LIBR 204-16
Information Organizations and Management
Spring 2009 Greensheet

Monique A. le Conge
E-mail
Office Hours: via e-mail; phone appointments by arrangement

Students should self-enroll in this course via Angel beginning Thursday, January 22, 2009. An access code will be sent to registered students via MySJSU.

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: Students will have the specified minimum hardware and software to participate fully in the course.

Course Objectives

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;
• 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.

See the competencies at:
http://ischool.sjsu.edu/slis/competencies.htm

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Course Requirements

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

Technology Literacy Requirement
All students must meet the Technology Literacy Requirement, available at:
 http://ischool.sjsu.edu/admissions/tech.htm

Home Computing Requirement
All students must meet the Home Computing Requirement , available at: http://ischool.sjsu.edu/ecommunication/homecomputing.htm

Class Location & Meeting Schedule
This is a 100% web-based course. Online discussions may be set as needed, with advance notice during the semester.

Course Format
This is a web-based course. Angel will be used for ALL course activities. The class on Angel will be available beginning January 22, 2009.

This class incorporates a mix of readings, assignments, and discussions via Angel. Angel will be used for supplemental course activities and reading discussions.

Class Participation/Expectations
Class participation includes contributions to discussions, exercises, and activities on the Angel site. Each student is expected to contribute substantive comments to the class discussion of assignments and to complete assignments on or before deadline dates. First, students must post an introduction. Additional contributions will be required for each topic of discussion. Students are encouraged to use the discussions as a way to build on their interests and regular participation is vital to that.

Students must respect one another, including opinions in discussion threads regarding library services and issues related to bias, diversity, ageism, racism, gender orientation, homelessness & privilege.

Assignment Submission
Rules for submission of assignments:

• All submitted work should be keyed using Microsoft Word, double-spaced, 12-point font, double-spaced between paragraphs.
• Spelling, grammatical, and syntactical errors will affect the evaluation negatively.
• Works cited should include complete bibliographical information and conform in format to the APA style manual.
• Assignments must be your own or the collaborative work of your group. Academic honesty and ethical standards relative to other’s work are highly valued. See the SJSU Academic Integrity Policy – http://www2.sjsu.edu/senate/S07-2.pdf.
• Assignments must be submitted electronically using Microsoft Word no later than 11:59 p.m. of the due date.  Further instructions will be available through Angel.

Late Assignments
Late assignments will not be accepted without prior notification and approval of the instructor and with the understanding that there will be a decrease in the number of points earned for the assignment, up to 50% of the total points.

APA
Students are encouraged to use APA (5th edition) format for papers and assignments, except as noted above.  All assignments must be your own work with sources properly cited in papers.  San Jose State University codes and rules governing plagiarism are in effect.

Course Calendar
(subject to change with fair notice)

• Instruction Begins:  1/26/09
• Instruction Ends:     5/10/09

Assignments

• Class participation/Weekly Discussion of the Course Topics (30%)
  I will provide discussion topics each week. Your engagement with the topics and with your fellow students will deepen your knowledge. These discussions are on-going throughout the semester and have no specific due dates, unless announced via Angel.  Some ways of demonstrating engagement include:
  • Identifying an aspect of the topic as significant to you with your explanation of why you see it as significant
  • Evaluating an argument logically and comparatively, which may be different than “negatively”
  • Providing an effective synthesis of multiple resources, arguments, or points of view
  • Taking an existing discussion in a new direction
  • Bringing “real life” experience into class discussions
  • Helping to create a learning community by inclusive remarks and questions and by bringing fellow students into the discussion.
• Electronic Resume (10%) Due Week 2, Feb. 5.
  You are asked to familiarize yourself with the SpartaJOBS site (http://www.careercenter.sjsu.edu/employers/spartajobs/spartajobs.html), to create and publish your resume on it, then provide information in Angel on how to access it.
• Strategic Planning – Group Exercise (20%)
  You will join a group of 3-5 classmates. Your task will be to select an information organization one of your classmates is familiar with as your target for strategic change. Four written products are required: a Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis; a paper describing three strategic directions for your organization based on the SWOT analysis and current trends in library management (with a discussion of reasons for these directions citing supportive literature); a set of goals and objectives, with an action plan for one of these strategic directions; a cover letter explaining and presenting the final product.
  
