A Pioneering and Independent Spiritchronicles the history of San José State University's Schoolof Library and Information Science as it evolved from asmall school-library training program established in 1928into the largest MLIS degree program in the world. Setwithin the heart of California's Silicon Valley, theSchool's history reflects the dramatic social, economic, andeducational changes resulting from the informationrevolution in the 20th century. From the use of closedcircuit television in the 1950s to microfilmed coursereadings in the 1970s to the delivery of courses on theWorld Wide Web, the School harnessed these new technologiesto keep librarianship relevant as a profession and to makeeducation for the field as widely available as possible. InMarch 2009, they took another bold step by going completelyonline. This means that now they are not only the world'slargest MLIS program, but the first wholly virtual one.Based on extensive research in the university's records, Dr.Hansen shows how the School's tradition of entrepreneurshipand innovation shaped its development between 1928 and 2009and pays tribute to the administrators, faculty, andstudents who contributed to the School's success.