LIBR 260A-10
Programming and Services for Children
Fall 2010 Greensheet

Elizabeth Wrenn-Estes, Instructor
E-mail
Cell Phone: 510-410-1959
Office location: Home Office
Office Hours: By Appointment

Angel Course Site
Visit the Angel class site often for course updates, resources, announcements, and other relevant information. Students are responsible to know the content on the Angel course site and Greensheet/Syllabus. It is also the student’s responsibility to ask questions and express concerns as quickly as possible so that the instructor can provide an answer/response immediately.

DISCLAIMER
The instructor makes every effort to proofread the Greensheet/Syllabus and the Angel Course Site for any grammatical or other errors but typos can still occur. Please contact the instructor with any errors you see or any questions or may have about any content in the document.

Course Description

This course examines the importance of programming for children, including parent education programs, story hours, outreach techniques, services with schools, summer reading programs, and program series such as weekly or monthly programs on manga, knitting, book discussions, or homework help.

Course Prerequisites: LIBR 200

Course Objectives

Student Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course, students will be able to:

1. Describe the current reading, viewing and listening habits of children, and use this knowledge in program planning
2. Apply information on children’s developmental and psychological needs and tasks to plan appropriate programming and services for this age group
3. Demonstrate storytelling, reading aloud, and finger plays, songs and rhymes, and explain why these activities are developmentally appropriate for the preschool child, and how they fit into library services for this age group
4. Design and run a summer reading program or game, and explain the importance of encouraging parents to read aloud to their children to prepare them for learning to read, and the importance of maintaining reading skills of school age children by encouraging them to read over the summer
5. Demonstrate familiarity with a wide variety of computer software, for use in children’s library programming, including but not limited to Web2.0 applications, gaming software, interactive learning software, and social networking software
6. Design and manage a children’s area based on the developmental, recreational and informational needs of this age group, and create and implement an annual programming and display plan, including but not limited to, crafts, story times for various ages, homework help programs, school visits, outreach to community organizations and groups, reading programs or games.

LIBR 260A supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:

• A. articulate the ethics, values and foundational principles of library and information professionals and their role in the promotion of intellectual freedom
• D. demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations and professional level presentations
• F. apply the fundamental principles of planning, management and marketing/advocacy
• I. evaluate programs and services on specified criteria
• M. contribute to the cultural, economic, educational and social well-being of our communities
  

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Course Requirements

ANGEL Course Site
Students must check the Angel course site at least once per day if not more. The instructor expects that you will promptly answer emails.

Questions, Comments, Concerns Discussion Thread
Please post all questions, concerns, and general comments to the discussion thread under Lessons/Discussion Threads on the Angel class site. If the question or concern is of a personal nature send directly to the instructor’s email address (bwestes@me.com).

It is your responsibility to ask questions and express concerns you have about assignments or other details about the class. The Greensheet/Syllabus and the class site in tandem provide you with as much information as possible but if you need clarification please do not hesitate to ask.

Disclaimer:
The instructor reserves the right to add readings to the weekly outlines. Additional readings will be announced within 10 days out from the week the readings are to be read.

Lectures
All lectures are posted under Lessons/Lectures and include the URL to access the lecture on the server. The instructor also maintains a blog with the same materials through iWeb. Lectures may have been recorded during an earlier semester but are still relevant for the present semester.

Email and File Names
Please format the subject line of EVERY email you send for this class as follows: LIBR 260A_10_YOUR LAST NAME

Files Submitted for Assignments must be labeled this way:
LIBR 260A_10_YOUR LAST NAME_KEYWORD OF ASSIGNMENT TITLE (i.e. Research)

E-mail Response Time

The instructor checks for emails throughout the day and responds as quickly as possible. HOWEVER the response time is within 24 hours of receipt. It is recommended that you only use the instructor's personal email if the question or concern is something you do not feel comfortable sharing with the class or the instructor asks you to. In all other cases please use the email feature within the Angel site. Holidays and furlough days may be the exception to the 24-hour policy but a response will be sent as soon as possible. If the instructor will be out of touch for any length of time the class will be notified.

Technology Requirements
You will need a high-speed connection (DSL, cable, etc.) to successfully take this class. Please see the Technology Requirements and Instructions for Success handout.

Course Calendar
Subject to change with fair notice. 

