Indexes:
Homepage
Professional Index
Personal Index

E.'s Campus Involvement:
UNT / SLIS
LIT Group
TxCDK
Digital Storytelling Group
Beta Phi Mu
UNT Faculty Senator

E.'s National/State Organization Involvement:
Storytelling Association
SHE-SIG
ASIST
ACM
TLA
ALA
ALISE
MLA

Associate Editor:
Storytelling, Self, Society

E.'s Publicly
Available Resources: ¹
Storytelling
Websites

Information Access and Retrieval Resource Websites

History and Culture of Youth Information Services Websites

Graphic Novels &
Comics Websites

LIS Employment
Resources

Terminology Resources
for LIS Professionals

Citation/Bibliographic
Resources

Interviews and Stories

Spring 2004
Storytelling Concert

Mini-Mester 2004
Storytelling Concert

Spring 2005
Storytelling Concert

Mini-Mester 2005
Storytelling Concert

Spring 2006
Storytelling Concert

Summer 2006
Storytelling Concert

¹ Websites publicly available; additions/corrections
are welcomed.

Photo/Image:
 Image from the
 Eastwood Ceiling Tile
 Digital Image Project.
 Used with permission.
  © Cheri Eastwood, 2004.

Graduate Academic Certificate
in YOUTH SERVICE Advisees' Page

Welcome to SLIS!  Part of our culture as library and information sciences professionals is to come up with an acronym for everything, so now you know that "SLIS" represents the School of Library and Information Sciences!  I think you have made a very good decision coming to this school. I hope to contribute to making your experience a very positive one that will meet your educational goals as you pursue a Graduate Academic Certificate.

The Graduate Academic Certificate in Youth Services in Libraries and Information Settings is approved by the UNT Toulouse School of Graduate Studies and is aligned with guidelines set forth by the national Council of Graduate Schools.  All of the coursework for the Academic Certificate is completed 100% online (no campus visits required) and is intended for two audiences:

1.  Bachelor's or Master's degreed individuals who want to develop or enhance their knowledge of Youth Services in Libraries by taking Master's-level courses and receiving an Academic Certificate.
2.  Master’s degreed library and information science professionals who want to develop expertise in Youth Services in Libraries and receive an Academic Certificate.  

Required Courses for the Graduate Academic Certificate in Youth Services in Libraries and Information Settings (12 Hours)
There are four courses required to earn your Graduate Academic Certificate.  The courses are taught by full-time members of the graduate faculty:

Required Courses:

SLIS 5420 – Literature for Youth (3 hours).
SLIS 5430 – Information Services for Youth (3 hours) OR SLIS 5400 Information Resources Development
SLIS 5440 – Storytelling for Information Professionals (3 hours)
Plus one of the following courses: 
SLIS 5685 – Information Resources and Services in Culturally Diverse Communities (3 hours).
OR
SLIS 5208 – Learning Resources Organization and Media (3 hours).
OR
SLIS 5210 – Organization and Control of Information Resources I.  (3 hours)

WHO I ADVISE
You have been assigned to me as your advisor by the SLIS front office staff.  I am the "official" faculty advisor for students enrolled in the Master's Degree in Youth Librarianship Program of Study and for students enrolled in the Graduate Academic Certificate in Youth Services in Libraries and Information Settings and the Graduate Academic Certificate in Storytelling. If you are not in the Youth Librarianship or the Graduate Academic Certificate programs, please let me know so that I can ensure you are assigned to the proper advisor. RED ALERT:  I do not advise students in the School Librarianship Program. If you are interested in School Librarianship and want to obtain School Library Certification with the State of Texas, it is required that you be advised by either Dr. Stein or Dr. Simpson.  Please call the SLIS Office at the toll-free number (877) 275-7547 if you need to change your advisor. 

ADVISEE CONTACT INFORMATION FORM
As a first order of business, I would like to collect some information from you for my Advisee Database which is kept locally in my office. If you are a *new* advisee of mine, please email me via efiga@lis.admin.unt.edu so we can plan for your classes and getting you started, etc. 

NAVIGATING GRADUATE SCHOOL AND HOW YOUR ADVISOR CAN HELP
Successfully navigating the administrative processes of graduate school or a graduate academic certificate can be a challenge and your part in this process is critical. I pledge to do my best to help you and as a detail-oriented person, I try to ensure that nothing slips through the cracks. I make myself liberally available to students via email and phone and have successfully assisted students via email to solve nearly every problem imaginable.  I  do take one complete day off  per week from my tether to the electronic world to retain my sanity, but I think you'll find me responsive and generally ahead of the game!  As your advisor, I am responsible to you in the following ways:

• Advising you about course selection.

