The Future of Library Information Sciences

In order to build an academic program that is among the best in the country, a leader needs to be willing to face challenges head on and make tough decisions with a smile. Irene Owens, dean of the School of Library and Information Sciences at North Carolina Central University is such a leader and her program is unmatched in its diversity, novelty, and ability to produce the best and brightest year after year.

Dean Owens’ passion for the subject is infectious. She is surrounded by a staff of creative individuals whose goal is to ensure that the knowledge of proper library usage and research is not lost in the digital age. This is an art and a skill that is being transferred to a growing number of students.

Owens’ wealth of knowledge and vigor for progress has been the driving force propelling the Library and Information Sciences (LIS) program forward. NCCU has become a leader because of its strong tradition of setting the bar high in determining what an LIS education should be.

Since 1939, the program has produced more than 2000 alumni of diverse backgrounds. In fact, NCCU produces more minority librarians than all other programs in the nation combined. There are five institutions in the state that have similar programs but currently, only UNC-Chapel Hill and NCCU are fully accredited. And with a growing reputation for generating quality graduates, the NCCU LIS program is poised to lead the nation as a premiere offering in library and information sciences education.

Dean Owens and her colleagues have received over $1.5 million in grant funding over the last four years. Several NCCU LIS faculty have pursued grant opportunities yielding fantastic results. “We tapped the public library directors from the counties with the largest minority populations in N.C., and in the process, we learned how partnerships can strengthen the effectiveness of our efforts,” said Owens. In the next five years, partnerships with UNC-Chapel Hill and other grant opportunities will focus efforts on the organization and digitization of NCCU’s special collections and general library resources. Grant funding will allow NCCU students to study digital libraries consistent with the mission of the university and the UNC Tomorrow initiative.

Future goals of the department include continuing to serve as a leader in digitizing the special collections of N.C. HBCU libraries and further extending our efforts to close the digital divide. Owens intends to increase partnerships, continue capacity studies, and grow the school. “We’ve had three recent donations from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association to serve as their main headquarters for their archives since we have housed their repository for the last several years,” said Owens.

Owens began her teaching career at the University of Texas at Austin where she worked diligently to secure tenure. She was awarded the Texas Excellence in Teaching Award in addition to being inducted into Phi Kappa Phi, is the "nation's oldest, largest, and most selective all-discipline honor society." She has received a Certificate of Recognition from the Library of Congress for her work on the History of the Merger of the South African National Library after the fall of apartheid, and the North Carolina Library Association’s Roadbuilders Award for significant contributions to library education. Owens attended UNC-Chapel Hill to earn the Ph.D. Since then, she has been honored with a Distinguished Alumna Award.