LIBR 221-11
Government Information Sources
Spring 2010 Greensheet

The access code for this course for ANGEL will be sent to those enrolled in the class via the MySJSU messaging system a few days prior to start of the semester. The course will be open for self-enrollment at the time the access code is sent. 

Course Description

This course is an introduction to the various Canadian government information sources produced by the federal, provincial and municipal governments. The goal of the course is to provide students with a broad understanding of both the Canadian government and the publications produced by the three levels of government. Although the course primarily focuses on federal and provincial publications, one week will be devoted to the smaller municipal governments and their publications. The course will examine important Canadian institutions such as Library and Archives Canada and the Depository Service Program, the Parliament of Canada, and Statistics Canada. In addition, issues such as access, availability and permanence of electronic government documents will be discussed. 

Course Objectives

Course Objectives

At the completion of this course students should be able to:

• Understand the nature, variety and value of Canadian government information and methods of handling government information products such as Statistics Canada's Cansim
• Identify various types of Canadian government information sources, including their characteristics and functions
• Be aware of the organization and function of Canadian government and governmental bodies
• Provide guidelines for identification, selection, acquisition, organization and use of government information in both academic and public libraries

Student learning outcomes: 

Understand the value, significance of Canadian government documents and their interdisciplinary nature. Develop a working knowledge of the structure of the Canadian government and the publications produced by the three levels of government. Be able to evaluate, analyze, and answer Canadian government information requests.
Identify the appropriate context of use of government documents and sources.Recognize information trends in the area of government documents.

Student Learning Outcomes 

• Understand the value, significance of Canadian government documents and their interdisciplinary nature
• Develop a working knowledge of the structure of the Canadian government and the publications produced by the three levels of government
• Be able to evaluate, analyze and answer Canadian government information requests
• Identify the appropriate context and use of Canadian government documents and sources
• Recognize information trends in the area of Canadian government documents

LIBR 200 course supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:

• Understand the nature of research, research methods and research findings; retrieve, evaluate and synthesize scholarly and professional literature for informed-decision-making by specific client groups;
• 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;
• Demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations, and professional level presentations;
• Contribute to the cultural, economic, educational and social well-being of our communities.

Course RequirementsAn overview of the core competencies for SJSU SLIS graduates can be found at http://ischool.sjsu.edu/slis/competencies.htm

Course Requirements

ANGEL Information: ANGEL
This course will be conducted entirely online using ANGEL. Lectures, assignments, and most communications, including discussions and announcements, will be conducted via ANGEL.

Please seen ANGEL Tutorials on how to enroll in an ANGEL course at: http://ischool.sjsu.edu/angel/. To self enroll in the ANGEL site for the course you must:

1. Be registered for the course FIRST.
2. The access code for the ANGEL site will be sent to those enrolled in the class via the My.SJSU.edu messaging system a day or two prior to the beginning of the course.

Though you can access the course materials online anytime, plan to set aside time each day to complete the readings and assignments, otherwise it's very easy to fall behind.

Course Assignments
Here is an overview of the assignments for this course:

1. Readings
   Each week there will be:
   • an online “lecture” provided by the instructors via ANGEL;
   • article readings regarding Canadian government information in addition to the Canadian government in general and;
   • other readings as assigned from journals, newspapers and government web sites.
2. Online Discussions
   Every week a discussion topic based on the lectures, and/or other readings will be posted to the class discussion board. Each student will be expected to respond thoughtfully to these discussion topics/questions and to engage in a meaningful discussion with other students in class.
3. Subject Guide
   Students will create an online subject guide for one of the Canadian provinces or territories highlighting the key government websites/resources and documents. The subject guide could be for an academic, special or public library.
4. Two sets of Reference Questions (10 questions each set)  (40%) 

Grading
Total possible points is 100

• 2 sets of 10 reference questions: 40%
• Subject guide: 40%
• Participation/Discussion Questions:20% 

Course Calendar
(Calendar content subject to change)

