LIBR 210-10
Reference and Information Services
Spring 2004

Dr. Susan Tschabrun, stschabrun@fullerton.edu

GREENSHEET

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

COURSE OBJECTIVES

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

1. Understand the nature of the reference process and the
   communication skills required to determine the user's real question and
   the information problem.
2. Have a working knowledge of the standard reference tools involved in
   answering users' questions and be able to evaluate the value and
   appropriateness of those tools in different information settings.
3. Be familiar with current issues pertaining to reference and information
   services, including digital reference, special populations, instruction and information literacy, and the future of the reference profession.

PROGRAM GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

This course supports the School's 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 theories and principles to a multiculturally diverse environment.

TEXT

Katz, William A. (2002) Introduction to Reference Work, vol. 1. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. (required textbook available at the CSUF Titan Bookstore)

Other assigned readings are available on the course reading list.

A recommended text is:
Bopp, R.E. and Smith, L.C. (2001) Reference and Information Services:
An introduction (3rd edition). Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.

COURSE FORMAT & TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS

This is a web-based course with only one in-person meeting scheduled for
Saturday, February 7, 2004 10:00 am - 4:00 pm at the Cal State Fullerton
Pollak Library north PN-303. Attendance at the in-person meeting on
2/7/04 is required. In addition to the in-person meeting, there will be six online meetings from 8:00-9:00 pm on the following Sundays: 2/22, 3/7, 3/21, 4/11, 4/19, and 5/9. The bulk of our interactions will take place online in the Blackboard course site, which will be available for students to enroll in by January 22, 2004, if not before.

To succeed in this online course, you must have the following:

• A Blackboard account (instructions and tutorial available at
http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/blackboard/)
• An email account that allows you to send and receive attachments.
• Internet access and an up-to-date web browser
• Microsoft Office (Word and PowerPoint)
• Adobe Acrobat Reader 5+

COURSE REQUIRMENTS

1. Reference Observation Paper (10% of final grade)
2. Reference Sources Group Project and Group Challenges (25% of final grade)
3. Pathfinder Assignment (25% of final grade)
4. Digital Reference article annotations (5% of final grade)
5. Digital Reference Exercises (20% of final grade)
6. Class Participation (15% of final grade)

Full assignment instructions, including assignment objectives, submission
instructions, and grading rubrics are available on Blackboard under Assignments.

GRADING POLICY

This course will follow the University recommended grading scale for graduate students:

University Recommended Grading Scale for Graduate Students:

Late assignments will not be accepted unless previously approved by the
instructor.

It is the responsibility of the student to keep copies of all submitted assignments
and all graded materials returned to the student by the instructor until grades are
officially issued.

Incompletes will be assigned only in cases of medical or family emergency.
Medical or other proof will be required.

INSTRUCTOR EXPECTATIONS

1. Communication in an online course is essential. Plan to check your email and
Blackboard at least two times per week for messages or announcements.

2. All assignments must be submitted by the due date. Assignment instructions
should be followed exactly; points will be deducted for failure to follow directions.
Students are expected to submit assignments that are free of spelling and
grammatical errors. All sources must be correctly cited using the APA style
manual.

3. 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. Group members will be asked to self-evaluate.

4. Although the course is conducted online, not all reference sources are readily available online. It is essential that each student identify a local academic library, preferably a CSU library, with a sizable reference collection and plan to visit that library frequently throughout the semester.