before the meeting, but was physically affected by nervousness anticipation for that meeting. I know that we have a quality Program with great faculty, adjunct faculty, staff, students, alumni, and advisors, so I felt immense pressure to do a good job of representing us. I shouldn’t have been so nervous. COA members asked sharp, critical questions, but they were collegial, and most of the questions were ones my colleagues and I had predicted. It actually was an interesting discussion about LIS education, except that I knew that they were judging us while we were talking.

A few days after coming back we received a letter that we had received full accreditation. I was so pleased and relieved. It was a great feeling to be able to send e-mails to students, alumni, and colleagues on campus. Chancellor Hinshaw even gave me a hug after I told her the news. I hadn’t expected that reaction, but am happy. It’s been a tough semester on for everyone.

I’m very proud of our school, but realize that we have many challenges ahead. All of us on the faculty are concerned about the economy. What will it mean for the LIS Program and for our graduates’ employment. Will our return to Hamilton Library, now set for January 2010, actually happen or will the budget freeze construction? The Chancellor has said that the Hamilton Library reconstruction is her top priority, but everyone is having to make tough choices since funds are so tight. Likewise, we are anxious to be able to replace Gail, who retired in December, but this is on hold. We are fortunate that Michelle and our ICS staff team have been so helpful since then. Dr. Harada has been an amazing Associate Chair, covering so many things this year.

Actually, my reason for sharing this post was to say how grateful all of us on the faculty are to everyone who has helped us achieve our accreditation. Our program is strong because alumni, colleagues, LIS Advisory Board are engaged and caring about the quality of our program, and mentor our students/ graduates. We’re also blessed to have such great colleagues in ICS as well LIS adjunct faculty. The ERP was pleased by the support from our administration (Graduate Division, Natural Science, Outreach College), ITS, ICS Chair, HITS, as well as Chancellor Hinshaw, Vice Chancellor Quigley, and System Vice President Johnsrud. Our students also are amazing. They are the reason we are here, but we were kvelling (filled with joyous pride) to see how they impressed the visiting team with their intelligence, creativity, and passion to provide library, archive, and information services to Hawai'i (and beyond). The accreditation was just a good reminder that the future of Hawaii’s libraries, archives, and information centers are in good hands.

Thanks again for everyone for helping us achieve this milestone. We’re counting on your continued support as we plan the next stage in professional education.

Congratulations Spring and Summer Graduates

2008-05-26T11:46:00.009-10:00

The LIS Faculty and staff congratulate all of the Spring and Summer 2008 graduates. Stay in touch!

Alumni Gathering at the 2008 ALA Annual Conference

2008-04-28T00:06:00.007-10:00

It was great to see so many UH LIS alumni attending the ALA Annual conference in Anaheim. We have a gathering each year as part of the ALISE gathering. I hope to see you next year in Chicago.

Beta Phi Mu 2008 Initiation

2008-04-28T00:03:00.004-10:00

The Xi Chapter of Beta Phi Mu will have its 2008 Initiation Ceremony on Sunday, 25 May 2008 at 3pm at the Queen Lili'uokalani Center for Student Services room 412. The keynote speaker will be State Librarian Richard P. Burns. Leward Shoji will be providing musical entertainment.

News from the Chair

2008-04-26T15:07:00.009-10:00

The LIS Program is sad to announce the passing of Professor Emerita Therese Bissen Bard (1926-2008) who taught for almost two dozen years at the University of Hawaii Graduate School of Library and Information Studies (which later became the UH Manoa LIS Program). We will post an memorial note by Dr. Knuth shortly.

"Memorials may be given to Franciscan Skemp Cancer Center, La Crosse, which is related to the Mayo Health Care System."

In happier news, congratulations to alumna and UH Manoa School of Communications Professor Beverly Keever, Ph.D., MLIS, MSJ received the College of Social Sciences Award for Excellence in Application for her book News Zero: The New York Times and The Bomb, which peels back "the shroud of secrecy covering the devastating impact of U.S. Pacific nuclear weapons tests on the Pacific Islanders" and for her "tireless endeavors to promote open government in Hawai'i."

Congratulations also to our alumni and former colleagues at Chaminade University of Honolulu on the lovely new Sullivan Family Library. A few of us were able to enjoy the dedication ceremonies.

