School of Information Studies
From Chaos to Clarity. From Noise to Knowledge.
For more than 90 years, the LSU School of Information Studies (SIS) has championed LSU’s land-grant mission through teaching, research, and service that empower communities. Since 1932, SIS has pushed beyond the traditional boundaries of the classroom—leading the university in adopting collaborative, forward-thinking technologies that meet students where they are. Our undergraduate courses and minor equip students with the skills to navigate and interpret the digital world, while our fully online graduate programs prepare future librarians, archivists, records and information managers, and information professionals. At SIS, we help students bring order to the complexity of the past and present—from chaos to clarity, from noise to knowledge—so they can shape a better-informed future for all.
About Our Online Graduate Degree Programs
The School of Information Studies (SIS) offers asynchronous online graduate programs in two different formats: SIS Online & LSU Online. Both SIS Online and LSU Online programs are taught by the Information Studies faculty. The sections below summarize the difference between the two program formats.
Our traditional program (SIS Online) is a non-accelerated online format that follows 14-week Fall and Spring semesters. Students in the SIS Online programs are classified as traditional, on-campus students for the application process and tuition & fees. Therefore, students interested in applying for SIS Online programs must select on-campus as admission type in their application. Students in the SIS Online Master of Library & Information Science (MLIS) can take elective courses from one of nine focus areas (or any combination thereof).
SIS Online also offers the Graduate Certificate in Archival Studies (CARST), Graduate Certificate in School Librarianship (CSLIB), and the Doctor of Design (DDes) in Cultural Preservation focused in Archival Studies.
The accelerated program offered through LSU Online follows a term-based system with two terms in each Fall, Spring and Summer semesters. Students in our LSU Online programs are classified as online students for the application process and pay a flat rate for tuition & fees. Students interested in applying for LSU Online programs must select online as admission type in their application. Students in the LSU Online Master of Library & Information Science (MLIS) can take elective courses from one of four focus areas (or any combination thereof). The LSU Online Graduate Certificate in Archival Studies (CARST) and LSU Online Graduate Certificate in Records & Information Management (CRIM) are also offered.
Click here to see our full comparison and description of our graduate programs.
IMLS Funds Climate Change Project
Dr. Benoit leads climate change research team
Cultural heritage institutions, including galleries, libraries, archives and museums, or GLAMs, are being impacted by climate change. About 56 percent of these institutions reported increased damage to collections due to water or moisture between 2017-2019. Of that damage, about 10 percent was the result of natural disasters. To further understand the impact of climate change on these cultural and information repositories, the Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded a grant led by Associate Professor Edward Benoit III. The project titled, “PROTECCT-GLAM: Providing Risk of The Environment’s Changing Climate Threats for Galleries, Libraries, Archives & Museums,” is funded over three years with a total of $473,146.
A Global Impact: LSU in Italy
The School of Information Studies and LSU Online come together to make education wherever you are on the globe a reality. In this story, read about how a wife and mother of a special military family stationed Italy was still able to further her education through SIS and LSU Online's Programs.
“This unexpected and heartfelt gesture underscored the level of care and commitment LSU Online has for its students—a community where every individual is embraced and encouraged to succeed,” states Wilkes.
SIS Alumna Named to 2024 Movers & Shakers
School of Information Studies Alumna Nicollette Davis has been named to the 2024 Cohort of Movers & Shakers by Library Journal. Movers & Shakers is a worldwide award given to library professionals who innovate and help make their library community a better place. Davis was nominated for her advocacy work in the Baton Rouge area.
“It's a list that I read and admire every year,” Davis said. “I never thought that I would be on the list so it's honestly surreal.”
Recent SIS News
SIS Organizational Membership
