LIBR 244-12
Online Searching
Summer 2006 Greensheet
Amelia Kassel
E-mail
Office Hours: Virtual - contact via e-mail
| Greensheet Links Required Text and Readings Course Requirements |
Resources Blackboard Blackboard Tutorials |
This class is completely online via Blackboard. Enroll at the Blackboard site between May 26th and June 2nd. You will need an access code, which will be sent to all registered students via MySJSU on May 26th, 2006. 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
This course introduces students to search techniques and content for Dialog, Factiva, and LexisNexis - considered the "Big Three" fee-based online aggregator systems. Students will learn how to formulate search strategies through hands-on exercises based on real-life research questions and select appropriate databases. Information professionals must learn a range of resources and search tools throughout their careers since questions may lend themselves to one or another source. Through readings, discussions, and exercises, students will work with and compare the Big Three to Internet search engines and tools. Along with experiential learning, course topics include the history of the online information industry, current trends, and pricing issues.
It's important to note that this course focuses on techniques for conducting online searches on behalf of others rather than online systems geared to end users but is also valuable for those who require awareness and knowledge of the role large fee-based database systems play in obtaining precision results quickly and efficiently. Those who teach or train others in how to search online systems will become better qualified to expose users to quality content found in subscription databases and at the same time, decipher quality Internet sources. Those who aspire to management positions will learn why it's beneficial to subscribe to the Big Three, especially in certain settings.
Course Objectives
This course supports the following SLIS objectives:
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.
Required Text and Readings
Required Texts
- Walker, Geraldene & Joseph Janes, Online Retrieval: A Dialogue of Theory and Practice, 2nd Ed., 1999, Libraries Unlimited. (Please note that this text is dated and does not cover the vast changes in technology generated by the Internet and today's search engines; however, the book is valuable for understanding how to effectively search fee-based systems, especially Dialog, and contains relevant underlying technology discussed in this course. Thus far, there has been no replacement for this text.)
- Mann, Thomas. The Oxford Guide to Library Research, Oxford University Press, 2005.
- 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 will be assigned throughout the semester.
Recommended Texts
- Battelle, John, The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture, Portfolio, 2005.
- Hock, Randolph, Yahoo! To the Max, CyberAge Books, 2005.
Online Resources
The following are high quality guides from the major vendors we will study this semester. Read or scan through these and use them as reference materials to assist you in learning. All of the items below can be downloaded at no charge.
- Dialog
Dialog offers a number of instructional materials through its Graduate Education Program at http://gep.dialog.com. Review available sources and select those most useful to you. I've listed key materials below but there are others that some students find useful.
- Introduction to Dialog; Featuring DialogClassic
http://training.dialog.com/sem_info/courses/general.html#idc- Dialog Pocket Guide (HTML or PDF versions)
http://support.dialog.com/searchaids/dialog/pocketguide- Dialog Catalog 3Mb
http://support.dialog.com/publications/dbcat- Reference Card with Basic Commands (use as a cheat sheet)
http://gep.dialog.com/instruction/pdf/student_ref_guide.pdf- Choosing the Right Database Dialog Lab Workbook 2005 - Chapter 5 http://gep.dialog.com/instruction/workbook/2005_labwb_chap5.pdf
- LexisNexis Resources
http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/courses/244/lexisnexis.htm
- Factiva.com Inside Out Guide
http://www.factiva.com/collateral/download_brchr.asp?node=menuElem1526
Course Requirements
Assignments
Students are required to complete the following assignments:
- Read required books and articles, some of which will be assigned via Blackboard.
- Online Discussion: Students are required to participate in online discussions via Blackboard on a weekly basis adding thoughtful, substantive comments or questions that relate to the reading or other assignments. Participation is 20% of the grade. Lack of satisfactory participation will automatically result in a grade below a B - see the grading scale below.
- Exercises: A series of questions in which you perform online searches will be posted on Blackboard with specific instructions about each assignment.
- Final Essay: Prepare a formal essay five to ten pages in length on a current issue or online research topic of interest to you. Follow APA style and all the rules of good grammar and syntax. You can opt to submit a research project in which you search online systems used this semester and describe and analyze your steps and results along with techniques you have learned. The final essay or research paper is due the last day of class, August 14, 2006 and should be submitted in a Word file to me via e-mail.
Students must regularly consult Blackboard sections including:
- Announcements
- Course Information
- Course Documents
- Assignments
- Discussion Board
Other Requirements and Comments
- A high-speed connection for downloading various resources cited above is preferred. If you do not use a high-speed connection, it will be your responsibility to obtain all materials nevertheless.
- This is a technical course that requires consistent and regular attention to all discussion on Blackboard and continuous preparation and effort - no exceptions.
- In a survey of 43 students asking for the number of hours spent on this class, 24 responded. About 60% of the group spends between 4 and 12 hours per week on this class. About 30% spends 12 or more hours. 5% spent 2-4 hours and 5% spent 20-25 hours.
- Students taking more than one or two courses and having other responsibilities may find this course too time-consuming to adequately meet all requirements for an A and several have had problems earning a B grade. Lack of satisfactory participation in Blackboard results in a grade lower than a B - see the grading scale below.
- All students are graded on the same basis regardless of workload, personal, medical, or technical problems, which are each student's responsibility.
- Because there are many search questions used to teach this course and there isn't necessarily one correct answer or approach, students will be required to read and study a document I'll provide called Tips, Corrections, and Comments after each set of exercises. This file provides a variety of methods for searching vis-á-vis the questions at hand and contains examples of potential search strategies based on both the professor's recommendations and successful searches undertaken by LIBR 244 students in both current and past classes. If a student continues to have questions about his/her work, posting on BB for class discussion is recommended, or if preferred, a student may e-mail me. One-on-one answers by e-mail are not provided.
- Since this is a full semester course compressed into a summer session, the dates due for assignments are tight and this cannot be avoided.
- No incompletes will be awarded - no exceptions.
Exercise Schedule
The Exercises for this course are due on the following dates:
Exercise 1 |
Due June 19, 2006 |
Exercise 2 |
Due July 3, 2006 |
Exercise 3 |
Due July 17, 2006 |
Exercise 4 |
Due July 31, 2006 |
Exercise 5 |
Due August 14, 2006 |
Grading
The assignments for this course are allotted the following point values:
Exercises |
60 points |
Participation in Online Discussion |
20 points |
Final Essay |
20 points |
Grading for exercises is based on a combination of:
- Following instructions provided with exercises. Points are deducted for not following instructions.
- Completing all exercises and submitting them on time. Points are deducted for late work, one point per day, and assignments are not accepted if more than three days late.
- Evidence that you're learning basic commands and syntax, reflected in your work.
- Your comments - contained in a summary that includes your thought process, strategies, and findings. You must also integrate what you have learned from readings and class discussion.
- Finding relevant results.
Overall grading for this course incorporates consideration of creativity, thoroughness, thoughtfulness, and originality. Successful course participants will:
- Post a brief bio and statement of purpose to the Blackboard Discussion Board during the first week of class.
- Read the required textbooks cited above and other reading assignments as posted to Blackboard.
- Initiate and contribute to discussion on Blackboard weekly with substantive and thoughtful comments.
- Integrate knowledge from readings and class discussion into assignments.
- Submit all required exercises and the final essay or research project on time.
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+ |
Academic Integrity
Read the SJSU Academic Integrity Policy at
http://www2.sjsu.edu/senate/S04-12.pdf
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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