LIBR 210-12
Reference and Information Services
Summer 2010 Greensheet

Dr. Linda L. Lillard
E-mail
Phone: 785-221-8060. Please call between 6 am and 6 pm Pacific Time.
Office location: Clarion, Pennsylvania and online
Office Hours: Virtual via e-mail, telephone, discussion board, and Elluminate sessions, also by appointment. I will respond to messages within 24 hours and notify you in advance when I will be unavailable. Informal Elluminate session office hours will be scheduled as needed. Elluminate meeting times will be given in course announcements at least one week in advance and participation is voluntary unless otherwise agreed upon.

ANGEL information: I will send the access code for the Angel site via the MySJSU messaging system to those enrolled in the course on Monday, May 31. Please enroll in the course no later than Sunday, June 6.

Course Description

This course provides an overview of information services provided in a variety of settings. The focus is on human intermediation in libraries (both physical and digital) and in other information service environments, mainly covering the methods and models of information service delivery, fundamental tools and resources in selecting and searching information, information evaluation and emerging issues and standards pertinent to information access and service. 

Course Prerequisites: LIBR 202 required.

Major Themes:

• The evolution of reference and information service
• The reference process in various venues
• Information sources in multiple formats
• Search tools and search strategies
• Evaluation of reference interactions
• Evaluation and management of information resources
• Library instruction
• Delivery of reference and information service to diverse populations
• Ethics and policies of reference and information services
  

Course Objectives

Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students will:

• Understand the basic principles and techniques used in the provision of reference and information services
• Be able to conduct an effective reference interview to interpret users’ information needs
• Have a working knowledge of general information resources and search tools in various disciplines
• Be able to quickly identify and select information resources, effectively locate relevant information, and provide clear instructions (if necessary) in the fulfillment of users’ information needs
• Comprehend the skills to critically and thoroughly evaluate information
• Be able to create documents for indirect reference.
• Develop a strong sense of the broader context of reference and information service, in particular the customer service mentality, professional concerns of ethics, and equal representation and service
• Be aware of the emerging issues concerning reference and information service

LIBR 210 supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:

• user service concepts, principles and techniques that facilitate information access, relevance, and accuracy for individuals or groups of users.

In addition, this section supports the following SLIS core competency:

• 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. 

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Course Requirements

Mode of Instruction
This course will use Angel for accessing course materials, online discussions, and submission of assignments. Students are expected to access the course site and participate in discussions on a regular basis.

In addition, I will periodically hold synchronous office hours via Elluminate (TBA but not in January). These office hours will be used for discussion, additional instruction on online searching and using specific reference tools, and practicing the reference interview. Attendance is optional, but encouraged.

Assignments
For due dates and detailed requirements for each of the assignments, please see the course site in Angel. Several of the assignments are team assignments. You will be divided into teams at the beginning of the class and will work with your assigned team on all team assignments. Be prepared to evaluate each other on your teamwork at the end of the class. This is an important part of the assessment process and important for you to experience as your future may hold library and information center administration, management, and leadership.

• Reference Interview Analysis (300 pts). This assignment requires you to be a library patron – you will ask questions of three different reference librarians and then analyze the service you receive. This also allows you to analyze service you receive in general.
• Source Presentation (200 pts). This is a team assignment. Your instructional team has been asked to prepare an instruction session that teaches online students to use a certain category of reference source (i.e. encyclopedias, dictionaries, biographical sources, etc.). You must create a presentation for online students that uses good instructional techniques. (In reality, you will also be teaching your classmates about that particular source).
• Online Searching (100 pts). Early in the semester, we will learn search techniques for online resources. This assignment – questions that can be answered using the online databases offered by the SJSU King Library – will let you practice those techniques in order to improve your searching skills.
• Subject-Specific Reference Sources Pathfinder (200 pts). This is a team assignment. The class will be divided into several teams and each group is responsible for creating a pathfinder of reference resources in a specific subject area. This assignment will further your knowledge of reference sources as well as practice your instructional skills. Creating a resource pathfinder on a certain topic is the final project of this class, in place of the final exam. It is a comprehensive assignment where a variety of important reference skills are involved, including the analysis of users’ information needs, identification and evaluation of relevant resources, and organization and presentation of retrieved information, etc. For this assignment, you will select a topic of your interest and create a pathfinder as an indirect reference tool to help users easily locate information about the selected topic.
• Source Exercises* (100 pts). The different teams in the class will instruct you about each of the different categories of reference sources. After this instruction you will answer sample reference questions designed to familiarize you with specific titles and their unique features. The sets of exercises are designed to give you practical experience examining and using some of the reference sources and search techniques we are studying. Please see more detailed information about these exercises in ANGEL.
  
  *You will need to have access to a print reference collection (a large public or an academic library) in order to complete these exercises. Online sources may be used, but they will not be sufficient for all questions as a major goal of the class is for you to become familiar with print and electronic reference resources.
• Participation and In Class Exercises (100 pts) Throughout the various units of the class you will be required to complete brief exercises that relate to the unit topic. These exercises will be worth from 10 to 20 points each. In addition, everyone is expected to participate vigorously in course discussions. Participating in the class is part of the learning experience, as the discussions and activities are designed to help you understand and master the course content. The diversity of experiences you all bring to the course is what makes our discussions interesting – so we need to hear everyone’s voice!
  
  I expect everyone to contribute at least two meaningful posts each week. Your post might be: a response to the reading(s) and/or “lecture” material, based on your own experiences or unanswered questions; a response to a peer’s post, based on your own understanding or experiences; or a response to my questions/prompts. There might also be specific assigned participation exercises.

Late Work
Assignments are due by midnight of the day that they are due. I expect all work to be turned in on time or an email with a reasonable explanation as to why your assignment is late and when you plan to complete it. If you do not email me, I reserve the right to deduct 10 points for every day an assignment is late.

Textbooks and Readings

Required Textbook:

• Bopp, R. E., & Smith, L. C. (Eds.). (2011). Reference and Information Services: An Introduction (4th ed.). Libraries Unlimited. Available as free eBook through King Library.

• Radford, M., Nelsen, K., & Ross, C. (2009). Conducting the reference interview: A how-to-do-it manual for librarians (2nd ed.). Neal-Schuman. Available through Amazon: 155570655X.

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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