The Faculty of Information educates both information professionals and researchers with exceptional programs in multiple disciplines. It is a member of iSchools, an international organization of universities that lead and promote programs in information fields.
Originally founded as a library school in 1928 and approaching its 100th anniversary, the Faculty of Information has undergone a series of transformational changes over the past two decades. Designated an “iSchool” in 2005, the Faculty has built on its heritage strengths in libraries, archives and museums to incorporate scientific and technical expertise from engineering, computer science, and other technical disciplines. At the same time, it has committed itself to applying social, political, and cultural perspectives from media arts, humanities, and social science to the study of information, technology, people and the relationships among them.
The Faculty currently offers two Master’s degree programs — a Master of Information (MI) and a Master of Museum Studies (MMSt) — as well as a Combined MI/MMSt Degree Program (CDP). It also offers a PhD program and, in 2019, introduced a Bachelor of Information (BI) program.
A number of the transformations that have taken place in the Faculty in recent decades stem, in part, from its repositioning as an “iSchool.” When the Faculty joined the iSchool caucus (now iSchools organization) in 2005, it became its first Canadian member. What unites the members of the iSchool organization is a shared interest in exploring “the relationships between information, people and technology.”
In 2008, in recognition of its membership, the Faculty changed its name to the Faculty of Information, informally known as the iSchool at the University of Toronto. As it reoriented itself as an iSchool, the Faculty has significantly revised and expanded its curriculum.
Interdisciplinary
The Faculty of Information is a highly interdisciplinary educational institution and this is reflected in all its degree programs. The largest program, the Master of Information, builds on the idea that any subjects exploring the intersections between people, information and technology require an interdisciplinary approach. The MI program balances theoretical and practical approaches to information studies, with particular emphasis on experiential learning, professionalization and ethical dimensions of information work.
Accreditation
Along with being the first iSchool in Canada, the Faculty also launched the country’s first PhD program in Information Studies. It has the further distinction of offering the only English-language Master’s program in Museum Studies in Canada. The Faculty is proud to have maintained its internationally recognized American Library Association (ALA) accreditation since 1937.
Toronto Location
Located in downtown Toronto – one of the world’s most diverse cities – the Faculty of Information is minutes away from major Canadian heritage institutions including the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the Toronto Public Library, the largest public library system in North America. It is also a short distance from Toronto’s and Canada’s main downtown business centre, where many major employers in the financial and technology sectors have their head offices.
Message from Dean Javed Mostafa
In his outlook for 2024, the Dean discusses recruitment of new faculty members, the ambitious renovation plans for the Bissell Building, and the strategic planning process that is now underway at the Faculty of Information.
