The School of Library Science opened at Chapel Hill in the fall of 1931, with a class of 37 students and five faculty members, including Dr. Wilson. When, in 1987, it became apparent that the study of information use and management was of central importance to society, the faculty of the School of Library Science voted to change the program and the name of the school to include Information Science. Faculty members had been engaged in the research of this emerging discipline, and it was decided that adding this specialized track to the program would complement the school's focus on librarianship by broadening it to the study of general problems of information management. Twelve years later, approximately 30 percent of the school's master's student population is enrolled in the information science track, and that number continues to grow. Since its beginning more than 67 years ago, the school has sent out more than 3,500 trained information specialists and librarians.
Graduates work primarily in the South but are also employed throughout the nation and the world.
Through the strong leadership of its deans and the great dedication shown by its faculty and staff over the years, the school stands on a solid foundation that is rooted in a rich past and aimed toward a bright future. While the school celebrates its past, it looks eagerly to the future. In the years since its beginning, the school has changed a great deal, grown in its number of students and faculty, and instituted new programs and degrees. Throughout, its development has been guided by the ideals of excellence that are the tradition of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. New challenges face information and library science education, and UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Information and Library Science is prepared to continue to meet these challenges.