  Due dates
  • SWOT analysis: draft due Week 6, March 6.
  • Strategic directions: draft due Week 8, March 20.
  • Goals, objectives, action plan: draft due Week 9, March 27.
  • Final plan with cover letter: due Week 11, April 10.
  Each section builds on the last, so each time you submit a part of the strategic plan, include the work you’ve already submitted (the obvious exception will be for the first portion of the plan, the SWOT analysis!). You may find that you want to make changes to your work as you go, which is perfectly fine. Your grade will be determined based on the product you submit on week 11.
• Program or service proposal (10%) Due Week 12, April 17.
  Select a library or information agency that you are somewhat familiar with and describe it (you can use information from your strategic plan for this assignment). Describe a program or service that you, as a manager, would like to see introduced in that organization. Refer to your text as needed and specifically note such things as strategic goals, staffing, assessment, marketing, fiscal and technology requirements in writing the proposal.
• Analytical Essay I (10%) Due Week 13, April 24.
  For any of the management or leadership topics we have studied or that interest you and were not covered in sufficient depth, locate 5-6 current (last 3-5 years) substantive research or theoretical articles on the topic, synthesize the information in the articles in a manner that would be of interest and value to fellow professionals, and provide information on why you believe the information is important/useful and how you think it can be used by professionals in the field. The articles need not come from library science. You may find relevant literature in business, education, or other disciplines, as well as the recommended reading. The rule is to make sure the material you select is relevant to the course and that it is substantive or theoretical. If you have questions, just ask me to review the material you are considering.
• Analytical Essay II (10%) Due Week 14, May 1
  You will work in a group to prepare a strategic plan. For this assignment, you are to evaluate your experience in this group. Write a one or two page analysis of the experiences identifying factors that contribute to group success and factors that impede it. Did each team member contribute equally? How were problems addressed and resolved? Conclude your paper with some suggestions for actions that you might take in a future group to make it work more effectively.
• Philosophy of Management and Leadership (10%) Due Week 15, May 8.
  Write a one or two page essay describing your philosophy of management and leadership. Describe how you would like to be managed and how you would like those working for you and with you to describe you as a manager and as a leader. Describe the kind of organizational culture you would find most supportive as a worker or as a manager and what you can do as a manager AND as a leader to create that kind of culture. Discuss any changes that have occurred in your philosophy of management as a result of taking this course. Remember that management and leadership are not the same things, so address them separately.

Grading
Everyone begins the class with a grade of "B", the standard grade for graduate level work. Students who complete the assignments, use the class Blackboard site, and participate in the discussions will receive the B provided the quality of written work meets the standard of rigorous scholarly work for the University. Above standard work is defined as clearly displaying one or more of the following criteria:

• Originality in the approach to the assignment;
• Greater depth of analysis that the written assignment expects;
• Critical evaluation of readings by comparing them to other authors or sources;
• Ability to organize information for themselves and others plus create tools for life-long learning and knowledge retrieval.

Penalties are also assessed in the following situations:

• Errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax will be subject to a grade penalty.
• Evidence of plagiarism will result in a grade of F for the course.

Other Relevant Information
Everything that you get from this course is based on what you put into it. My goal is to prepare you for your continued studies and, eventually, for the “real world” with practical assignments that will give you the opportunity to practice ideas and processes. I will do my best to reply to your questions in a timely manner and provide support and feedback as needed.

Textbooks and Readings

Required Textbooks:

• Stueart, R.D., & Moran B.B. (2007). Library and information center management (7th ed.). Libraries Unlimited. Available through Amazon: 159158406X (paperback).

Recommended Textbooks:

• Pink, D. H. (2006). A whole new mind: Why right-brainers will rule the future. Riverhead Trade. Available through Amazon: 1594481717.

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

• MacKenzie, G. (1998). Orbiting the giant hairball: A corporate fool's guide to surviving with grace. Viking Adult. Available through Amazon: 0670879835.

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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