Enter the world of art, museum and academic librarianship. Study at the School of Information in Manhattan, the international cultural capital; carry out art historical research; and create digital libraries, archives, and exhibitions.
As part of our cultural informatics focus, this program lives at the intersection of art, information, digital technology, and information science and linked with Pratt's History of Art Department on the Brooklyn campus. With the M.S.L.I.S./ M.S. HAD, graduates are especially qualified to obtain positions as tenure-track academic librarians and for professional positions in art and museum libraries.
With courses and internships taking place at NYC's leading museums, libraries, and archives such as: NYPL Research Library at 42nd Street (includes Art Collections, Map Collections, Rare Books), NYPL Performing Arts Library (Performing Arts Librarianship), and The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Museum and Library Research), our program offers unique opportunities for experiential and contextual learning.
The M.S.L.I.S. and M.S./HA Department of History of Art and Design, require 30 credits each for a total of 60 credits. All courses are 3-credits. Students are accepted to program separately. The Department of History of Art and Design requires the GRE.
This 60-credit dual-degree program is ideal for students interested in pursuing careers in academic and museum libraries as having the M.S.L.I.S. and a subject master's represents the standard requirement for these fields. With studies in physical and digital collections and real and virtual environments of art and information, School of Information students are obtaining challenging positions in museum and academic libraries, historical societies, as well as in the information industry and in new media.
For example, recent School of Information graduates hold librarian positions at Yale and Princeton University, the Morgan Library, Brooklyn Historical Society, Brooklyn Museum, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About the Program
Through the dual-degree, students become art historians and librarians and are able to carry out art historical research. They learn to design information systems and networks; use digital technology; apply the theories, research, and practice of information science; and use the Internet to convey meaning and communicate content effectively and creatively in the arts across diverse cultures and societies of today's global digital landscape. Graduates of the dual-degree program have secured positions with leading educational and cultural institutions such as: the New York Public Library; Bard College Library; Cooper-Hewitt Library; Art Institute of Chicago; Princeton University; and East Asian Library, Columbia University.
Among LIS schools, Pratt offers the most in-depth course offerings and programs in art and museum librarianship. Collaborating with New York's great cultural institutions such as the NYPL research Libraries and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, students learn on location at the finest art and museum libraries, special collections, and archives for authentic learning.
Curriculum
Course requirements Master of Science in Library and Information Science
Core Required Courses - 12 Credits
LIS 651 Information Professions
LIS 652 Information Services and Sources
LIS 653 Knowledge Organization
LIS 654 Information Technologies
Recommended Electives: Choose from four categories (18 credits, six 3-credit courses).
- Arts and Information
Art Librarianship
Museum Informatics
Performing Arts Librarianship at NYPL Lincoln Center Library
Art Collections at NYPL, HSSL
The Art World Business and Information at NYPL, HSSL
Museum and Library Research at the Watson Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Rare Books at NYPL, HSSL
Florence Summer Program in partnership with SACI School of Art (two 3-credit courses): 1. Florentine Art and Culture: Museum and Library Research and Documentation. 2. Cultural Heritage Conservation; Photography Collections. - Knowledge Organization
Advanced Cataloging
Metadata, Description and Access
Cultural Heritage Description and Access - Digital Technology - Information Design and Interaction
Information Architecture
Projects in Digital Archives
People-centered Design and Interaction
Usability Leadership
Social Media - Digital Humanities - Information Visualization - Preservation/ Conservation (LIS 632)
Conservation Lab (Brooklyn College Archives Conservation Lab) - Cultural Heritage Conservation (Florence with SACI)
Course requirements - Master of Science, History of Art and Design
Core Required Courses - 9 credits
HA-602 Art Historical Methodology
HA-650 Material Techniques and Conservation (usually held at Brooklyn Museum Conservation lab)
HA 605 Thesis (Foreign language requirements must be completed before registering for thesis)
Other Courses must fulfill distribution requirements in:
* Film/ Design/ Photography
* Non Western design art and history
* Architecture
* Ancient/ Medieval World
* Renaissance / Baroque
* 19th / 20th / 21st centuries
Note: a course may fulfill more than one requirement.
Students in the dual MS/MS degree program in the generally take one or two classes in each program, each semester (3–4 classes a semester) to complete the program.
Scholarships and Fellowships for Art and Museum Librarianship
Students pursuing the dual-degree or students entering the School of Information with a master's in art or a related field are eligible to apply for special tuition and stipend awards for their second year of study (note: merit scholarships are available for the first year of study). The average award is $3,000–4,000 per program (total: $6,000–$8,000)