LIBR 230-10
Issues in Academic Libraries
Spring 2007 Greensheet
Renee Jefferson
E-mail
Office Hours: Blackboard, by appointment
| Greensheet Links Textbooks and Readings Course Requirements Course Schedule |
Resources Blackboard Blackboard Tutorials SLIS e-Bookstore |
The Blackboard course will be available on Monday, January 15th. Students must self-enroll in Blackboard between Monday, January 15th and Friday, January 26th, with the access code that will be distributed via my.sjsu.
Course Description
This course will investigate current issues that impact the functioning of the academic library. Topics covered will include issues related to social and political environments, clientele, services, collections, physical settings, financing and staffing, and future trends in the academic library sector.
Prerequisites: LIBR 200 and 204.
Student Learning Outcomes
At the completion of the course, the student should be able to perform the following:
- Explain the role of academic libraries in post-secondary institutions.
- Describe concepts and issues related to academic libraries in post-secondary institutions.
- Analyze and evaluate research related to academic librarianship.
- Apply critical thinking and analytical methods to the solution of problems related to academic libraries.
LIBR 230 supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:
- compare the environments and organizational settings in which library and information professionals practice;
- recognize the social, cultural and economic dimensions of information use;
- use service concepts, principles and techniques that facilitate information access, relevance, and accuracy for individuals or groups of users.
In addition, this section supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:
- demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations and professional level presentations;
- evaluate programs and services on specified criteria
Textbooks and Readings
Required Textbook
There is no required textbook.
Course materials will consist of information from the academic library literature. These materials will be posted in Blackboard.
Course Requirements
Course Format
This is a web-based course. There are two MANDATORY class sessions: Saturday, February 10th (9am – 5pm) and Saturday, May 5th (9am – 5pm). The sessions will be held in Pollack Library South at Cal State Fullerton.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for the majority of the course activities.
- The course will be available on the Blackboard site on Monday, January 15.
- Self-enrollment begins Monday, January 15 and ends Friday, January 26.
- Follow the instructions posted in the Announcements’ section.
Office Hours
I will not set specific online hours. I will be available to answer questions Monday through Friday. You should have a response to your questions within 48 hours. You may also make an appointment to meet with me in the chat room that is available in Blackboard, or you may schedule a time for me to telephone you.
Instructor Expectations
Students are expected to adhere to the following:
- Check email and Blackboard daily for messages and announcements. Communication in an online course is essential.
- Submit all assignments by the specified due date and time. Instructions for each assignment are posted under the Assignments section of Blackboard. Points will be deducted for failure to follow directions. Any assignment submitted after the due date, without the permission of the instructor, will have its total score reduced by 10%. [Note: You must have permission from the instructor to submit your assignment late PRIOR to the due date.] Any assignment submitted more than one week after the deadline will not be accepted for grading, and a failing grade will be recorded; that is, unless a student has received an extension from the instructor. This is only fair to students who work to submit their assignments on time. Extra credit assignments are not available.
- Submit assignments that are free of spelling and grammatical errors. All sources must be correctly cited using the APA style manual.
- All assignments must be your own work. Sources must be properly cited in papers. The San Jose State University codes and rules governing plagiarism are in effect. Please refer to the following sites for specific information.
- "Academic Dishonesty Procedures", SJSU Class Schedule
http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/narr/soc-spring/soc-spring-273.html - University Policy F88-10: http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/f88-10.htm
- S98-1 (amends F88-10): http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/s98-1.htm
- S02-4 (amends S98-1): http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/S02-4.htm
- "Academic Dishonesty Procedures", SJSU Class Schedule
- Work cooperatively on group assignments. 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.
- Be an active participant in class discussions and activities. Class discussions and activities are integral components of the course.
- Identify a local academic library, preferably a CSU library, with a sizable reference collection. Plan to visit that library frequently throughout the course. Although the course is conducted online, not all reference sources are readily available online.
- Know how to use Blackboard. See the Blackboard Tutorials and Resources for SLIS Instructors and Students located at http://witloof.sjsu.edu/blackboard/.
- It is the responsibility of the student to maintain a copy of all graded and returned materials for use as evidence in any question that might arise regarding the final grade in the course.
- Incompletes will be assigned only in cases of medical or family emergency. Medical or other proof will be required.
Assignments
Students are required to complete the following assignments:
- Exercises (Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4): The purpose of the exercises is to give you an opportunity to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate literature related to traditional and contemporary issues in different types of academic library environments. There are 5 exercises, which consist of individual and group exercises.
- Groups. The number of students assigned to a willvary depending on the topic being discussed. Participation in the group is mandatory. Group members may terminate the membership of a student who does not participate in the activities defined by the group (e.g., meetings, tasks). If a student is terminated from a group, he/she WILL NOT receive credit for the assignment. No make-up or extra-credit assignment will be permitted for a terminated group member.
- Case Study (Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 4): The focus of the case study is an in-depth examination of an academic library. You will be required to select and provide a detailed analysis of an academic library. The analysis includes the following components: (1) library description, (2) needs assessment, and (3) action plan. You will present the case study at the May 10th site visit.
Evaluation
| Assignments | Points |
| Exercises (5@10 points each) | 50 |
| Case Study Report | 30 |
| Case Study Presentation | 20 |
| Total | 100 |
Grading Scale
The standard SJSU SLIS Grading Scale is utilized for all SLIS courses:
| 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 67 | F |
Academic Integrity
Your own commitment to learning, as evidenced by your enrollment at San José State University, and the University's Academic Integrity Policy requires you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the Office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development. The policy on academic integrity can be found at http://sa.sjsu.edu/student_conduct.
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/
Course Schedule
The following schedule represents an outline of the reading assignments, projects, and activities that will be covered during the course. All readings will be posted in Blackboard. Any changes to the schedule will be placed in the Announcements’ section of Blackboard.
All assignments and discussion forum postings are due on Thursdays.
| Date | Topics & Readings | Assignments |
| Week 1 1/24—1/26 |
Introductions Course Structure & Material Review |
|
| Week 2 1/29—2/2 |
Academic Library in Higher Education | Exercise 1 |
| Week 3 2/5—2/9 |
Site Visit—Saturday, February 10 | |
| Week 4 2/12—2/16 |
Governance; Organizational Culture and Higher Education | |
| Week 5 2/19—2/23 |
Exercise 2 | |
| Week 6 2/26—3/2 |
Academic Library Users | |
| Week 7 3/5—3/9 |
Exercise 3 | |
| Week 8 3/12—3/16 |
Organization and Management | |
| Week 9 3/19—3/23 |
Exercise 4 | |
| Week 10 3/26—3/30 |
No Classes; Spring Break | |
| Week 11 4/2—4/6 |
Budget | |
| Week 12 4/9—4/13 |
Electronic Information & Collection Development | |
| Week 13 4/16—4/20 |
Exercise 5 | |
| Week 14 4/23—4/27 |
Case Study Preparation | |
| Week 15 4/30—5/4 |
Site Visit—Saturday, May 5 Future of Academic Libraries |
Case Study Presentations |
| Week 16 5/7—5/11 |
Case Study Report | |
| Week 17 5/14 & 5/15 |
Classes end Tuesday, May 15, 2006 |
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Phone: 408-924-2490
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