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SUPPORTING SILS
“With its magnificent new building as a laboratory for the school, such an institution would not only be in harmony with the program on which the University has embarked, it would offer opportunity... to tap the vast reservoir of human knowledge.”
—Louis Round Wilson (1876-1979)
Founder, School of Information and Library Science

Louis Round Wilson

Dr. Wilson served as the director of the School from 1932-1942.

More than 70 years ago, UNC librarian and educator Louis Round Wilson crafted an extraordinary vision. He wanted to educate professionals who could connect people to information. Through the years, our school has remained true to Dr. Wilson's dream even as we have embraced technological advances and the emergence of the information science field.

As a leader in the field, the School has earned a reputation for excellence in teaching and research. In the most recent rankings of library and information science programs, U.S. News & World Report ranked the School first in the nation. Our goal is simple: to produce graduates ready to face the ever-changing call for information in today's world. Underlying that commitment is the belief that we can serve the public good by putting information to use in the real world through education and research.

Through more than seven decades of excellence, Dr. Wilson's vision has endured, prospered and grown. However, the School's success has been dependent on more than just dreams. Even in the very beginning, the School enjoyed substantial private support. The Carnegie Corporation's $100,000 grant in 1929 enabled the University to establish the School.

Now, our generation must step forward to carry on Dr. Wilson's work. As a visionary, Dr. Wilson would also recognize the need to invest in the School today so that it can remain a national leader in its field for another seven decades and beyond.

Please join with us in making a worthy investment in our students, our faculty, our School, our University and our future. Learn how you can contribute, or see more detailed information about why SILS needs your support: