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The Institute of Library Science ILS was established as a separate degree granting unit in the University of the Philippines offering Bachelor of Library Science (BLS) and later on in 1962 the Master of Library Science was instituted.

UP ILS released the first issue of the Newsletter which was the quarterly information sheet of the Institute.

The first issue of the Journal of Philippine Librarianship was published. This is a semi-annual publication of the ILS and is now the longest running journal in librarianship.

Dr. Ursula G. Picache, then director of the ILS, was made Dean by virtue of the Board of Regents resolution to give the title of Dean to all heads of degree granting units. This makes Dr. Picache the first Dean of the ILS.

The first Gabriel A. Bernardo Memorial Lecture Series was held on March 16, 1974 in honor and in recognition of his contribution to library education. This is an annual event held by the UPSLIS.

UP ILS offered the first Summer Institute on Information Science which is part of the Institutes extension program that served as a venue for updating skills, techniques, and knowledge on varied topics in LIS.  This was offered every year and in cooperation with various organizations. 

The Institute served as host institution for the Post Graduate Training Course for Science Information Specialists in Southeast Asia (PGTCSIS).  This was a Unesco project which aimed to develop capabilities of library and information manpower in the Southeast Asian region among others. Soon thereafter, the UPILS became the venue for training and fellowships as Unesco made available funds for selected students from the region.

In partnership with Unesco, the ILS offered the first Regional Training Course in Computerized Documentation System/Integrated Set of Information Systems (CDS/ISIS).

ILS provided administrative support to the Unesco/IFLA pre-conference on library education on August 11-18, 1980 becoming one of the many international events to be held and hosted. 

 The UPILS was designated by Unesco as the Philippine distribution center of the Micro-CDS/ISIS http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/information-society/open-source-and-low-cost-technologies/information-processing-tools/cdsisis-database-software/

Several training courses were offered to institutions availing of the software for their library databases. 

ILS offered the Diploma in Health Sciences Librarianship and the Diploma in Law Librarianship as post baccalaureate programs to provide the requisite skills to those working in health sciences and law libraries.

ILS celebrated its 30th founding anniversary with a series of programs and activities to include professorial lectures, symposia, outreach programs, and the Gabriel A. Bernardo Memorial Lecture.

UP ILS graduates and students have performed excellently in the first licensure examinations for librarians with eight of them in the top ranking examinees and have continued to do so till now.

The UP ILS moved from its original location to the South Wing of the 3rd Flr of the Gonzales Hall, where it stayed for more than two decades, to make way for what is now the UP Archives

UPILS started to have the sablay as the official academic costume which the University officially adopted in 2000.    

UPILS celebrated its 40th founding anniversary with an Exhibit, Open House, book fair, and career talk.  The Gabriel A. Bernardo Memorial Lecture series was also held and the ILS IT Applications Lab was inaugurated.

During the term of Dean Josephine C. Sison, the Institute changed its name to Institute of Library and Information Science in keeping with the program name changes due to the inclusion of information science courses. The name change was deemed more inclusive of the other courses within the field like archives and records management, Information and Communications Technologies, Informatics etc. Library and Information Studies was also the more accepted nomenclature for the field. The change of name also reflects a broader scope of knowledge and practice that graduates are equipped with.

The Journal of Philippine Librarianship was published online along with other UP Diliman Journals via the UP OVCRDs free online journal system powered by Open Journal Systems. JPL was one of the earlier UPD journals to transition to an online and open access platform for wider dissemination and more convenient submission, review, and access.

The ILIS was changed to School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) where information studies reflects a more accurate depiction of the research and teaching which the faculty and students engage in.

UPSLIS launched its Trivia Book on May 13 which commenced the 50 day countdown to its 50th founding anniversary on July 1.  The Golden Jubilee Celebration was attended by guests from the University and the LIS profession. Former deans, alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends of UPSLIS also graced the event.    

The Institute of Biology building was assigned as the new location for UPSLIS once vacated.

March 18, 2014 marked the 100 years of LIS Education in the Philippines when was offered under the College of Liberal Arts of the University of the Philippines. To commemorate, alumni, students, faculty and staff came together for a short program and get together.

The UPSLIS hosted the 6th Asia Pacific Library and Information Education and Practice Conference with funding support from the University. The keynote speakers were UP President Alfredo E. Pascual and CHED TCLIS Chairperson Hon. Elizabeth E. Peralejo.  It was attended by LIS Educators, researchers, and students from Asia and the Pacific. 

The UPSLIS was the first to be awarded the Center of Excellence in Library and Information Science in recognition of its facultys profile and research productivity,student enrollment and performance, school facilities, library and laboratories, among other aspects.

The School also became a member of the iSchools Consortium, a global organization composed of information schools all over the world that share the objective of advancing the information field and relate information, people and technology. 

The School also started to move to the old Institute of Biology building as the Main Library started to renovate

UPSLIS formalized its membership and partnership with the Southeast Asia-Pacific Audio Visual Archives Association (SEAPAAVA) and co-hosted the conference in Manila. 

The renovation of the SLIS building started.