LIBR 244-11
Online Searching
Fall 2006 Greensheet
Jean Bedord
E-mail
Virtual Office: Contact via e-mail
| Greensheet Links Textbooks and Resources Course Requirements |
Resources Blackboard Blackboard Tutorials |
Students must self-enroll at the Blackboard site between August 21st and August 28th. You will need an access code, which will be sent to all registered students through My.SJSU.edu messaging system no later than August 21. Late enrollments are not accepted.
Note: This is a preliminary Greensheet and the professor reserves the right to make revisions prior to or during the semester
Course Description
Knowledge of online information sources and search tools have become key competencies for reference and research professionals. This course introduces students to the resources available through the major commercial (fee-based) online aggregators, Dialog, Factiva, and Lexis-Nexis, known in the information industry as the Big Three. These resources are compared to the resources available through the Web search engines and the SJSU library website.
Students will learn how to select appropriate electronic resources and formulate search strategies through exercises based on real-life research questions. Topics will include searching techniques, database indexing, evaluation of search services, and understanding the relationship between database structure and search techniques. The history of the online information industry, trends in the online information industry and pricing issues are also included, in addition to searching theory.
Prerequisite: LIBR 202
Course Objectives
Student Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students should have:
- Explored content for three major fee-based commercial aggregator systems.
- Developed effective search strategies and techniques for conducting online searches in fee-based systems.
- Demonstrated correct search syntax in all three fee based systems, through completion of class exercises.
- Identified high quality Internet resources and their characteristics.
- Compared results for Internet searching vs. fee based aggregator systems, learning when each resource is appropriate to obtain precise and relevant results for patrons, users and clients.
- Written a short paper on a topic in the online information industry, utilizing online research resources, demonstrating professional level writing and choices of information sources.
LIBR 244 supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:
- design, query and evaluate information retrieval systems;
- demonstrate proficiency in the use of current information and communication technologies, and other related technologies, as they affect the resources and uses of libraries and other types of information providing entities.
In addition, this section supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:
- use service concepts, principles and techniques that facilitate information access, relevance, and accuracy for individuals or groups of users;
- demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations and professional level presentations.
Complete list of competencies at http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/slis/competencies.htm.
Textbooks and Resources
Required Textbooks
Note: Order the Hock and Walker books immediately—there can be delays. Both books should be available used.
- Walker, Geraldene & Joseph Janes, Online Retrieval: A Dialogue of Theory and Practice, 2nd Ed., 1999, Libraries Unlimited. (Note that the examples and technology coverage is dated; however, the book is very useful in understanding methods to effectively search fee-based systems, especially Dialog, as well as the underlying technology discussed in this course. Thus far, there has been no replacement for this text and feedback indicates that most students find it useful.)
- Hock, Randolph, The Extreme Searcher's Internet Handbook: A Guide for the Serious Searcher, 2004, CyberAge Books and http://www.extremesearcher.com for links to sites cited in the book.
- Additional readings from articles or Web sites will be assigned throughout the semester.
Recommended Texts
- American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 5th ed. Washington, D.C.: APA. This is the standard style guide used for the MLS program at SJSU....used in the required Foundation courses.
- Mann, Thomas. The Oxford Guide to Library Research, Oxford University Press, 2005
- Hock, Randolph, Yahoo! To the Max, CyberAge Books, 2005
- Battelle, John, The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture, Portfolio, 2005
Additional readings will be assigned throughout the semester.
Online Resources
Vendor provided online guides, tutorials and other reference materials, available at no cost.
- Dialog Resources
Dialog has a Graduate Education Program at http://gep.dialog.com with a number of excellent instructional materials. You will be using the following resources, but students may find the additional materials useful, particularly for business applications:- Dialog Pocket Guide (HTML or PDF versions)
http://support.dialog.com/searchaids/dialog/pocketguide - Dialog DataBase Catalog PDF 3Mb
http://support.dialog.com/publications/dbcat - Dialog Database Catalog Supplement PDF 845KB
http://support.dialog.com/publications/dbcat - Introduction to Dialog; Featuring DialogClassic
http://training.dialog.com/sem_info/courses/general.html#idc
Download: Introduction to Dialog; Featuring DialogClassic (PDF file, 1.2MB.) - Dialog Reference Card with Basic Commands (use as a cheat sheet)
http://gep.dialog.com/instruction/pdf/student_ref_guide.pdf
- Dialog Pocket Guide (HTML or PDF versions)
- Lexis Nexis Resources
http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/courses/244/lexisnexis.htm - Factiva Resources
- Factiva.com Inside Out Guide
http://www.factiva.com/collateral/download_brchr.asp?node=menuElem1526
- Factiva.com Inside Out Guide
Course Requirements
Course Format
This class is completely online via Blackboard.
