Ruth Wallach’s storied career in library and information sciences began as a student worker during her undergraduate career when she was first struck by the “broad and flexible field” and the plethora of historic and forward-thinking opportunities within it. Wallach currently serves as the Academic Director for USC Bovard College’s Master of Management in Library and Information Sciences (MMLIS) program and the Associate Dean for the Social Sciences and Humanities Libraries Division at the USC Libraries.
An advocate for information literacy and the endurance of the relevancy of libraries, she has authored and co-authored book chapters, articles, and conference presentations on topics such as academic librarianship, information literacy, and professional mentorship. She has also written several books on Los Angeles architecture and urban history based on primary source materials drawn from the specialized collections of the USC Libraries.
Wallach brings her real-world experience and love of teaching and sharing information to her role as the MMLIS program’s Academic Director. Her passion for and thorough knowledge of the field inspire her students to explore the wide variety of career possibilities our MMLIS degree offers.
What drew you to library science initially? What’s kept you motivated in the profession?
As an economics undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, I started working as a student worker in the Young Research Library (YRL) shelving books. This was my first direct and comprehensive encounter with the organization of knowledge, information classification, the importance of serendipity in searching, and the application of computerized technologies in libraries. I became interested in the field and enrolled in the UCLA Master of Library and Information Science program. The rest is history. I stayed in the profession because it is ever-changing, and because it keeps attracting new generations of thinkers and practitioners. I exaggerate only slightly when I say that each year in my work is different from the previous.
What is your favorite thing about working in libraries?
Libraries are not frozen in time like pieces of amber, nor are they warehouses of information for “just in case.” Libraries are living organisms and are an intrinsic part of society and its political and economic structures. There is never a dull moment in the profession or in teaching.
What do you enjoy most about teaching in the MMLIS program at USC?
Teaching on a graduate level is on a continuum with learning. I think of this as an iterative process in which I learn from each teaching experience and from my interactions with students, as they learn from me.
What career achievement are you most proud of?
I am proud of the trust and respect I have earned from my colleagues in the libraries. They do not bestow these lightly, and I do not take these achievements lightly.
What values guide your leadership style and academic vision for the program?
The aspirations of core professional values and code of ethics, as articulated by the American Library Association, provide context for me as a leader. My overall vision is for the program to give students the professional and intellectual tools to succeed as leaders in any of their life’s endeavors.
In your words, what distinguishes the MMLIS program at USC from other programs of its kind?
The MMLIS program, which is among the over 100 graduate online programs offered at USC, contextualizes library and information science within the management perspective. LIS is a management profession, and as such we want our graduates to be strong advocates for the value of libraries and to articulate their institutional return on investment.
How do you approach fostering community and collaboration among online students?
On a basic level, this happens through in-class and online discussions, in which I also participate, and through occasional team assignments. I invite guest speakers, and this usually generates discussion and sharing of ideas, during which students also discover that they share experiences.
What is the biggest lesson that you hope students take away from your classes?
That the profession is changing and growing, and that the knowledge and skills that students acquire and refine during their course of study are applicable in a variety of professional work environments.
What is one piece of advice for current and prospective students when approaching their capstone project?
The capstone course is a synthesis and culmination of knowledge and skills gained throughout the coursework. I advise students to save all their coursework and to keep track of the sources they consulted throughout the MMLIS curriculum. It is likely that they would want to come back to their previous course assignments and bibliographies as they build their capstone project.
How have libraries and information sciences changed since you entered the field? How do you see them changing in the next decade or so?
Contemporary libraries are not bound by physical walls even as they continue to have them. For example, library websites are themselves growing and changing libraries of information, primary resources, and expertise. Today, libraries are heavily programmatic. These trajectories—libraries as without walls and as programmatic—will continue into the future.
Learn more about the Master of Management in Library & Information Science program.