Implementing Assessment

2008-04-18T00:29:00.004-10:00

If you were in a core class this semester, you may have wondered why you were doing some projects a bit differently than the syllabus first suggested, and perhaps even a bit more work than other students had done previously. The answer is that the faculty teaching those courses are experimenting rethinking the way we do student and learning assessment. For students in the school library media specialist track, we are simply catching up with our K-12 colleagues. You’ve been talking about rubrics, learning targets, and proficiency for years, but this is new territory for many of us – including many of us on the faculty. In case you didn’t realize, PhD Programs in LIS focus on research, and assumed that teaching skills were to be learned “on the job.” Because of that most of us have our own personal pedagogical approaches. Now we are forcing ourselves to rethink how we teach and what we expect students to learn.

Associate Chair Violet Harada has volunteered to facilitate a multi-year plan to build more measurable learning outcomes into all LIS courses. We hope to do this over a 4-year period, but will assess its effectiveness at each stage, since it really is a learning environment, and we don’t want to blindly march forward. I could explain that WASC, and ALA look for evidence of assessment when they examine us, but the more important rationale is to help us think about fundamental questions, such as what learning outcomes are most important, and how well we are meeting those educational benchmarks.

I wanted to explain this to you, and also ask your patience as we retool our classes. Implementing new assessment tools into existing courses is sometimes a bit awkward, as we learn what works or what needs tweaking. In the meantime I encourage you to share your thoughts with Dr. Harada, me, or any of your professors. Once we have it down pat, assessment is all about helping you to learn, and for faculty to understand if we are successfully creating a learning atmosphere. I invite you to join our discussion. This is how we can keep LIS a living and learning organization.

(This will appear in the next issue of the ALA-SC newsletter, the Basement Blotter. Thanks to Professors Harada and Asato, and editor Karen Brown for comments).

Congratulations to the New Officers

2008-04-04T00:52:00.012-10:00

It is the time of year again. LIS student organizations are appointing and electing their new officers. Here is the roll call so far:

Graduate Student Organization
LIS Representative: Melissa Kayongo
LIS Alternate Rep: Open

HASL LIS Representative: Faye Yamasaki

WebVoyage Committee
Representative: Open

Hui Dui
President: Brett Bodemer
Vice President: Shelley Shimoda
Secretary: Mariko Kershaw
Treasurer: Neneng Rosmy
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Wertheimer

American Library Association-SC
President: Karen Brown
Vice President: Amanda Hahn
Secretary: Kale Kingsbury
Treasurer: Jennifer Crowther
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Wertheimer

SLA-ASIST-SC
President: Alice Tran
Vice President: Hanalei Abbott
Secretary: Tammy Zielinski
Treasurer: Marcy Bighill
Events Coordinator: Amanda Hahn
Faculty Advisors: Dr. Quiroga & Dr. Gazan

Society of American Archivists-SC
President: Jennifer Crowther
Vice President: Amanda Hahn
Secretary/Treasurer: Karen Brown
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Wertheimer

Web Team
Co-Chairs (aka "Co-Commanders Extraordinaire"): Pamela Hails & Alice Tran
"Superhuman Subordinates": Karen Brown & Tammy Zielinski
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Nahl

For Students interested in LIS:

2008-02-15T23:40:00.006-10:00

Why not join the 21st century of information professionals? The Library and Information Science Program offers a master’s degree that prepares you for exciting careers as librarians in colleges and public and school libraries, as well as information specialists in fields ranging from law and medicine to the fine arts and music.

Join us for an informational coffee hour about the degree program and job prospects:

Date: Thursday, March 6, 2008
Time: Noon to 1 p.m.
Site: Pacific Ocean Science Technology (POST) Building Room 302

If possible, please RSVP to wertheim@hawaii.edu so we know how many students to expect. We look forward to meeting you!

Yes, Libraries "help our democracy thrive"

2007-12-26T10:49:00.001-10:00

Aloha Students and Grads:

I hope that you're all having a good holiday season. I just wanted to make sure that you've seen our profession highlighted in the news and editorial pages:

This morning's editorial (Hon Adv) "Public libraries help our democracy thrive" [with online discussion forum]

"Hawaii libraries face challenges ahead" (19 Dec 07 Hon Adv) [Front page!]

