LIBR 266-13
Collection Management
Spring 2011 Greensheet

Wayne Disher
E-mail
Phone: 951-765-2441
Office Location: Hemet Public Library or Online
Office Hours: By arrangement

Students should self-enroll on ANGEL for this course before the first day of class with the access code provided by your instructor.

Course Description

This 3 unit course supports the SLIS objective of information management, including the selection, storage and utilization of information resources and will examine the field of collection management in all types of libraries and information centers. It will also introduce you to Collection Development principles and practices that can be generalized to the work of academic, public, school, and special libraries. The course is designed to help you understand and apply collection management theory in a variety of areas, including: material selection; development of collection management policies; collection promotion and merchandising; and, collection evaluation. The course deals with collections in a general sense rather than those limited to a particular subject, format or agency. However, while examples will be taken from a variety of settings, I will place emphasis on collection management theory as it is applied to the public library setting as this is the area in which your instructor has more experience..

Course Objectives

• To familiarize the student with the theoretical and practical issues associated with collection management and the various selection resources for libraries.
• To identify, evaluate, and utilize the literature pertinent to both the management of collections and the selection of resource materials.
• To describe and analyze the historical and current theoretical and practical issues associated with the management of library collections.
• To aid the student in understanding the centrality of collection development to other functions of the library.
• Become aware of methodologies for determining user needs regardless of information environment.
• Acquire an understanding of resource selection, evaluation and the complexities that this work brings to the professional role.

LIBR 266 supports the following MLIS 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;
• Use the basic concepts and principles related to the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation and organization of specific items or collections of information;
• Evaluate programs and services on specified criteria.

In addition, this section supports the following MLIS Core Competencies:

• Recognize the social, cultural and economic dimensions of information use;
• Apply the fundamental principles of planning, management and marketing/advocacy;
• Use service concepts, principles and techniques that facilitate information access, relevance, and accuracy for individuals or groups of users;

Top of Page

Course Requirements

Assignments
You'll find assignments explained in the "Assignments" link on Angel. Basically, there are 6 overall assignments centered around a "collection management duties and responsibilities". Four small assignments including a community analysis, a selection assignment, and a collection development policy assignment prepare the student for the larger 2 assignments at the end of the semester--one group assignment and one research paper.  The group assignment will be as follows:  Students will be assigned to a team for a project conducting a "visualized critique" --a sort of collection performance audit --of a library's collection. Each member of the team visits a library on their own, and each brings back potential collection related problems they noticed sharing pictures with the other team members. The team as a whole will analyze each member's pictures and choose ten items to work on as a group. Students analyze such things as collection managment decisions, efficiency, patron access, and collection effectiveness.  Students articulate strategic recommendations for the management of the institution's collection. In an online presentation to the instructor, the group shares information about their chosen ten items.

Course Calendar
A complete calendar of due dates and online activities is available on Angel.

Grading
Papers and assignments are due as listed on the Assignments page. I do not accept late papers. Additionally, due to the fact that I am an adjunct faculty member, and my schedule is such that I can not predict if I will be available in the future, I do not allow students to take an incomplete in this class.

Letter grades are assigned using the standard SJSU SLIS Grading Scale below. If you do the assignments as outlined on the assignment sheet and explained in class, you will maintain a B grade. If you submit sub-standard work, you will receive a sub-standard grade (B- or below). If, however, you submit above-standard work, you will receive an above standard grade (B or better). I define above standard work as that which clearly displays several of the following criteria:

1. Originality in the approach to the assignment;
2. Greater depth of analysis than the written assignment calls for;
3. Overall treatment of the assignment above & beyond what the written assignment calls for; or
4. Superior organizational and/or written skills in the presentation of the material.

Due Dates and Late Assignments
Due dates are not negotiable. As a rule, I do not accept late assignments. If extraordinary circumstances prevail, however, an accepted late assignment will receive a penalty of at least one half of a grade.

Textbooks and Readings

Additional Reading
There are additional reading assignments contained in folders found on the course page in Angel.

Required Textbooks:

• Disher, W. (2007). Crash course in collection development. Libraries Unlimited. Available through Amazon: 1591585597.

• Evans, G.E., & Saponaro, M. Z. (2005). Developing Library and Information Center Collections. Libraries Unlimited. Available through Amazon: 1591582199.

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.

Download Adobe Acrobat Reader to access PDF files.

More accessibility resources.