Faculty and student research at the iSchool aims to advance knowledge in key areas of information studies and apply it to the design, creation, use, management, and retrieval of information resources and services. Our diverse faculty has expertise ranging from library and information science to technical fields (computer science, mathematics, chemistry, engineering), to social sciences (psychology, anthropology, linguistics, history, political science, communication, organization studies) to humanities (literature, philosophy, film studies) to professional disciplines (education, business, law). Their work bridges these disciplines to develop theories, models, and applications in the following broad areas:

• Digital Libraries
• Human-Computer Interaction & Information Architecture
• Organization and Retrieval of Knowledge and Information
• Preservation and Conservation of Physical and Digital Artifacts
• Development, Management, and Evaluation of Collections and Services
• Cultural Heritage Development and History and Management of the Cultural Record
• Information Policy, Ethics, and Advocacy
• User Behavior
• Health Informatics
• Information Work and Workers
• Social Informatics and Digital Media

Featured Research

• Health Information and Health Informatics

Scholar in Residence

The School of Information accepts applications for the Scholars in Residence Program.

Externally Funded Support for Research and Education

Students have the opportunity to work on research with faculty in a variety of ways: in classes, independent studies, Capstone experiences, and dissertations. You can find specific details of faculty research interests and outputs on their individual pages. Here is a selection of currently funded research projects:

Collaborative Research: Global Innovation and the Changing Nature of Domestic Engineering Work

This research examines whether and how innovation investment that leads to task-based offshoring changes the nature of occupational work in domestic U.S. firms through a field study of global automotive engineering. ($61,000: NSF. PI: Bailey. In collaboration with $138,000: NSF. PI: Paul Leonardi, Northwestern University).

ITR: Transformation of Engineering Design: Digitization and Global Distribution of Engineering Work

This research focuses on the way in which information technology tools that employ techniques like finite element analysis and computational fluid dynamics are bringing about changes in how engineers think about and do engineering, changes in organizational structures and processes, changes in engineering knowledge, and changes in the division of engineering labor. ($1, 300,000: NSF. PI: Bailey, Co-PI: Steve Barley, Stanford University).

National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT)

The goal of this work is to bring social science support to NCWIT's mission of ensuring that women's perspectives and expertise are fully represented in the influential world of information technology, particularly in terms of innovation and development. Also includes building Broadening Participation in Computing Collection of digital library. ($315,576 : National Science Foundation; PI: Barker)

Empowering Leadership Alliance

Provide consultation and evaluation to support the Empowering Leadership Alliance's goal to retain and advance underrepresented minority students pursuing computing degrees in majority institutions across the U.S. ($95,117 : National Science Foundation; PI: Barker)

Alliance for the Advancement of African American Researchers in Computer Science (A4RC)

Provide consultation and evaluation for multi-university collaboration to develop pathways for African American students in Historically Black Colleges and Universities to pursue research careers through partnerships with research universities. ($181,534 : National Science Foundation; PI: Barker)

Pathways to Broadening Participation in TeraGrid

TeraGrid uses high-performance computing to develop and furnish data resources, tools, and high-end experimental facilities to advance scientific research. The goal of this project is to evaluate efforts to extend TeraGrid to a greater variety of academic fields and to diversity the race/ethnicity and gender of users. ($50,000 : National Science Foundation; PI: Barker)

CI-TEAM Implementation: Educating a Competitive, Cyberinfrastructure Savvy Engineering and Construction Workforce

The goal of this project is to research and design advanced cyberinfrastructure -- particularly in information integration and sensor networks -- to support the civil infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and buildings. ($1,000,000 : NSF. Co-PI: Bias. PI: William O'Brien, UT-Austin Civil Engineering)

Studying Design Intent for Software Evolution and Maintenance

The goal of this work is a better understanding of the documentation needs of maintenance designers for software systems and to construct a model of how those maintenance designers interact with documented knowledge about legacy designs. ($452,329 : NSF. Co-PI: Bias. PI: Dewayne Perry, UT-Austin Electrical and Computer Engineering)

Usability Support of Vignette

Ongoing usability engineering support, including mostly remote usability testing from the Information eXperience Lab, of Vignette's emerging next generation of web content management software applications. ($37,500 : Vignette. PI: Bias.)

Usability Support of Texas Office of Court Administration's Development of a Web-based Application to Support Electronic Filing

This is applied usability engineering support, including requirements gathering and prototype testing, of a web-based application to support electronic filing, presentation of case information, and other information flow both for judges' chambers and the clerks' offices, and to improve the public web presence for selected case information and documents. ($21,900 : Texas Office of Court Administration. PI: Bias.)

Doctoral Education in Preservation: A Second Cohort of Faculty Members and Library Leaders

This grant funds PhD students who agree to undertake research in the areas of digital preservation, preservation administration, and preservation policy. ($911,928; IMLS. PI: Doty, co PI: Galloway)

Digital Humanities Model Internship Program

This grant supports six partnering institutions (three iSchools-Texas, Michigan, and Maryland-and three Digital Humanities Centers-MATRIX, CDRH, MITH) to develop a model internship program for iSchool students, six total per year for three years, at Digital Humanities Centers. ($80,963; IMLS; co-PI: Galloway) Website: http://www.ischooldh.org/internships/

Building the Future of Archival Education and Research

This grant supports PhD students at eight eight schools (Texas, UCLA, Michigan, Simmons, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Maryland, North Carolina) as well as an annual week-long Archival Education Research Institute. ($800,000; IMLS; co-PI: Galloway) Website: http://aeri.gseis.ucla.edu/

The Open Video Digital Library Toolkit Project

An IMLS-funded project that will provide museums, libraries and other institutions holding moving image collections with the tools to create their own Web-based digital video libraries. Open video project website (PI: Geisler)

Digitization in the Round: Educating Digital Librarians for the 21st Century

The project aims to recruit students and build curriculum in the art and science of creating and managing digital libraries. Digitization in the round website (PI: Rice-Lively)

Information for People in Crisis: An Assessment

This study examines the information requirements of intimate partner violence survivors and their formal support systems from the perspective of potential public library support. After developing public library service models based on these information requirements, the project concludes with developing evaluation mechanisms for IPV support libraries. ($215,862; Institute of Museum and Library Services; PI: Westbrook)

Cultivating Digital Librarianship Faculty: Tomorrow's Leaders in Research and Curriculum Development

This project funds doctoral students to prepare them to become digital-library faculty in top-tier universities. ($1,232,993; IMLS; PI: Westbrook. co-PIs: Luis Francisco-Revilla and Gary Geisler)

Stepping Up

This project funds tuition for Master's students working in local libraries as well as workshops on management topics for the students, their mentors, their library sponsers, and local librarians. The final documentation will include the materials required for replication of the program at other schools. ($744,366 total; IMLS; PI: Westbrook. Co-PI: Roy)