Program Goals
A Review and Discussion of USC Courses in Relation to the ALA Core Competencies
The University of Southern California’s (USC) Master of Management in Library and Information Science (MMLIS) program ensures that all students in the program leave with an understanding of library science and information agencies both from an employee perspective and that of a manager. In this program, we are expected, as information professionals, to be leaders and change agents in the information field. This outcome is supported by a set of twelve Program Goals developed to coincide with and complement the American Library Association (ALA) Core Competencies (USC Marshall School of Business, 2020). In the following collection of essays, I will reference the work I have done during my time in the MMLIS program at USC and also demonstrate my mastery of these program goals. The twelve Program Goals are as follows:
- Program Goal A: Understanding the ecology of libraries and information networks, their unique environments, and how they are governed.
- Program Goal B: Articulate and employ professional values and ethics in a variety of situations and circumstances
- Program Goal C: Apply and assess management strategies, practices, and decisions
- Program Goal D: Develop manage content, including negotiating with vendors and licensors, for targeted communities of users
- Program Goal E: Organize, retrieve and manage information for stakeholder benefit
- Program Goal F: Locate, synthesize and translate information to intelligence for various client groups
- Program Goal G: Develop, implement and assess programs and services for enhancing the use of information and ideas
- Program Goal H: Understand the role of current and emerging technologies and infrastructure in organizational effectiveness and service delivery
- Program Goal I: Design, apply and interpret different research and evaluation methods to gain insight, assess the impact, and make appropriate decisions
- Program Goal J: Manage and diverse projects and teams, understanding communication and leadership behaviors that affect workplace performance and client satisfaction
- Program Goal K: Apply persuasion and influence through networking, collaboration, and relationship-building
- Program Goal L: Demonstrate a commitment to continued professional education and lifelong learning (USC Marshall School of Business, n.d.).
USC Marshall School of Business. (2020). MMLIS program goals. Retrieved from https://librarysciencedegree.usc.edu/program-goals/
USC Marshall School of Business. (n.d.) LIM 598: Capstone program goals [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://lmscontent.embanet.com/USC/MMLIS/LIM598/docs/LIM598_ProgramGoals_Template.pdf