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Course Outline
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GREENSHEET
I. Course Description
This class is designed to develop the skills for planning, implementing
and evaluating programs that address the information needs of diverse
racial, ethnic, and linguistic communities, and to explore the complex,
social, economic, historical, and technological developments that impact
library and information services to diverse communities.
II. Course and School Objectives
At the completion of the course, the students will be able to:
- Understand the challenges of providing information services in a multicultural
and multiracial society;
- Understand the ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and racial factors which
create those challenges;
- Identify resources for the development of services for diverse communities;
- Determine the cultural diversity and information needs of user communities;
- Develop strategies for providing appropriate services;
- Chart the role of information institutions in promoting cultural diversity
and preserving ethnic heritage;
- Advocate and provide leadership for services for diverse communities.
This course supports the following SLIS objectives:
- The foundation of information services.
- Advocacy and leadership for access to information and knowledge resources;
- Evaluating and utilizing relevant research studies from a variety
of disciplines.
III. Required Texts: See required readings listed under class meeting
dates.
Recommended Texts:
- Galens, Judy et al. (eds.) Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America.
(2nd ed.) New York: Gale Research Inc., 2000.
- Guerena, Sal (ed.). Latino Librarianship: A Handbook for Professionals.
(2nd ed.) Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2000.
- Metoyer-Duran, Cheryl. Gatekeepers in Ethnolinguistic Communities.
Norwood, NJ: Ablex Pub., 1993.
IV. Assignments
1. Group Assignment: Information on the Internet.
- Student groups of three.
- Submit a print copy of the homepage of the websites you examine and
any other appropriate handouts. No formal written paper is required
to be submitted.
- Due March 15 with a 10 minute presentation to class.
The Internet is a rich resource of multicultural information
resources that must be examined. While there are challenges to users,
especially children, it is important to determine biased, prejudicial
information from factual, objective information. One strategy information
professionals use to guide users in locating relevant and useful information
is to create a webpage with organized links, such as "guide to the
best." Another is to provide guidelines on how to detect biased information.
Read: Chu, Clara M. "See, Hear, and Speak No Evil: A Content
Approach to Evaluating Multicultural Multimedia Materials," RUSQ:
Reference and User Services Quarterly, 39(3): 255-64, Spring 2000.
For this assignment, select a multicultural topic and find five "good"
websites and evaluate them for:
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Content; comprehensiveness of subject matter, including
biases or omissions.
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Sources of information.
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Unique features.
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How they are useful to librarians.
2. Group Interview Assignment: Multicultural Services & Programs
- Student groups of three.
- Provide each class member with any appropriate handouts. No formal
written paper is required.
- Due April 26 with a 10 minute presentation to class.
Libraries provide services and programs to diverse populations. Select
a library of any type and have each member of the group interview a
different staff-member (total of 3 interviews) for the following information:
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What multicultural and multilingual services and
programs are offered?
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What are the policies of the library regarding services
and programs for diverse communities?
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How does the staff evaluate services and programs
to diverse populations?
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What are the challenges facing the profession regarding
multicultural services and programs?
Include in your presentation your observations about the process, any
problems encountered, your findings and conclusions.
3. Paper.
- Length: 15 double-spaced pages including a bibliography.
- Include an introduction, review of the literature, analysis of your
findings or data, and a conclusion.
- Confirm the topic of the paper with the instructor.
- Due May 3 with a 10 minute synopsis to the class.
Options:
- Select a culturally diverse group in your community, and gather demographic
data on it, and learn about its socio-economic conditions. Learn what
information services are available in your community to this group,
and what information services are requested. Write an advocacy paper
in support of information services to the group; include your findings,
your observations about the process, any problems or barriers encountered,
and recommendations for specific programs and services.
- Select a multicultural issue to analyze and discuss. Examples of topics:
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Multicultural programming for teens.
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Ethnic communities and the Internet.
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The Digital Divide.
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Linguistic issues for information institutions.
Grading
Total of 100 points
Assignment 1
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20 points |
Assignment 2
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20 points |
Assignment 3
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40 points |
| Attendance & Participation |
20 points |
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