Background
HU has three basic missions: training, research and extension (outreach services). The university’s academic activities/programs are conducted in various programs which strive to serve the needs of the country in general and those of the surrounding communities in particular.
HU developed a baccalaureate degree curriculum program entitled Information Science in 2007. The Department of Information Science started in 2007 with a nomenclature of Department of Information Studies but now, after reviewed at a national level, it is changed to Department of Information Science. The Department falls under the Faculty of Computing and Informatics.
Department of Information Science’s first task is to create and facilitate the curricula for the degree programs, building on the models available in other Universities in the world with the like-named degrees, and holding on to the goals set by curriculum review initiative in Ethiopia.
Objectives
The objectives of Department of Information Science’ are to:
- Provide qualified, skilled and competent professionals that would address the qualified human resource needs of the country's education policy and fulfill the scarce personnel market in the profile;
- Boost professionals learning, teaching, research and services in the area;
- Prepare information professionals to have a client-centered perspective to be able to design or adapt information products and services that are responsive to user needs, rather than trying to adapt users to the services;
- Provide professional education for a wide variety of service and management careers in libraries, information agencies, the information industry, and in business, industry, government, research, and similar environments where information is a vital resource. Providing a curriculum that is based on present and probable future characteristics of information professions, emphasizing the essential knowledge, skill, and professional attitude needed by beginning professionals in these fields;
- Produce qualified information specialists or librarians with adequate theoretical knowledge and practical skills in applications of modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).
- Create the curricula that will provide the profession of Information Science with graduates clustering as librarians, systems/business analysts, database administrators, computer support specialists, network specialists, telecommunications analysts, and Internet and web specialists.
Objectives of the Department Discipline
Information is the heart for any development (national, regional, state or individual), an important and powerful commodity in any human community. It is also the basis for innovations and the resources for an informed citizenry. Nations will flourish or fail depending on the availability of leaders, professionals and citizens who have been educated to understand the power of information and have access to it for decision making and solving the problems of their society.
Hence, the role of libraries and information centers are to ensure the availability and accessibility of information resources. This is possible only with qualified professional personnel, with a client-centered perspective, with ability to design and adapt information products and services that are responsive to user needs, rather than trying to adapt users to the services.
The Information Science program provides professional education in librarianship for a wide variety of service and management careers in libraries, information agencies, the information industry, and in business, industry, government, research, and similar environments where information is a vital resource. The curriculum is based on present and probable future characteristics of information professions, emphasizing the essential knowledge, skill, and professional attitude needed by beginning professionals in these fields.
The Bachelor of Science Degree in Information Science is aimed at producing new graduates to satisfy the scarce skilled human power of the country and pay a concern to insufficient emphasis on information resource centers, services and its sciences, which would have played a great role in the country’s academic revolution. The challenge also, is to both broaden horizons and to sharpen skills that will be important as the student matures as a professional and alleviate the country’s skilled human resource in the sector.
The objectives of the Information Science program are to produce skilled professional librarians and information scientist:
- That can plan, design, develop, organize, and manage modern and traditional information resource centers/libraries/agencies in the country;
- Understand the relationship among society, people, organizations, and technology and identify the implications for managing and using information technology in the information resource centers and information agencies through management skills, critical thinking, problem solving, decision-making and appropriate for the workplace;
- Assume a leadership role in traditional and interdisciplinary research and scholarship that address information issues;
- Educate within and for a rapidly changing technological world and understand how technology is reshaping and affecting information resource centers/agencies and the profession;
- Prepare students to understand the interactions between social factors and information environments;
- Create understanding of the historical, social, cultural, educational, political, and economic dimensions of information on information resource centers and agencies;
- Create understanding of the role of information technologies, services and organizations in globalization;
- Teach and foster professional attitudes and information service philosophy;
- Involve in the development activities of the community and community organizations.
Vision
The vision of the Department of Information Science is to build a strong teaching, learning and research environment in the field of information science to meet the ever evolving global needs and to equip students with the latest knowledge, skills and practical orientation.
Mission
The mission of the Department of Information Science is to promote the academic excellence in teaching, learning, research and consultancy for the purpose of producing transformative, qualified and competent information professionals in the country.