LIBR 200-15
Information and Society
Spring 2009 Greensheet

The School semester runs from January 22 through May 13 (note dates of instruction below). The content for the course is managed through ANGEL. Students must self-enroll for this course on ANGEL between January 15 and January 25, 2009 using the password access code I will send to you shortly before January 15 via the MySJSU Messaging system.

Course Description

Explores the complex social, economic, historical, and technological developments that influence the impact of information on society. The mission, values and ethics of information professionals are also analyzed.

Prerequisites: Demonstrated computer literacy

Course Objectives

At the completion of the course, students should be able to:

• Describe the role of information from historical, current, and future perspectives;
• Identify the various information sectors;
• Describe and evaluate issues involved in creating and disseminating information in society, with particular attention paid to information literacy;
• Understand the role of libraries and their relationship to other information providers;
• Identify and discuss the major values and codes of ethics associated with the information professions;
• Describe the impact of cultural diversity on the provision of user services by librarians and other information professionals;
• Describe and discuss important economic and policy issues related to the creation and dissemination of information;
• Understand and have experience with different forms and genres of professional writing.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Know the foundations and structure of the information profession;
• Locate, evaluate, and utilize scholarly and professional literature;
• Demonstrate in-depth understanding of major issues in library and information science.

LIBR 200 course supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:

• Articulate the ethics, values and foundational principles of library and information professionals and their role in the promotion of intellectual freedom;
• Compare the environments and organizational settings in which library and information professionals practice;
• Recognize the social, cultural and economic dimensions of information use;
• Understand the nature of research, research methods and research findings; retrieve, evaluate and synthesize scholarly and professional literature for informed decision-making by specific client groups;
• Demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations and professional level presentations.

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

Required Home Computing Environment
Please see the School’s “Home Computing Requirements” at http://ischool.sjsu.edu/ecommunication/homecomputing.htm

Angel Enrollment
This course will be conducted entirely online using the Angel Learning System and Elluminate. Most communications, including discussions and announcements, will be conducted via Angel.

Please see the Angel Tutorials. To self-enroll in the Angel site for this course you must:

1. Be registered for the course FIRST.
2. The access code for the Angel site will be sent to those enrolled in the class via the My.SJSU.edu messaging system prior to the beginning of the course.

Tips for success: please plan to complete assignments in accordance with specified deadlines. Set aside time daily to complete reading and assignments so you will be able to get the most out of this class. You should be prepared and should make thoughtful contributions to Angel discussion forums and Elluminate sessions, because the quality of your responses will affect the number of points awarded for each assignment. Do not let the online environment fool you; it is easy to fall behind and, in fairness to prepared students, late assignments cannot receive the full number of allotted points.

Course Design
Dates of instruction:

• Instruction Begins - 1/25/09
• Instruction Ends - 5/10/09
• Introductory Elluminate Session January 25, noon, CST (10am Pacific)
  You will have an opportunity to process course readings and assignments through Angel discussion forums and Elluminate sessions, TBD. Elluminate sessions will be scheduled throughout the semester; where you cannot attend in real-time, they will be available to you in recorded form – please listen to the recordings. In addition to offering review and context for course materials, the Elluminate sessions will serve as “open office hours.” I make myself accessible to students. My e-mail is the best way to reach me. Once the course is underway, I will make every effort to respond to your emails within 48 hours. I will also schedule times to speak with you by phone if you have urgent business to discuss. If you need to speak with me by telephone, e-mail a request and we will set a time when I can call you

Assignments
Assignment details will be available on the syllabus on the Angel course site. generally, the these tasks will contribute to your final grade as follows:

Extra Credit
An extra credit option may be provided to be determined as the course progresses.

Course Calendar

• Week One
  Libraries and Society
  Explore the history of libraries, information services and information technology. Examine the role of libraries and their relationship to other information providers. Look at the provision of library and information services in the information society.
  Get acquainted with the class web site, each other, and acquire necessary materials.
• Week Two
  Characteristics of Information
  Introduction to the concepts of information in a free society and a historical perspective on the need to provide equal access to information in order to maintain a democratic society.
• Week Three
  Information and Society
  Discuss the concept of the "Information Society" and its place in political, historical, and sociological perspective. Considers the role of technology in society and how it relates to social change.
• Week Four
  Libraries, Information, and Technology
  Reviews the social, political, and technical changes caused by technology in the information workplace.
• Week Five
  The Profession of Librarianship
  Explores the socially constructed role of the library and information professions.
• Week Six
  Ethics of the Profession
  Examines the ethical basis for professional activities.
• Week Seven
  The Information Professional
  Assesses the economic and social value added by the work of information professionals.
• Week Eight
  The Information User
  Examines theories and methodologies for determining user information needs and helping expand information literacy skills.
• Week Nine
  Spring Recess
• Week Ten
  Special Populations, Multiculturalism and Values
  Examines the multicultural mission of information workers and information institutions to serve a variety of special populations.
• Week Eleven
  Professional Associations
  Explores the mission and activities of professional organizations.
• Week Twelve
  Information Economics
  Examines the economic issues related to information access and ownership.
• Week Thirteen
  Information Policy
  Reviews major policy issues related to information with special emphasis on information policy in a democratic society.
• Week Fourteen
  Intellectual Property and Freedom
  Explores issues relating to information ownership and intellectual freedom.
• Week Fifteen
  The Future of Information
  Examines critical issues and predictions for the future of the information society.

Textbooks and Readings

Additional Readings
Other readings may be required and will be listed on the course syllabus, announced via the discussion board, or made available through the course website.

Required Textbooks:

• Crawford, W. (2007). Balanced libraries: Thoughts on continuity and change. CreateSpace. Available through Amazon: 1434805255.

• Eberhart, G. M. (2006). The whole library handbook 4. ALA. Available through Amazon: 0838909159.

• Rubin, R. E. (2004). Foundations of Library and Information Science. Neal-Schuman. Available through Amazon: 1555705189.

Recommended Textbooks:

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

GWAR

This course satisfies the Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR).

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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