LIBR 210-13
Reference & Information Services
Summer 2005

Instructor: Steve Tash
E-mail
Phone: 949-340-0094 9am-9pm PST

 

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Assignments

Schedule

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Textbooks | Course Requirements | Grading | Expectations

Reminder: Students must self-enroll for this course on Blackboard using REQUIRED ACCESS CODE
during these dates: May 13-31. ACCESS CODE will be provided via MYSJSU message to roster students.

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.

Program Goals and Objectives
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:

  1. studying the major theories, important principles, and current practices of reference and information service;
  2. analyzing the communication process;
  3. examining information management, including the selection, organization, storage, retrieval, dissemination, and utilization of information sources; and
  4. applying these principles to a multiculturally diverse environment.

SLIS goals and objectives can be found at http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/slis/mission.htm

Textbooks

Required Textbooks
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 used for the MLS program at SJSU.

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Course Requirements

Onsite Sessions
This course meets onsite at the CSUF campus TWO times @PLS 61. Attendance is required. All sessions are 9 am to 3 pm.

  • Monday July 18
  • Tuesday July 19

Web Based Instruction
The class will primarily be Web based using Blackboard. You will post your assignments to Blackboard.com discussion board and the Blackboard Assignment Manager.

Reasonable Accommodation of Disabilities
Students who need accommodation due to a disability must register with SJSU's Disability Resource Center (DRC) during the first three weeks of the semester. The Center will work with the students to determine the disability, document it, and determine the services and accommodations necessary for student success. Then, the DRC will contact the faculty member to determine the types of consideration necessary.

Students attending the Fullerton campus should first contact the Disability Resource Center in San José since they are SJSU students. The DRC will then direct the students to supporting resources on the Fullerton campus.

The DRC Web site: http://www.drc.sjsu.edu/

Attendance/Participation
Attendance at the three onsite sessions is mandatory. Participation in online group 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.

Academic Integrity
Read the SJSU Academic Integrity Policy
http://www2.sjsu.edu/senate/S04-12.pdf

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Grading

Assignment Percent of Total Points
Reference Source Projects 20
Bibliographic Instruction Demonstration 10
Pathfinder Handout 10
E-Mail/WWW-Based Reference Service Evaluation 10
Issues Project Oral Presentation 20
Pathfinder Oral Presentation 15
Web site Evaluation 5
Class Participation 10

Grades for late assignments will be reduced by 10 percent.

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
Assignments must be the student's own work and sources must be properly cited. Academic dishonesty is a serious infraction.

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General Expectations for Students

  • 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_Annotated_Webliography
  • 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.