• Approving advising memos.

• Collaborating with Academic Certificate students to prepare your certificate plan and to help enroll you in the Master's program if you have decided to pursue that degree.

• Trouble-shooting problems.

• Assisting with other issues as they occur and require my assistance.

It is your responsibility to help yourself succeed here!  I can't help you if I don't know your problem and there are many resources to help you understand how processes work. The first thing I recommend is becoming familiar with the SLIS Website.  The site, located at http://www.unt.edu/slis/, has critical information with which you should become familiar sooner rather than later. 

MY CONTACT INFORMATION
I can always be found/reached via the SLIS Faculty page. You may call me by going through the SLIS office and the toll-free number (877) 275-7547 or by calling the direct line to my office phone is (940) 565-2187. My email address is efiga@lis.admin.unt.edu. As an additional point of note, via the faculty page you can learn more about the faculty, their courses, their research interests, etc.  

SLIS STAFF CONTACT INFORMATION
There are some very important people you need to know to successfully navigate your way through your program and those are the members of the SLIS Office Staff. They know everything or can find out the answer. THEY ARE THE DIVAS OF SLIS! You can reach them via the SLIS Staff page or by calling (940) 565-3561 or the toll-free number at (877) 275-7547. There is one cardinal rule for all advisees to remember:  If you have a dire need and can't reach me, contact the SLIS Office Staff or Dean Turner at pturner@lis.admin.unt.edu.

SCHEDULING AN ADVISING APPOINTMENT
Call the SLIS office to learn the day/time of my advising hours. Advising appointments are limited to 20 minutes, which for most students is adequate time if you are prepared.  Please schedule an in-person or telephone advising appointment calling the SLIS Office directly at (940) 565-3561 or via the toll-free number at (877) 275-7547.  If I don't have an advising appointment available for a time that works for you, please email me right away so I can set up an alternate time with you.  The tradition at SLIS is for students to call at the appointment time.  Be prepared for your advising appointment. This means you have in front of you copies of the schedule of upcoming SLIS course offerings, the list of courses in the SLIS rotation, and a copy of your degree plan if we have done that.  You need to think in advance about what classes  you want to take and when you want to take them. You should have a proposal for your course agenda ready to talk about!  I will consider your choices and make recommendations if you ask for them.  You should always plan your courses by the schedules on the SLIS Website and not the University catalog.  Here are the pertinent links so you can prepare for your advising appointments:

LINK TO SLIS COURSE SCHEDULES:
http://www.unt.edu/slis/courses/schedules/index.htm

LINK TO SLIS COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:
http://www.unt.edu/catalogs/2002-03/gclibrary.html

LINK TO SLIS COURSE ROTATIONS: http://www.unt.edu/slis/courses/schedules/CourseRotation.pdf

LINK TO SLIS COURSE SYLLABI AND TEXTBOOK INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS:
http://web2.unt.edu/cdl/CDL_ECAMPUS/default.cfm Follow these instructions:

• In the left hand column, choose COURSES.
• At the prompt choose SEMESTER
• At the prompt choose LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCES
• Scroll the list and look for your COURSE NAME & NUMBER.
• Click on the link for SECTION Information and you can get course description and book information.
• If there is NO information available, please email the professor. You can find the professor's email addresses by visiting the SLIS Faculty Website located at: http://www.unt.edu/slis/people/faculty/index.htm

REGISTERING FOR CLASSES
There are several important links off the SLIS Website related to course registration.  You should become familiar with them.

• Course schedules - this is where you can look to the past, present and future for course offerings.  You should always use the official SLIS schedules for selecting your courses as this is the most accurate and up-to-date list.  The page is located at:  http://www.unt.edu/slis/courses/schedules/index.htm  I suggest you print out these SLIS course schedules  for reference because you will need the exact course name, number/section number, etc., for both your advising memo and your UNT registration. It is often helpful to look at past schedules to get an idea of courses likely to be offered in the future.  Our Deans try to post upcoming semester schedules at the earliest possible time, but as you might guess, this is both tricky and never soon enough!  Official catalog descriptions of courses are available as are syllabi from faculty.

