Simmons’ School of Library Science (SLIS), The Gwen Ifill School of Media, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Simmons University Library have collaborated to launch the new Simmons Center for Information Literacy (SCIL).
Simmons University received a $250,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to establish the center. Deans and faculty members alike were able to give input on what the center should look like.
In their developed mission statement provided to the Voice, SCIL emphasizes their dedication to “empowering individuals with the knowledge, skills and critical thinking abilities necessary to navigate an increasingly complex information landscape.”
SCIL plans to provide multiple facets for involvement across the Simmons community. They aim to include “curriculum-building efforts, faculty professional development and student-driven programming,” according to the official press release. This is alongside programming for the general public surrounding information literacy.
“I see this as everybody having an opportunity to bring in their expertise, but I think collectively also learn about systemic ways where you can keep learning as new tools emerge as information keeps shifting as well,” Dr. Ammina Kothari, Dean of The Gwen Ifill School, said in an interview with the Voice.
SCIL’s support for students does not end there. They intend to offer scholarships, internships and fellowships, alongside funding for projects.
“We’re really hoping to engage people across the campus. Even though it’s really SLIS and Ifill who are kind of driving this development of the center, we really want it to be interdisciplinary… information literacy kind of cuts across all different disciplines,” said Laura Saunders, Associate Dean of SLIS and inaugural director of SCIL, in an interview with the Voice.
Madison Jordan, a second year in the 3+1 Information Technology + Library and Information Science program, expressed her interest in the center. “Now more than ever, I feel it’s important people know that what they are seeing is accurate, and know how to tell.”
SCIL will have their open house on April 9 at 5 p.m.
