LIBR 282-05
LIBR 282-14
Seminar in Library Management
Topic: Correctional Libraries
Spring 2009 Greensheet

William David Mongelli, MLS

E-mail
Work phone: (508) 660-5900, x390
Best call times: 10AM-6PM PST Mon-Tue-Wed; 5:30AM-1:30PM PST Thurs-Fri
Please don’t hesitate to email or call me with any Course question you may have. (NOTE: because of prison logistics, I cannot return your call. Leave voicemail or keep trying until you get me).

Correctional Library Management is Angel-based (that sounds intriguing, doesn't it?), so now that you’ve registered with the school, you need to self-enroll in Angel before the course begins. To do this, you’ll need an access enrollment code, which I’ll send you via the MySJSU system. The Correctional Library Management course site will be ready for your use on Thursday, January 22, 2009.

Course Description

Correctional Library Management examines the history, methods, and underlying principles of correctional librarianship, and how they can be applied in the working world. Building on the first unit of how correctional libraries began, student will examine 14 guiding principles of effective correctional librarianship:

Course Schedule

Course Prerequisites: None, although completion of all core classes is highly recommended.

Course Objectives

Learning Outcomes

1. To introduce the principles of managing correctional libraries, students will be given reading assignments, quizzes, and a course Glossary to study in order to prepare them for the final cumulative examination
2. Through course readings, students will consider the relative merits of both therapeutic and public library models of correctional librarianship.
3. Based on reading assignments and Discussion Board participation, students will choose one of the 14 library management principles and then write a 5-page paper on the importance of their principle for effective library management.
4. In order to understand how course management principles are applied in the workaday world, students are directed to contact a correctional librarian and conduct a brief interview to discern how modern correctional libraries are operated, what therapeutic programming is offered, and how the librarian and library are perceived by security personnel.

Correctional Library Management supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:

• Applying the fundamental principles of planning, management and marketing/advocacy;
• Recognizing the social, cultural and economic dimensions of information use.

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Course Requirements

Class Location & Meeting Schedule
This is an online class.

“Please Advise!” Discussion Board forum:
Note: If you have questions about course logistics or content, please post your question in the Discussion board forum called “Please Advise!” (the 1st forum in our Angel Discussion Board). This is where you can find my responses to student questions regarding assignments, discussion threads, readings, resources, etc. I’ll check here several times a day and post answers as needed.

Assignments

• Research Paper. One (1) written assignment is required in this Course, whereby each student will be free to choose one of the 14 principles of correctional librarianship and be required to write a 5-page paper on the importance of that principle for good library management. This paper is due on or before May 12th.
• Final Examination. On May 13th, a final cumulative examination will be given. This exam consists of questions culled from the readings, quizzes, class discussions, and class papers. This exam will include completion questions, multiple-choice, and true/false. There are no essay questions on this exam. This exam accounts for 20% of the students’ final course grade.
• Homework. Homework will consist of reading assignments and weekly quizzes. One of the required texts, CONSentrating On The Law, can be purchased through LMC Source: www.lmcsource.com/isell3/product.php. Apart from the two required texts, this course has several additional required readings written by the Instructor and other correctional librarianship professionals. These readings you will find under ‘Assignments’ in Angel.
• Participation. Participation in the Discussion Board forums is important, as it accounts for 20% of your grade. Especially for an online course, sharing ideas and opinions with your fellow students is as important as any assignment given, and so merits a reward equal to my other expectations of you. The only way the rest of us can find out what thoughts and opinions you have swirling around in that formally-educated brain of yours is to see hard cold evidence that you're posting regularly to the Discussion Board forums and responding to your fellows.
• Elluminate session(s). I will schedule an Elluminate session midway through the course so we can come together as a group, get better acquainted, and have a chance to clear up some possible misconceptions you may have about prisons and correctional librarianship. I may schedule other sessions as the course commences.
• Field work.  Each student will be provided with a series of questions to ask a working correctional librarian. (The librarian doesn’t have to be in California; the only caveat is that you cannot interview me). Secure an interview with the librarian through email, phone, or in-person. In-person interviews will merit the most credit, because that will necessitate your visiting a prison which is, indeed, a very helpful thing for you to do. Interviews are due on May 12th, although earlier submissions are welcome and will merit more credit.
• Field Work (Extra Credit). As a way for you to get first-hand correctional library experience during the course, I encourage you to attend the next LISSTEN tour of the California Institute for Women on Friday, February 8th. Read about the tour here:  http://slisgroups.sjsu.edu/lissten/events/lib_tours/2008/2008tours_content.htm. Participate in this tour and write a 500-word reflection paper of your impressions of library services, and I will increase your point total by 10%. Students outside California may make arrangements with their nearest correctional institution (prison / jail / house of correction). This extra-credit reflection paper can be submitted at any time following the tour.

Grading
Percentage Weight Assigned To Class Assignments:

Penalties For Late WorkDue dates are imposed upon you for various and sundry reasons, all of them sound, rational, and relevant. That’s why you shall (‘shall’ is what legal research swells call ‘mandatory language’) make every effort to finish and submit your assignments by the posted due date. We all, however, have other responsibilities in our routine, and I understand that Life oft-times throws us a curve we can’t hit. If you cannot meet a deadline, you must satisfy these two (2) requirements:

• Notify me 48 hours before the assignment due date; and
• Give me one legitimate reason why the submission must be late. We'll go from there.

Penalties For Missed Assignments
My assumption always is that each person taking my course is a properly-disciplined graduate student. If this is true, don’t be surprised to find yourself feeling insulted and injured at how little you actually have to do. Rest assured, you have plenty of time for readings, Discussion Board postings, research, writing, and assignment submissions. No one should fail to submit any assignment. If you do, you get graded accordingly.

Textbooks and Readings

Required Textbooks:

• Clark, S., & MacCreaigh, E. (2006). Library Services to the Incarcerated: Applying the Public Library Model in Correctional Facility Libraries. Libraries Unlimited. Available through Amazon: 1591582903.

• Mongelli, W. D. (2001). Consentrating on the Law: A Program of Self-Directed Legal Research for Prison Course Givers. F and W Associates. Available through the publisher.

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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