LIBR 204-03
Information Organizations and Management
Fall 2007 Greensheet
Dr. Evelyn Daniel
Professor, UNC-Chapel Hill
E-mail
Office Phone: 919-962-8062
| Greensheet Links Textbooks and Readings Course Requirements |
Resources Blackboard Blackboard Tutorials SLIS eBookstore |
Students must self-enroll for this course on Blackboard between August 15 and August 23, 2007 when classes begin. You will be required to use a password access code which will be provided to you via the MySJSU Messaging system on August 14.
Course Description
Theory and practice for the management of library and information centers are presented and discussed. Emphasis is placed on examining the distinguishing characteristics, cultures, and relationships in information organizations.
A course prerequisite is demonstrated computer literacy demonstrated via completion of the New Student Technology Course, a mandatory short- self-paced online course on blackboard. For more information, see http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/slis/blackboardintro.htm
Course Objectives
The objectives of the course are:
- To develop personal managerial skills and a philosophy about management and to learn to think like a manager;
- To appreciate the complexities of organizational life and the role of the professional within an organization;
- To become familiar with management literature in library and information science, business, public administration, and related fields;
- To learn about the creative activities of managers and the central roles they play in promoting group activities and innovation in an organizational context;
- To examine issues related to managing staff and services in a diverse society.
- To demonstrate good collaborative skills in working with classmates and instructor in this course to make it an effective and efficient learning environment.
LIBR 204 supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:
- apply the fundamental principles of planning, management and marketing/advocacy;
- design training programs based on appropriate learning principles and theories;
- demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations and professional level presentations;
- evaluate programs and services on specified criteria.
The Statement of Core Competencies for graduates of the Master of Library and Information Science program at SLIS may be found at http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/slis/competencies.htm
Textbooks and Readings
Readings and Required Text:
Readings are assigned throughout the class. They are in either the required text, from the King library or from other online sources. The required texts may be purchased online through the SLIS eBookstore at http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/courses/books/ .
- Stueart, Robert D. and Barbara B. Moran (2007). Library and Information Center Management. 7th ed. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. ISBN 978-1-59158-406-3 (pbk)
New price on Amazon: $50.00. - Collins, Jim (2005). Good to Great and the Social Sectors; A Monograph to Accompany
Good to Great. HarperCollins. ISBN-10: 0977326403 or ISBN-13: 978-0977326402 (pbk). New price on Amazon: $9.56. [Note: You do NOT have to purchase the Good to Great book even though the title says “to accompany”]
Course Requirements
Complete the New Student Technology Workshop
This is a mandatory short, self-paced online workshop 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
Technology Literacy Requirement
All students must meet the Technology Literacy Requirement, available at:
http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/admissions/tech.htm
Home Computing Requirement
All students must meet the Home Computing Requirement , available at: http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/ecommunication/homecomputing.htm
Course Format
This is a virtual class. There are no class meetings but you are expected to attend at least two Elluminate sessions. Sessions are scheduled Tuesdays at noon Pacific Time; the first is scheduled on September 4. Office hours are conducted virtually via chat sessions in Elluminate or in Second Life. Private conference time can be set up as telephone call; as chat session in Elluminate, Second Life or Blackboard; or by email.
Blackboard
The course will be conducted using the SLISWEB Blackboard (BB) course management system and Elluminate. Please be sure you are comfortable in using these tools.
Participation
You are required to participate in online discussions on BB several times a week unless permission for non-participation is requested from the instructor and granted. Requests to be excused from online discussions must be submitted within the first week of class.
Assignment Submission
Assignments are to be posted to the Assignment Manager feature of BB. You will often be asked to post a summary of an assignment to a discussion forum for your class colleagues to share and comment on. If an assignment is sensitive for any reason, you may request that it be held confidential by the instructor.
Questions
Questions about the class or procedures should be posted on the BB “Office Hours” discussion forum so that other students may see the question and the answer. Chances are your question is one that others have as well.
Elluminate
Elluminate sessions are scheduled five times throughout the semester. Be sure you have completed the student tutorial (see http://senna.sjsu.edu/lmain/ogla/el_stu.html ) and see http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/software/elluminate/students/ for a general guide and directions to sign up for a student session. You will be expected to attend at least two of the sessions.
APA Format
All papers should follow APA style using The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed. Please see http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/resources/apa.htm for a list of sources providing assistance.
Assignment Requirements
- All pages should be consecutively numbered. Put your name and the name of the assignment and date in the upper right corner of the title page.
- All submitted work should be keyed using Microsoft Word, single-spaced, 12-point font, double-spaced between paragraphs.
- Spelling, grammatical and syntactical errors will affect the evaluation negatively
- Work cited should include complete bibliographical information and conform in format to the APA style manual (see website above for assistance)
- Assignments submitted after the due date may be subject to a grade penalty
- Assignments must be your own or the collaborative work of your group. Academic honesty and ethical standards relative to other’s work are highly valued. See the SJSU Academic Integrity Policy – http://www2.sjsu.edu/senate/S07-2.pdf
Grading
Everyone begins the class with a grade of “B”, the standard grade for acceptable graduate level work. Students who complete the assignments in timely manner and participate at least twice a week in the discussions will receive a B provided that the quality of written work meets the standard for the University. Self-assessment and peer assessment is encouraged. In your professional career, you should be the best judge of your work.
Above standard work is defined as work that clearly displays one or more of the following criteria:
- Originality in the approach to the assignment
- Exceptional depth of analysis
- Critical comparison of readings, course material, discussions, experiences, etc.
