Creation and loss of sociotechnical capital among information professionals educated online

One goal of library and information science (LIS) education is for graduates to engage with the profession and interact with one another throughout their careers. The increase over the last decade in online distance learning options for LIS students presents a challenge to educators with respect to this goal: are students who earn the degree online sufficiently connected with one another to encourage the growth of lasting and productive professional networks? This article examines this question by looking at creation and loss of sociotechnical capital among LIS distance education graduates. The findings indicate that LIS educators should consider sociotechnical capital issues at the individual, interpersonal, and cohort level to support shared, lasting professional contributions.