Libraries, Archives, and Knowledge Environments in Society (LAKES)

University of Michigan School of Information students worked with the city of Lansing, Michigan, to help create sustainable archival practices in the Public Service Department.

The LAKES (Libraries, Archives, and Knowledge Environments in Society) pathway allows students to develop and demonstrate critical knowledge and skills in librarianship, archival practice, digital curation and preservation and/or other collections-focused work. This pathway is structured around the concept of “knowledge environments” to respond to the radical transition toward digitally-enabled scholarship made possible through digitization, collection building, data aggregation and emerging digital knowledge infrastructures.

UMSI courses in this pathway orient students toward applying critical perspectives and skills in digital data, information and technology to sustain community services, collection building and maintenance, information organization and metadata, preservation and networking. Students learn to leverage information and collections in institutions and communities to advance equity and social justice, strengthen civic engagement, represent knowledge, history and social memory and create accountable institutions.

Potential career paths/job titles may include (but are not limited to) librarian, archivist, informationist, digital curator, taxonomist, outreach librarian/archivist, special collections librarian, instruction librarian/archivist, digital archivist, collection development specialist, electronic resources manager, metadata librarian/specialist, records manager, information governance specialist, information resources officer.

Hey there, current LAKES students: Your curriculum might look a little different, because degree requirements vary by cohort. You can find your cohort’s degree requirements, course planning sheets and other helpful tips on the MSI Academic Advising Resource site.

MSI core courses:

SI 500: Problem-Solving in Information

SI 506: Programming I

Mastery course prerequisites:

SI 503: Introduction to Libraries, Archives and Knowledge Environments in Society

SI 510: Information Ethics

SI 580: Understanding Records and Archives
OR
SI 647: Information Resources and Services

SI 666: Organization of Information

SI 667: Foundations of Digital Curation

Mastery course:

SI 699: LAKES Mastery Course

UMSI Mastery courses are special types of courses that allow you to demonstrate synthesis of the major theories, methods and approaches to inquiry and/or schools of practice necessary for entry into a particular career in the information professions.

Selective requirements (pick three):

SI 519: Intellectual Property and Information Law

SI 547: Engaging with Communities

SI 504: Servers, The Shell, & Git
AND
SI 639: Web Archiving

SI 581: Preserving Information Resources in a Digital Age

SI 583: Managing Accountability through Recordkeeping

SI 585: Scholarly Communication

SI 623: Research Methods for Information Professionals

SI 626: Management in Libraries & Non-Profit Organizations

SI 632: Appraisal and Collection Development

SI 633: Assessment in Cultural Institutions

SI 643: Instructional Skills for Information Professionals

SI 676: Managing Digital Collections