LIBR 210-13
Reference and Information Services
Spring 2006 Greensheet
Steve Tash Phone: 949.683.7151 9am-9pm PST
Office Hours: E-mail & Telephone Appointments
| Greensheet Links Textbooks Course Requirements |
Resources Blackboard Blackboard Tutorials |
Reminder: Students must self-enroll for this course on Blackboard. Students must self-enroll for this course on Blackboard between January 19 and January 27. You will be required to use a password access code which I will provide using the MySJSU Messaging system.
Course Description
This is a process-oriented course that examines how information professionals answer questions. This course emphasizes two central components of the reference process:
- the interpersonal skills needed to determine the information desired by the inquirer; and
- the reference sources and search techniques librarians employ to answer these questions.
Course Objectives
At the completion of the course, the student will:
- Be familiar with current issues pertaining to reference and information services, including such topics as the reference interview, bibliographic instruction, technology affecting the delivery of reference, and library-use patterns.
- Understand the problem-solving process reference librarians use in locating information.
- Identify the standard reference tools (including print, electronic and online sources) employed by librarians and other information professionals.
This course supports the School's first program goal "to prepare students...to function effectively as information management professionals in libraries, information centers, and related environments." It incorporates the program's objectives by:
- studying the major theories, important principles, and current practices of reference and information service;
- analyzing the communication process;
- examining information management, including the selection, organization, storage, retrieval, dissemination, and utilization of information sources; and
- applying these principles to a multiculturally diverse environment.
Textbooks
Required Text
Tomaiuolo, Nicholas. (2004). The Web Library: Building a world class personal library with free web resources. Medford, NJ: Information Today. (ISBN 0-910965-67-6)
Janes, Joseph. (2003) Introduction to reference work in the digital age. NY, NY :Neal-Schuman. (ISBN 1-55570-429-8)
Recommended Textbook
American Psychological Association. Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. 5th ed. Washington, D.C. : APA. This is the standard style manual used for the MLS program at SJSU.
Check Online Retailers such as
- http://www.barnesandnobel.com
- http://www.amazon.com
- http://www.varsitybooks.com
- http://www.neal-schuman.com/
- http://store.yahoo.com/infotoday//weblibrary.html
Course Requirements
Onsite Sessions
This course meets onsite at the CSUF campus:
- Friday 1/27 1pm CSUF Pollak Library PLN 420
- Friday. May 12 9am-3pm(PLS-68)
Attendance is required. Check Announcements and Calendar.
Web-based Instruction
The class will primarily be Web based using Blackboard. It will be necessary for students to self-enroll using the following URL: http://tigris.sjsu.edu/
This Blackboard self-enrollment process is in addition to the normal course registration. In other words you must be formally registered for the class prior to doing the Blackboard self-enrollment. Students must self-enroll for this course on Blackboard between January 19 to January 27. You will be required to use a password access code which I will provide using the MySJSU Messaging system.
You will post your assignments utilizing the Blackboard Assignment Manager. We will not be using the digital Drop Box section of Blackboard.
Attendance/Participation
Attendance at the onsite sessions is mandatory. Participation in online projects, in class and in Blackboard discussion forums is crucial to learning in the online environment.
Reading/viewing/listening to required materials will enhance your ability to participate in these discussions. Check Blackboard regularly for detailed assignments and updates.
General Expectations for Students
The instructor expects:
- Have the minimal home computing environment as described at http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/ecommunication/homecomputing.htm
- Use a current virus protection program to scan all assignments before they are
submitted electronically to Blackboard, other students and to your instructor - Enroll in Blackboard to receive communications from your instructor (http://tigris.sjsu.edu/)
- Submit selected assignments electronically. Use the following scheme for submitting files: [Course Number]_[Student's Last Name]_Assignment] Example: LIBR200_Tash_Research Paper
- Submit assignments by midnight of the due date. An assignment submitted after the due date may be subjected to a grade penalty.
- Create assignments using Microsoft Word and double space in no more than a 12-point font
- Consistently follow the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.) for formats, citations and references
- Avoid spelling, grammatical and syntactical errors
- Also join the school’s electronic list, SLISADMIN, to get official or administrative messages from SLIS. Find directions at http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/ecommunication/electroniclists.htm or
choose Electronic Lists under the Computing pull-down menu on the SLIS Web site.
Assignments
The assignments for this course are:
- Online Discussions/Class Participation
Several of the class sessions will involve online discussions, assigned readings, onsite discussion, e-mail communication and your own research and writing. Participation is required. - Reference Source Projects
These assignments are designed to assist you in becoming familiar with a variety of information sources and their uses. - Digital Reference Interview Evaluation Project
- Face to face Reference interview project
- Pathfinder Project (mandatory group project)
For this project, students will select a topic, then research, plan, and develop a pathfinder targeted for a specific user group of a specific library.
A pathfinder is a bibliographic tool designed to guide information seekers through the preliminary stages of research by helping them systematically locate information on a given topic using various types of resources available in a given library. - Bibliographic Instruction Demonstration (oral presentation at last onsite meeting)
Grading
The assignments will contribute to your course grade as follows:
| Assignment | Total Points |
| Ref Source projects | 40 |
| Pathfinder | 15 |
| Digital Ref Interview | 20 |
| Face-to-face Ref Interv | 10 |
| Bibliographic Instruction Demo | 10 |
| Class Participation | 5 |
Grades for late assignments will be reduced by 10 percent.
Grading Scale
Final grades will be based on the following grading scale established for graduate students by San José
State University:
| 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 69 | F |
Grading Policy/Papers
Everyone begins class with a grade of "B", the standard grade for graduate level work. Students who satisfactorily complete assignments on time; attend classes; and actively participate in class exercises and discussions (in class and in Blackboard discussion forums) will receive the "B" provided the quality of written work meets the rigorous scholarly standard
for the University.
In general, graduate work should exhibit clarity and be well written in a logical, coherent fashion.
Above standard work is defined as clearly displaying one or more of the following criteria:
- Originality in the approach to the assignment
- Greater depth of analysis than the written assignment expects
- Critical evaluation of readings comparing authors, sources or different viewpoints
- Ability to organize information for oneself and others plus create tools for lifelong learning and knowledge retrieval
Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism
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. Those regulations may be found at:
- SJSU Academic Integrity Policy
http://www2.sjsu.edu/senate/S04-12.pdf - http://info.sjsu.edu
Search option: Academic Dishonesty
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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