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University of Washington

University of Washington Information School

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Information to Impact

  1. The School
  2. About Us
  3. Strategic Plan

Information is central to knowledge; to truth; to impact. Amid a public health crisis, climate change and threats to democratic institutions, information plays a pivotal role in solving the monumental challenges we all face. The UW Information School is leading the global movement to devise information solutions that improve people’s lives and tackle the world’s toughest challenges.

Our strategic vision is to be the world’s leading institution for the advancement of information science as measured by impact.

Grand Challenges

In facing the challenges articulated below, we draw upon a range of disciplines that focus on how people create, use, store, share and communicate information. Our faculty and students are drawn together into this work because of the problems they want to solve, and a recognition that it takes the widest range of knowledge and skills to do so.

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A Healthier Planet

We are infusing an information lens on the work of environmental science, public policy, and intergovernmental affairs. Learn more.

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A Stronger Democracy and a More Informed Public

Our commitment to building a better democracy and a more informed public is a signature of our work at the iSchool. Learn more.

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Healthier, Happier People

Leading in novel approaches to bettering health and well-being through information research at the individual, organization and population level. Learn more.

Strategic Objectives

As we work towards our strategic vision, we have defined five areas that require qualitative and continuous improvements to our work and our school:

Increase access to information science education: Increase teaching capacity; create routes to better affordability; foster pedagogical inclusivity

Invest in supporting infrastructure and resources: Expand and enhance iSchool space; recruit the best faculty and staff; sustain, support and retain a joyous faculty and staff community; support sustainable responsive processes for efficient execution across all units; secure sustainable financial resources that support strategic needs.

Expand research impact through translational research: Engage more students in research; align research and teaching; start and support collaborative research centers; maximize our competitiveness for major funded research opportunities; invest in risky research and collaborations; increase and sustain our variety of researchers.

Invest in constituent experience: Engage the public; enhance the student experience; foster and support a joyous faculty and staff culture; actively engage alumni; strengthen external partner engagement.

Strengthen the iSchool identity: Refresh the iSchool identity; renew the future of the field of library and information science; amplify the identity of our programs.

Commitments

Beyond what we hope to achieve, we also recognize that how we structure our efforts is critical to our success. We have identified two cross-cutting values that will be central to all of our strategic objectives, priorities and initiatives: 

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access & Sovereignty

The Information School is working toward a more just world by dismantling institutional barriers through our research, education and daily work. We go beyond only saying we support intersectional identities. We will confront and take action against any expressions of racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, transphobia, religious discrimination, or any other instances of bias, microaggressions and discrimination to build a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive School and community. We are committed to cultivating a multicultural experience for faculty, staff, and students to incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout their lives within the School and beyond.

Responsiveness, Planning, Strategy

Through planning and crafting coherent strategies, we are committed to operating with responsiveness in an ever-changing environment. Through each of our objectives and priorities, we will reflect on process with an eye to making transactions efficient and compliant.

Resources:

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News

Students (from left) Harman Zhang, Sara Duan, Justin Dong, Noa Avitan and David Pham

Informatics team helps music streamer earn money for artists

Thursday, May 22, 2025
For a music creator, getting paid by listeners around the world should be as simple as a fan clicking “subscribe.” But for many artists in less developed countries, existing streaming platforms make that difficult or out of reach.An...
Read more
Alex Heller, Alina Weseloh and Ilias Bowen-Sicalides

MLIS team preserves a piece of radio history

Friday, May 16, 2025
From 1973 to 2011, the Evergreen Radio Reading Service served blind and print-disabled listeners across the state of Washington. Now, with its recordings stored in a fragile audio archive and at risk of permanent loss, a team of MLIS...
Read more

Events

May 28
 
4:00-5:00PM

MLIS Law Librarianship Information Session

Zoom / Online
May 29
 
5:30-6:30PM

iSchool Library Leadership Spotlight Series: Melody Sky Weaver

Virtual
May 30
 
11:30-1:15PM

Faculty Meeting

Bloedel Hall 070
Jun 2
 
12:00-1:00PM

MSIM Mid-Career Last Chance Q&A

Zoom / Online
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© 2025 UW Information School
Box 352840 - Mary Gates Hall, Ste. 370
Seattle, WA 98195-2840
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206-685-9937
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