ELLUMINATE SESSIONS (MANDATORY) will be held on the following dates:

• August 31 Introduction for Class 7-8:30 p.m. Pacific
• October 19 Group Presentations (1/2 of the Class) 7-9:30 p.m. Pacific
  (Children’s Area Design)
• October 20 Group Presentations (1/2 of the Class) 7-9:30 p.m. Pacific
  (Children’s Area Design)
• November 17 Storytelling Performances (1/2 Class) 7:9:30 p.m. Pacific
• November 18 Storytelling Performances (1/2 Class) 7-9:30 p.m. Pacific

(All students attend the first session on August 31. All students will attend 1 of the 2 sessions indicated for each presentation topic. Students by semester’s end will have attended 3 mandatory sessions)

Lecture Schedule

Instructor may post other lectures throughout the semester. 


Introductory Lecture will be archived and students can listen/refer to it throughout the session (lecture is from the Elluminate Session on August 31st)

The following lectures are posted on the server (see URL’s under Lessons on the Angel site) and on the Instructor’s blog. Additional lectures may be added and students will be notified when posted.

Front line view of Story Time
Dialogic Reading
Children's Programming and Services

Grading
Rounding – The instructor does not round points to the next whole number. If you receive an 89.6 you will get the grade equivalent for those points.

Grading Rubric/Individual Assignment Evaluation Forms
The rubric for written assignments and the instructor individual assignment/student evaluation forms are located on the Lessons page on the Angel course site.

Point allocation and due dates

NOTE: The Instructor may add other readings in advance of the readings indicated in the outline. If additional readings are assigned the instructor will indicate well in advance what they are and what week they are associated with.

 Weekly Outlines

DISCUSSION THREADS

• Wk. 1      Introductions

• Wk. 5      Brain Development

• Wk. 6      Student Opinions
• Wk. 10    Dialogic Reading

• Wk. 12    Summer Reading Programs
• Wk. 16    Technology

Discussion threads are designed to recreate an in-class feeling of discussion exchange in an online environment. Please make sure that you participate in all threads.

Posting Details
Students must make two posts to the thread during the week assigned. The first post needs to be an original and substantial response to the topic. The student’s second post is a comment back to a post one of the other members of the class commenting on the substantial post they created. The reply post can’t simply say “I agree”. Student posts must reflect an understanding of the topic, the class discussion and the student’s opinion. Students must cite sources with proper APA formatting.
Students must post substantial thread by the Thursday (midnight) of the week indicated. The response/reply post must be posted by 5 p.m. on the Sunday of the week indicated.

DETAILED ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS

CHILDREN'S AREA DESIGN



Format Group Project – Elluminate Presentation
Members of each group will be selected by the instructor and posted on the Angel site under Lessons no later than September 5. The list of groups will also include the night of the group’s presentation as well as the assignment of what type of library the group will research. Members of each group must start working together immediately. Don’t delay in getting together and planning, researching and designing. Presentations will be conducted using Elluminate. Each group needs to present using PowerPoint or another approved method. Elluminate allows showing video, whiteboard, screen sharing and showing of PowerPoint slides. Our Elluminate Assistant will be a great resource on what you can use to facilitate the presentation. We’ll discuss approved methods as we move into the semester. An audio presentation is not acceptable. This means that you may not just be talking heads during the presentation. You must use visuals along with your audio voice over.

Each group will select a group leader. The group leader’s name must be given to the instructor no later than September 10th. The leader will communicate with the instructor thus eliminating everyone in a group having to communicate with the instructor and vice versa. We all have enough emails and this helps reduce the number being generated by each group.

The group must post an outline of their presentation (table of contents like document) with the area or topic to be presented and the person or person(s) that researched that topic. The outline must be posted to the discussion thread provided no later than October 16th. The importance of each member’s participation in the project is critical. Each member must contribute equally to the project creation.

Assignment
Design a children’s area, including floor plan, furniture, equipment, collection, displays, and an area for programs and story hours that helps meet the developmental needs and tasks of children of various ages. There is a wealth of information on the web (see links provided on the course outline) about providers of furniture, shelving, equipment etc. and it will require research on your part to complete the assignment successfully. Don’t forget print resources. There are more so dig deep during your research stages.
It would be helpful to you as part of your research to physically visit a few children's areas for ideas. You must be specific in all of your descriptions and include the following:

Description of furniture (includes drawings/pictures)

1. Hand drawn (not recommended but allowed) or computer generated (preferred) floor plan detailed
2. Equipment to include and pictures/drawing of the equipment (for example listening stations, computers, etc.)
3. Shelving - pictures of shelving and book bins, etc.
4. Displays – what ones and where in your floor plan are you putting them?
5. Anything else you want to add to make the plan as detailed as possible

Narrative
Along with the description and pictures of the furniture include a section of ideas and philosophy behind your design and choice of equipment. What sources did you refer to; what experts in the field did you consult? Provide a slide of all of your references at the end of your presentation.

