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April 8, 2009

The skills learned at SCILS will outlive name

Courier-News Online

April 8, 2009

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When the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies was created at Rutgers University in 1982, few bothered saying the whole cumbersome name. The school was known by its initials, SCILS, and pronounced "Skills."

Last week, the university Board of Governors accepted a faculty recommendation and voted to drop Library Studies from the name, shortening it to the School of Communication and Information, or SCI. So what will it be? "Ski" or "Sky?" "Sigh," perhaps.

According to the university, the shorter name eliminates confusion surrounding the school's identity. While everyone knew it as "Skills," it was anyone's guess what the acronym stood for. "A more general name can be more inclusive and easier for people to understand," said Dean Jorge Reina Schement.

Who known, for example, that the school formerly known as SCILS has studies in radio and television, public relations and journalism? As a sign of the times, it is creating new studies in Competencies for the Digital Age.

The dean insists the name change will not alter the focus of the school, or in any way diminish the role of library studies. No one will notice the difference, other than the fact that the name will take less space. If anything, the school's faculty could have edited the name even further and renamed it the School of Communication. Period.

The dean is justifiably proud of the fact that the school's programs are consistently ranked among the top in the nation. The school's library media specialization is ranked No. 1 by U.S. News and World Report.

"These rankings highlight our investment and commitment to library programs," said Schement.

The change, approved by the faculty by a vote of 30-10, does not sit well with some students and alumni. "There is a communication identification with libraries and librarians, and by removing this from the name of the institution, you're breaking it," said Maurice Freedman, who earned a doctorate from the school.

Ironically, the removal of the name "libraries" comes at a time when libraries are seem as more important as ever. The Home News Tribune, and other media outlets, have produced recent stories about how area residents are drawn to libraries in numbers not seen before.

Librarians are reporting that residents are drawn to the free services — including a variety of DVDs, the traditional selection of books and the availability of Internet access at no cost.

When the Rutgers Athletic Center was opened in 1977, the name was immediately shortened to the RAC, pronounced "The Rack." Though the arena was later given the name of a donor, and is officially called the Louis Brown Athletic Center, most people still call it "The Rack."

We imagine the school now known as SCI will still be called "Skills."

As long as the mission does not change, and the changing of the name does nothing to those ratings, the school will stand tall.

Posted by tumulty at April 8, 2009 6:54 PM

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