- Evidence of excellent preparation
- Ability to synthesize, evaluate, and relate work to a larger picture
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.
Here is my interpretation of the official grading policy:
| B = Acceptable performance demonstrating attainment of principles and theories presented | |
| A/A-/B+ = Above standard work showing distinctive outstanding qualities | B-/C/C+ = Marginal work, lacking on some criteria, poorly done |
| D/F = Unacceptable work. No evidence demonstrating understanding of course content. | |
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/
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://www.sjsu.edu/senate/S07-2.htm.
Assignments
Below are the assignments for the course; some are graded and some are not but all are required. Several assignments are group tasks and are so noted. The weight for each graded assignment is given in parentheses. A brief description of each assignment is provided below. A more detailed description of each assignment with a rubric for evaluation and a due date will be provided to you on the Assignments tab on the Blackboard Web. Assignments are due by midnight on the date shown on the class schedule. As you can see from the long list, you will be expected to complete some kind of written assignment each week in addition to your reading and discussion postings.
- Student Information Form (Ungraded)
Complete the student information form found at http://ils.unc.edu/daniel/204/studinfo.html I will use this information to compile a class list for you. Add an introductory message to the “Getting to Know You” discussion forum and attach a small picture. - Weekly Discussion of the Course Topics (20%)
Questions and suggested activities will be posted each week. Please share your thoughts on the questions and on the readings. Your engagement with the topics and with your fellow students will deepen your knowledge. Some ways of demonstrating engagement include:- Identifying an aspect of the topic as significant to you with your explanation of why you see it as significant
- Evaluating an argument critically and comparatively [Note: “critically” doesn’t always mean “negatively”; perhaps “logically” is a better synonym]
- Providing an effective synthesis of multiple resources, arguments, or points of view
- Taking an existing discussion in a new direction
- Bringing “real life” experience into class discussions
- Helping to create a learning community by inclusive remarks and questions and by bringing fellow students into the discussion.
- Strategic Planning I: Organizational Description and Environmental Scan Paper (10%)
Select a library or information agency that you are somewhat familiar with and describe it in 3-5 double-spaced pages. Some questions to prompt your organizational description/analysis will be provided. Following the description you are asked to perform an environmental scan in the form of a SWOT (Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats) analysis. Optionally this assignment may be done with a partner as a team exercise. - Group Critique of Anonymous Organizational Description Papers (10%)
You will be assigned to a group of 4-6 classmates and given one or two papers similar to the individual assignment above. You are to critique the papers according to a given rubric and write a detailed evaluative comment. Then you are to try your hand at strategic planning and marketing by determining some long-range goals for the organization and a plan to market its current and future strengths to important interest groups. - Strategic Planning II: Future Directions (10%)
Based on your organizational description and environmental analysis, you are asked to determine a future plan for your organization. The plan should include both short-term goals and objectives as well as a long-term vision and ideas about positioning the organization in the future. Optionally this assignment by be done with a partner as a team exercise. This option is available even if you didn’t choose it for SP I. If you worked as a team for SP I you may choose to do this exercise individually. - Group Design of Orientation Training Program (10%)
In a new group of 4-6 classmates, you will choose an organization for a context. It can be one that one of the members of the group used for the strategic planning exercises or it can be a new organization. You are asked to design an orientation program for all new employees. Draw on your own experiences to determine what new employees need to know and on your readings about what the organization wants to do to socialize employees to its culture. Include methods of assessment. - Strategic Planning III: Marketing Plan (10%)
For the organization you analyzed and for which you laid out some future plans, identify six to eight key groups of people who have a stake in your organization, either as users, funders, or employees. Select three key groups for more in-depth description and develop a marketing plan appropriate for the groups and with your long-range vision in mind. Consider what resources would be required, provide a rough cost estimate and some ways that you can assess the impact of your marketing efforts. This exercise may be done individually or in a team of two. - Analysis of Group Process – Individual Exercise (10%)
You will have had two opportunities to work in groups exercising your collaborative skills and managerial thinking. For this assignment, you are to compare your experience in these groups. Using the recommendations on group process from the text and my notes plus your own opinions, write an analysis of the experiences identifying factors that contributed to group success and factors that impeded it. Compare your findings to the theories about successful group practices. Conclude your paper with some suggestions for actions that you might take in a future group to make it work more effectively. - Electronic Portfolio (10%)
SLIS uses a portfolio for you to provide evidence of achievement of competency in the 14 core areas and demonstrate the development of a professional philosophy and a professional growth plan. A content management server (named Plone) has been set up to support your e-Portfolio. You are asked to familiarize yourself with the software (see http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/plone/ for tutorials) if you are not already familiar with it. You are to create a personal site (or add to your site if you have already created one). Please select two of the four core competencies for this class and show how you have make progress on them through papers you have written for this course, one or more postings on the discussion forums plus your own statement about each one.
Final Comments
As with most things in life, you will get out of this course what you put into it. Please prepare to write a lot in this course as I will be unable to hear you talking about the class concepts (except in a somewhat limited way through our Elluminate sessions). I certainly won’t be able to see you leaning in to a discussion and nodding and smiling, as I would in a face-to-face class. I know you will make up for this with your pithy comments and perhaps one or two emoticons -- ;-).
As your instructor, I pledge to be available to you usually within 24 hours of a direct email and at least 3-4 times a week reading and posting on Blackboard. I will do my best to return your assignments within 14 days after receiving them. I will try to provide useful feedback to help you improve your future performance.
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