[You can also see my own comments on this at my Personal blog as well as an exchange of letters with outgoing state librarian Jo Ann Schindler].

"Final $3.8 million released for bigger Manoa library" (19 Dec 07 Hon Adv)

"WHAT I'M READING" | JO ANN SCHINLDER State Librarian (16 Dec 07 Hon Adv) (now in pay-only archives & print)

Recent grad Baron Baroza in the Star Bulletin's BUZZ as well as their nice article Richard Burns (UH Manoa MLIS 1987) appointment as State Librarian, [as well as a supporting editorial].

Please let us know if you have any other news. There is a Yiddish word -- kvelling (deriving pride and joy through another's achievements which you feel part of) -- that describes how we feel when we hear of what you've done. Please be sure to pass on such good news. Besides kvelling it would be nice to be able to tell a few of your stories as part of our accreditation study :)

Please e-mail us your news or post them on the LIS Alumni blog
http://lisag.wordpress.com/

Current students, please make sure your adviser knows of your latest achievements, so we can recognize you, and record it in your folder.

OK, back to your holiday celebrations. Have a great 2008!

Congratulations December 2007 MLISc Graduates

2007-12-18T22:15:00.002-10:00

Congratulations to the new MLISc graduates: Amy Amano, Baron Baroza, Roxanne Campbell, Mary Louise Haraguchi, Peter Harrer, James Heiner, Kipapa Kahelahela, Tracy Latimer, Xuan Thi Manh Le, Jennifer McLaughlin, Minori Oumi, Jacoob Rosen, Whitney Ross, and Emiko Tsang Mui Chung.

ICS 665: User Interfaces and Hypermedia

2007-12-17T22:16:00.001-10:00

Aloha Students,

I wanted to let you know of another Spring 2008 ICS course, [ICS 665]: User Interfaces and Hypermedia. The class is being taught by Scott Robertson, a new ICS colleague, who has experience working with LIS students at Drexel's College of Information Science and Technology.

Dr. Robertson is waiving the official prerequisite ICS classes in most cases for our interested students. Please see the bottom of this e-mail.

Please contact Professor Robertson directly if you have any questions about the course.

Please contact your LIS adviser if you have any questions about making this an elective for your MLISc degree. Before contacting him/ her, do check your schedule as the MON + WED 4:30-5:45 conflicts with many of our classes.

Before any of you ask, it is not on the list of approved courses to meet the Information Technology requirement, but that is only a starting point. It should be a nice small flexible course, in a developing area which has a lot of relevance to the present and future of LIS.

---
ICS 665: User Interfaces and Hypermedia

Spring 2008 (MW 4:30-5:45)

Hypermedia is a form of information organization which intertwines text with multimedia content to inform, educate, entertain, connect, and otherwise involve users as they engage in information-intensive activities. Hypermedia is becoming increasingly common on the world-wide web, in many software applications and documentation, in education, and in art. Like hypertext, hypermedia confounds content and navigation, creates large nonlinear information spaces, requires users to be active, and supports multiple experiences within an information space. It is increasingly produced and used by non-experts.

This seminar will examine the challenges of hypermedia for users, authors/designers, and information intermediaries. Topics may include (according to the interests of the class members):

User-centered design of hypermedia systems
Observing users of hypermedia systems
Indexing, maintaining, and archiving hypermedia
Evaluating the effectiveness of hypermedia
Adaptive hypermedia systems
Non-expert hypermedia collaboration spaces (e.g. MySpace)
Hypermedia and work (e.g. documentation, records, reference, training)
Hypermedia and formal education (e.g. classrooms, manuals)
Hypermedia and informal learning (e.g. museums, tours, help)
Hypermedia and storytelling
Hypermedia and social networking
The course will be best if it has a range of students from multiple disciplines including ICS, library science, art, social science, education, etc. Prerequisites are an interest in hypermedia systems and willingness to participate actively in a seminar format. There is a course prerequisite on the books, but ask about a waiver.

http://www2.hawaii.edu/~scottpr/courses/ics665

New Student Orientation

2007-12-17T17:11:00.001-10:00

Students admitted to the LIS Program in Spring 2009 should plan on attending our New Student Orientation on 9 January 2008, probably in Bilger 319, from 8.30 am to sometime before 1:00. Incoming students will meet with your adviser that time, and can register that afternoon.

