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University of Washington

University of Washington Information School

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    • Informatics Undergraduate major and minor
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    • About Us The iSchool is home to innovators and leaders who make information work
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About the iSchool

  1. The School
  2. About Us
  3. About the iSchool

What is an iSchool?

The world creates almost 330 million terabytes of data every day. So much information can be overwhelming. Rigorous study of the users and uses of information at the UW iSchool helps answer questions like:

  • How can we connect people with the right information at the right time?
  • How can we use information to help people achieve their potential?
  • How can we harness information’s capacity as an agent for positive change?

Information schools are interested in the relationship between information, technology, and people. Graduates of information schools use their expertise for the advancement of science, business, education, and culture. This expertise is gained through the iSchool movement's investigation of the uses and users of information, as well as information technologies and their applications.

In practice, this information orientation provides a focus on the organizational and social issues related to the ways people create, store, find, manipulate and share information. Graduates of information schools are adept at designing, refining and building information systems. They are attuned to the needs that drive people to seek information. They are concerned with issues like access, privacy and usability. And they understand the increasingly complex social and organizational environments in which people seek to fill their information needs — in theoretical, virtual and physical spaces. They are ambassadors for the transformative power of information when applied ethically and effectively.

A Home for Innovators and Leaders

As a leading member of the iSchool movement, the UW is a model for other information schools around the globe. The UW iSchool's approach to information instruction and scholarship builds on the traditional roles filled by information professionals and infuses this with a strong emphasis on the technologies through which information is increasingly delivered. By tackling key social and technical problems in the information field, the iSchool has become an important link between users of information and designers of information systems, connecting society with the information it needs.

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News

Ndeye Diop shows her poster to a visitor

22 Informatics students show their work at research symposium

Wednesday, June 4, 2025
Twenty-two Informatics students showcased their research at the 2025 Undergraduate Research Symposium. Held on May 16, the event – titled “Take Flight!” -- featured five poster sessions, three oral presentation...
Read more
Kathryn Perry Bolin

MLIS Capstone showcases a lesser-known part of U.S. history

Friday, May 30, 2025
The words “concentration camp” bring about disturbing images and evoke an emotional response. When people think of concentration camps, their minds are likely to turn to the Nazi extermination camps of World War II. However, many...
Read more

Events

Jun 6
 
12:00-1:00PM

MLIS Last Chance Q&A

Zoom / Online
Jun 7
 
12:00-2:30PM

Information School Convocation Ceremony

Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion
Jun 10
 
5:00-6:00PM

Shaping the Future with an MS in Information Management: Alumni Panel & Insights

Virtual / Zoom
Jun 10
 
7:00-7:45PM

iSchool Read-Alongs Series: June

Online
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© 2025 UW Information School
Box 352840 - Mary Gates Hall, Ste. 370
Seattle, WA 98195-2840
United States of America
206-685-9937
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