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The need for information is lifelong, although the nature of that need evolves and changes as people move from one stage of life to another. From early childhood through the later phases of life, people need information to enrich their lives and to perform daily tasks. The Lifelong Access concentration focuses on the information behavior of individuals as members of a defined group. Groups may be defined by age (i.e., young children, youth, adults, seniors), life activities (i.e., elementary students, undergraduates, parents, caregivers), job or profession (i.e., physicians, chemists, teachers, scholars), avocation or hobby (i.e., genealogist, sports coach, amateur chef), and numerous other attributes (i.e., newly arrived immigrants, consumers, medical patients).

A student in the Lifelong Access concentration will learn to:

• Identify information user groups and their characteristics, needs, and behaviors
• Relate demographic, social, economic, technological, and cultural trends to information needs and behaviors
• Design new resources and services and evaluate existing ones to ensure that they are responsive to the needs of specific information users
• Develop and maintain partnerships between libraries and other organizations to meet information needs and to contribute to lifelong learning

A student pursuing a concentration in Lifelong Access may select one group to study in depth or may pursue a broad concentration that explores and relates the concepts of information users and information environments in a general way. Five sub-concentrations will be available at the College in the near future: Children and Information; Academic Information Users; Practicing Professionals; Senior Adults; Homogeneous Groups within the General Public.

In overview, the Lifelong Access concentration coursework requirements are:
4 MLS core courses
1 MLS management course
1 course focused on the information user
1 course focused on the information setting
4 courses specific to the concentration or sub-concentration
1 elective

General Concentration Requirements*
A student in the Lifelong Access concentration must fulfill these requirements.

MLS Core Courses	LBSC 601 Information Use LBSC 650 Information Access LBSC 670 Information Structure LBSC 690 Information Technology
MLS Management Course	LBSC 635 Management and Administration for the Information Professional [or one of its predecessor courses]
User-Focused Course	One course selected from among: LBSC 625 Information Policy LBSC 647 Children's Services in the Public Library LBSC 702 User Instruction LBSC 708E Communities of Practice and Online Communities LBSC 708K Children’s Programs and Services LBSC 735 Legal Issues in Managing Information
Setting-Focused Course	One course selected from among: LBSC 707 Field Study in Library Science LBSC 724 Public Library Seminar LBSC 734 Seminar in the Academic Library LBSC 737 Seminar in the Special Library and Information Center
Concentration Required Courses	Four courses as specified for the concentration or sub-concentration**: Select from User-Focused Courses OR LBSC 645 Literature and Materials for Children LBSC 646 Literature and Materials for Young Adults LBSC 708C Collection Development LBSC 708J Consumer Health Information Services and Sources LBSC 745 Storytelling Materials and Techniques LBSC 751 Information Access in the Humanities LBSC 752 Information Access in the Arts LBSC 753 Information Access in the Social Sciences LBSC 756 Information Access in Science and Technology LBSC 762 Abstracting and Indexing Sources in Health Sciences LBSC 766 Access to Business Information LBSC 767 Access to Federal Government Information
Elective	One graduate level course approved by the student’s advisor.

*New courses will be phased in over time.
**Courses from other units may be appropriate (e.g., Curriculum and Instruction – EDCI; Department of Human Development – EDHD)