U.S. News Revises LIS Ranks

U.S. News & World Report has updated its rankings of library graduate programs for 2006, the first update since 1998. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill remained in their top spots for the 2006 listings, followed by Syracuse University, NY, which in the previous ranking had tied with the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and the University of Pittsburgh. As with the last survey, published in 1999 and based on 1998 results, the 2006 rankings are compiled from a survey sent in the previous year to deans, program directors, and faculty of American Library Association (ALA)–accredited graduate programs.

While the release may partially quell the displeasure voiced by some librarians and library educators who had argued for an update, this year’s list should spark some controversy. Of the 56 schools with programs accredited by ALA, 49 of which are in the United States, the report ranked the top 32 schools to score a composite of 2.5 or better out of a possible five points. None of the four New York City–area library schools—Pratt, Long Island University, Queens College, or St. John’s University—made the top 32.