LIBR 284-01
Seminar in Archives and Records Management
Summer 2010 Greensheet

Gawain Weaver
E-mail
Contact information: E-mail is the best way to reach me, (415) 446-9138
Office location: San Rafael, CA
Office Hours: 9am-5pm Pacific Daylight Time


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Textbooks and Readings
Course Requirements
Resources
ANGEL
ANGEL Tutorials
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ANGEL Information: This class is conducted entirely online using Angel. The access code for self-enrollment on Angel will be sent to all students registered for this course via the MySJSU messaging system a few days before the start of class. Class begins June 7, 2010.

Course Description

“Preservation of Photographs” offers a broad introduction to the history, technology, identification, and care of photographic materials from 1839 to the present day. Photographic and photomechanical processes will be examined and discussed in detail. A sample set of 18 historic photographs and a handheld microscope give the student experience in identification of photographic processes.

Topics on the care and preservation of photographs include understanding photographic deterioration, selection of appropriate enclosures, environmental monitoring, the effects of temperature and relative humidity on collections, and the importance of cold storage for certain photographic materials.

Course Prerequisites: LIBR 200, 202, 204 required.

Course Objectives

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

  • Identify a wide variety of photographic and photomechanical processes
  • Understand the causes of photographic deterioration
  • Take appropriate action to preserve photographic collections
  • Select appropriate enclosure materials
  • Safely handle and store photographs
  • Implement cold storage solutions for photographic materials that require it

LIBR 284 supports the following MLIS Core Competencies:

  • use the basic concepts and principles related to the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation and organization of specific items or collections of information

Course Requirements

This course will be conducted using the Angel course management system. Lectures are posted weekly with relevant discussion forum questions to encourage discussion. Assignments and or quizzes for each week are included in each Lesson. Students are required to:

  • Complete all readings
  • View/listen to weekly lectures
  • Respond weekly to discussion items
  • Complete assignments (scavenger hunts) as posted on Angel
  • Complete quizzes as posted on Angel
  • Submit the 5-page research paper electronically by midnight on August 12th


Assignments
The assignments for this course are:

  • Participation in Online Discussions
    A significant portion of the grade in this course is based on participation in online discussions. Such participation should demonstrate your completion and thoughtful analysis of the weekly readings and lectures through original postings and replies to other students' postings.
  • Research Paper
    The text of this formal research paper should be about 5 pages. The topic must be approved by the instructor, and should be on a photograph preservation topic (not photohistory or aesthetics). A one paragraph description of the topic is due by Friday, July 9th (earlier is fine). The formal research paper will be graded on the quality and depth of your research, and your critical analysis of the literature. Reference list should include at least 10 citations, and a bibliography is not necessary, but may be included if you wish to list sources not cited but used in your background research.  Formatting and references should adhere to the rules of the APA Publication Manual. The research paper is due by midnight on August 12th.
  • Quizzes
    Quizzes are administered through ANGEL and do not require production of a separate document. There are 7 quizzes throughout the course, and they are worth 20 points each. They can be taken only once. The questions are formulated from the course lectures and readings.
  • Scavenger Hunts
    Four scavenger hunts (15 points each) will be assigned during the course. Two of them will involve research on a photographic process (short bibliography, weblinks, early examples of the process in a museum, archive, or library imagebase or website), and two of them will involve using graphicsatlas.org to find and describe specific views of a photograph

Course Calendar
Important Dates to Remember:

June 7 Class Begins
July 9 Research Paper Topic Due
August 12 Research Paper Due, Class End

Weekly Quiz and Assignment Deadlines are posted on Angel

All dates subject to change with fair notice

Course Grading
Everyone begins the class with a grade of “B” the standard grade for graduate work. Students who complete all assignments on time and as assigned, will receive a B provided the quality of work meets the minimum requirements commensurate with graduate work. Above standard work is defined as clearly displays one or more of the following criteria:

  • Originality in the approach to the assignment
  • Greater depth of analysis above and beyond the basic assignment.
  • Substantive comments to the discussion board that indicate a depth of understanding beyond simple summary of readings and questions.
  • Superior organizational, written, or communication skills in the presentation of materials.
  • Use of The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth edition, as the official style manual for formats, citations, and bibliography. Please see http://ischool.sjsu.edu/resources/apa.htm for a list of sources providing assistance.

Penalties are assessed in the following situations:

  • Errors in spelling, grammar and syntax will be subject to penalty based upon rate of errors and not using APA format.
  • Disorganized format, lack of structure and failing to follow the full assignment will be subject to penalty.

Assignments will contribute to your final grade as follows:

Participation in Online Discussions 200 points
Formal Research Paper 200 points
7 Online Quizzes (20 points each) 140 points
4 Scavenger Hunts (15 points each) 60 points

 

 

 



The total number of points for this class is 600. See grading scale below to translate into a letter grade.

Late Assignments
Late assignments will not be accepted without prior notification and approval of instructor, and will be subject in a reduction of points earned towards the assignment.

Extra Credit
Extra credit will be given for the creation of Quick ID Sheets (2 Quick ID Sheets maximum, up to 10 points for each one, judged for completeness and accuracy), for any photographic or photomechanical process not included in the course. A template and instructions are provided in Angel.

Textbooks and Readings

Required Materials:

Recommended Texts:

  • Gascoigne, B., (2004). How to Identify Prints. 2nd edition. New York: Thames and Co. (Suggested)
  • Lavédrine, B., J.-P. Gandolfo, et al. (2003). A guide to the preventive conservation of photograph collections. Los Angeles: Getty Conservation Institute. (Suggested)
  • Ritzenthaler, M. L., D. Vogt-O'Connor, et al. (2006). Photographs : archival care and management. Chicago: Society of American Archivists. (Suggested)

Required Textbook:

  • Reilly, J. M. (2009). Care and Identification of 19th Century Photographic Prints. Rochester Institute of Technology. Available through the publisher Image Permanence Institute: 0879853654. arrow gif indicating link outside sjsu domain


Grading Scale

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

97 to 100 A
94 to 96 A minus
91 to 93 B plus
88 to 90 B
85 to 87 B minus
82 to 84 C plus
79 to 81 C
76 to 78 C minus
73 to 75 D plus
70 to 72 D
67 to 69 D minus
Below 67 F

 

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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