This is an important meeting.

LIS Associate Chair Violet Harada will give you an introduction to the Program.
Most of the faculty will be there too, so you can meet them.

Another important part is meeting your adviser. Your adviser works with you to select courses before you are allowed to register, so you can imagine how important this is. We will be assigning you an adviser at registration.

The event is run by our LIS student organization, HUI DUI.

You will also get a tour of Hamilton Library, and an introduction to registering on Banner, and m

I'd appreciate it if you could e-mail HUI DUI Incmoming President Sarah Myhre, Dr. Violet Harada and me to let us know if you will be able to come or not.

Unclassified students or others considering applying for LIS are also welcome to attend, but would appreciate an RSVP as well.

We are looking forward to having you in our Ohana.

For those of you coming from the Continental US or beyond, I want to encourage you to check out our ALOHA GUIDE. Students and faculty put that together some time ago, but it has some very useful advice as you plan your big move.

We have a lot of information on our website too, including course schedules, syllabi (sometimes on professors' home pages), scholarships, news, and the like, so I encourage you to browse before coming.

Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions before the orientation.

Yours with Aloha,
Andrew

Study Abroad in LIS

2007-12-15T10:13:00.002-10:00

Studying abroad can be an exciting part of internationalizing one's education. It costs more, and can take a bit more work, but we are interested in allowing you to take a semester overseas:

The LIS Program faculty have connections with several universities internationally, although we have not yet signed any international agreements. We helped one student to study at Kyoto University (Japan) and transferred credits from UNC-Chapel Hill's summer program (Oxford University/ Czech Republic) [Info]. Some other possibilities include:

FSU Professor (and former UH LIS Adjunct Faculty member) Nancy Everhart will offer courses in London on Multimedia Design and Production [Info]

URI Professor (and UH LIS Adjunct Faculty member) Yan Ma also offers a Seminar in Chinese Librarianship.

The University of Maryland has a program in Nicaragua (January 2009)

To help you plan, you might review T.D. Wilson's "World list of schools and departments of information science, information management and related disciplines," although you should recall that many of the schools listed define LIS quite differently from how ALA does. Some of these schools also only offer undergraduate offerings, which cannot be transferred.

As always, you should get approval on plans with your adviser since there are limits on the number of credits transferred from outside UH-LIS, and because we want to help you plan a meaningful degree.

Summer 2008 @ UH Manoa LIS Program

2007-12-02T13:46:00.005-10:00

[General Information]:

Summer courses must be self-supporting. Therefore, courses must have a minimum of 12-14 students as REGISTERED and PAID participants to offer the course. Please contact your adviser, then check with the LIS office for course information. This will help us to estimate the number of students who will be taking the courses and give a warning if a course must be canceled.
There are two HITS courses that run for six weeks, MWF, 5:00-7:15.
Students may take 2 six-week classes at the same period, especially since the classes are either M-W-F or T-TH.
Students can take both the six week HITS LIS 689 (or LIS 693) and the six-week online class LIS 694 during the same six-week period since the online course is asynchronous, although you will certainly be busy.
Students may not simultaneously take a six week class and a three week class during the same time period.
Outreach College has its own admission system if you are not a UH Manoa student. Summer tuition is considerably lower in summer for out of state students, compared to the fall and spring semesters.
Don't forget that our courses are listed under Summer Extension as there are two summer periods.
Unclassified students need to secure approval from the LIS Program before registering for LIS courses. Please provide your UH student ID number and status. Classified UHM LIS students should register with their academic adviser.
UH Manoa has the only LIS Program that will allow you to graduate while taking courses in the Summers Only plan.
Students coming to Hawaii from elsewhere should check out our Aloha Guide for suggestions.

Revised

[Three Week Course]: Meets 27 May - 13 June:

[LIS 693]: Special Topics in Librarianship: Geography and Cartography for Librarians
Instructor: Gary Fitzpatrick (MLS, Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, ret.)

