The four-year program enables students to graduate with both a Bachelor of Information Technology degree from Carleton University and a Library and Information Technician diploma from Algonquin College. In four years, graduates obtain what would otherwise take 6 years to complete. The program provides students with a broad understanding of information management, as well as specific capabilities in managing digital resources as these affect research data, websites and social media. Such skills are especially important now that the library and information technology field has moved beyond the traditional library setting to encompass a wide range of occupations in both the private- and public-sectors.

Organizations create and use an unprecedented amount of digital data, which has fundamentally changed the ways in which we work, communicate and provide services. Advances in information technology have created increased demand from employers for graduates with expanded technology skills to manage digital information.

This skill set includes a broad understanding of information management, as well as specific capabilities in managing digital resources such as research data, websites and social media. This provides an important context as education in the library and information technology field moves beyond the traditional library setting to encompass a wide range of occupations in both the private and public sectors.

These developments have prompted Carleton University and Algonquin College to work together to develop a new program to meet the needs of a changing information economy. The IRM program provides the opportunity to learn about information systems in both the classroom and the real world. The IRM program provides the opportunity to learn about information systems in both the classroom and the real world. Once registered in the IRM program, students are members of both Algonquin and Carleton. Both institutions offer the benefit of outstanding facilities, teaching staff, resources and expertise.

Future opportunities

Graduates from the IRM program will have both a degree and a diploma, opening the door to a broad range of career opportunities to manage digital resources and services. Career paths include: Information Management, Research Institutes, Research Data Management, Library Services (academic and public libraries), Web Services and Database Development, Web Design, and E-Commerce.

Graduates of the program will have a marketable skill set and a number of competitive advantages in the employment market including practical job related experience gained through practicum and senior year projects. These projects are supervised by professionals working in fields related to information technology, including some from Carleton’s MacOdrum Library. A focus on information management and the French requirement will mean that graduates are also competitive for employment in the federal government.