LIBR 200-07
Information and Society
Fall 2008 Greensheet
Dr. Linda F. Larkin
E-mail
Office Hours: E-mail and telephone appointments
| Greensheet Links Textbooks and Readings Course Requirements |
Resources Blackboard Blackboard Tutorials SLIS eBookstore |
This course will be delivered entirely online through Blackboard. Students must self-enroll for this course on Blackboard between August 24th and August 31st. You will be required to use a password access code which I will send via the MYSJSU Messaging system prior to August 24th.
Course Description
This course is 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 the course, students should 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 relationship 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 Outcomes:
- 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 course 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;
- Demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations and professional level presentations.
Textbooks and Readings
Required
Rubin, R.E. (2004). Foundations of library and information science (2nd ed.). New
York: Neal-Schuman.
Recommended
American Psychological Association (2001). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, D.C.: APA.
Go to SLIS eBookstore.
Course Requirements
Complete LIBR 203: Online Social Networking: Technology and Tools
This is a mandatory 1 unit course that introduces students to the various e-learning tools used in the SLIS program, including Blackboard, Elluminate and Second Life. This course must be completed by all new SLIS students within the first 4 weeks of their first semester. If you have questions about this course, e-mail Debbie Faires or Dale David.
For more information, see http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/classes/coursedesc.htm
Assignments
More details on the assignments and due dates will be provided on Blackboard.
| Assignments | Percent of Grade |
| Article Critique You will read, analyze, and respond to two articles on the values, ethics, or future of information professionals. |
15% |
| Job Hunt Research Project Write critical essay on job hunting exercise. An analysis of current and future job trends along with job ads utilized and professional literature consulted and evidence of critical reflection on your own educational and employment background relevant to job opportunities and expectations. Your essay should tell what you plan to do over the short and long term to enhance your job prospects. |
15% |
| Annotated Bibliography This assignment gets you started on your research paper by asking you to locate and evaluate 12 - 15 sources pertinent to your paper topic. Instructions will be provided. |
15% |
| Online Discussion/Class Participation As this class is completely on-line and asynchronous, participation in the weekly Blackboard discussions is essential for success in the course. |
25% |
| 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. |
30% |
All assignments are due on Sundays and must be submitted by midnight on the dates due in order to receive credit.
Course Calendar
| Dates | Reading Assignments* | Class Discussion | Assignments and Due Dates* |
| Week 1 8/25 - 8/31 |
Begin reading assignment for Week 2 | Introductions | |
| Week 2 9/1 – 9/7 |
Chapters 1 & 2 | Information & Information Seekers | |
| Week 3 9/8 – 9/14 |
Chapters 3 & 4 | Small Group Discussion:
|
|
| Week 4 9/15 – 9/21 |
Chapters 5 & 6 | Organizing and Finding Information | |
| Week 5 9/22 – 9/28 |
Chapters 7 & 8 | Information Organization: An Ethical Concern | Article Critique due 9/28 |
| Week 6 9/29 – 10/5 |
Chapter 9 & 10 | Libraries & Society | |
| Week 7 10/6 – 10/12 |
Fallis, D. (2007). Information ethics for
twenty-first century library
professionals. Library Hi Tech, 25, 23–
36. Quinn, A. C. & Ramasubramanian, L. (2007). Information technologies and civic engagement: Perspectives from librarianship and planning. Government Information Quarterly, 24, 595-610. |
Discussion of assigned articles | |
| Week 8 10/13 – 10/19 |
Johnson, D. (2004). Lessons school
librarians teach others. American
Libraries, 35. 46-48. Wood, G. (2004). Academic original sin: Plagiarism, the internet, and librarians. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 30, 237-242. Hartman, T. (2007). The changing definition of U.S. libraries. International Journal of Libraries and Information Services, 57, 1-8. Senate appropriations committee orders EPA to restore library access: updates on the information professional and SLA.(INFO NEWS) (Special Libraries Association)(Report). July 2007 v11 i7 p6(1) Information Outlook, 11. 6. |
Current Issues in Library and Information Science | Job Hunt Research Project due 10/12 |
| Week 9 10/20 – 10/26 |
Bodi, S. & Maier-O’Shea, K. (2005). The
library of Babel: Making sense of
collection management in a postmodern
world. The Journal of Academic
Librarianship, 31, 143-150. Greene, M.A. (2003). The messy business of remembering: History, memory, and archives. Archival Issues, 28, 95-103. Koh, C. (2003). Reconsidering services for the postmodern student. Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 34, 184-193. |
The Postmodern Librarian | |
| Week 11 11/3 – 11/9 |
McKechnie, L. & Pettigrew, K.E. (2002).
Surveying the use of theory in library
and information science research: A
disciplinary perspective. Library Trends, 50, 406-417. Meyers, E.M., Fisher, K.E. & Marcoux, E. (2007). Studying the everyday information behavior of tweens: Notes from the field. Library & Information Science Research, 29, 310-331. |
Research in Library and Information Science |
|
| Week 12 11/10-11/16 |
Additional readings are not planned, but may be assigned | Posting of research paper abstracts for discussion – more information will be provided | Annotated Bibliography due 11/16 |
| Week 13 11/17 – 11/23 |
Additional readings are not planned, but may be assigned | Posting of research paper abstracts for discussion – more information will be provided | |
| Week 14 11/24 – 11/30 |
No reading assignment | Thanksgiving week – no discussion | |
| Final Weeks 12/1 – 12/10 |
No reading assignment | Final Discussion: Wrapping things up | Research paper due 12/10 |
*Subject to change with fair notice
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+ |
| 70-72 | D |
| 67-69 | D- |
| Below 67 | F |
In order to provide consistent guidelines for assessment for graduate level work in the School, these terms are applied to letter grades:
- C represents Adequate work; a grade of "C" counts for credit for the course;
- B represents Good work; a grade of "B" clearly meets the standards for graduate level work;
- A represents Exceptional work; a grade of "A" will be assigned for outstanding work only.
Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0.
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 members are required to report all infractions to the Office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development. The policy on academic integrity can be found at http://sa.sjsu.edu/student_conduct.
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/
One Washington Square - San José, California USA, 95192-0029
Phone: 408-924-2490
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