In 1971 the School of Information Sciences was established as the Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences. Preparation for careers in library work, however, date at least to the 1912 summer session, which offered courses in library work for teachers and students, followed by the 1928 establishment within the College of Liberal Arts (now College of Arts and Sciences) of an undergraduate program that prepared school librarians. This program was moved to the College of Education, which established a Department of Library Service. In 1958 the College of Education introduced a master’s degree in instructional material, and in 1964 this degree was redesignated as a master’s in library service.
Approval for a new graduate school of library and information sciences was granted by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission in May 1970, and the new Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences opened in July 1971 with the faculty of the former Department of Library Service. The school has been accredited since 1972 by the American Library Association. The school was merged into the College of Communications in 2002 to form the College of Communication and Information.