Information and Library Studies

The aim of this Bachelor’s study programme is to develop the qualities of future information professionals and to provide meaningful further education to specialists from practice. Graduates are trained to be able to deal with theoretical and practical, methodological, and ethical issues of information science and librarianship. They include, in particular, orientation in literature and information resources provided by libraries and other memory institutions, management of library and information systems, education in media and information literacy, and complex work with information resources. The aim of the bachelor's study is to give students a terminological basis, to familiarize them with the functioning of libraries and information services, to teach them in this field to work with modern technologies, procedures and their applications and to seek effective problem solving. Strong emphasis is placed on developing life-long learning and creative thinking.

The aim of the workplace is to prepare specialists for the practice, who

(a) work with data and information in different professional positions in a critical and ethical manner;

b) control digital technologies, devices, information systems and applications applied in human interaction with information;

c) are media and information literate, can purposefully make information available to users and actively operate in the public space and civil society.

Bachelor's degree graduate goes into practice with the knowledge and skills needed to perform the profession of an information and knowledge expert, as well as to apply in other positions focused on complex work with information and data.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• orientate in the basic terms and concepts of information science and librarianship;
• search, organize, critically analyze, interpret, store and mediate information;
• control modern information and communication technologies, systems and applications to provide information services;
• actively apply legal and ethical values and norms in human interaction with information;
• orientate in the issues of physical and digital libraries, library systems and standards;
• contribute to the preservation and accessibility of cultural heritage;
• actively and with the use of technology educate various target groups in information, media and digital literacy in libraries, businesses and public institutions;
• use research methods to set up information processes and to design information services in libraries, public and the corporate sector.
• use different means of creating electronic information resources and for online promotion.

Graduates are prepared to master the theoretical, methodological and ethical fundamentals of information science and librarianship, the creation and management of library and information systems, information education, work with information sources in digital libraries and database centers. They are able to apply theoretical knowledge in library and information practice using modern information and communication technologies. Within elective courses, they can focus on developing information services, processes and technologies to ensure them, work with literature and information resources, or providing information support to science.

Graduates will be employed in job positions focused on complex work with information:

- Libraries (professional librarians in the position of an acquirer, cataloger, collection manager, library systems administrator, teaching librarian, child librarian, reference librarian, search engineer, information services worker);

- Academic workplaces (academic librarians and experts providing information support to science and research);

- Information services in the public, non-profit and commercial sector (information systems experts, information management, analysis and interpretation of information, own business in the field of providing information services);

- Media, PR, advertising agencies (editors, publishers, redactors, information analysts);

- Advisory and educational activities (information systems experts, data and information management, information services design, informal and continuing vocational education lecturers).

Mandatory part of the study is completing the practical subjects Reference and information services 1 and 2 at the Central Library of the Faculty of Arts at the Masaryk university. Depending on their own specialization, students must complete at least one semester of practical training within the Practice and Internship, Terrain Project, Research Seminar, or Long-Term Internship Abroad.

The minimum bachelor's thesis range is 70,000 characters, including spaces, counts content, own text and notes. The bachelor thesis can be theoretical, theoretical-application or theoretical-research. Students choose the topic from the offer or at their own choice. They process it into the bachelor thesis project (properly in the 4th semester), which is approved by the departmental board. The whole thesis holds one main topic, expressed by name, and presents the current state of knowledge of the subject. The text is terminologically unified and the terminology is reasonable. The main arguments are conclusive, the work has clear conclusions. If the work contains both theoretical and practical (research or application) part, these components have to be meaningfully interconnected. The work is typographically and linguistically correct. Emphasis is placed on quality work with literature.

The classification of the bachelor's thesis is decided by the commission for final examinations based on the opinions of the opponent and the supervisor of the thesis, the assessment of the thesis and the performance of the diploma in the defense. The oral part of the final state examination is held in front of the committee and the student draws one of the circles over which the debate is then held. Student has 20 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes for the own exam.

More detailed instructions for processing the bachelor's thesis as well as conditions for the final state examination are described on website of The Division of Information and Library Studies (http://kisk.phil.muni.cz/cs/povinnosti).

A graduate of a bachelor's degree program may (after fulfilling the admission requirements) continue in any follow-up Master's degree. He or she can continue to study in a direct follow-up master's program in Information Studies and Librarianship at the Faculty of Arts of the Masaryk University.