Presentations should be professional in look and in presentation style. Refer to the documents under Lessons on the proper use of PowerPoint and how to do presentations well. Practicing in advance of the actual session night is greatly encouraged. Each group may request a practice session through our Elluminate Assistant.

POINTS = 20
DUE DATE – Outline due October 16th to discussion thread provided.
Presentation nights are October 19-20.
EXAMPLE: Refer to example under Lessons on the Angel site. 

CHILDREN'S WEB PAGE DESIGN



Format: WebPage

Assignment Details
Each student is responsible for the creation of a homepage for a school or public libraries web site. The homepage must be created using web software – see Google for free website templates. Students are creating one page – the homepage. Do not pay for a webpage. If you already have a webpage that you maintain you may include this page on it.

You may not hand draw your page – you must show proficiency in using a web tool as well as showing your understanding of what is included, in the student’s opinion, on a homepage for children’s programming and services in either the school or public library environment.

Links that have been included on homepage assignments of the past are: blogs, reviews written by children or parents, podcasts of various kinds, booklists and bibliographies, games and activities that are appropriate for various ages, and information about programming. This list is not exhaustive.

There is a wealth of examples on the Internet and each student should do a thorough review of children’s websites before beginning your design.

Students are not writing content – only the topics, layout, design (including graphics) and reasoning and justification behind choices for what to include on the homepage are part of the assignment. Think about who the potential user of the site is and what they would want to find on a homepage.

Sites the Instructor likes:

• Canton Public Library
  http://www.cantonpl.org/kids/current.html
• Lacawanna Public Library
  http://www.lclshome.org/children/index.php
• Los Angeles Public Library
  http://www.lapl.org/kidspath/
• Santa Barbara Public Library
  http://www.sbplibrary.org/kids/index.html
• The New York Public Library
  http://www.nypl.org/locations/schwarzman/childrens-center-42nd-street

POINTS = 10
SUBMISSION DATE
URL address must be posted no later than November 10 to the discussion thread provided.  

STORY TIME PRESENTATIONS

Format: Performance videotaped and watched during an Elluminate session

Performance nights are:
November 17 Storytelling Performances (1/2 Class) 7:9:30 p.m. Pacific
November 18 Storytelling Performances (1/2 Class) 7-9:30 p.m. Pacific

Each student will perform two of the stories from two of the story times developed as part of the written assignment (See Story Time Series assignment). You are required to videotape yourself performing. You may not do an audio only performance.
One story must be for children ages PK-K and the other story for ages PK-Grade 3.
Use of puppets or other props are greatly encouraged as are other activities appropriate to Story Times. Students should explain the setting, audience and anything else that will set up the performances for the class audience before student’s video is shown.

URL’s must be provided no later than November 14th to the discussion thread provided under Lessons so that the class can watch all of the videos from both night’s performances BEFORE the performances.

See instructor video posted on course site and documents posted on the class Angel site.

POINTS = 15
DATES – November 17 and November 18
Story Hour Performances – Elluminate Sessions
The instructor will assign ½ the class to the first session and ½ the class to the second session.

STORY TIME PROGRAMMING PLAN

Format: Written Paper
Plan out a 1-month story time program with a monthly theme as well as weekly themes that compliment the monthly theme (for example the month theme could be Winter - one week of story time themes could be stories about snow, another week focuses on animals that live in the snow).
You will plan 12 story times. - 4 weeks, 3 story times per week. Students must include baby lapsit, toddlers, family - all ages and K-3. Students need to include at least one from each category. Do not do all of story times for the same age group.
Students will research the necessary elements of each type of story time and will review all course materials posted on the Angel site under Lessons. Students are encouraged to use similar formats to the examples provided. Attention to detail is critical.
It is strongly suggested you watch stories that are relevant to the age groups that the story times are focused on. YouTube has several excellent videos showing storytellers presenting stories appropriate for PK-3.

Mandatory parts of the assignment:

1. Overview of your children’s area (imaginary or from real place)
2. Demographics your library serves as far as families and ethnicity (imaginary or from real place)
3. Schedule for Story Times including time frame for each program.
4. Story Time Outline (see Course Site) - this will be a detailed look at the individual story time.
5. Handouts (Coloring pages, other activities (see Course Site) – you can also include one example and refer to links for other handouts to download.
6. Short Bib of Titles for each Story Time (see Course Site)
   Include all the titles of the books you will use in each of your story times
7. Indicate props (puppets for example), handouts, and any other items you might use
8. Include information on how the various activities enhance developmental activities for the intended age group.
9. This paper needs to be well documented and include all necessary content that will allow you to present a story time plan for your children's area (imaginary or otherwise).

