In 1911, it was a library school founded by Harriet Howe, Josephine Meissner, William E. Henry and Charles W. Smith, established in response to a growing need in the Western United States for highly trained, well-prepared librarians.

[3] Prior to 1911, librarians in the Pacific Northwest were trained through a six-week summer course offered at the University of Washington.

The minor complements a variety of majors on campus by offering students an opportunity to learn about data, design, policy, ethics, and code in order to solve information problems.

The Informatics minor is open (not competitive or capacity-constrained, unlike most UW majors to which students must apply).

Graduates work in a variety of professional areas and positions, including, but not limited to: The MLIS is the iSchool's oldest degree.

[10] The UW iSchool’s law librarianship program provides the highest level of preparation for a career in legal information.

The curriculum blends a strong theoretical foundation in the principles of information science with the specialized legal research, technological and operational background they will need to thrive as a law librarian.

[11] The Founding Board offers strategic advice to the dean with a focus on building awareness of and attracting resources to the Information School.

The school is in Mary Gates Hall, one of several university buildings bordering Drumheller Fountain.

Formerly known as the Physics Building, it was renamed in 1995 after receipt of a $10 million gift from the family of Mary Maxwell Gates.

[15] In 1999 a $35 million[16] expansion added updated classrooms and computer labs, office spaces, and commons, transforming the 1928 historic building and 1949 addition into a 175,000-square-foot quadrangle with a skylit commons at its center and a new main entry facing Suzzallo Library.