LIBR 204-19
Information Organizations and Management
Spring 2009 Greensheet

Mary M. Somerville, MLS, MA, PhD
E-mail
Phone: 253-229-8816 (cell)
Office Hours: (Optional) TBD


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Textbooks and Readings
Course Requirements
Resources
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The content for this course is managed through the Angel learning management system. Students must self-enroll on Angel before the class start date.

Course Description

This course examines distinguishing characteristics of information organizations, including culture(s) and relationships, with emphasis on concepts which examine the interaction between human beings and the organizations in which they work.

Course Prerequisites:
Students will have the specified minimum hardware and software plus a high speed Internet connection to participate fully in the course.

Course Goal
This 3 unit course offers a survey of management and leadership responsibilities and issues for library, information, and knowledge organizations. Course activities aim to further participants’ understanding of theory and application in a variety of areas, including organizational design, culture, and communication.

Course Objectives

The course aims to prepare pre-professionals to work effectively within an organization, to assume managerial responsibilities, and to develop leadership aspirations. Toward these ends, this course focuses on three major facets:

  • Internal factors, including managers’ classic functions of planning, decision-making, organizing, staffing, controlling, and evaluating;
  • External factors, such as the larger political and organizational context(s) within which libraries operate;
  • Personal factors, such as preferred communication, management, and leadership styles, and their effect on individual and team performance.

Toward these ends, course content intends to:

  • Promote understanding of the theories, principles, and practices of management in libraries;
  • Increase appreciation for the basic management functions of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, controlling and evaluating;
  • Examine issues related to managing information staff and services in a diverse workplace environment, amidst changing internal and external factors;
  • Promote creative leadership activities that further collaboration, innovation, and responsiveness in the workplace;
  • Increase knowledge and usage of the professional and research literature of management and leadership; and
  • Advance self-evaluation skills and pre-professional planning.

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

  • Compare management theories, principles and practices;
  • Describe analytical and strategic planning processes and skills;
  • Discuss the roles and activities of managers;
  • Use portfolios as a means of performance assessment;
  • Describe the experience and value of team work and group dynamics;
  • Identify diversity issues and implications within the workplace;
  • Prepare and post a resume and use the services of the SJSU Career Center;
  • Review and interpret the professional organizational development literature.

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.

 

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Course Requirements

Course Schedule
The course design enables participants to first develop an overview of the topic through reading the textbook, supplemented by other learning activities and expert lectures. Following this, students apply this framework to explore their particular professional interests.

The course requirements (described below) ensure development of theoretical and practical understanding. Assignments are completed during a week which begins on a Sunday and concludes on a Saturday. This schedule intends to accommodate students with a variety of work schedules and personal circumstances. In addition, it permits the instructor to provide some daily attention to participants’ work throughout her (Monday through Friday) workweek and then, over the weekend, respond more substantively to students’ work.

Toward these ends, the course schedule is as follows:

  • Week 1 – January 25 – January 31
  • Week 2 – February 1 – February 7
  • Week 3 – February 8 – February 14
  • Week 4 – February 15 – February 21
  • Week 5 – February 22 – 28
  • Week 6 – March 1 – March 7
  • Week 7 – March 8 – March 14
  • Week 8 – March 15 – 21
  • Week 9 – March 22 – March 28 – No Class/Spring Vacation
  • Week 10 – March 29 – April 4
  • Week 11 – April 5 – April 11
  • Week 12 – April 12 – April 18
  • Week 13 – April 19 – April 25
  • Week 14 – April 26 – May 1
  • Week 15 – May 4 – May 9

This schedule assumes that all coursework will be completed by the due date. ‘Late work’ will not receive full credit. Incomplete work will receive no credit.

Course Requirements

  • Week 1 – January 25 – January 31
    Read: Stueart & Moran, chapters 1, 2, & 3
    Submit one question and one supplemental source (see below for additional information)
  • Week 2 – February 1 – February 7
    Read: Stueart & Moran, chapters 4, 5, & 6
    Submit one question and one supplemental source
  • Week 3 – February 8 – February 14
    Read: Stueart & Moran, chapters 7, 8, & 9
    Submit one question and one supplemental source
  • Week 4 – February 15 – February 21
    Read: Stueart & Moran, chapters 10, 11, & 12
    Submit one question and one supplemental source
  • Week 5 – February 22 – 28
    Read: Stueart & Moran, chapters 13, 14, & 15
    Submit one question and one supplemental source
  • Week 6 – March 1 – March 7
    Read: Stueart & Moran, chapters 16 & 17
    Submit one question and one supplemental source
    View: Eluminate lecture with Ms. Zaana Howard, knowledge manager, Australia
  • Week 7 – March 8 – March 14
    Read: Stueart & Moran, chapters 18 & 19
    Submit one question and one supplemental source
  • Week 8 – March 15 – 21
    Read: Stueart & Moran, chapter 20
    Submit one question and one supplemental source
    View: Eluminate lecture with Dr. Anita Mirijamdotter, social informatics professor, Sweden
  • Week 9 – March 22 – March 28 – No Class/Spring Vacation
  • Week 10 – March 29 – April 4
    Submit research paper topic and ten annotated information sources (see below for further information)
  • Week 11 – April 5 – April 11
    Create research paper draft for exchange with peer(s)
    Clarify peer/‘team’ response expectations
  • Week 12 – April 12 – April 18
    Complete paper critiques, per agreed upon ‘collegial’/peer expectations
  • Week 13 – April 19 – April 25
    Continuing to work in teams, generate 1) interview questions for middle manager position and for senior manager position and 2) first draft of curriculum vita/resume and cover letter
  • Week 14 – April 26 – May 1
    Submit 2 sets of interview questions and cover letter with c.v./resume
  • Week 15 – May 4 – May 9
    Submit final research paper and peer evaluations

Further Information
To ensure additional exploration of the topics raised in the required readings, students are required to generate at least one question per week until spring break commences. The question and a source (i.e., peer reviewed literature) must be posted by midnight on Saturday. This assignment intends to stimulate broad interest in the field and to generate a list of ‘good sources’ for further information.

The research paper intends to encourage students’ in depth exploration of individual interests, which can then be reflected in their application materials (letter and c.v./resume). Amongst the topics suitable for a research paper are these: management versus leadership, organizational communications, knowledge management, human resources management, strategic planning, organizational change, inclusive workplaces, financial management, organizational design, team work, project management, marketing and promotion, professional development, organizational culture, and fund raising.

Grading
In this course, the following point system will be used to determine the final grade which is based on a total of 100 points:

  • 40 points Weekly question and source (8 weeks x 5 points)
  • 10 points Research paper topic and 10 sources
  • 10 points Peer review (i.e., How well did you perform as a team member?)
  • 15 points Middle and senior manager interview questions (team grade)
  • 10 points Curriculum vita/resume and cover letter
  • 15 points Research paper

Late Work
‘Late work’ (submitted after midnight on Saturday) will result in a reduction in points earned. 20% of possible points/assignment will be deducted for each day past the due date. Students will receive no points for incomplete assignments.

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). 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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