Kent State’s Library and Information Science graduate program ranks 20th among graduate schools nationwide.

In a report published by “U.S. News and World Report” in early August, the Library and Information Science graduate school at Kent State University tied for the 20th spot in a pool of 12,000 graduate programs. It tied with Wayne State University.

Rick Rubin, director of Library and Information Science, said the ranking has stayed consistent.

The school is one of the largest programs accredited by the American Library Association, which includes about 600 master’s degree programs. The largest branch is at Kent State’s Kent Campus.

And those students get jobs, Rubin said.

“There is fairly a steady demand for library technicians,” he said. “This program has the lowest turnover employee rate – typically around 7 percent – something you can’t find anywhere.”

Students must obtain their undergraduate degree before applying to the graduate program. To get in, typically a student needs a 3.0 GPA.

“Think about it, a million books, how would you find the exact one you’re looking for? It’s a milestone advancement, modern technology today, the amount of knowledge at our fingertips is endless,” Rubin said.

The need for technicians is tremendous, so the school hopes to train students effectively and quickly, while keeping the highest quality of education, Rubin said, a standard the school has made evident.

“A variety of disciplines in all areas are needed: psychology, sociology, science. The job covers an entire range of knowledge, not just one specific subject,” Rubin said. “The school loves students who have different bachelor’s degrees.”

Information Architecture and Knowledge Management trains consultants to evaluate the usability of Web sites – improving their interface. They also look at how knowledge is moved and stored, human knowledge as well as computer.

“We are concentrating every day on things people don’t think about,” said David Robins, library science professor. “We are consistently trying to figure out how to make people’s daily lives smoother by better design.”

Contact news correspondent Cassandra Adams at [email protected].