The School was an independent institution from 1956 to 2013. It was founded in 1956 and replaced the Danish State Library School that had been established in 1918. In 1973, RSLIS set up a library school branch in Aalborg. Up to 1969 RSLIS offered a sandwich course leading solely to the qualification of public librarian. Those graduating with the Diploma in public librarianship would take up positions as librarians in public libraries (Section I). In 1969, RSLIS extended its course offerings to include a specialised diploma programme directed towards national, research and academic libraries (within the framework of Section II). In 1985, the two bifurcated librarianship programmes were merged into a joint library degree programme. In 1998, the School was granted university status and in 2004 the first PhD thesis in Library and Information Science was defended - and in 2006 the first doctoral degree was awarded. In 2010, the institution changed its Danish name from Danmarks Biblioteksskole to Det Informationsvidenskabelige Akademi.

On April 1, 2013, the RSLIS was merged into the University of Copenhagen.

The School offers an undergraduate Bachelor of Library and Information Science, a so-called Librarian IVA qualification, a 2-year Master of Library and Information Science (M.L.I.Sc. degree) along with a PhD degree programme. Also offered are a range of specialised courses including a one-year, post-professional Master of Library and Information Science degree, diploma courses as well as continuing education options including short courses and theme-days.

In 2008, the contents of the 3-year Bachelor of Library and Information Science course have been revised with the focus now mainly being placed at knowledge design and knowledge media. Students are offered course units and seminar options covering, among other things, media theories, forms of knowledge, information architecture, information seeking and retrieval, communication, knowledge management and user behaviour.

The two-year Master of Library and Information Science degree programme was also revised in 2008 thus providing students with new possibilities of taking options covering constituting as well as free modules. The constituting modules are rooted in the School’s six research programmes with the free modules to a greater extent being offered in relation to specific research fields and having the nature of scientific workshop. Students are also offered the possibility of toning their individual programmes in the context of the Masters programme.