Scenario :
JUST AN EXAMPLE

You and one other librarian present all story times at your library. Ages for story times include baby lapsit 0-2, Toddlers 2-4, Grade School Ages K-3 If plan focus is a school library you most likely perform for all the grades in your elementary school so the groupings might be by grade levels instead of ages. You might be including read alouds (chapter books and books appropriate for Grades 2-3).

WRITING STANDARDS
Students will produce assignments that meet writing and research standards appropriate for students in a Master’s program of study. It is critical to proofread your work before turning it in. Graduate level writing standards do not tolerate spelling or grammatical errors of any kind. Students are encouraged to refer to a writing handbook - Strunk and White’s Elements of Style for example. APA is mandated for citations included within the text of the paper and reference/bib page(s). See class rubric under Lessons on the Angel class site for description of criteria/expectations for each grade level.

Paper Composition

• May not exceed the number of pages specified by the instructor.
• Must have a title page with the following information: Title of paper, Class number and title, Name of Student, Name of Instructor, University and Date of Assignment
• Papers must be doubled spaced
• Reference page must be included and meet APA guidelines
• Citations within the paper itself must be done according to APA guidelines
• Page numbers and the name of the assignment must appear on all pages except the title page
• All papers are to be written in formal style unless otherwise noted on the assignment description.

SPELLING AND GRAMMAR ERRORS
I may not read your entire paper for spelling and grammar mistakes; if, in my opinion, your paper or database contains too many I will reduce your points substantially stop grading your paper for mechanics and will go on for content and other elements that are required in the assignment.

BE CREATIVE AND HAVE FUN!

Paper Length – Must not be longer than 25-30 pages
POINTS = 18
SUBMISSION DATE = November 23rd to dropbox provided

12-MONTH PROGRAMMING PLAN

Format: Written Paper
Develop a 12-month programming plan for a children’s area, including activities for all ages, and early literacy programming for parents. Design an overall theme for the year, and/or themes for each month and displays that coordinate with them. Include information on how the various activities enhance developmental activities at various ages.

Make your plan as realistic and detailed as possible even though this is an imaginary library. Figures indicated are guesstimates of what the activity/program might cost. Including costs indicates that the student can develop a budget if called for in a fund request. The instructor strongly suggests spending time consulting with an actual public or school librarian to get ideas and make plans as realistic as possible.

You must include the following sections in your paper (you may include more areas or topics but these are not optional:

1. Introduction
2. Month by month programming outline with a description of each program, cost of each program, volunteers needed, any other support you can think of, marketing/advertising plan, displays, etc.
3. Who approves your plan and budget? What is the process?
4. A budget by month with an overall total of each category for the 12-month period at the end needs to be developed. The budget should include line items under each month to show student thoughts and planning of the programs.
5. If you are going to seek out additional sponsorship to fund your programming plan other than what your place of employment would give you please include what companies, entities you think you would approach and why you think they would be interested.
6. Summary
7. Additional areas you think would benefit the assignment.

WRITING STANDARDS
Students will produce assignments that meet writing and research standards appropriate for students in a Master’s program of study. It is critical to proofread your work before turning it in. Graduate level writing standards do not tolerate spelling or grammatical errors of any kind. Students are encouraged to refer to a writing handbook - Strunk and White’s Elements of Style for example. APA is mandated for citations included within the text of the paper and reference/bib page(s). See class rubric under Lessons on the Angel class site for description of criteria/expectations for each grade level.

Paper Composition

• May not exceed the number of pages specified by the instructor.
• Must have a title page with the following information: Title of paper, Class number and title, Name of Student, Name of Instructor, University and Date of Assignment
• Papers must be doubled spaced
• Reference page must be included and meet APA guidelines
• Citations within the paper itself must be done according to APA guidelines
• Page numbers and the name of the assignment must appear on all pages except the title page
• All papers are to be written in formal style unless otherwise noted on the assignment description.

SPELLING AND GRAMMAR ERRORS
I may not read your entire paper for spelling and grammar mistakes; if, in my opinion, your paper or database contains too many I will reduce your points substantially stop grading your paper for mechanics and will go on for content and other elements that are required in the assignment.

Paper Length – may not be more than 30 pages

POINTS = 20

SUBMISSION DATE – December 7th to dropbox provided 

Textbooks and Readings

Required Textbook:

• Cerny, R., Markey, P., amp; Williams, A. (2006). Outstanding Library Service to Children. ALA. Available through Amazon: 0838909221.

• Peck, P. (2006). Crash Course in Children's Services. Libraries Unlimited. Available through Amazon: 1591583527.

• Snow, S. (2007). Building Blocks: Building a Parent Child Literacy Program at Your Library. Libraries Unlimited. Available through Amazon: 159158471X.

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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