Prerequisites: None. (Pre-approval from LIS Program).
Time: 5:00 pm - 7:40 pm. on Mondays - Fridays
Location: Bilger 319.
Description: LIS: 693:Geography and Cartography for Librarians: Summer 2008

This class will focus on the geographic nature of information and has as its goals: 1) an appreciation of the traditional forms of geographic information found in libraries (maps, atlases, gazetteers, etc.); 2) a basic understanding of the role of modern geographic technologies (geographic information systems, aerial and space imaging, global positioning systems, etc.) in research, the management of assets and the delivery of services; 3) and the intrinsic geographic elements of various forms of data and information found in libraries.

Traditional forms of geographic information will be examined through a brief review of the history of cartography followed by a deeper exploration of the history and legacy of mapping in Hawaii, with the emphasis being on understanding maps as a graphical form of data storage and presentation. Modern geographic technologies will be examined through a demonstration of GIS applications and examination of web-based tools and services that incorporate various forms of spatial data. The geographic nature of information will be presented through an analysis of such concepts as data classification, data structure, spatial analysis, symbolization, and basic elements of map reading (scale, map projection, coordinate systems, etc.).

Mr. Fitzpatrick was formerly the Senior Specialist for Digital Programs at the Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress, in which capacity he was responsible for identifying and incorporating modern technologies and information into the Division’s services and collections. In addition to his thirty-five year career in map librarianship, he is the author /coauthor of three volumes on the history of Hawaiian cartography. Since retiring from the Library of Congress, Mr. Fitzpatrick also served as Senior Fellow for Public Affairs at the Association of American Geographers and advised the University of Hawaii on rebuilding its map collections following the floods of 2004.

[Three Week Course]: Meets June 16-July 3:

[LIS 610]: Introduction to Library & Information Science

[Syllabus online]

Instructor: Joyce Yukawa (Assistant Professor, MLIS Program, College of St. Catherine)
Prerequisites: None. (Pre-approval from LIS Program).
Time: 1 pm - 3.40 pm.
Location: Bilger 319.
Description: Lecture/discussion course on role of libraries, their social utility in information societies. History and future of libraries in changing technological world. Information professions, information ethics, intellectual freedom, intellectual property, information access, national/international library developments.

[Six Week Courses]: Meet May 28 - July 3:

[LIS 601]: Introduction to Reference & Information Services [HITS]
Instructor: Jan Tamiko Kamiya (Young Adult Librarian, Manoa Public Library, HSPLS)
Prerequisites: None. (Pre-approval from LIS Program).
Time: 5:00 pm - 7:15 pm. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (ending 7/2/08)
Location: Kukendall 201 + HITS sites in Hawaii.
Description: Philosophy, principles and practice of reference services in libraries, information centers and information literacy. Bibliographic control, reference research, reference interview, online searching, evaluation of bibliographic and Webliographic material. Field component.

[Six Week Courses]: Meet July 7 - August 14:

[LIS 693]: Special Topics in Librarianship: Serials and Electronic Resources Librarianship
Instructors: Lori Ann Saeki (Electronic Resources Librarian, University of Hawaii at Manoa Library), and Amy J. Carlson (Head of Serials, Collection Services, University of Hawaii at Manoa Library)
Prerequisites: LIS 615 or instructor consent. (Pre-approval from LIS Program).
Time: 5:00 pm - 7:40 pm. on Tuesdays and Thursdays
Location: Hamilton Library, Room 153.
Description: An introduction to challenges and issues of Serials and Electronic Resources Librarianship. Coverage areas include budgeting, licensing, acquisitions and the management of resources as well as staff.

[LIS 689]: Asian American Materials for Children and Youth [HITS]
Instructor: Nyla L. Fujii-Babb (MLS Librarian, Salt Lake/Moanalua Public Library, ret., HSPLS)
Prerequisites: None. (Pre-approval from LIS Program).
Time: 5:00 pm - 7:15 pm. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (ending 8/13/08)
Location: Kukendall 201 + HITS sites in Hawaii.
Description: Study of Asian-American resources for young people, including an overview of socio-historical roots of these ethnic groups. Evaluation of resources; examination of curriculum and program uses in a multicultural context.

