Perceptions of the information professions: A study of students in the Master of Information Studies Program at a Canadian University

This paper provides a preliminary report of a 5-year study that looks at graduate students’ perceptions of the information professions, and examines if and how perceptions change as they progress through their program of study, as well as over the years. The survey population is made up of students in the three streams of study (archives, information systems, and library and information science) at the Faculty of Information Studies (FIS) at the University of Toronto. The data, gathered from three iterations of a self-administered questionnaire over one and a half years, includes demographic profiles, as well as students’ views on the social status of various professions, including archivists and records analysts. Also included are students’ views on how much computing knowledge is required, salary expectations, career prospects, expectations for career and personal achievements, and reasons for pursuing the master’s degree. We examine differences between students in different streams of study, and differences between groups of respondents surveyed at different points in time. We hope that our findings will help us improve recruitment of individuals into the information professions.