LIBR 244-03
Online Searching
Spring 2006 Greensheet
Jean Bedord
E-mail
Phone: 408-257-9221
Office Hours: E-mail & Telephone Appointments
| Greensheet Links Textbook and Resources Course Requirements |
Resources Blackboard Blackboard Tutorials |
Students must self-enroll for this course on Blackboard between January 18 and January 25. You will be required to use a password access code which I will provide using MYSJSU Messaging System no later than January 18. Your first Blackboard assignment is due January 29.
This is a preliminary Greensheet and subject to change by the instructor.
Course Description
This course focuses on learning search techniques and content for the major commercial (fee-based) online aggregators, and integrating this search expertise with Internet research. Students will learn how to select appropriate databases and formulate search strategies through exercises based on real-life research questions. Course topics include the history of the online information industry, current trends, and pricing issues in addition to searching theory.
The course is geared to students who are interested in professional techniques used to conduct online searches on behalf of others but is also valuable for those who require an awareness of the role commercial databases play in obtaining precision results quickly and efficiently.
Course Objectives
This course supports the following SLIS objectives which can be found at http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/slis/mission.htm:
To support the mission of the School in teaching students the major theories, important principles, and current practice in: Information transfer, information management, including the selection, organization, storage, retrieval, dissemination and utilization of information resources.
- Students will become familiar with the online industry and its role in providing access to information.
- Students will develop familiarity with commercial and web databases and learn how to transfer this knowledge to other systems
- Students will gain experience with the basic commands needed for online searching and develop an understanding of the relationship between these commands, search techniques, database structures and the evaluation of databases and database systems.
- Students will be exposed to issues in the implementation and management of online services and will consider how those issues may affect the use of online services in various settings.
Textbooks and Resources
Required Textbooks
Order the Hock and Walker books immediately—there can be delays. Look for used copies of the Walker text—it’s been used for several years.
- Hock, Randolph, The Extreme Searcher's Internet Handbook, Information Today, February 2004. http://books.infotoday.com/books/ExtSeaHan.shtml
- Walker, Geraldene & Joseph Janes, Online Retrieval: A Dialogue of Theory and Practice, 2nd Ed., 1999, Libraries Unlimited. http://www.greenwood.com/books/BookDetail.asp?sku=LU6573
Additional Readings
Additional readings will be assigned throughout the semester.
Recommended Texts
The following books are recommended:
- 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.
- Tomaiuolo, Nicholas G., The Web Library: Building a World Class Personal Library with Free Web Resources, Information Today, 2004. http://books.infotoday.com/books/WebLibrary.shtml
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
Web-based Instruction
This class is taught completely online using Blackboard. Directions on taking the quiz and posting assignments will be given.
Technical Requirements for Students
Students must meet the following technical requirements:
- 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: [Course Number]_[Student's Last Name]_Assignment] Example: LIBR244_MyName _Exercise1 . 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 to a C. - 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, Web site 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.
Participation in Online Discussions
Participation in the online discussion groups is part of your grade. There will be weekly assignments, and you are expected to participate each week.
SLISADMIN
Also join the school’s electronic list, SLISADMIN, to get official or administrative messages from SLIS. Find directions at http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/ecommunication/electroniclists.htm or choose Electronic Lists under the Computing pull-down menu on the SLIS Web site.
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 |
Grades for late assignments will be reduced by 10 percent.
Grading Scale
Final grades will be based on the following grading scale established for graduate students by San José
State University:
| 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 69 | F |
Grading Policy/Papers
Everyone begins class with a grade of "B", the standard grade for graduate level work. Students who satisfactorily complete assignments on time; and consistently participate actively in class exercises and BlackBoard discussions will receive the "B" provided the quality of written work meets the rigorous scholarly standard for the University.
Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism:
All assignments submitted must be your own work. Sources in papers must be properly cited. The San José State University regulations governing plagiarism will be enforced. Those regulations may be found at:
- http://info.sjsu.edu
Search option: Academic Dishonesty. - Academic Integrity
Read the SJSU Academic Integrity Policy
http://www2.sjsu.edu/senate/S04-12.pdf
Additional policies and expectations
The following is also expected:
- 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 committing to 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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