LIBR 200-14
Information and Society
Spring 2007 Greensheet
Dr. Blanche Woolls
E-mail
Office Hours:By Appointment
| Course Links Greensheet Outline Lectures |
Resources Blackboard Blackboard Tutorials SLIS e-Bookstore |
Textbooks and Readings | Course Requirements
We will be using Blackboard for this course. You will be expected to enroll for my course Blackboard site between January 15 and January 30. Students will obtain the access enrollment code for this class site through a message you will receive through MySJSU.
Course Description
Explores 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.
Prerequisites: Demonstrated computer literacy
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 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;
- Demonstrates oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations, and professional level presentations.
Assignments:
- Outcome: Students will know the foundations and structure of the information professions.
Assessment: All students will participate in a group project that surveys the information professions and report findings to the class. - Outcome: Students will be able to locate, evaluate, and utilize scholarly and professional literature.
Assessment: All students will be required to write critical notes for publications pertinent to library and information science. They will use APA in completing these assignments. - Outcome: Students will demonstrate in-depth understanding of a major issue in library and information science.
Assessment: Students are required to research and write a major paper (worth 30% of their total grade) on a topic relating to information and society. They will use APA in writing all papers in this class.
Textbooks and Readings
Required Textbook
Rubin, R. E. (2004) Foundations of library and information science. New York: Neal-Schumann. Available from the bookstore, SLIS e-Bookstore, bn.com and other vendors. Students who are members of quickslis may locate used textbooks there.
APA
American Psychological Association. (2002) Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. 5th ed. Washington, D.C.: APA. Formats, citations, and references must consistently follow this style manual. The APA Web site (http://www.apastyle.org) lists the latest updates to the APA manual.
Recommended Textbooks
Eberhart, G. M. (2006). The whole library handbook 4: Current data, professional advice, and curiosa about libraries and library services. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.
Additional Readings
Readings are assigned throughout the class, either from the textbook or from online resources that have been provided for you. Students will be given addresses, user-ids and passwords to access these online resources. Please remember that the use of these resources is restricted to students in this course. Please do not share your passwords with other persons.
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 the first day of classes. The access code for this course will be sent to new students via MySJSU. 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
Questions
Please e-mail personal questions using the e-mail link at the top of this page. If the questions is one that would be of interest to the class, please post on Blackboard in the Discussion Group “Questions for the Instructor.”
Attendance/Participation
Regular attendance is vital to success in this course because a number of cooperative learning/group activities will occur in class and a great deal of material will be covered during each class session. Virtual classroom sessions (TBD) may be conducted also. Participation in online group projects in class and in Blackboard discussion forums is crucial. Reading/viewing/listening to required materials will enhance your ability to participate in these discussions. Check Blackboard regularly for updates.
General Expectations
All students must:
- Have the minimal home computing environment as described at http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/ecommunication/homecomputing.htm
- Use a current virus protection program to scan all assignments before they are submitted electronically to Blackboard, other students and to your instructor
- Create an account in Blackboard and enroll in the class site for this course to receive communications from your instructor (http://tigris.sjsu.edu)
- Submit selected assignments electronically. Use the following scheme for submitting files: [Course Number]_[Student's Last Name]_Assignment Number] Example: 200_NAME_CriticalNotes
- Submit assignments by midnight on the due date. An assignment submitted after the due date may be subjected to a grade penalty.
- Type or key all work using Microsoft Word and double space in no more than a 12-point font
- Consistently follow the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.) for formats, citations and references
- Avoid spelling, grammatical and syntactical errors
General Assignments
These are the general assignments for the course. Specific assignment details will be explained and expanded in the power point presentations and on Blackboard under Course Documents. The total number of possible points for the class is 100. The percentage following each assignment indicates the percentage of the total points for the assignment. Some assignments may be group projects.
| Assignment | % of Total Points | Date Due |
| Critical Notes | 5 | Feb. 2 and Feb. 14 |
| Valuing Information Professionals Paper | 20 | Mar. 4 |
| Introduction of Speaker/Luminary | 5 | Mar. 4 |
| Professional Associations | 5 | Mar. 19 |
| Analysis of LIS Literature | 5 | Mar. 19 |
| Special Populations Plan | 10 | Apr. 11 |
| Major (Issues) Paper | 30 | Apr. 18 |
| Class Participation | 20 | Throughout the course |
Grading Policy/Papers
Everyone begins class with a grade of “B,” the standard grade for graduate level work. Students who satisfactorily complete assignments on time; regularly attend classes, and actively participate in class exercises and discussions (in class and in Blackboard discussion forums) will receive the “B” provided the quality of written work meets the rigorous scholarly standard for the University.
In general, graduate work should exhibit clarity and be well written in a logical, coherent fashion. Above standard work is defined as clearly displaying one or more of the following criteria:
- Originality in the approach to the assignment
- Greater depth of analysis than the written assignment expects
- Critical evaluation of readings comparing authors, sources or different viewpoints
- Ability to organize information for oneself and others plus create tools for lifelong learning and knowledge retrieval
This is a good time to learn the difference between undergraduate and graduate work. Grading scales for undergraduates include grades from A to D as passing. In graduate work a B- is a failing grade. Further, the evaluation process will not be short answer tests. Papers will be analyzed for content and critical thinking. Students should also understand that potential employers will not see your transcript. The Human Resources personnel will confirm that you have the MLIS degree and file your transcript. Your focus in this class should be on content and not grades.
Major Paper
Write a formal research paper in which you analyze a significant issue
confronting the information professional today. Paper topics may be
selected from the areas covered in class or you may choose an issue of
more personal interest that is relevant to the goals and objectives of
this course. The text of your paper should be 15 to 20 pages in length;
the reference list should include at least 20 citations. A bibliography is
not required, but you may include one if you'd like to list sources not
cited but consulted for background information and context. You will be
graded on the extent of your research, your description and critical
analysis of the topic, the evidence you provide in support of your
argument, and the clarity and quality of your writing. Your references and
formatting should adhere to the rules established in the APA Publication
Manual. This paper accounts for 30% of your grade in this graduate class.
Course Calendar
Students will begin the class during the week of January 24. A power point introduction to the class will be available for students to view. Questions arising from this lecture should be placed in the Instructor’s comment box on Blackboard.
Papers are due as shown above and repeated here:
| Critical Notes | Feb. 2 and Feb. 14 (Posted to Discussion Board) |
| Valuing Information Professionals | Mar. 4 (Hardcopy due in class) |
| Introduction of Luminary | Mar. 4 (Hardcopy due in class) |
| Professional Associations | March 19 (Posted to Discussion Board) |
| Analysis of LIS Literature | March 19 (Posted to Discussion Board) |
| Special Populations Plan | April 11 (Posted to Discussion Board) |
| Major (issues) Paper | April 18 (Mailed to Instructor) |
| Class Participation | Throughout the Course |
Grading
Letter grades are determined through an assignment of scores related to the details given for completing the assignment. Students will need to read carefully the instructions and follow them. While creativity is honored, it will be a creative approach to the presentation and not to the format requested.
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 |
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
Contact the webmaster
