LIBR 210-10
Reference & Information Services
Fall 2007 Greensheet
Renee Jefferson
E-mail
Office Hours: Blackboard, by appointment
| Greensheet Links Textbooks and Readings Course Requirements |
Resources Blackboard Blackboard Tutorials SLIS eBookstore |
The course will be available on the Blackboard site on Thursday, August 16. Blackboard self-enrollment date begins Thursday, August 16 and ends Wednesday, August 29.
Course Description
The course is designed to present an overview of concepts, components, and current developments in reference and information services provided in various types of libraries.
The major topics are:
- an understanding of concepts/definitions and models/types of reference and information services;
- a survey of reference sources in various types of formats;
- a study of the evaluation, selection, and use of general reference sources by type of material;
- theoretical frameworks and techniques supporting the practices of reference and information services; and
- issues in information technology and its impact on the provision of reference and information services and on current models for the delivery of reference and information services to remote users, such as e-mail based and world wide web-based service models and other mechanisms that apply network technology.
Course Objectives
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:
- demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations and professional level presentations;
Textbooks and Readings
Required Textbooks
- Katz, W. A. (2001). Introduction to reference work: Volume I basic information services. 8th ed. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. [Use SLIS eBookstore.]
- Katz, W. A. (2001). Introduction to reference work: Volume II reference services and reference processes. 8th ed. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. [Use SLIS eBookstore.]
Recommended Textbooks
The SLIS eBookstore contains several reference textbooks. You may use any of these textbooks to supplement the textbook for this course.
Additional course materials will be available in Blackboard.
Course Requirements
Course Format
This is a web-based course. There are two MANDATORY class sessions: Friday, December 7th (9am – 5pm) and Saturday, December 8th (9am–5pm). The sessions will be held in PLS 68 at Cal State Fullerton.
Blackboard will be used for the majority of the course activities.
Blackboard
- The course will be available on the Blackboard site on Thursday, August 16.
- Blackboard self-enrollment date begins Thursday, August 16 and ends Wednesday, August 29.
- Follow the instructions posted in the Announcements’ section.
Office Hours
I will not set specific online hours. I will be available to answer questions Monday through Friday. You should have a response to your questions within 48 hours. You may also make an appointment to meet with me in the chat room that is available in Blackboard, or you may schedule a time for me to telephone you.
Instructor Expectations
Students are expected to adhere to the following:
- Check email and Blackboard daily for messages and announcements. Communication in an online course is essential.
- Submit all assignments by the specified due date and time. Instructions for each assignment are posted under the Assignments section of Blackboard. Points will be deducted for failure to follow directions. Any assignment submitted after the due date, without the permission of the instructor, will have its total score reduced by 10%. [Note: You must have permission from the instructor to submit your assignment late PRIOR to the due date.] Any assignment submitted more than one week after the deadline will not be accepted for grading, and a failing grade will be recorded; that is, unless a student has received an extension from the instructor. This is only fair to students who work to submit their assignments on time. Extra credit assignments are not available.
- Submit assignments that are free of spelling and grammatical errors. All sources must be correctly cited using the APA style manual.
- All assignments must be your own work. Sources must be properly cited in papers. The San Jose State University codes and rules governing plagiarism are in effect. Please refer to the following sites for specific information.
"Academic Dishonesty Procedures", SJSU Class Schedule
http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/narr/soc-spring/soc-spring-273.html
University Policy F88-10: http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/f88-10.htm
S98-1 (amends F88-10): http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/s98-1.htm
S07-2 (amends F06-1): http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/S07-2.htm. - Work cooperatively on group assignments. Group work is an important component of this course. If a member of a group is not contributing his or her fair share, please inform the instructor as soon as possible.
- Be an active participant in class discussions and activities. Class discussions and activities are integral components of the course.
- Identify a local academic library, preferably a CSU library, with a sizable reference collection. Plan to visit that library frequently throughout the course. Although the course is conducted online, not all reference sources are readily available online.
- Know how to use Blackboard. See the Blackboard Tutorials and Resources for SLIS Instructors and Students located at http://witloof.sjsu.edu/blackboard/.
- It is the responsibility of the student to maintain a copy of all graded and returned materials for use as evidence in any question that might arise regarding the final grade in the course.
- Incompletes will be assigned only in cases of medical or family emergency. Medical or other proof will be required.
Assignments
Students are required to complete the following assignments:
- Exercises (Learning Outcomes 3 & 4): The purpose of the exercises is to give you an opportunity to review and critique literature related to traditional and contemporary reference services.
- Reference Collection Project (Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3): This assignment is designed to assist you in becoming familiar with a variety of information sources and their uses. You will develop a reference collection for a specific type of library.
Groups. The reference collection project is a group assignment. The number of students assigned to a group will depend on the number of students enrolled in the course. Participation in the group is mandatory. Group members may terminate the membership of a student who does not participate in the activities defined by the group (e.g., meetings, tasks). The instructor must be notified immediately if a group member is terminated. If a student is terminated from a group, he/she WILL NOT receive credit for the assignment. No make-up or extra-credit assignment will be permitted for a terminated group member. - Virtual Reference Query (Learning Outcomes 1, 4 & 5): For this assignment, you are required to participate in a reference librarian-library user query interaction. You will have an opportunity to play the role of the reference librarian and the library user.
- Instruction Session Presentation (Learning Outcomes 2, 4 & 5): The instruction session is designed to assist you in identifying and describing information sources that will meet the needs of a specific user group. You will prepare and conduct an instruction session that will assist you in comprehending and applying library instruction concepts.
Evaluation
| Assignments | Points |
| Exercises | 10 |
| Reference Collection Project | 30 |
| Virtual Reference Query | 25 |
| Instruction Session Presentation | 35 |
| Total | 100 |
All graded assignments will be marked using one of the following letter grades.
| 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.
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.
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
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