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Library and Information Science: Cultural Heritage Informatics Concentration

Library and Information Science (MS): Cultural Heritage Informatics provides a unique concentration which builds upon Simmons' top rated programs in library and information science and archives management.

Make the past your future

Our students are passionate about cultural heritage in all its forms, including rare books, manuscripts, archives, art objects, and all types of digital information. Simmons graduates are at the forefront in making cultural heritage accessible and in preserving it for future generations.

You’ll gain a solid foundation in collecting, preserving, and exhibiting cultural heritage in both physical and digital form. You’ll apply what you’ve learned in a variety of practical engagement activities in cultural heritage informatics institutions.

Our home in historic New England offers resources and research not found in other parts of the country. Our students find successful careers in varied settings, including library special collections, archives, museums, historical societies and in public as well as private organizations charged with preserving cultural heritage.

Students in the MS (LIS) degree program must complete 36 credits of graduate coursework to be qualified to earn the MS (LIS) degree.

MS (LIS) students must maintain a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 to continue in the program.

Students in the School Library Teacher (SLT) concentration must receive a “B” (3.0) or better in every course. Any course in which the student has received a grade lower than a B must be repeated before the candidate may enroll in a practicum or be recommended for licensure. See “Degree Progress and Academic Sanctions” for further information.

Concentrations and Specializations

LIS students may choose to focus their studies by following a degree concentration curriculum designed to prepare students to work in a variety of information institutions with a diversity of materials and tools. Students who choose to concentrate their studies must complete the LIS core courses required of all MS students as well as a sequence of courses required to earn the degree concentration.

Program Requirements

MS (LIS) students are required to complete three courses equaling nine (9) credits of core coursework in library and information science.

LIS407 Information Service, Behaviors & Ethics 3
LIS415 Information Organization 3
 
LIS488 Technology for Information Professionals 3
or, if a student is in the School Library Teacher Program (SLTP)
LIS460 Technology and the School Library Teacher 3

These core courses must be completed within a student’s first twelve (12) hours of coursework. SLT students must complete LIS 407 and LIS 415 within their first twelve (12) hours of coursework and may complete LIS 460 any time during the course of their degree program.

The School has initiated a program to provide a common base of knowledge of the technologies and tools students will encounter during the course of their studies, as well as resources available to them as a Simmons LIS student. All students entering the program are required to register for the 0-credit LIS 400 – Virtual Orientation, which introduces students to the full range of academic, administrative, and social expectations for students, and the environment in which they must meet those expectations. Intended for both online and on campus students, this course describes program requirements; university, school, and program policy; and offers information about the full range of resources available to the students in support of their programs. It also offers basic tutorial and instruction related to the use of Moodle (the learning management system used in online and on campus courses), library resources, and other key tools used to support student learning.


LIS students may choose to focus their studies by following a degree concentration curriculum designed to prepare students to work in a variety of information institutions with a diversity of materials and tools. Students who choose to concentrate their studies must complete the LIS core courses required of all MS students as well as a sequence of courses required to earn the degree concentration.

Archives Management Concentration Course Requirements

LIS core courses (9 credits):

LIS407 Information Service, Behaviors & Ethics 3
LIS415 Information Organization 3
LIS488 Technology for Information Professionals 3

Take the following (9 credits):

LIS438 Introduction to Archival Theory and Practice 3
LIS440 Archival Access and Use 3
LIS442 Establishing Archives and Manuscript Programs 3

One of the following (3 credits):

LIS433 Oral History 3
LIS441 Appraisal of Archives and Manuscripts 3
 
LIS443 Archives, History and Collective Memory 3
OR
HIST527 Archives, History, and Collective Memory 4
LIS456 Records Management 3
LIS471 Photographic Archives and Visual Information 3
LIS472 Moving Image Archives 3
LIS476 Outreach and Advocacy for Cultural Heritage 3
LIS506 Government Archives 3

One of the following (3 credits):

LIS439 Preservation Management 3
LIS444 Digital Preservation 3
LIS448 Digital Stewardship 3

Four elective courses (12 credits)

Cultural Heritage Informatics Concentration Course Requirements

LIS core courses (9 credits):

