Prospective Students

Welcome! SLIS is committed to supporting and expanding efforts to recruit, retain and graduate more underrepresented students. In addition to our various activites, we are committed to helping students reach their academic, career, and personal goals. 

SLIS embraces diversity in all its many forms including but not limited to age, culture, ethnicity, gender identificaion and presentation, language, physical ability, race, religion, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status.  

The Graduate School offers a limited number of application fee grants to qualified applicants. If you have participated in one or more of the following (McNair Scholar, SROP-UW-Madson, SROP-CIC, Graduate School Partnership Institutions), you will be notified if you are eligible for a Graduate School application fee grant after submission of your application.

Consider a career in library and information studies


SLIS alumna, Zelantha Phillip, on librarianship:

What do you do?
I have been a public librarian at Queens Library for 12 years. For the past 4 years, I have been the Manager of the Information Services Division at the Central Library and manage a staff of 24 (15 FTE and 9 PTE). Among other things, I oversee the library system?s VR services for the borough and my librarians teach 6 different computer classes to customers.

My "other" job is that I am the Project Manager for a NSF-funded project called Science in the Stacks. This novel project is an attempt to rekindle children?s interest in science, technology, engineering and math by integrating traditional library resources with museum-quality exhibits.

Why did you choose librarianship?
I really did not choose librarianship but have no regrets about being in my profession. I think public librarianship provides an excellent introduction to the profession. My varied experiences at QL have been extremely invaluable.

What advice would you impart to the next generation of librarians? I would advise newly minted librarians to select courses from the business and psychology departments. Appreciate the fundamentals of our profession but recognise that mixing those fundamentals with skills acquired from other disciplines will make you a much more rounded and grounded librarian, regardless of the library type or non-library industry you choose.

Testimonials


Hear what our Master's students have to say about library and information studies at SLIS:  


Dolly Dolly Morse Picture  

Librarianship is an exciting, evolving field, and I want to be part of the lifelong learning community that surrounds it. I cannot think of a more satisfying way to make my contribution to society, as libraries are intrinsic to every other profession, and as such better everyone's lives. This is also a versatile degree, and your options go way beyond libraries. Madison is a great place to study and live, and SLIS is both a connected community and supportive program.


Elliot Elliot Polak Picture  

After working in libraries for the past six years, I decided to enter library school to further my career, by earning a MLS. So far, my experience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been outstanding; the University has a phenomenal commitment to recruitment, and offers a diverse curriculum. This allows students to plan their courses based on their specific needs once they enter the workforce. I have personally chosen a tech path and have found my experience to be very rewarding. Before entering the program I had never even created a webpage, but after completing my second semester, I can say that I am well-versed in XHTML, CSS, and XML. I woud encourage anyone planning on pursuing a library or information professional career to look into the University of Wisconsin-Madison.