Department of Library and Information Sciences

The faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Balamand offers an undergraduate program of studies leading to a Bachelor's Degree in Library and Information Sciences (LIS). It is the only program of its kind offered by a university in Lebanon . The program at UOB looks at the library as an institution in a school, a university, and in the society, and stresses its role as an agent of change.

OBJECTIVES:          The LIS Department aims to:

  • Provide a basic general education through university and department requirements and through the elective courses chosen by the student.
  • Provide basic and specialized education and expertise in LIS to enable the student to organize and run libraries or information centers in schools, documentation centers, research institutes, or organizations such as banks, companies, or publishing firms.
  • Provide a theoretical as well as a vigorous practical training program in library services such as cataloging, classification, indexing, and readers' services. The training also includes the use of technology in the field of librarianship. This aspect of the program enables the students to work, in addition to the places mentioned above, as assistant librarians in academic libraries or institutions.

The main objective underlying all the above is to make the students aware of the value and power of  information in all its forms, and to make them realize that knowing how and where to look for relevant information is an asset that will help them in any work they may be asked to do. For this reason the LIS department offers a minor in the field, which opens the field of research methods and documentation to students of different Faculties.

REQUIREMENTS
To be eligible for a BA degree in Library and Information Science a student must fulfill the following requirements:

  • 24 credits University Requirements

3 credits in Arabic Language: LA 201
6 credits in English Language: LE 203,204
12 credits in Civilization Sequence: CS 201, 202, 203 and 204
1 credit in Computer Science: CP 200
1 credit in Environment: ENV 200
1 credit in Physical Education: PED 200

  • 12 credits Elective Requirements

Electives should be as varied as possible and should include courses in arts, history, political science, philosophy, and one introductory course in translation: English-Arabic, or French-Arabic.

  • 36 credits Department Requirements:

LI 203, 212, 220, 222, 225, 233, 234, 237, 238, 239, 241, SCI 201.

  • 18-21 credits Optional Requirements:

A student may choose one of the two options as a minor:

  • Minor in education for school librarians: 18 credits

PY 201, 213, SC 211, 212, ED 211, 212.

  • 18-21 credits in courses from a combination of two departments: Mass Communication, Political Science, and Business Management. These courses are designed with the view that the student may become an indexer or an archivist in a publishing firm or a special librarian in a business or other firms:

COM 201, 202, 210, 211/ BAD 201, 231, 239,/ PSC 201, 202, 220, 221.

The faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Balamand offers an undergraduate program of studies leading to a Bachelor's Degree in Library and Information Sciences (LIS). It is the only program of its kind offered by a university in Lebanon . The program at UOB looks at the library as an institution in a school, a university, and in the society, and stresses its role as an agent of change.