Seeking UWO MLIS grads from 2004-2008 to participate in online survey

The Faculty of Information and Media Studies is seeking MLIS alumni who graduated from 2004-2008 to participate in an online survey that is part of a research study. Full details are provided in the letter below, which was e-mailed to recent grads of the MLIS program.

If you are willing to fill out the online survey, please send your name and e-mail address to fimsrsvp [at] uwo [dot] ca indicating your willingness to participate and granting your consent for us to send your name and e-mail address to the WILIS 2 research team at the University of North Carolina.

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August 11, 2009

Dear FIMS MLIS Alumni,

Greetings from the Faculty of Information and Media Studies! The MLIS program at Western has been invited to take part in an important research study, and we are writing to request your participation.

Researchers from the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Information and Library Science and the UNC Institute on Aging are currently engaged in a three-year project entitled Workforce Issues in Library and Information Science 2 (WILIS 2): Implementing a Model for Career Tracking of LIS Graduates. The study is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

LIS programs from across Canada and the United States are participating in WILIS 2, which involves an online survey of recent LIS graduates with the aim of learning whether programs meet students’ expectations, prepare them for the workplace or meet continuing learning needs. Your participation in this study by filling out the survey will help to support the recruitment, education and retention of the next generation of LIS professionals and will help us learn about the careers of Western MLIS graduates.

Participation is voluntary. Only de-identified data will be shared with the MLIS program at Western.

If you are willing to fill out the online survey, please reply to this e-mail indicating your willingness to participate and granting your consent for us to send your name and e-mail address to the WILIS 2 research team at the University of North Carolina. The UNC researchers will send you the survey via e-mail. A response to this letter is requested no later than this Friday, August 14, 2009 [note: this deadline has been extended]. It is anticipated the survey will be distributed in early October.

Thank you for your consideration and your willingness to help us learn more about how we can improve the MLIS program at Western.

Sincerely,

Dr. Thomas Carmichael
Dean

Dr. Nick Dyer-Witheford
Associate Dean

Dr. Gloria Leckie
LIS Program Coordinator