LIBR 228-01
LIBR 228-10
Advanced Information Resources and Services
Fall 2005

Instructor Name: Todd Gilman
E-mail
Office location: Web
Phone: (203) 432-1761
Office hours: M-F 9-5 EST

GREENSHEET

Textbooks and Resources | Course Requirements | About Your Instructor

Blackboard course enrollment dates are 22 – 24 August 2005. Students must self-enroll for this course on Blackboard during these dates. You will be required to use a password access code that I will provide using MYSJSU Messaging system. For more information on access code enrollment, see the tutorial entitled Enrolling in a Blackboard course.  

Course Description

Survey of information sources, information transfer processes, and research patterns in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, including use characteristics, interpersonal communication, and query analysis. Topics covered will include library instruction, library guides, virtual reference systems, management, and evaluation of reference services. In addition, the course will emphasize specific skills deemed essential for effective reference work: oral and written communication, functioning effectively with other people, analysis, creative problem solving, and assessment.
Prerequisites: LIBR 202 and LIBR 210.

Intended for students who wish to work in academic libraries or major public libraries.

Course Objectives

• To understand the process of information seeking in the sciences, social sciences, and the humanities.
• To demonstrate the ability to produce a library guide in both print and electronic format in consultation with a faculty member.
• To present, as a team member, an effective interactive teaching and learning session for a specific electronic source.
• To develop an appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of virtual reference systems.
• To analyze the effectiveness of electronic answering sources for statistical queries.
• To develop skills in evaluating reference service effectiveness.

This course supports the following SLIS objectives

Teaching students the major theories, important principles, and current practice in:

• The foundations of information services
• Information transfer
• Information management, including the selection, organization, storage, retrieval, dissemination and utilization of information resources

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

Textbooks and Resources

Required Texts
The required books for this course are:

• William A. Katz, Introduction to Reference Work: Basic Information Services, Volume I, Eighth Edition. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2002. ISBN:   0-07-244107-0.
• William A. Katz, Introduction to Reference Work: Reference Services and Reference Processes, Volume II, Eighth Edition. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2002. ISBN:   0-07-244143-7.

The textbooks may be ordered directly from the publishers or through Web-based vendors such as Amazon at www.amazon.com or Barnes & Noble at www.bn.com

NOTE: The Katz books are costly and not completely up to date; however, they are the best resource of their kind available, and should be taken seriously. Also, you will need to have books in hand by the first day of class, so please rush order them as soon as you see this Greensheet.

Additional Readings
Additional course materials will be available through the Blackboard course site.

Core Journals
You should be familiar with professional journals that explore reference and information service issues appropriate to this course, including

• College & Research Libraries (Z671 .C6)*
• Journal of Academic Librarianship (Z671 .J58)*
• Medical Reference Services Quarterly (R118.2 .M4)*
• Public Libraries (Z673.A5 .P88)*
• Reference & User Services Quarterly (Z671 .R7)*
• The Reference Librarian (Z711 .R43x)*
• Reference Services Review (Z1035.1 .R43)*

I have taken the call numbers above from the SJSU library catalog, but they should also help you locate materials, if available, at any academic library to which you have access. Titles marked with an asterisk (*) show electronic access through the SJSU Electronic Journals List.

Discussion Lists
Electronic discussion lists constitute an important part of professional dialogue and support for reference and information service librarians. All students in this class should subscribe to LIBREF-L, the largest electronic discussion list dedicated to issues in reference librarianship.

*Join LIBREF-L*

You will also find a variety of electronic discussion lists dedicated to specific subject areas (e.g., history librarianship), to specialized service areas often administered as part of reference and information service programs (e.g., instructional services), and to the use of information technology as a means of supporting reference and information services. You can see some of these lists in the "External Links" section of the Blackboard course site.

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Course Requirements

Overview
Successfully completing assignments related to objectives listed above. Participation during each unit in the form of asynchronous Threaded Discussion. Use of basic HTML for student presentation pages.

