LIBR 210-11
Reference and Information Services
Spring 2006 Greensheet
Dr. Susan Tschabrun
E-mail
Office Hours: by appointment via Blackboard
| Greensheet Links Textbooks and Readings Course Requirements |
Resources Blackboard Blackboard Tutorials |
The course will be available on the Blackboard site on Monday, January 9th. The instructor will enroll you in the course by Monday, January 9th; after which, you will be able to access Blackboard.
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:
- Understand the nature of the reference process and the communication skills required to determine the user's real question and the information problem.
- 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.
- 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.
Textbooks and Readings
Required Texts
The required textbooks for this course are:
- Katz, William A. (2002) Introduction to Reference Work, vol. 1. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
- Janes, Joseph. (2003) Introduction to reference work in the digital age. New York: Neal-Schuman.
The Katz text is available from amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. The Janes text can be purchased directly from the publisher at http://www.neal-schuman.com/db/9/279.html or from amazon.com.
Recommended Texts
Recommended texts include:
- Bopp, R.E. and Smith, L.C. (2001) Reference and Information Services:An introduction (3rd edition). Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
- Lanning, S., & Bryner, J. (2004) Essential reference services for today’s school media specialists. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Other Assigned Readings
Other assigned readings are available on the course reading list.
Course Requirements
Course Format and Technology Requirements
This is a Web-based course with only one in-person meeting scheduled for Saturday, February 4, 2006 10:00 am - 4:00 pm at the Cal State Fullerton Pollak Library north PN-303. Attendance at the in-person meeting on 2/4/06 is required. In addition to the single in-person meeting, students will be required to attend three online meetings from 8-9 pm on either Wed. or Sunday nights (3/1 or 3/5; 4/5 or 4/9; and 5/3 or 5/7). The bulk of our interactions will take place online in the Blackboard course site, which will be available for students to enroll in between January 18 and January 25, 2005, if not before.
To succeed in this online course, you must have the following:
- A Blackboard account
- An e-mail 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 6 or higher
In addition, you may find that some chat-based, digital reference services are more likely to work if you are using a PC and Internet Explorer.
Blackboard
The course will be available on the Blackboard site on Monday, January
9th. The instructor will enroll you in the course by Monday, January
9th; after which, you will be able to access Blackboard.
Instructor Expectations
The instructor expects:
- Communication in an online course is essential. Plan to check your e-mail and Blackboard at least two times per week for messages or announcements.
- 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.
- Group work is a 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.
- 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.
Assignments
Full assignment instructions, including assignment objectives, submission instructions, and grading rubrics are available on Blackboard under Assignments.
- Reference Observation Paper (15% of final grade)
- Reference Sources Evaluations and Reference Question Challenges (25% of final grade)
- Pathfinder Assignment (20% of final grade)
- Digital Reference Exercises (20% of final grade)
- Class Participation (20% of final grade)
Academic Integrity
Read the SJSU Academic Integrity Policy
http://www2.sjsu.edu/senate/S04-12.pdf
Grading Policy
This course will follow the University recommended grading scale for graduate students.
University Recommended Grading Scale for Graduate Students:
| 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+ |
Late Assignments
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
Incompletes will be assigned only in cases of medical or family emergency. Medical or other proof will be required.
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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