LIBR 200-05
Information and Society
Fall 2006 Greensheet
Charlotte Ford
E-mail
Phone: (408)924-2502
Office: Clark Hall 418E(San José)
Office Hours: MTW 9-2 and after class
| Greensheet Links Textbooks Course Requirements |
Resources Blackboard Blackboard Tutorials |
The Blackboard site for this class will open for self-enrollment on August 21. I will provide you with a password access code using the MySJSU messaging system. You should be enrolled by August 24, 2006 (the first day of class).
Course Description
A class designed to explore the complex social, economic, historical, and technological developments that influence the impact of information on society. The mission, values, and ethics of information professionals are also analyzed.
Course Objectives
At the completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Describe the role of information from historical, current, and future perspectives
- Identify the various information sectors
- Describe and evaluate issues involved in creating and disseminating information in society, with particular attention paid to information literacy
- Understand the role of libraries and their relationships to other information providers
- Identify and discuss the major values and codes of ethics associated with the information professions
- Describe the impact of cultural diversity on the provision of user services by librarians and other information professionals
- Describe and discuss important economic and policy issues related to the creation and dissemination of information
- Understand and have experience with different forms and genres of professional writing
Student Learning Objectives:
- Know the foundations and structure of the information profession
- Locate, evaluate, and utilize scholarly and professional literature
- Demonstrate in-depth understanding of major issues in library and information science
LIBR 200 supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:
- articulate the ethics, values and foundational principles of library and information professionals and their role in the promotion of intellectual freedom;
- compare the environments and organizational settings in which library and information professionals practice;
- recognize the social, cultural and economic dimensions of information use;
- understand the nature of research, research methods and research findings; retrieve, evaluate and synthesize scholarly and professional literature for informed decision-making by specific client groups.
Textbooks
Required Texts
The texts are available through amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, etc.:
- Rubin, R.E. (2004). Foundations of library and information science (2nd ed.). New York: Neal-Schuman.
- American Psychological Association (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, D.C.: APA.
Additional Readings
Additional required readings will be made available online, through the course Blackboard site.
Course Requirements
Complete the New Student Technology Course
This is a mandatory short, self-paced online course on Blackboard that must be completed by all new SLIS students before orientation. The access code for this course will be sent to new students via MySJSU by July 1st. If you have questions about this course, e-mail Debbie Faires or Dale David.
For more information, see http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/slis/blackboardintro.htm
Course Format
Blackboard will be used extensively in this course. There are also four (4) required face-to-face meetings:
- August 24
- September 21
- October 19
- November 30
Meetings will be in Clark Hall 304, 10am-4pm.
Blackboard
The Blackboard site for this class will open for self-enrollment on August 21. I will provide you with a password access code using the MySJSU messaging system. You should be enrolled by August 24, 2006 (the first day of class). As we will only meet face-to-face four times, a number of class discussions and activities will take place via Blackboard. It is crucial that you log in every few days between meetings. The SLIS Blackboard site is located at http://tigris.sjsu.edu and tutorials are available at http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/blackboard.
Expectations
As a graduate student, you are expected to:
- Read and carefully consider all readings.
- Fully participate in all class activities and discussions.
- Complete all assignments on time.
- Inform the instructor if you have an illness or emergency which requires you to miss class or to request an extension on an assignment. If a legitimate emergency should arise, we will negotiate future action; otherwise, there will be a penalty for work turned in after the assigned date.
Assignments
The assignments for this course are:
- Journal / association analysis
Working with a classmate, you will prepare two analyses – one of a professional journal and one of a significant professional association – for submission to the class discussion board. - LIS resource review
You will write a critical review of an important resource in the field of Library & Information Science, and will present this resource to the class at one of our meetings. - Article critique
You will read, analyze, and respond to two articles on the values, ethics, or future of information professionals. - Annotated bibliography
In order to jump-start your research paper, you will locate and evaluate 12-15 sources relevant to your topic and create an annotated bibliography of those sources (in APA style). - Research paper
This is your chance to explore, in depth, a significant issue of interest to the LIS community. Early in the semester you will identify an issue that piques your interest; you will research it thoroughly in order to produce a 15-20 page paper (written in APA style). Your paper should show evidence of careful research and critical analysis, and should be thoughtfully constructed and clearly written. At least 20 sources should be included in the list of works cited. - Participation
A portion of the overall grade is allocated for class participation. For the purposes of this class, participation includes attendance, thoughtful contribution to class discussions and other activities (face-to-face and online), and demonstration that you are making an effort to master the material covered in the course.
More details on the assignments, and a list of due dates, will be provided in Blackboard.
Grading
Summary of assignments and their worth:
| Assignment | % of final grade |
| Journal / association analysis | 10% |
| LIS resource review | 10% |
| Article critique | 15% |
| Annotated bibliography | 20% |
| Research paper | 30% |
| Class participation | 15% |
Evaluation
Your work will be evaluated according to four criteria; it should:
- Be clearly written or presented
- Display familiarity with the appropriate literature and/or bibliographic tools
- Show insight into the concepts and/or issues in question
- Demonstrate a degree of originality
Grading Scale
The standard SJSU SLIS Grading Scale is utilized for all SLIS courses:
| 97-100 | A |
| 94-96 | A- |
| 91-93 | B+ |
| 88-90 | B |
| 85-87 | B- |
| 82-84 | C+ |
| 79-81 | C |
| 76-78 | C- |
| 73-75 | D+ |
Academic Integrity
Your own commitment to learning, as evidenced by your enrollment at San José State University, and the University's Academic Integrity Policy requires you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty are required to report all infractions to the Office of Judicial Affairs. The policy on academic integrity can be found at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/F06-1.pdf
Reasonable Accommodation of Disabilities
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability,
please e-mail me as soon as possible. Presidential Directive 97-03 requires
that students with disabilities register with the Disability Resource Center
(DRC) to establish record of their disability.
No matter where students reside, they should contact the SJSU DRC to register. The DRC Web site: http://www.drc.sjsu.edu/
School of Library & Information Science
One Washington Square - San José, California USA, 95192-0029
Phone: 408-924-2490
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