Owing to the scope and pace of change, society has become increasingly knowledge-based so that higher learning and research now act as essential components of cultural, socio-economic and environmentally sustainable development of individuals, communities and nations. In this environment, it is essential that higher learning and knowledge creation involve effective partnerships among academic and non-academic learning institutions and communities to create and apply learning and knowledge with stakeholders that are managing and creating sustainable development initiatives. Growing concern regarding the importance of the contribution that higher education institutions make to society has aroused increasing debate about their relevance and credibility amid escalating social problems. An underlying premise of community engagement is the understanding that not all knowledge and expertise resides in the academy, and that both expertise and great learning opportunities in teaching and scholarship also reside in non-academic settings.
This conference will explore how LIS educators and researchers can develop curricula, programs, and research activities that enable active partnerships with communities and civil society to manage and create change. How can LIS programs increase opportunities for experiential, service oriented, and community engaged student learning? How can we develop further collaboration between LIS programs and their larger communities (local, regional/ state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity?
This research gathered the mission statements published online for 55 out of the 59 LIS schools accredited by the ALA in both the United States and Canada. The remaining four institutions did not have a formalized mission statement, or do not publish this statement in an online format (including the website and/or a digital file of such documents as an annual report). The mission statements were analyzed using a content analysis approach in which themes were identified regarding basic components of an effective, customer oriented mission statement highlighted by David et al. (2014). In cases where the organization had multiple statements (e.g. vision, mission, values, objectives, etc.) the mission statement was analyzed independent of the rest of the statements. Even if these statements should be related to one another, this study is focused on the specifics of the mission statement.
