LIBR 204-12
Information Organizations and Management
Fall 2010 Greensheet

Mary M. Somerville, MLS, MA, PhD
E-mail
Phone: 253-229-8816 (cell)
Office Hours: (Optional) TBD

Mission of the School
The School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) at San José State University educates professionals and develops leaders who organize, manage, and enable the effective use of information and ideas in order to contribute to the well-being of our communities.

Getting Started
SLIS utilizes a content management system named ANGEL for class communications, assignments, and grade records. The direct link for ANGEL login is https://liffey.sjsu.edu. The direct link for ANGEL tutorials for both faculty and students is ischool.sjsu.edu/angel/index.html.

Students should enroll in the 204-12 site before class commences on August 25th using a password access code sent via the MySJSU e-mail messaging system prior to the first day of class.

Course Description

This course examines distinguishing characteristics of information organizations, including culture(s) and relationships, with emphasis on the potential of managers and leaders to orchestrate forward thinking movement toward strategic organizational goals.

Course Prerequisites:
Complete LIBR 203: Online Social Networking: Technology and Tools. This is a mandatory 1 unit course that introduces students to the various e-learning tools in the SLIS program, including Angel, Elluminate, and Second Life. This course must be completed by all new SLIS students within the first 4 weeks of their first semester.

Student Learning Outcomes:

At the completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Compare management theories, principles and practices;
• Apply analytical and strategic planning processes and skills;
• Identify the roles and activities of managers;
• Understand portfolios as a means of performance assessment;
• Experience and assess working in teams;
• Discuss managing issues of diversity in the workplace;
• Prepare and post a resume and use the services of the SJSU Career Center;
• Review and use the professional and research literature of management.

LIBR 204 supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:

• apply the fundamental principles of planning, management, and marketing/advocacy;
• demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations, and professional level presentations; and
• evaluate programs and services on specified criteria.

Top of Page

Course Requirements

The course design enables participants to develop an overview of the topic through reading a textbook, supplemented by reading organizational cases. Course assignments aim to develop theoretical and practical understanding. Assignments are completed during a week which begins on a Sunday and concludes on a Saturday. This schedule intends to accommodate students with a variety of work schedules and personal circumstances. In addition, it permits the instructor to respond on a daily basis to participants’ messages before assuming her (Monday through Friday) work day and then, over the weekend, respond more substantively to students’ work.

Toward these ends, the course calendar is as follows:

• Week 1 – August 25 – August 28 - Organizational Opportunities and Challenges
  • Read: Somerville, chapters 1 – 4
  • Assignment: Deposit pre-class survey in digital drop box
• Week 2 – August 29 – September 4 – Organizational (Re)Design and Leadership
  • Read: Somerville, chapters 5 - 6
  • Assignment: Submit one paragraph self introduction in discussion forum
• Week 3 – September 5 - September 11 – Management and Leadership Basics
  • Read: Evans & Ward, chapters 1-3 and chapter 14
  • Attend Elluminate orientation session, September 11, 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. PST
  • Assignment: Submit two page Somerville Working Together organizational issues essay in digital drop box
• Week 4 – September 12 - September 18 – Change Management and Decision Making
  • Read: Evans & Ward, chapters 6 and 7
  • Assignment: Submit two page ‘secret shopper’ essay in discussion forum
• Week 5 – September 19 - September 25 – Communication and Planning
  • Read: Evans & Ward, chapters 8 and 12
  • Assignment: Submit one page case study discussion in discussion forum
• Week 6 – September 26 - October 2 – Organizational Dynamic and Effectiveness
  • Read: Evans & Ward, chapters 9, 10, and 11
  • No assignment due this week
• Week 7 – October 3 - October 9 – Motivation and Marketing
  • Read: Evans & Ward, chapters 5 and 13
  • No assignment due this week
• Week 8 – October 10 - October 16 – Human Resources and Diversity
  • Read: Evans & Ward, chapters 4 and 15
  • Assignment: Submit Group Project Part I project in digital drop box
• Week 9 – October 17 - October 23 – Budget, Technology, and Facilities Management
  • Read: Evans & Ward, chapters 16, 17, 18
  • Assignment: Submit one page case study discussion in discussion forum
• Week 10 - October 24 - October 30 - Career Development and Professional Futures
  • Read: Evans & Ward, chapters 19 & 20
  • Assignment: Submit one page resume in digital dropbox and ePortfolio
• Week 11 – October 31 - November 6 – Group Work and Team Management
  • No assignment due this week
• Week 12 – November 7 - November 13 – Strategic Planning Essentials
  • Assignment: Submit Group Project Part II project in digital drop box
• Week 13 – November 14 - November 20 – Team Work Reflections
  • Assignment: Submit two page team project assessment in digital drop box
• Week 14 – November 21 - November 27 – Thanksgiving Holiday
  • No assignment due this week
• Week 15 – November 28 - December 4 – Management/Leadership Philosophy
  • Assignment: Submit two page philosophy of management/leadership essay in digital drop box

Further information on course assignments is provided in the Angel course management system.

Grading
In this course, the following point system will be used to determine the final grade which is based on a total of 100 points:

• 5 points Pre-class survey
• 5 points Written self introduction
• 5 points Elluminate session participation
• 10 points Somerville Working Together essay
• 5 points “Secret shopper” essay
• 10 points Case study discussions (2 x 5 points)
• 15 points Group Project, Part I
• 15 points Group Project, Part II
• 10 points Team project assessment
• 10 points Resume and ePortfolio
• 10 points Management/leadership philosophy essay

‘Late work’ (submitted after midnight on Saturday) will result in a reduction in points earned. 20% of possible points/assignment will be deducted for each day past the due date. Students will receive no points for incomplete assignments.

Textbooks and Readings

Required Textbook:

• Evans, G. E., & Ward, P. L. (2007). Management Basics for Information Professionals (2nd ed.). Neal-Schuman. Available through Amazon: 1555705863.

• Somerville, M. M. (2009). Working together: Collaborative information practices for organizational learning. ACRL. Available through Amazon: 0838985319.

Recommended Textbook:

• American Psychological Association (2009). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) American Psychological Association. Available through Amazon: 1433805618.

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.

Download Adobe Acrobat Reader to access PDF files.

More accessibility resources.