DENTON, Texas (UNT) –  As of Oct. 1, the Department of Library and Information Sciences will be known as the Department of Information Science.

"The name change not only reflects the progressive nature of the programs served by the department to support the students, but also aligns well with the strategic direction of the College of Information," said Kinshuk (who goes by one name), the dean of the College of Information.

Suliman Hawamdeh, chair of the department, says this change will keep the Library Science program strong, while becoming more inclusive of others.

"The library science program is just one of the programs in our department. This new name will be more representative of all the opportunities we offer," said Hawamdeh.

The change will help the College of Information expand into more broad areas of study, including a plan to add a new analytics and knowledge management degree.  It also expands the job market and also gives future library science graduates the upper hand in finding new career opportunities.

"It's a sign of the changing times and the changes that are taking place in libraries themselves," said Hawamdeh. "We are now information scientists, which gives our graduates better positioning in the marketplace and the workforce."

The name change was unanimously approved by faculty at a department meeting and supported by the College of Information Alumni Society. It will in no way impact the accreditation of the Library Sciences program.