LIS407 Information Service, Behaviors & Ethics 3
LIS415 Information Organization 3
LIS488 Technology for Information Professionals 3

Take the following (9 credits):

LIS432 Concepts Cult Heritage Informatics 3
LIS438 Introduction to Archival Theory and Practice 3
LIS477 Digital Asset Management 3

One of the following (3 credits):

LIS439 Preservation Management 3
LIS444 Digital Preservation 3
LIS448 Digital Stewardship 3
Five elective courses (15 credits)

Self-Directed Concentration Course Requirements

LIS core courses (9 credits):

LIS407 Information Service, Behaviors & Ethics 3
LIS415 Information Organization 3
LIS488 Technology for Information Professionals 3

Nine elective courses (27 credits) 

Information Science and Technology Concentration Course Requirements

LIS core courses (9 credits):

LIS407 Information Service, Behaviors & Ethics 3
LIS415 Information Organization 3
LIS488 Technology for Information Professionals 3

Take the following (9 credits):

LIS458 Database Management 3
LIS484 Theories of Information Science 3
LIS485 Introduction to Programming 3

Any two from the complete list below (6 credits):

Systems Oriented
LIS467 Web Development and Information Architecture 3
LIS486 Systems Analysis in Information Science 3
LIS487 Data Interoperability 3
User Oriented
LIS421 Social Informatics 3
LIS455 Usability and User Experience Research 3
LIS462 Digital Libraries 3
LIS465 Knowledge Management 3
LIS475 Organizational/Information Ethics 3
LIS500 Independent Study 3

Four elective courses (12 credits)

Requirements List

Libraries and Librarianship Concentration Course Requirements

LIS core courses (9 credits):

LIS407 Information Service, Behaviors & Ethics 3
LIS415 Information Organization 3
LIS488 Technology for Information Professionals 3

Take the following (9 credits):

LIS404 Principles of Management 3
LIS408 User Instruction & Information Literacy 3
LIS453 Collections Development and Management 3

One of the following (3 credits):

LIS414 Special Libraries 3
LIS450 Public Libraries 3
LIS451 Academic Libraries 3
Five elective courses (15 credits)

School Library Teacher Concentration Course Requirements

LIS core courses (6 credits):

LIS407 Information Service, Behaviors & Ethics 3
LIS415 Information Organization 3

Take the following (24 credits)

LIS406 Management and Evaluation of School Library Programs 3
LIS459 Fundamentals of School Librarianship 3
LIS460 Technology and the School Library Teacher 3
LIS461 Curriculum and Instructional Strategies for the School Library Teacher 3
LIS481 Library Collections and Materials for Children 3
LIS483 Library Collections and Materials for Young Adults 3
LIS498 Practicum (PreK-8) 3
LIS499 Practicum (7-12) 3
Two elective courses (6 credits)

Our Faculty

Peter Botticelli photo

Peter Botticelli

Associate Professor and Director, Cultural Heritage Informatics Concentration

Donia Conn photo

Donia Conn

Associate Professor of Practice

Heather Hole photo

Heather Hole

Professor, disciplines of Museum Studies and Art History

Spotlight on Cultural Heritage Informatics Concentration Students and Alums

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Sage Loyema Innerarity ’25MS

Centering Native Stories and Decolonizing Archives

Sage Loyema Innerarity ’25MS, Ione Band of Miwok Indians of California, reflects on her time as a Simmons graduate student — living in Boston, finding community, and taking advantage of professional development opportunities.

Sage Loyema Innerarity ’25MS

Simmons Library and Information Science Student and Indigenous Archives Enthusiast Receives Mosaic Scholarship

Graduate student Sage Loyema Innerarity ‘25MS, a citizen of the Ione Band of Miwok Indians of California, is the 2024 recipient of the Mosaic Scholarship given by the Society of American Archivists.

Sage Loyema Innerarity ’25MS

Meet Sage Loyema Innerarity ’25MS: Emerging Trailblazer in Tribal Archives

This fall, Sage Loyema Innerarity, a citizen of the Ione Band of Miwok Indians of California, began graduate studies at the Simmons School of Library and Information Science. Working in cooperation with Indigenous individuals, she builds and preserves tribal archives. Innerarity spoke with us about the importance of community, Native literature, and remembrance.

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