[Six Week Online Course]: Meets July 10 - August 10:

[LIS 694]: Special Topics in Information Technology: Visual Information Science
Instructor: Yan Ma (Professor, Graduate School of Library and Information Studies, University of Rhode Island)
Prerequisites: LIS 601 & LIS 605 or permission of instructor.)(Pre-approval from LIS Program).
Dates and Time: MWF (5:00 pm - 7:15 pm) July 2- August 10. The time is set as a deadline for posting assignments purposes. I will post all answers or necessary class materials by the specified class time. You do not need to be at your computers during this designated class-time. You can be anywhere and anytime to take this course as long as you have access to the Internet.
Format: WebCT (No face to face meetings. No chat-room discussions).
Description: What Does Visual Information Science Course Cover? With the proliferation of visual information in our daily lives, the need to incorporate the studies of visual information and visual literacy into the curriculum is one of the most pressing tasks. Our efforts in the past have been focused on textual information. How about visual information at this visual information age? That is the challenge to all of us and our profession. Visual Information Science will provide you with an exciting opportunity to examine visual information science issues. Visual Information Science will cover the following topics:

Study the nature of information in textual and visual forms.
Study the interdisciplinary nature of visual information science.
Study information and visual information and communications theories.
Understand and analyze needs and uses for both textual and visual information. User information seeking behavior for both textual and visual information.
Discuss information policy, intellectual property, and copyright for both textual and visual information.
Understand the theory and practice of information storage and retrieval systems for both textual and visual information.
Understand and study issues relating to user interface design.
Explore information technology for visual information science
Study research methods for textual and visual information.
Become familiar with important journals, books, and authors.

If you are interested in taking this course, please email Dr. Ma for the course syllabus. (An old syllabus for this course at URI is online).

Please check the online schedule at the LIS website for the most up to date information regarding schedule and location. I am sharing this primarily for the course descriptions.

Registration News

2007-10-17T23:20:00.000-10:00

Aloha students, it is getting close to time to plan for your classes for the new semester.

I want to let you know a few things:

1) The LIS Program is enacting a policy that will cap the number of courses you can register for at four classes (12 credits). To be honest, this is more than we suggest even for those who are not working. We are still modifying the policy, but have created a system for appealing the limit. You can download the application form here.

2) Some students are taking ETEC classes even if they are not in the School Library Media Specialist track. With the exception of neighbor island students, please understand that these classes are primarily for teachers, and that our agreement with ETEC is to make them available for our school library media center track students.

3) The LIS Program went back to the policy of requiring students to get approval for courses from their academic adviser before registering. Your adviser will notify the office, which will enter your record onto Banner. You still have to register on Banner.

4) Please check the current schedule for courses online as we've made some changes in the past few weeks.

Commencement Questions

2007-05-14T14:08:00.001-10:00

I enjoy attending commencement each semester if possible, as do several of my colleagues -- especially Dr Knuth and Dr Nahl. We try to make it to each one. The university is kind enough to supply me with a cap & gown rental.

I also get a lot of questions from students, so let me provide some tips:

1) Many questions are answered at the UH Commencement site including Q&A, schedules, maps, directions, parking. (There is another site for faculty including registration and gown rental.

2) For LIS students, don't forget:

a) We're part of the College of Natural Sciences (which is part of the College of Arts & Sciences), so please stand when they call Natural Sciences.

b) I usually like to gather all LIS students together for a group photo.

I do this after the ceremony just as you exit the building. I try to hurry since I know you're hot in the outfit and can't wait to meet your family, but please be patient with me as I try to take several photos to make sure everyone looks good in the photo. I upload the ones that are OK to my flickr site. To make it a nice photo:

Please look at the camera
Tall people might want to situate themselves in the center or left side
Please form 2 rows if there are a more than a few students. It looks much better.
Smile. After all, you're done!

c) You can meet your family out on the field. The fields are usually divided A-M and N-Z. You should meet by your last name. There are letters in the field to help you meet. Parents/ family/ friends may take a while to reach you since the gaurds don't allow them to arrive until well after all the graduates have left the building. (That means you usually have time for the group photo, then an optional quick restroom stop... before meeting everyone outside).

d) If you take other photos, please consider adding them to our online ohana on flickr.

e) Be sure to thank your friends and families for everything. Now, it is time to celebrate!

