Alexandria Project Laboratory (http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/ci/aplab).  The APLab is a research laboratory that aims to study "the library function" or the organization and provision of access to information. The laboratory will attack problems in a sharply focused, time-limited fashion with the goal of providing meaningful solutions or analyses on a contract basis for clients or member organizations. The laboratory will also study issues of a broader nature with results applicable to the larger world of digital libraries, networks, and information agencies. The name of the laboratory recalls the library at Alexandria, the first in the western world, and has been chosen to reflect the continuity of library goals and objectives.

Center for Communication and Health Issues (http://commhealthissues.rutgers.edu).  CHI is a consortium of university faculty, health educators, counselors, residence life staff, enforcement personnel, and graduate and undergraduate students who are leaders in creating an understanding of the role of communication and health issues in the college learning experience through research, education, prevention, program development, and evaluation.  CHI is dedicated to conducting research on communication and health issues affecting college students and to designing, implementing, and evaluating campus and community-based education, intervention, and prevention programs. CHI is founded on the belief that communication is an integral part of the relationally based nature of health issues. The focus of CHI's current work is dangerous drinking in the college environment.

Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Information Privacy and Security (www.scils.rutgers.edu/ci/isips).  ISIPS provides a nexus for the interplay of human behavioral sciences, information processing and retrieval, natural and computer languages, and organizational research. This nexus is relevant to many kinds of research initiatives; initially the center is focusing on issues of homeland security, safety, privacy, and related issues. The research integrates information science, human behavior, and individual and organizational communication and training. This program is distinguished in these ways: the human user of systems and/or the user's community is at the focus of research; concern with issues of privacy and individual rights are given primary weight in analyzing alternatives and designing systems; and a track record of collaboration by scholars across multiple disciplines ensuring that funds will be used to build new bridges.

Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries (cissl.scils.rutgers.edu).  CISSL is the leading international research and scholarly center that examines the dynamics and impacts of school libraries on student learning. CISSL fosters the transformative role of school libraries in 21st-century schools, their integral role in the learning fabric of schools, and their role in ongoing school improvement and reform.

CISSL provides the international community of scholars and practitioners an arena to develop and exchange research-enhancing learning in school libraries worldwide. The center is: a locus of intellectual life and research exploring school libraries; a center for professional development; a resource for school librarians throughout the world; a key player in the growing global network of scholarship and the practical application of that scholarship to school libraries internationally.

Center for Media Studies (www.mediastudies.rutgers.edu).  The Center for Media Studies is concerned with the impact of media on contemporary society. Through research, teaching, public events, and outreach, the center seeks ways for the media to better serve the public interest. It brings faculty and students together from diverse departments at each of Rutgers' campuses to work with citizens, educators, foundations, government agencies, and media professionals.

Center for Mobile Communication Studies (www.scils.rutgers.edu/ci/cmcs).  The Center for Mobile Communication Studies is the world's first academic unit to focus solely on the social aspects of mobile communication. Established in June 2004, the center has become an international focal point for research, teaching, and service on the social, psychological, and organizational consequences of the burgeoning mobile communication revolution. Center staff conduct leading-edge investigations into how mobile communication is affecting human behavior as well as mobile technology's long-term organizational and policy implications. The center helps develop innovative courses to enhance student understanding of mobile communication. Its activities deepen the communication department's core focus on mediated communication in undergraduate and graduate coursework and outreach. The center provides critical commentary and advice for public and nonprofit groups and assists private sector organizations through research, information dissemination, and expert consultation. The center hosts visiting scholars and conducts international workshops. Linkages are encouraged with area scholars and organizations that share research interests.

Journalism Resources Institute (www.scils.rutgers.edu/jri).  JRI serves as a bridge between the classroom and the newsroom.  JRI offers seminars, workshops, conferences, symposia, visiting lectureships, research, and special fellowship opportunities. Professional development opportunities for journalists and other media professionals are a high priority. Students and faculty cooperate in courses, research internships, and work-study programs. The institute develops curriculum-related projects at the undergraduate and graduate levels as part of its professional continuing education series. The JRI has extensive experience training print, broadcast, and online journalists and assisting universities with curriculum development in Eastern Europe, South Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. The JRI has devoted attention to the impact of the mass media on: the civil and criminal justice system; environmental and life-quality issues; urban and metropolitan affairs; minority concerns; government and public policy; culture and the arts; issues of aging; mental health concerns; and information policy over a broad spectrum.

It has conducted funded projects in most of these areas. With support from the Merck Foundation, the JRI established the Merck Science Journalism Student Awards program, which brings faculty and students from major universities to Rutgers each year for seminars with top scientists and journalists who specialize in health and science coverage. JRI has also run a series of practical training seminars for the New Jersey Press Association.

Organizational Development and Leadership (www.cdl.rutgers.edu/index.html).  ODL is a resource to Rutgers, and to higher education, more generally, in the effort to advance university leadership and organizational effectiveness through assessment, planning, and service improvement. It provides department leaders with a model for achieving their goals by building the internal capacity for assessment, strategic planning, and continuous improvement. Through ODL's core program areas, individuals and organizations can develop the expertise necessary to address immediate and long-term issues and maintain organizational excellence overtime.