• Advising Memo - the advising memo form is located on the Forms Online at https://osprey.unt.edu/slis/advising/index.htm page and is the first link. Sending in an advising memo is required for you to be released to register for any course and applies to students in both the Master's program or the Academic Certificate. The approval process requires that the advising memo come to your advisor for approval and then it is forwarded to the front office staff for processing.  The form is set up in an easy-to-fill-out format that prompts you for all the required information.  There are two drop-down windows in the form, one for your program of study and the other for your advisor's name.  Once you send your advising memo to me, I will either approve it or email you for discussion.  Once I approve it, I will forward the memo via email to the front office and I will always send you an email copy on this process so you know it is completed.  The SLIS office staff will also send you a reply with the REGISTRATION CODES for your courses -- do not lose that email!  I highly recommend you save copies of all course-related email. Once you are ready, please go ahead and send me your advising memo for the upcoming session/semester. The advising memo form will allow you to fill in as many as six courses for one semester, however, if you are submitting memos for two different semesters (such as Summer II 2001 and Fall 2001), you must fill out separate advising memos for each.  Once you get your codes, you are ready to register for your courses.  For any trouble with registration, you should always call the SLIS office tollfree at 877-265-7547.

• What is my EUID and How do I Get It/Know What It Is?  You will need to set up your EUID before you can register for courses.  Visit https://gwweb6.unt.edu/ams/whatsmyeuid.php  to learn more and set up your EUID.

• How to Register for Classes - Once your advising memo gets to the front office, you will be "processed" to register for that class.  You will need to learn how to register for classes and you can do that by first visiting this Webpage:   http://www.unt.edu/slis/WebReg/WebReg_howto.htm . Students register for courses based upon dates/times that are set alphabetically by your last name and you can find your date and time from the PDF file located at http://www.unt.edu/catalogs/catsched.htm in the section under Academic Calendar. You may register either by phone at (940) 387-9646 or online. Tips for registration can be found at http://essc.unt.edu/registrar/general/checklst.htm. Fill in the teleregistration worksheet found at http://essc.unt.edu/registrar/general/work.htm  and go from there. If you have trouble with registration, the best person to call is Mrs. Taylor at (940) 565-3561.  Information about tuition and fee rate schedules can be found at http://essc.unt.edu/saucs/tuition.htm.

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND WEBPAGES

• SLIS-Announce - I highly recommend all students subscribe to the SLIS-Announce email list..  Details about subscribing are located on the SLIS-Announce page.  This is not a high-volume list and standard practice has important announcements posted that pertain to courses, book availability, graduation, scholarships, online events, SLIS parties, etc.

• Technology Recommendations - To succeed in your course work,  it will be important that you have regular, ongoing access to a computer. SLIS has prepared some technology recommendations to guide you in meeting the minimum expectations for success.

• ADA Information - Any student with a disability that will require accommodation under the terms of federal regulations must let the instructor know on the first day of class and present a written accommodation request to the instructor by the second week of class.  Copies of the University’s ADA Compliance policy are available through the SLIS main office.  It is highly recommended that the student register with the Office of Disability Accommodation at the University of North Texas and learn of other services that may be available to students.

ACADEMIC CERTIFICATE COMPLETION FORM AND REQUEST TO RECEIVE YOUR CERTIFICATE
The University of North Texas will award you an Academic Certificate document suitable for framing which will be sent to you via the U.S. Mail approximately eight weeks after your completion. The Toulouse School of Graduate Studies at the University of North Texas will post your Academic Certificate credential on your official  transcript upon completion of your final course and the certificate filing by the School of Library and Information Sciences. 

Of you have completed all of the courses required, you may submit the Web form below to request your Graduate Academic Certificate. Once submitted, your transcript will be checked for confirmation and then the proper administrative paperwork will be sent to the UNT Graduate School. The Graduate School is responsible for sending your formal Certificate via U.S. Mail in approximately eight weeks. The Academic Certificate credential will also be posted on your UNT transcript.  The form is located here:

http://web2.unt.edu/gac/

CONTINUING ON FOR A MASTER'S DEGREE IN SLIS
You may decide upon the completion your Graduate Academic Certificate that you would like to pursue the Master's degree. All 12 hours of  course work taken for your Academic Certificate will count toward the Master's degree in SLIS and, effectively, you would have 1/3 of your degree completed.  SLIS has nine Master's-level Programs of Study for you to consider.  If you have such an interest, please contact me for follow-up.

I hope you have found this page to be of assistance to you.  I look forward to working with you and wish you great success in pursuit of your future career aspirations.

Always,
E.

This Website was designed and written by Elizabeth Figa.
© Elizabeth Figa 2006
efiga@lis.admin.unt.edu