LIBR 204-13
Information Organizations and Management
Spring 2007 Assignments
Patricia L. Bril
E-mail
Phone: (714)278-2917
Fax: (714)278-2439
Office Location: CSUF Pollak Library 337
Office Hours: By appointment (onsite, phone, or e-mail)
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Resources Blackboard Blackboard Tutorials SLIS e-Bookstore |
Ethics Assignment | Observation Assignment | Term Project
Ethics Assignment (Due February 14 )
Much has been written about ethics, especially in the last few years, from both an individual/personal point of view and an organizational/institutional perspective. Libraries and librarians are certainly not exempt from examination of this subject.
Bearing this in mind, select a particular ethical situation in a library context, e.g., governmental requests for borrowing records of individuals or vendor influence over selection of a product/service. In deciding on your topic, you may wish to review relevant sections of your textbook, scan current issues of library periodicals, or examine various codes of ethics from organizations such as the American Library Association.
In no more than ten double-spaced pages, you will present the following:
- Brief introduction to the ethical situation or dilemma you have selected
- Summary of some key cases or events involving this ethical situation
- Analysis of the various perspectives taken by those involved on both sides of the ethical dilemma
- Your assessment of the most appropriate course of action for individuals and/or institutions to pursue with regard to this ethical question
- A brief summary of how you, as a library manager, would communicate your beliefs to library staff and/or external library constituents, boards, etc.
Be sure to cite your sources of information accurately.
Observation Assignment (Due March 7)
Observation Activity
Select a library of your choice. It may the library in which you currently work, the library you intend to use for your term project, or any other library. In most cases, you will likely be observing in a public service area of the library, for example, the reference desk or the circulation counter. However, if you are interested in observing in a “staff only” area of a library or in a library not normally open to the public (e.g., most special libraries), please secure permission (in advance) to observe from the library administration.
Plan to spend somewhere between three to five hours doing your actual observation. You may wish to do this all in one day or broken up into shorter segments over two or more days.
Next, you should select the element(s) to be observed. Think about what you want to observe in the library setting you have chosen. It could be interpersonal interactions such as those that occur at public service desks. It could be an examination of some aspect(s) of the physical facility, such as the layout of stacks or computer workstations. Or it could be some other observable element. Obviously, you cannot “observe” certain activities, as they do not lend themselves to this sort of approach. By their very nature or their prescribed confidentiality, some key administrative activities cannot or should not be observed for this assignment. Long-term planning efforts or staff performance appraisals are examples of these categories. You may find that you set out to observe one thing and actually end up changing your mind during your observation session, resulting in a broader, narrower, or somewhat different element than anticipated.
Written Assignment
Summary/Analysis
Based on your observation, write a two to four page (double-spaced) summary of your findings and identify at least one question or suggestion for improvement raised by this observation. You may wish to compare your findings with your own experience as a staff member or as a consumer/customer. You may also wish to draw upon what you have learned in this class or other classes through reading, discussion, or other means.Memo to Superior
Put yourself in the position of a staff member in this particular library’s organization and choose a title for that position, i.e., circulation library assistant or reference librarian. Then write a brief (no more than one single-spaced page) memo to your immediate superior or supervisor. In that memo, develop a context for your observation scenario, i.e., how did you happen to be engaged in this observation. Within that context, raise your question or suggest an improvement as identified above. You will want to be clear about what you are questioning/suggesting and sensitive to tone. Also, be sure to use an appropriate memo format and style for communicating this information.Memo to Subordinate
Now put yourself in the position of a manager or supervisor in the library. Again, choose a descriptive title for this position. This time, you will be writing a memo (no more than one single-spaced page) to a staff member posing the same question or suggesting the same improvement as in the first memo. However, your position in the organization is different, which you will want to bear in mind in composing this memo.
Term Project
| March 14 | Topic Selected and Submitted via Blackboard |
| April 6 | Progress Report Submitted via Blackboard |
| April 25 | Draft (Written) Proposal Due via E-Mail |
| May 9 | Oral Report Presented in Class |
| May 18 | Final (Written) Proposal Due via U.S. Mail or Hand Delivery |
This assignment will provide you with the opportunity to:
- Explore a particular library setting in some depth
- Consult with a practicing library administrator
- Analyze a specific major organizational change
- Advocate for this change, both orally and in writing
- Receive feedback and modify your proposal, based upon this feedback.
Choose a library or information center on which you wish to focus.
Secure permission from the primary administrator of the organization to conduct this project. Begin this process early, in case your first choice is not available to you. Also, because you will be scheduling time with a busy manager, you will want to plan your session(s) well in advance.
Decide upon a mutually agreeable topic for your project. This should focus on a major organizational change the library is proposing, e.g., an expansion of the existing physical facility, selection of a new integrated online system vendor, staff reorganization, introduction of a new service or, conversely, elimination of an existing service. Be sure not to select a change that has been formally proposed for approval, but rather one that is either anticipated in the near future or under active internal consideration.
Consult with the library administrator during one or more sessions. It may be appropriate to obtain some information in advance of your meeting, e.g., organization chart, budget or statistical data, relevant reports, etc.
Based on the information you obtain from this consultation experience, put yourself in the role of the library administrator and draft a written proposal directed to the primary decision-making individual or group to which the library reports. In the case of a public library, this might be the Library Board of Trustees or the City Manager. In an academic setting, it might be the Provost or Vice-President for Academic Affairs.
Many, if not all, of the following factors should be considered in preparing your proposal:
- The organizational climate
- The leadership style of the library administrator and the person/body to whom this individual reports
- Historical background/precedent relevant to the proposal
- The impetus or causes for the proposed change
- The planning process associated with the change
- The specific requirements to effect the change, e.g., personnel, technology
- Anticipated reaction to the change, both within and outside the organization
- The timeline for implementation of the change
- How the success of the change will be evaluated.
Your written (draft) proposal should begin with an executive summary and be no longer than seven (7) single-spaced or fourteen (14) double-spaced pages in total length, including any supporting documentation such as charts or statistics. Send six (6) electronic copies of your proposal via e-mail on April 25. I will review one copy of the draft and provide written feedback to you, after your oral presentation. The other five copies will be distributed to a group of students who will also serve as the decision-making audience for your oral presentation. These students will read the proposal in advance of this oral report and offer focused feedback to you, as will other students who will serve as observers to the process.
The oral report should be no more than five minutes in length. An additional three minutes will be allotted for feedback from the students acting as decision-makers and other members of the class.
Based upon the written and oral feedback you receive, you will prepare a revised and final version of your proposal to be submitted to me no later than May 18.
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