LIBR 210-12
Reference and Information Services
Fall 2006 Greensheet
Todd Gilman
E-mail
Office Location: Web
Phone: (203) 432-1761
Office Hours: M-F 9-5 EST
| Greensheet Links Course Materials Course Requirements Course Schedule About your Instructor |
Resources Blackboard Blackboard Tutorials |
Blackboard course enrollment dates are 21 Aug. – 25 Aug. 2006. Students must self-enroll for this course on Blackboard during these dates. You will be required to use a password access code that I will provide using MYSJSU Messaging system. For more information on access code enrollment, see the tutorial entitled Enrolling in a Blackboard course.
Course Description
Catalog Description
A process-oriented examination of how information professionals answer reference questions. The interpersonal skills required for effective question negotiation and the sources with which questions are answered are stressed.
Full Description
This course imparts core knowledge of reference and information services in a variety of environments, including: methods and models of information service delivery, basic tools for reference and information services, and emerging trends in reference and information delivery.
The major topics (in no particular order) are:
- reference sources
- the reference interview
- search strategies
- evaluation and management of reference collections (databases and websites)
- reference service models (face-to-face versus electronic)
- evaluation of reference services
- collection development and management
- serving special populations (international, minority, senior citizens, gay/lesbian, first-generation, etc.)
- the history of reference services
- management of reference services
- what is a reference librarian?
- the impact of technology
- ethics in reference
- reference standards
Intended for all interested students, though the focus will be mainly on academic library resources.
Prerequisite: LIBR 202
Course Objectives
Student Learning Outcomes
At the completion of the course, the student should be able to perform the following:
- Give examples of basic reference sources used in various types of libraries.
- Identify various types of reference sources, including their characteristics and functions.
- Describe theoretical concepts and techniques that support the provision of reference and information services.
- Discover theory-into-practice approaches to provide basic reference and information services.
- Identify state-of-the-art information technology and current models for the delivery of reference and information services.
LIBR 210 supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:
- use service concepts, principles and techniques that facilitate information access, relevance, and accuracy for individuals or groups of users.
In addition, this section supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:
- understand the system of standards and methods used to control and create information structures and apply basic principles involved in the organization and representation of knowledge;
- evaluate programs and services on specified criteria.
Course Materials
Required Texts
The textbooks may be ordered directly from the publishers or through Web-based vendors such as Amazon at www.amazon.com or Barnes & Noble at www.bn.com:
- William A. Katz, Introduction to Reference Work: Basic Information Services, Volume I, Eighth Edition. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2002. ISBN: 0-07-244107-0.
- William A. Katz, Introduction to Reference Work: Reference Services and Reference Processes, Volume II, Eighth Edition. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2002. ISBN: 0-07-244143-7.
NOTE: The Katz books are costly and not completely up to date; however, they are the best resource of their kind available, and should be taken seriously.
Additional Readings
Additional course materials will be available through the Blackboard course site.
Core Journals
You should be familiar with professional journals that explore reference and information service issues appropriate to this course, including:
- College & Research Libraries (Z671 .C6)*
- Journal of Academic Librarianship (Z671 .J58)*
- Medical Reference Services Quarterly (R118.2 .M4)*
- Public Libraries (Z673.A5 .P88)*
- Reference & User Services Quarterly (Z671 .R7)*
- The Reference Librarian (Z711 .R43x)*
- Reference Services Review (Z1035.1 .R43)*
I have taken the call numbers above from the SJSU library catalog, but they should also help you locate materials, if available, at any academic library to which you have access. Titles marked with an asterisk (*) show electronic access through the SJSU Electronic Journals List.
Discussion Lists
Electronic discussion lists constitute an important part of professional dialogue and support for reference and information service librarians. All students in this class should subscribe to LIBREF-L, the largest electronic discussion list dedicated to issues in reference librarianship.
- * Join LIBREF-L *
You will also find a variety of electronic discussion lists dedicated to specific subject areas (e.g., history librarianship), to specialized service areas often administered as part of reference and information service programs (e.g., instructional services), and to the use of information technology as a means of supporting reference and information services. You can see some of these lists in the "External Links" section of the Blackboard course site.
Course Requirements
Primary Requirements
The primary requirements for this course are:
- Successfully completing assignments related to objectives listed above. Participation during each unit in the form of asynchronous Threaded Discussion.
- Reading assignment must be completed each week. Readings not in the Katz books are provided through Blackboard.
Evaluation
I shall evaluate ALL written work according to the following criteria in addition to the specific requirements for each assignment:
Quality of the presentation--neat and error-free
- Quality of the writing--clear, direct, and correct
- Quality of the organization--smooth, logical flow and content
- Quality and amount of reflection, analysis, and evaluation
All papers must be typed, double spaced, with a font size of at least 12 points. They must also conform to APA style. You should own a copy of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th edition (2001). For further information, see the SLIS APA Style Resources page.
