LIS Program Nationally Recognized

For the fifth consecutive year, the school library media specialization in the University of Hawaii at Manoa's Library and Information Science graduate program has been recognized as one of the top 10 programs in the nation by the U.S. News and World Report in its "America's Best Graduate Schools 2012." It was ranked eighth in the top ten. U.S. News and World Report analyzes more than 12,000 different graduate program areas for this special report. Rankings are based on expert opinions regarding program quality and statistical indicators that measure the quality of the faculty, research, and students.

"The ICS department is extremely proud of the five-year sustained record of excellence made by the LIS program's school library media specialization for having the U.S. News and World Report name it in the top 10 out of more than 12,000 different graduate program areas programs nationally," Martha Crosby, Information and Computer Sciences department chair, said in a press release.

The graduates of the LIS Program make up 85 percent of the Hawaii DOE's school library workforce. Several of them have received national recognition. In 2007, Kapolei High School Library, led by Carolyn Kirio and Sandy Yamamoto, was cited as the National School Library Media Program of the Year by the American Association of School Librarians. This year, Kailua Elementary Library was selected as one of 35 exemplary programs across the nation by the AASL, and librarian Darren Tanaka was commended for his innovative approaches to learning.