PS UH Manoa will no longer have commencement ceremonies in Summer. Summer grads can walk in the previous May or following December event.

First Time to Come to Campus?

2007-05-02T11:45:00.005-10:00

I'm posting directions and links here on the blog since I'm always looking up these links. I hope they can be of help to you as you come to campus for the first time.

Finding LIS on Campus

The LIS Program is in temporary quarters for at least another two years. Faculty have offices in the Pacific Ocean Science & Technology (POST) Building.

We're on the 3rd floor as part of the Information & Computer Sciences Department.

Many of our offices are located in corridors off this main hallway. My office, for example, is in Room 303G. The main LIS Office is in 303A.

There is an interactive campus map online.

Our main classroom is in Bilger Hall Room 319 (do not confuse it with the Bilger Annex, although you can enter from that building, which has a nicer elevator). Our HITS classes are in Kuykendall Hall 2nd floor. Other classes might be in Hamilton Library or other buildings on campus (check the schedule).

Coming to Campus

The university is located in Manoa, which is a neighborhood in Honolulu. Parking is very competitive, especially when classes are in session. Many students, faculty and staff commute, so drivers might have to spend a good amount of time searching for a parking space. Those of you determined to drive should consult the UH Parking website for maps and other details. It costs $3 to park in any lot. Most lots are zoned, although some are not resticted after 4:00, although you still have to pay the fee. There is one such lot just behind POST. Parking is usually free on Sundays.

Campus also runs free shuttles on weekdays during the fall and spring semester to some places like Faculty Housing, the Institute for Astronomy, the Manoa Innovation Center, Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, etc. Some people find parking near a shuttle stop (competitive) and then take the shuttle. Your car may be towed if you leave your car in the Manoa Marketplace or another mall.

There are bike lanes and bike parking spaces all over campus, but be sure to lock up your bike.

Many of us take the Bus (TEL: 848-5555) to campus. Fares are $2 with 1 free transfer within 2 hours. Several busses also come to UH Manoa, including: #4 (from Waikiki), #6 [exit at Law School or East-West Center], #18 from Ala Moana, and the City Express [A].

If this will be your first time to campus, please make an appointment with the LIS Program since faculty do a lot of work at home. This is especially the case over summer or breaks when faculty do research at home or abroad.

Coming from a Neighbor Island:

Unless you are a good swimmer (just kidding!), you'll need to take Hawiian Airlines, or Go! Airlines. You can sometimes find specials at a travel agent like Panda Travel (Hawaii specialists) or STA Travel (student travel).

Coming from the Continent or Abroad:

If you are coming from further away, Honolulu International (HNL) [map] is served by many airlines, so you might want to shop around. You can sometimes find specials at a travel agent like Panda Travel (Hawaii specialists) or STA Travel (student travel). The Honolulu Advertiser has a Sunday travel section with some specials.

Between Campus and the Airport:

The airport operates a good website with ground transport information.

The cheapest way to get around is the bus, but it is not like light rail (we do have bad traffic jams in the morning and 2:30-6:30 pm). Fare is $2 one-way, and be sure to get a free transfer when you board. From the Airport:

Take #19 WAIKIKI or #20 WAIKIKI,
Get off at King & Punchbowl (near the Hawaii State Library),
Transfer to the: A Express or the #4 UNIV/WAIKIKI. Either will take you to campus.
You could also take a private Waikiki Shuttle, then get off at a hotel near Kuhio Ave. and take the #4 to campus. (I imagine the shuttle would be fastest to Waikiki, for around $10. The city bus would be another $2.)
A taxi might cost you around $25-30 each way.
A car rental would cost much more, especially once you add gas, parking fees. Dr iving in Hawaii -- and finding parking is a challenge, so why not enjoy public transit.

About this Blog

2006-08-16T01:31:00.000-10:00

I hope to develop this in the future, but don't have time at the moment. Sorry. The LIS Web Team is doing a great job if updating information, so there is less need for this at present.

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I created this blog to post information for my advisees, and other students in the LIS Program at UH. These are unofficial tidbits to help us plan your future studies.

This is also helping me to organize advice on the oral exams, and links to forthcoming classes, and the like.

I hope this helps.