• Week 1: Introduction/Overview of Government of Canada
• Week 2: Publications of the Government of Canada
• Week 3: Parliament of Canada
• Week 4: Parliament of Canada, part 2
• Week 5: Provincial/Territorial Government
• Week 6: Provincial government in detail, British Columbia
• Week 7: Municipal Government
• Week 8: Statistics Canada / Cansim
• Week 9: Census of Canada
• Week 10: Census of Canada, part 2
• Week 11: Collection Management & Depository Services Program
• Week 12: Embedding Government Publications
• Week 13: Legal information Sources
• Week 14: Intellectual Property
• Week 15: Electronic/Future Issues of Government Publications

Academic Honesty and Plagiarism
Sources must be properly cited in papers as specified in class. Both Shawnna and I take this very seriously. The San José State University regulations governing plagiarism will be enforced.

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Textbooks and Readings

No Textbooks For This Course

Grading Scale

The standard SJSU School of Information Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses:

In order to provide consistent guidelines for assessment for graduate level work in the School, these terms are applied to letter grades:

• C represents Adequate work; a grade of "C" counts for credit for the course;
• B represents Good work; a grade of "B" clearly meets the standards for graduate level work;
  For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA) — INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204 — the iSchool requires that students earn a B in the course. If the grade is less than B (B- or lower) after the first attempt you will be placed on administrative probation.  You must repeat the class the following semester. If -on the second attempt- you do not pass the class with a grade of B or better (not B- but B) you will be disqualified.
  
• A represents Exceptional work; a grade of "A" will be assigned for outstanding work only.

Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

University Policies

General Expectations, Rights and Responsibilities of the Student

As members of the academic community, students accept both the rights and responsibilities incumbent upon all members of the institution. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with SJSU's policies and practices pertaining to the procedures to follow if and when questions or concerns about a class arises. See University Policy S90-5 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S90-5.pdf. More detailed information on a variety of related topics is available in the SJSU catalog at http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/catalog/departments/LIS.html. In general, it is recommended that students begin by seeking clarification or discussing concerns with their instructor. If such conversation is not possible, or if it does not serve to address the issue, it is recommended that the student contact the Department Chair as a next step.

Dropping and Adding

Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drop, grade forgiveness, etc. Refer to the current semester's Catalog Policies section at http://info.sjsu.edu/static/catalog/policies.html. Add/drop deadlines can be found on the current academic year calendars document on the Academic Calendars webpage at http://www.sjsu.edu/provost/services/academic_calendars/. The Late Drop Policy is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/aars/policies/latedrops/policy/. Students should be aware of the current deadlines and penalties for dropping classes.

Information about the latest changes and news is available at the Advising Hub at http://www.sjsu.edu/advising/.

Consent for Recording of Class and Public Sharing of Instructor Material

University Policy S12-7, http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S12-7.pdf, requires students to obtain instructor's permission to record the course and the following items to be included in the syllabus:

• "Common courtesy and professional behavior dictate that you notify someone when you are recording him/her. You must obtain the instructor's permission to make audio or video recordings in this class. Such permission allows the recordings to be used for your private, study purposes only. The recordings are the intellectual property of the instructor; you have not been given any rights to reproduce or distribute the material."
  • It is suggested that the syllabus include the instructor's process for granting permission, whether in writing or orally and whether for the whole semester or on a class by class basis.
  • In classes where active participation of students or guests may be on the recording, permission of those students or guests should be obtained as well.
• "Course material developed by the instructor is the intellectual property of the instructor and cannot be shared publicly without his/her approval. You may not publicly share or upload instructor generated material for this course such as exam questions, lecture notes, or homework solutions without instructor consent."

Academic integrity

Your commitment, as a student, to learning is evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State University. The University Academic Integrity Policy F15-7 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/F15-7.pdf requires you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development. The Student Conduct and Ethical Development website is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/studentconduct/.

Campus Policy in Compliance with the American Disabilities Act

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 at http://www.sjsu.edu/president/docs/directives/PD_1997-03.pdf requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must register with the Accessible Education Center (AEC) at http://www.sjsu.edu/aec to establish a record of their disability.

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