Reading assignment must be completed each week. Readings not in the Katz books are provided through Blackboard.

Course Communication
I shall have no specific online office hours, but shall be available to answer questions submitted either through the Blackboard course site, or directly to todd(dot)gilman(at)yale(dot)edu. Please note that I am on Eastern Standard Time, and that you should expect to receive a reply to any questions within 48 hours of receipt. Any extended absences that might affect response time will be announced through the Blackboard course site.

Technical Requirements
You must have access to the following: Internet/World Wide Web access, Java-enabled Web browser, Microsoft Office (particularly Word and PowerPoint), and Adobe Acrobat Reader 5+.

You must be able to send and receive e-mail, including attachments. You should plan to check your e-mail and the Blackboard course site regularly for announcements.

For more detailed information, consult the SLIS home computing environment page.

Blackboard
This course is run via Blackboard. Dale DAVID, the SLIS Blackboard Administrator, has created a "Blackboard Tutorials and Resources for SLIS Instructors and Students" site. It is located at http:/slisweb.sjsu.edu/blackboard/. Use the tutorial to learn how to set up your Blackboard account.

Blackboard Course Enrollment
Course enrolment dates are 22 – 24 August 2005

Course Schedule
The schedule of the course is listed in the table below:

Assignment Evaluation
I shall evaluate ALL written work according to the following criteria in addition to the specific requirements for each assignment:

• Quality of the presentation--neat and error-free
• Quality of the writing--clear, direct, and correct
• Quality of the organization--smooth, logical flow and content
• Quality and amount of reflection, analysis, and evaluation

Paper Format
All papers must be typed, double spaced, with a font size of at least 12 points. They must also conform to APA style. You should own a copy of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 5th edition (2001). For further information, see the SLIS APA Style Resources page.

Late Assignments
Let the instructor know in advance if you will be unable to participate during a given week. Late assignments will be accepted up to five days past the deadline, with a penalty of 1 point (1% of course grade) per day. With an appropriate reason stated BEFORE the due date, students may be allowed additional time without penalty. I shall not accept any paper that is more than five days late.

Grading
There are 100 possible points for this course, divided as follows:

Specific requirements for each assignment, including due dates, will be posted in the course site via Blackboard.

Grading Scale
The breakdown for your course grade, based on the University Recommended Grading Scale for Graduate Students, is as follows:

Additional Information
Each student will:

• assume responsibility for his/her learning
• use the provided learning guides and resources; conduct data searches when necessary
• manage his/her time effectively (plan a schedule and practice time management)
• ask for assistance when needed; avoid unnecessary frustration and confusion
• remain active in the Discussions and E-mail
• prepare all work at graduate performance levels
• enter each Unit beginning the date that Unit starts. He/she is then free to access that Unit as many times as he/she likes through the end of the course
• follow good online etiquette

Please note:

• I prefer not to use the Chat function for this course, though you are welcome to; formal interaction of the class as a whole will take the form of Discussions.
• So that I am not inundated with e-mail, please limit the number of e-mails you send me to two per week if possible. That means saving up questions, perhaps, for several days.
• Plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the assignment in question (see more on plagiarism below). 

The instructor will

• provide assistance/knowledge in facilitating understanding of the course content
• guide students through the course
• facilitate discussion through questioning, probing, examples, etc.
• provide feedback
• maintain records
• mark exams/assignments and maintain records within 15 working days
• respond to messages on Tuesdays and Thursdays

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/

A statement on 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. See the University policy as linked from the SLIS Faculty Handbook page on plagiarism http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/de/problems/plagiarism.htm, noting especially the SJSU Academic Integrity Policy at http://www2.sjsu.edu/senate/S04-12.pdf

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About Your Instructor
Professor Gilman holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Toronto and an M.S. in Library and Information Science from Simmons College in Boston. He is Librarian for Literature in English at Yale University Library (www.library.yale.edu). He also teaches part-time for the Library and Information Science Program at Wayne State University.

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