According to an anonymous comment, the Dean’s reaction to the creation of this site and the content of our posts was not to evaluate her design and implementation of the SILS site or to to take a hard look at the public image she has created for Pratt SILS. No, instead Dean Giannini decided she wanted to root out the SSS rabble rousers and…do something to us. We find it fascinating that the Dean’s response was immediately punitive, rather than reflective. Not surprising, but certainly fascinating.
How can we discuss the core values of librarianship, including freedom of expression and privacy while the Dean of our School of Information and Library Science wants to hunt down bloggers writing about the School’s site, how it impacts students, faculty, and alumni, and how the site itself reflects an overall Luddite sensibility within the School’s administration?
Nonetheless, SSS knows Tula will not ask herself this question and posing it any other way is an exercise in futility and, apparently, dangerous to your academic (or professional?) career. No wonder SILSA has quietly created a site that incorporates IA and stopped wasting their breath trying to convince the Dean to improve the SILS site. No wonder they have not acted as student advocates in this regard. Why publicly challenge Tula when she has shown she will punish those who don’t fall in line?
Duly noted, anonymous commenter and thank you for the warning. SSS will be watching its back at the Pratt Institute School of Information and Library Science. A sad state of affairs, no?
SILS Site Sucks 
..a sad state of affairs, indeed. But not surprising, given the autocratic nature of SILS administration.
I have to say that, even as a person not at the school, the sils site does in fact suck.
i am impressed with the students for putting this blog together to effect change in their educational institution’s street cred.
It’s clear that all the admin need to do is listen to the students, spend some money on a web developer and make the site awesome.
Sils clearly has smart students and if the dean is smart, she will join the 21st century and embrace the community that clearly cares about their education and the way it looks on the internet!
May the sils students triumph in their mission to have school pride on the internet!
It seems that the dean is not to be trusted. She had better get used to the fact that we are all adults and have a right to express our opinions about our own ( and expensive) education–and the way our school is seen by others . Does not the dean realize that the poor website is not only a reflection on her , but also on the entire school?
I came across the Library Journal article on this even today and I am really horrified by how blatantly cruel this blog is. The Pratt SILS website is not that bad–I have seen worse. Can you do better? Do you have the web skills to make this site better? If not, then just relax and lay off the designers of this site! Someone obviously put hard work into it and your lack of appreciation seems very naive, amateur and disrespectful. If you want better–make a better site yourself and present it them! I don’t think you realize the resources that go into making a website.
cruel? many have the skills to make the site better, but the one person in charge of the site wants to be in control. There is no team of designers. If ask, many would contribute to the site.
The sad fact is that Pratt SILS students CAN do better–if asked. The “horrified” individual does not seem to realize that SILS students have the necessary knowledge, experience and desire to improve the image of their school–an image that is out there on the Web for all to see.
One individual controls the site and will offer excuse after excuse why the site is so poor. ..and it is poor. That individual will also offer self-serving statements to LJ to make herself look good. Sites from other library and information science schools put the SILS site to shame. Pratt/SILS students know the score when it comes to who insists on controlling things–and who would love to know who started this blog. Of course anyone who is critical of the dean and who writes criticisms of her actions on this blog is guilty by association. So bloggers beware…heaven forbid that you exercise your rights of free expression.
[…] Dean Giannini about the SILS site have been attempted several times, and she has always been both defensive of the site and dismissive of any offers to work with her to improve it. Many students have volunteered their […]
The Dean doesn’t need to ask, the above statement:
“Many students have volunteered their time and expertise to make the site a highly useful informational tool for the school, and nothing has come of it”
Is absolutely true. That horrified commenter has obviously never been around Pratt SILS. I am horrified that I paid all of this money for a degree and that site is the unprofessional public face that represents my hard work. It’s affects me personally and professionally.
Look at other SILS school websites – even the Queens site was designed by a student. Sure it’s not the best, but the information is easy to find and labeled properly while still maintaining web standards. (it’s still pretty ugly though). Pratt touts themselves as soooo progressive and far ahead of Queens….uh huh.
The redesign of the site will begin in June. So maybe it will be launched in 2015. Horrified commenter – that’s the sort of time frame that we get used to at Pratt SILS, so if you think all this is harsh, the truth sucks too, but it needs to be said.