History and Description of Information Ethics Program

PROFESSOR ALMAGNO'S RETIREMENT

Professor Stephen Almagno, O.F.M., retired at the end of the Fall 2001 term after twenty-nine years of service at the University of Pittsburgh. Professor Almagno taught the Information Ethics course for eleven consecutive years, and is also an internationally recognized expert in the field of information ethics. Professor Almagno is currently retired and living in New York City. He serves on the advisory committee for the Institute for Information Ethics and Policy.

DR. TONI CARBO, INFORMATION ETHICS PROFESSOR

Beginning in the 2002-2003 academic year, Dr. Toni Carbo, Professor in the School of Information Sciences, teaches Information Ethics. She originally developed and co-taught the course with Professor Almagno, and she has continued collaborating with him over the years. Thus, Dr. Carbo brings continuity to the SIS Information Ethics course and builds upon the solid foundation laid by Professor Almagno.

What students and graduates are saying about Information Ethics

"I was once told by a classicist of my acquaintance that the purpose of learning Latin was not so much to learn the language, but to learn how to think. I can say the same about Professor Almagno's course in Information Ethics. As a medical librarian, I know that all the people involved in the information life cycle bring their own particular biases and perspectives to bear on the information product. Information Ethics provides essential tools for producers, managers and consumers of information to assess, evaluate, and understand what they do. I consider this an essential course for survival in the new millenium."

Catherine Arnott Smith, MA, MLIS
Predoctoral Research Fellow
Center for Biomedical Informatics
1999: Information Ethics Student

"Having had the opportunity to study Information Ethics under the direction of Stephen Almagno has proven to be invaluable. Insights Professor Almagno presented in the classroom and in subsequent discussions continue to provoke ethical consideration in my current role as researcher, practioner, and educator. Given the paradigmatic shift in information production, dissemination, and consumption, the importance of ethical deliberation cannot be overemphasized. Ethical reflection, where the information-knowledge-wisdom continuum is concerned, is is no longer a luxury but a necessity."

Jeffrey T. Huber, Ph.D., Research Information Scientist, Eskind Biomedical Library
Research Assistant Professor, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
1990: Information Ethics Student

Chronological Highlights of the Information Ethics at SIS

2007
The School of Information Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh formally established the Institute for Information Ethics and Policy.

2003
The twelfth Information Ethics Fellow, Ryan Robinson, is named for the Spring and Summer Terms. Prof. Toni Carbo teaches the Information Ethics Course.

2002
The eleventh Information Ethics Fellow, Don Ford, is named for the Spring and Summer Terms.

2001
The tenth Information Ethics Fellow, Scott Long, is named for the Fall Term. Prof. Almagno retires from the University of Pittsburgh on December 31, 2001.

2000
The eighth Information Ethics Fellow, Eulalia Roel, is named for the Summer Term,
The ninth Information Ethics Fellow, Audrey Sites, is named for the Fall Term.

1999
The fifth and sixth Information Ethics Fellows, Linda Miller and Bill Jakub, are named for the Summer Term. Nimo Tirimanne continues as the Information Ethics Fellow for the Fall Term along with the seventh Fellow. The Information Ethics Web site is updated and expanded.

1998
The third and fourth Information Ethics Fellows, Amy Fritz and Bonnie Chojnacki, for the Summer and Fall Terms are named.

1997
The first Information Ethics Fellows are named. Summer and Fall term: Barbara Rockenbach. Fall Term: Amanda Utts. Work begins on the Information Ethics Web site.

1996
The School of Library and Information Sciences changes its name to become the School of Information Sciences (SIS).

Dean Carbo honors Professor Almagno's 25 years at the University of Pittsburgh by initiating a program to support his teaching and research in Information Ethics. The Information Ethics Fund is established to support:

an Information Ethics Fellowship;
acquisitions of print and non-print library resource materials; and
travel expenses and honoraria for Dean's Forum Speakers.

1991-1995
Popularity of the Information Ethics course continues to grow, as students from the School of Library and Information Sciences are joined by Business, Law, and Psychology majors, bringing the number of students enrolled to more than 200. The course is offered twice a year, during both the Fall and Summer Terms.

1990
Dean Carbo and Professor Almagno team-teach Information Ethics. This course, offered for the first time at the University of Pittsburgh, is the first course on Information Ethics ever offered in an American library science program. The course was taught during the Fall Term, with 15 students enrolled.

1989
The School of Library and Information Sciences hosts the first "Dean's Forum on Information Ethics," with guest speaker Father Robert Drinan, S.J., Professor of Law and faculty adviser to the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics and former United States Representative from Massachusetts. A list of lectures can be found at the Selected Lectures (the “selected lectures” section of the IE website) page.

1986-1988
Toni Carbo is named Dean of the School of Library and Information Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. Soon after arriving at Pitt, Dean Carbo expresses her interest in promoting education, reflection, and action on the ethical issues facing the information professions. Dean Carbo and Professor Stephen Almagno, O.F.M., work on how to translate Dean Carbo's vision into reality.