1) History and Background

The activity of the Department of Library and Information Science of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz began with the establishment of a Master's degree program in Librarianship in 1977 which was initially administered by The University Center for Documentation and Books, also known as the Library Science Center.

A couple of years after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the Department of Librarianship was officially rebuilt in 1983 at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, led by the time Head of Department of Librarianship and Director of the Central Library, Dr. Mohammad Hossein Dayani, who initiated a two-year Post Diploma program. In September 1989, an undergraduate program certifying a Bachelor Degree was also offered.

In 1996, the department activities were expanded by initiating the first Master's degree. In 2005, four students were admitted for a doctoral program in Library and Information Science. Meantime, some changes and renewals refurbished the programs. For example, in 2013, the "Information Management" approach was introduced and replaced the older orientation of Library and Information Science for the Postgraduate program. A second renewal was the introduction of the "Academic Libraries Management".

The Journal of Studies in Library and Information Science was published for the first time by the department, in 2005, under the auspices of the Vice Chancellor for Research of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz. The faculty members of the department form and direct the editorial board of this journal.

The Department of Library and Information Science was awarded many achievements due to spectacular activities and accomplishments of the department's members both at the local level of the university, and at national and international levels. The appointment of some of the faculty members to prestigious official posts such as the General Director of the Office of the International Scientific Relations, Head of the School, the School Registrar and the Vice Head for Research, and the Head of the Work Group for the Planning and Development of the field at the MSRT, are just some examples. Also, it should be noted that the Department of Knowledge and Information Science of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz has been able to train and graduate more than 17 Ph.D. candidates.

In 2010, some of older faculty members of the department were retired, but at present, the existing members are mostly young and energetic. The department is trying to pursue the most ideal and strategic goals which resonate meaningfully with its experience of development during the recent years; future enhancements and flourishment are also of great concerns of the department.

2) Degree Programs

The Department of Knowledge and Information Science is proposing two Graduate programs leading to Master's degrees in two branches of "Academic Library Management" and "Information Management". At doctoral level, the Department is running an "Information and Knowledge Retrieval" program.

3) The Teaching at the Department

The main purpose of the Librarianship curriculum at the undergraduate level is to familiarize students with different aspects and requirements of library and information work theoretically as well as practically (through internships). In this regard, students receive theoretical and practical education and training to become acquainted with information resources and the routine activities in different types of libraries (school, university, public, specialized and national). The aim is to equipped students with the required knowledge and know-how of meeting the needs of the labor market after graduation.

Also, M.A. students of ‘University Library Management' become acquainted with the diverse and growing needs of university library users and learn the necessary qualifications they need to manage and provide specialized services and consultants to academics as well as students of all types. They synthesize their knowledge and experiences through class work as well as their dissertation research. They are also expected to acquire the necessary skills of working with the modern technologies in university libraries. During the graduate program of Information Management, students are introduced to the latest resources, tools and methods for the purpose of information management (needs identification, selection, provision, organization, and dissemination of information).

The doctoral program at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz paves the way for the PhD candidates to major in information and knowledge retrieval skills through individual studies as well as class activities. These course works familiarize the candidates theoretically and practically with essential and modern relevant concepts within the context of information and knowledge retrieval. The candidates have the chance to enhance their knowledge and get ready for dealing with the real world conditions as well as solving scientific problems regarding the modern and contemporary community in terms of designing, organizing, storing, searching and retrieving information and knowledge, as well as formulating knowledge strategies, extraction, auditing and organizing information and knowledge systems and structures.

4) Research Areas

  • Knowledge Management
  • Information Management
  • Analysis of Information Systems and User Requirements
  • Data Mining
  • Semantic Web
  • Scientometrics
  • Collection Development
  • Digital Library
  • Social Networks
  • Information Behavior
  • Information Literacy
  • Information Society

5) The faculty members of the department of Knowledge and Information Science

  • One Lecturer
  • Three Assistant Professors
  • One Professor

6) Number of students at the department of Knowledge and Information Science as of December 2020

  • 122 Undergraduates
  • 44 Masters
  • 19 PhD students