LIBR 204-07
Information Organizations and Management
Spring 2009 Greensheet

Textbooks and Readings | Course Requirements

Mission of the School
The School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) at San Jose 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 called Angel for class communications, submitting assignments, and grade records. You should enroll in our 204-07 Angel site between January 14 - 21, 2009. You will be required to use a password access code I will email to you via the MySJSU e-mail Messaging system prior to January 14, 2009.

Our class begins on Wednesday, January 21, 2009 and ends Wednesday, May 13, 2009. Weekly class sessions run from Wednesday through Tuesday of the following week. New weekly course material will appear each Wednesday in Angel. 
  

Course Description

Identifying distinguishing characteristics, culture and relationships of information organizations. Emphasizes theories examining the interaction between human beings and the organizations in which they work.

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 used 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. If you have questions about this course, e-mail Debbie Faires or Dale David.   For more information, see http://ischool.sjsu.edu/classes/coursedesc.htm

Course Objectives

Student learning outcomes

• 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;
• Know 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;
• design training programs based on appropriate learning principles and theories;
• demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations and professional level presentations;
• evaluate programs and services on specified criteria.

http://ischool.sjsu.edu/slis/competencies.htm

Course Requirements

Assignments
More detail on each assignment will be provided in Angel.

Analytical essays
You will read, analyze, and respond to two assigned articles on the theory, principles, and practice of information organizations and management. Each essay will be up to four pages, double-spaced.

Group Project, Part 1
Students will be assigned to a team for a two-part project creating a strategic plan for an information organization. In the first part, the team will draft vision, mission and value statements for the organization. In addition, each team will produce a literature review and conduct an environmental scan including a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats).

Group Project, Part 2
Based on findings of the first part of the project, the group will articulate strategic directions for the information organization. Each goal will be measured by appropriate criteria specified and presented by the team to their classmates. An annotated bibliography and an analysis of relevant best practices will be shared in the conclusion. A peer review regarding individual contributions and performance on the team will be included in the final grade.

Final Project
You will draft a comprehensive plan for introducing a new service, initiative or project for an information organization. This will be your chance to be both creative and systematic in producing a final product that includes the vision, projected timeline, staffing, fiscal and technology requirements, performance indicators and evaluation strategy for the new initiative. A standard 20-page paper is perfectly acceptable, but students will be encouraged to consider alternative formats for production and presentation of their final project (e.g. website, wiki, podcast, video, etc.). The project topic and presentation format will be submitted for approval by Friday, March 13 and the final project is due on Wednesday, May 13.

Online Discussion/Class Participation
As this class is completely on-line and asynchronous, participation in the weekly Angel discussions is essential for success in the course.

All assignments are due on Fridays and must be submitted before midnight. The Final Project is due on the final day of class, May 13, 2009. Grades for any late work will be reduced by 10%. Please contact me prior to a deadline in the case of illness or emergency.

Incompletes
Students should avail themselves of the policy for uncompleted coursework on the School’s website under “Registration.”
 

Course Calendar
The following dates are tentative and subject to change with fair notice.

• Week 1 (January 21):
  Management Introduction and Concepts
• Week 2 (January 28): Diversity and Marketing
  Resume in SpartaJOBS due (January 30)
• Week 3 (February 4):
  Change/Innovation and Decision Making
  Analytical Essay #1 due (February 6)
• Week 4 (February 11):
  The Planning Process and Power, Authority, and Responsibility
• Week 5 (February 18):
  Delegation and Performance, Quality and Control
• Week 6 (February 25):
  Communication and Motivation
• Week 7 (March 4):
  Leadership
  Analytical Paper #2 due (March 6)
• Week 8 (March 11):
  Managing People
  Topic for Final Project due (March 13)
• Week 9 (March 18):
  Managing Money
  Group Project, Part 1 due (March 20)
• March 23-27, 2009, SLIS Spring Recess
• Week 10 (April 1):
  Managing Technology
• Week 11 (April 8):
  Managing and Planning Physical Facilities
• Week 12 (April 15):
  Career Development
  Group Project, Part 2 due (April 17)
• Week 13 (April 22):
  Looking Forward
• Week 14 (April 29):
  Research and Writing
• Week 15 (May 6):
  Research and Writing
  Spring Semester ends (May 13)
  Final Project due, Wednesday, 13, 2009
   

Grading

Required Textbooks:

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

• Collins, J. (2005). Good to great and the social sectors: A monograph to accompany good to great. Neal-Schuman. Available through Amazon: 0977326403.

Recommended Textbooks:

• American Psychological Association (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). American Psychological Association. Available through Amazon: 1557987912.

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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