Blackboard
The class will be run on Blackboard. Students are expected to regularly consult BlackBoard for the following:
- Announcements
- Course Information
- Course Documents
- Assignments
- Discussion Boards.
Technical Requirements for Students:
- Internet Explorer is required for Factiva searching
- 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 participate in class. (http://tigris.sjsu.edu)
- Submit selected assignments electronically. Use the following scheme for submitting files: Assignment#_LastName_FirstName Example: Exercise1_LastName_FirstName . Do not use special characters in the name—BlackBoard doesn’t tolerate them.!
- Submit assignments by midnight of the due date. An assignment submitted after the due date is subject to a grade penalty.
- Consistently follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.) for formats, citations and references
- Avoid spelling, grammatical and syntactical errors. Professional level skills are expected.
Assignments
The assignments for this course will be:
- Exercises
There will be four assigned exercises that will require searching online databases. Instructions will be provided for assignments, and grading will be based on the student’s search strategies, thought processes and results of the searches.
More important than finding the “right” answer is the description and analysis of the process – why terms or databases were chosen (or not chosen), what the thought process was, how the search strategy was constructed, what mistakes were made, and suggested changes to the strategy if the search were to be re-run (although it is not necessary to actually re-run it).
Search statements, as well as the analysis of the exercise, must be turned in for grading. It is not necessary for all results to be included, but some results are necessary for the proper evaluation of the exercise. Analysis should be brief (one or two paragraphs).
- Quiz
There will be one quiz, with specifics posted on Blackboard.
- Online Discussion
Since this course is conducted entirely online, participation in online discussions via Blackboard is essential. Discussion topics will be provided. Students may also propose topics for discussion or begin new discussion threads. Students should post (at least) two comments on each discussion topic, one an original contribution and the other a response to another student’s post. Please check in on the discussions occasionally throughout the week. Note that participation is 20% of your grade, so non-participation will automatically reduce your grade below a B.
- Essay
A formal essay, 5-10 pages in length, will be due the final week of class. This essay should follow APA style with the usual rules of good grammar and syntax. Use a minimum of 5 sources for your essay (articles, book chapters, website materials, etc.)
The topic is an issue or trend involving online searching or the online industry. You will need to post the topic on BlackBoard for approval.
Course Calendar
Exercise schedule is subject to change with fair notice.
Assignment |
Due Date |
Quiz |
September 10 |
Exercise #1 |
September 24 |
Exercise #2 |
October 8 |
Essay Topic Posted to Discussion Board |
October 15 |
Exercise #3 |
October 22 |
Exercise #4 |
November 5 |
Written Essay |
December 7 latest |
Grading
The above assignment will contribute to your grade as follows:
| Assignment | Percent of Total Points |
| Online Exercises | 60 points |
| Quiz | 5 points |
| Online Discussions & Participation | 20 points |
| Formal Essay | 15 points |
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+ |
Incompletes
No incompletes will be awarded.
Late Work
There will be a 10% penalty for any late work.
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 are required to report all infractions to the Office of Judicial Affairs. The policy on academic integrity can be found at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/F06-1.pdf
Additional Policies and Expectations
- No incompletes will be awarded – no exceptions.
- Be aware of SLIS requirements for dropping classes
- A high speed Internet connection is preferred—you are responsible for downloading the materials.
- Expect to spend a substantial amount of time on this class. It is technical in nature, and requires regular attention and skill building. It is in your own best interests to do the practice exercises, even though they are not graded.
- Carefully consider your total course load, work and family commitments before starting this class. All students are graded on the same basis, without consideration of personal circumstances.
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/
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Phone: 408-924-2490
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