Vision
The University of Texas at Austin School of Information is a premier research and education program for the 21st century field of information.
We are bridgers:
Connecting people to information, connecting the past to the present and to the future, and connecting different disciplines.We are changing the future by engaging the present and preserving the past. Research and teaching at the iSchool changes the ways that we interact with information and technology, changes how information can make the world a better and fairer place, and changes the ways we protect and preserve our collective memory.
Our Mission
At the School of Information, we are committed to making a positive difference in people’s lives through excellence in research, teaching, and public engagement. Our core values underpin our efforts to shape the field of information for human and social benefit by:
- Discovering new and vital knowledge about information
- Educating the next generation of leaders in the information professions
- Developing new scholars who will advance knowledge
- Improving society through service and collaboration
- Applying human-centered values to all our work
Our Values
Information Serves Humanity
We understand that information technologies must serve the needs of people, and that access to reliable information is essential to a functioning civil society.
A People-First Perspective
Information systems must be designed to augment and enhance human and organizational capabilities; doing so requires bringing people into the process from the start.
Technology for Social Good
All emerging technologies raise ethical and social issues that require study, research, and intervention.
An Interdisciplinary Approach
Multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches offer the best hope for building information systems and shaping information practices that will serve the public interest.
Grand Challenges
We live in the Information Age, offering unprecedented opportunities but also unmatched threats and challenges. Rigorous research is required to ensure that we understand the scope of the emerging challenges, and build our responses using the best data and evidence available.
Examples of some of the big questions being addressed at the School of Information include:
The future requires us to address these challenges head-on today, and we are doing so at The University of Texas at Austin School of Information.