Late Assignments
Let the instructor know in advance if you will be unable to participate during a given week. Late assignments will be accepted up to five days past the deadline, with a penalty of 1 point (1% of course grade) per day. With an appropriate reason stated BEFORE the due date, students may be allowed additional time without penalty for UP TO THREE ASSIGNMENTS. I shall not accept any paper that is more than five days late.
Technical Requirements
You must have access to the following: Internet/World Wide Web access, Java-enabled Web browser, Microsoft Office (particularly Word), and Adobe Acrobat Reader 5+.
You must be able to send and receive e-mail, including attachments. You should plan to check your e-mail and the Blackboard course site regularly for announcements.
For more detailed information, consult the SLIS home computing environment page.
Blackboard
This course is run via Blackboard. Stanley Laufer, the SLIS Network Administrator, has created a "Blackboard Tutorials and Resources for SLIS Instructors and Students" site. It is located at http://witloof.sjsu.edu/blackboard/. Use the tutorial to learn how to set up your Blackboard account.
Course enrolment dates are 21 – 25 August 2006.
Office Hours
I shall have no specific online office hours, but shall be available to answer questions submitted either through the Blackboard course site, or directly to me via e-mail. Please note that I am on Eastern Standard Time, and that you should expect to receive a reply to any questions within 48 hours of receipt. Any extended absences that might affect response time will be announced through the Blackboard course site.
Grading
There are 100 possible points for this course, divided as follows:
| 4 Article Reviews | 5 points each x 4 (20 points total) |
| 3 Exercises [i.e., sets of 10 reference questions each] | 5 points each x 3 (15 points total) |
| 2 Investigations | 10 points each x 2 (20 points total) |
| 2 Papers | 10 points and 20 points (30 points total) |
| ONTIME Participation in 15 threaded discussions (ONTIME=by midnight of the last day of the Unit to which the discussion corresponds) |
1 point each x 15 (15 points total) |
Specific requirements for each assignment, including due dates, will be posted in the course site via Blackboard.
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+ |
Additional Information
Each student will:
- assume responsibility for his/her learning
- use the provided learning guides and resources; conduct data searches when necessary
- manage his/her time effectively (plan a schedule and practice time management)
- ask for assistance when needed; avoid unnecessary frustration and confusion
- remain active in the Discussions and Email
- prepare all work at graduate performance levels
- enter each Unit beginning the date that Unit starts. He/she is then free to access that Unit as many times as he/she likes through the end of the course
- follow good online etiquette
Please note:
- You must have access to a “bricks and mortar” (i.e., physical, not just virtual) library that houses a standard collection of academic reference works.
- I prefer not to use the Chat function for this course, though you are welcome to; formal interaction of the class as a whole will take the form of Discussions.
- So that I am not inundated with email, please limit the number of emails you send me to two per week if possible. That means saving up questions, perhaps, for several days.
- Plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the assignment in question (see more on plagiarism below).
The instructor will:
- provide assistance/knowledge in facilitating understanding of the course content
- guide students through the course
- facilitate discussion through questioning, probing, examples, etc.
- provide feedback
- maintain records
- mark exams/assignments and maintain records within 15 working days
- respond to messages on Tuesdays and Thursdays
Academic Integrity
All assignments submitted must be your own work. Sources must be properly cited in papers as specified in class. The San Jose State University regulations governing plagiarism will be enforced. See the University policy as linked from the SLIS Faculty Handbook page on plagiarism http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/de/problems/plagiarism.htm, noting especially the SJSU Academic Integrity Policy:
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/
Course Schedule
| Unit | Topic |
| 1 | Reference Service and the Community; The Internet and Reference Services |
| 2 | Interview and Search |
| 3 | Reference Librarians on the Information Highway |
| 4 | The Electronic Library |
| 5 | Bibliography |
| 6 | National and Trade Bibliographies |
| 7 | Indexing and Abstracting Services: General and Collections |
| 8 | Indexing and Abstracting Services: Subject and Newspaper |
| 9 | Encyclopedias: General and Subject Sets |
| 10 | Ready-Reference Sources: Almanacs, Yearbooks, Handbooks, Directories |
| 11 | Biographical Sources |
| 12 | Dictionaries |
| 13 | Geographical Sources |
| 14 | Government Documents |
| 15 | Instruction and Reference Policies |
About your Instructor
Professor Gilman holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Toronto and an M.S. in Library and Information Science from Simmons College in Boston. He is Librarian for Literature in English at Yale University Library (www.library.yale.edu). He also teaches part-time for the Library and Information Science Program at Wayne State University.
School of Library & Information Science
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Phone: 408-924-2490
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