LIBR 210-14
Reference and Information Services
Spring 2007 Greensheet
Dr. Ann Hotta
E-mail
Office Hours: Via email Sunday - Friday; replies by the end of the next working day. Blackboard chat or live Elluminate sessions by appointment (note: live appointments will not be available April 17-24)
| Greensheet Links Textbooks and Readings Course Requirements |
Resources Blackboard Blackboard Tutorials SLIS e-Bookstore |
You will be sent the access enrollment code for the class site during the week of January 15 via a message sent through My.SJSU. You should enroll in Blackboard by January 26, the Friday of the first week of the semester.
Course 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. Prerequisite: LIBR 202 (from the SLIS course catalog)
In this introductory course on reference and information service we will:
- Learn how to search for information in print and electronic reference sources;
- Learn the purposes, strengths, and weaknesses of different genres of reference sources;
- Observe and practice online and face-to-face reference interviews;
- Create our own reference guides using a variety of media;
- Examine past and present reference practices, principles, and values.
Course Objectives
At the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Use basic reference tools to answer questions;
- Discern the interests of information seekers and connect them with appropriate resources or information;
- Assess the quality and usefulness of new reference sources;
- Evaluate reference services that address the needs of a diverse and changing society;
- Begin to develop a personal philosophy of reference service.
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:
- recognize the social, cultural and economic dimensions of information use;
- use the basic concepts and principles related to the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation and organization of specific items or collections of information;
- demonstrate proficiency in the use of current information and communication technologies, and other related technologies, as they affect the resources and uses of libraries and other types of information providing entities.
Textbooks and Readings
Required Texts and Materials
- Bopp, Richard E. and Smith, Linda C. (2001). Reference and Information Services: An Introduction. 3rd edition. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
The textbook may be purchased from the SLIS ebookstore at http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/courses/books/. Purchases made through the SLIS ebookstore supports SLIS student scholarships. (See also Libraries Unlimited at http://lu.com/, or the websites of major online booksellers.)
Additional Readings
Additional course readings will supplement and add up-to-date information to the textbook. Readings will be available via Blackboard, the SLIS course e-reserves, and the SJSU King Library databases and electronic journals.
Course Requirements
Assignments
- You will do observations in a library and use its print resources to complete some of the assignments. The library may be your local public library or an academic library.
- You will be asked to enlist the help of family members or friends to complete a reference interview exercise.
There will be three graded assignments for the course:
- Short paper. In a 1~2 page essay, you will be asked to respond to an assigned reading in order to demonstrate your ability to analyze, synthesize, and integrate personal experiences with course readings.
- Pathfinder. In this assignment, you will work with a partner on a particular topic. You will conduct a reference interview with your partner, identify works that will be useful in answering that question, and then write an annotated bibliography that serves as a selective guide to resources. This assignment demonstrates your ability to assess a user’s information need, use various genres of reference tools, and identify appropriate resources.
- Presentation. You will create a presentation of recommended reference works for a particular audience. You will complete this assignment by creating a PowerPoint presentation, a blog site, a Flash slide show, a webpage/website, or some other similar media. This assignment demonstrates your ability to conduct the basic steps of planning a simple program and apply your creative powers to library services.
Further directions and due dates for these assignments will be provided on Blackboard.
In addition, class participation will determine a significant portion of the final grade. Class participation includes:
- contributing to weekly discussions and postings in a timely fashion via the Blackboard discussion board;
- contributing to small group discussions and providing critiques of each other’s work.
- completing exercises (e.g., observations, reviews of reference works, reference interviewing) that form the basis for weekly discussions and postings. You may be asked to turn in or post written responses to some, but not all exercises on a pass/fail basis. You are responsible for your own learning.
Your posts to the discussion board should add real value to the discussion. For example, pull in something from the readings, highlight some aspect of the question that you find particularly significant, synthesize or critique what others have said, take the discussion in a new direction, or tell us about a personal experience.
You will receive a mid-term progress report on your class participation grade after the fourth week of class.
Grading
The grade of B reflects high quality work commensurate with expectations for graduate students.
| Class Participation | 45 points |
| Short paper | 10 points |
| Pathfinder | 30 points |
| Online Presentation | 15 points |
| TOTAL | 100 points |
Late Assignments
One point will be deducted each day for late assignments. No assignments will be accepted after the last day of class. You must discuss any exceptional situations with the instructor before the due date of assignments.
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 |
Incompletes
Incompletes are only granted to students who have completed most of the work but must deal with an extended medical or family emergency. A firm completion date must be negotiated. Supporting documentation must be provided in a timely fashion.
Expectations
Students should check the Blackboard course site at least three times a week. You should budget 10 hours each week to complete the class. If you are new to Blackboard, you should work through the tutorials at http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/blackboard/ before the semester begins; contact SLIS tech support if you have any questions.
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/
School of Library & Information Science
One Washington Square - San José, California USA, 95192-0029
Phone: 408-924-2490
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