Linda C. Smith: Fifty Years of Library and Information Science Education by Design

Abstract:Professor emerita Linda C. Smith designed a plan of study including her bachelor's degree, various master's degrees, a PhD, and a certificate along with practical experience that prepared her for her career as a library and information science (LIS) educator, researcher, and administrator. The pairing of a deep respect and admiration for content and delivery is the common thread that weaves reliably across Smith's fifty years in LIS as an innovator, educator, and researcher. All that she has initiated and accomplished across that time and moving forward can also be said to be "by design"—a potent mix of experience, anticipation, an eye for identifying what is missing, and a determination to doggedly research and implement an elegant "fix" for addressing that gap. This paper explores the common thread of Smith's innovations as a LIS educator, tracing her past and continuing influence on the evolution of LIS curriculum content and delivery, and where it is reflected in, even predicted for contemporary and future graduate programs in information. Suggesting a tenet of design thinking, the authors examine Smith's career path and many contributions to confirm that one can get here from there.