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Textbooks, Resources and Readings | Course Requirements | Assignments and Grading
Course Description
Techniques of searching and managing online search services, both commercial databases and Internet search engines. The commercial services covered include Dialog, LexisNexis, and Factiva.
Topics include: the history of the online industry, development of search strategies, searching techniques, evaluating online search services, analysis of database structures, use and evaluation of database search services, and online searching experience.
Course Objectives
To support the mission of the School in teaching students the major theories, important principles, and current practice in: information transfer and 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.
This course supports the second teaching goal of the School of Library and Information Science by teaching students the major theories, important principles, and current practice in the following areas:
- The foundations of information services;
- Information transfer
- Information management, including the selection, organization, storage, retrieval, dissemination and utilization of information resources;
- One or more specialized aspects of information management.
Textbooks, Resources and Readings
Dialog
LexisNexis
Factiva
Internet
Hock, Randolph. (2004) The Extreme Searcher’s Internet Handbook. Cyberage Books (available through Amazon.com, among other bookstores…).
Readings will be assigned from the above resources, from professional literature or from other vendor documentation. The Online Retrieval book used in some other sections (Walker, G. & Janes, J. (1999) Online Retrieval: A Dialogue of Theory and Practice. 2 nd Ed. Libraries Unlimited) is not required, but may be a useful backup reference source (and it may be the source of some optional readings) – it is available online through the King Library, so students are not asked to purchase it.
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Course Requirements
Blackboard
This class is completely online. Please enroll at the Blackboard site by 5/31. The class should be available by 5/24, at the latest.
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/
Academic Integrity
Read the SJSU Academic Integrity Policy
http://www2.sjsu.edu/senate/S04-12.pdf
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Assignments and Grading
| Online searching exercises |
50% |
| Quizzes |
15% |
| Essay |
15% |
| Online discussions |
20% |
| Readings |
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Exercises
A series of exercises will be posted on Blackboard, requiring the use of online databases for searches. Grading will be based on the student’s search strategies, analysis of his or her thought processes and results of the searches, with the emphasis in grading on the search strategy and 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). Finding the “right” answer is a factor, but not as critical as explaining and analyzing the search conducted. 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 the proper evaluation of an exercise requires that there be enough for the instructor to follow what was done and why. Analysis should be brief (one or two paragraphs), but complete.
Instructions will be provided for the assignments, and a sample assignment will be provided, demonstrating the format of exercises to be turned in.
Quizzes
There will be two quizzes, 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 and students are encouraged to propose topics for discussion or begin new discussion threads.
Discussion topics will be provided at the beginning of the week. Students should post a minimum of two substantive 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.
Essay
An essay, 5-10 pages in length, will be due the final week of class. This essay should follow APA style (and, of course, the usual rules of good grammar and syntax). Two options for the essay are available:
- Describe and analyze the steps, thought processes and results of a research project using online databases
- Discuss an issue or trend involving online searching or the online industry
Use a minimum of 5 sources for your essay (articles, book chapters, Web site materials, etc.). For more info on APA style, check out this page: http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/resources/apa.htm.
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