LIBR 231-01
Issues in Special Libraries and Information Centers 
Spring 2012 Greensheet

Sue Brewsaugh
E-mail
Phone: (714)229-7574
Office Hours: While I have no official office location or hours, I am readily available by phone or e-mail.  We can set up a time to talk or meet. My preferred method of contact is e-mail. I will normally respond within 24 hours.  There will be a few occasions when I'm travelling and unavailable.  You will be notified in advance during those days.

I would like to talk with each student individually at least once or twice this semester.  I will contact each of you to coordinate a date and time.  This is completely voluntary.

D2L Information:  The course will be open by January 23.   Students will automatically be enrolled in D2L course site.

Course Description

This course describes the special library – what it is, what makes it different from academic or public libraries, and its trends and issues. We will explore the different kinds of special libraries and the advantages and disadvantages of working in this part of the field.

Course Prerequisites: LIBR 200 and LIBR 204

Course Objectives

• This course will introduce the concept of special libraries/information centers and the variety of environments in which they are found.
• This course will explore the organization/operational issues associated with special libraries/information centers and other related types of information services.
• This course will analyze and evaluate issues and trends within the environment.
• This course will facilitate student understanding of networking and opportunities within the special library community.

Course Objectives

Student Learning Outcomes

• This course will allow students to determine if they want employment in a Special Library.
• At the conclusion of this class, students will understand the major issues facing Special Librarians.
• At the conclusion of this class, students will develop an understanding of the importance of professional networking

LIBR 231 supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:

• compare the environments and organizational settings in which library and information professionals practice;
• recognize the social, cultural and economic dimensions of information use.

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Course Requirements

Assignments
All students must join SLA or another appropriate professional association.  The class assignments are listed below:

Fieldwork and Report or Paper; (total of 40 points possible). All reports must be posted to D2L.  An oral presentation about your fieldwork or paper will be given during the mandatory Eluminate session on May 5 from 9 am - noon (PST).

Each student will be expected to complete either a project at the fieldwork site or a research paper.

For the fieldwork, the student will negotiate the project content with the supervisor they are working with at the site as well as your instructor. Assistance is available for finding/selecting fieldwork opportunities. Fieldwork should be about 30 hours. Upon completion of the project, the student will prepare a written project review. This assignment will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Purpose and scope of the project
• Explanation of the approach to and design of the project, along with the rationale for the approach taken
• Description of specific methods and techniques used and why
• Discussion of any problems encountered and how they were handled
• Summary of the results of the project and how the project will benefit the fieldwork site
• Evaluation of what you learned/accomplished by doing the project
• Completeness of the review
• Organizational ability
• Your site supervisor's feedback

If you choose to write a research paper, these are the requirements:

• Choose a topic that pertains to Special Libraries. You must get your instructor’s approval of this topic.
• Your paper must be double-spaced, 20-25 pages.
• Include your bibliography of sources.
• Suggested topics include valuing an information center, taxonomies, knowledge management, social networking, content management, embedded special librarians, marketing special libraries, project management in special libraries, or the role of the special librarian in the future.

Interview Paper (5 points possible)

• Interview a special librarian. Discuss the major issues of our field. Write a 1-2 page paper describing the interview. Post them to D2L.  These papers may be submitted to the local SLA newsletter for publication (with everyone’s permission, of course).

Professional Event Papers (10 points possible, 5 points each)

• Attend  two professional events during the course of the semester. Your assignment is to introduce yourself to at least one stranger. Write a one page, double-spaced summary of the event. Post it to D2L. These papers may be submitted to the local SLA newsletter for publication (with everyone’s permission, of course).

D2L Discussion Papers (5 points each -45 points possible)

• Nine different topics have been posted to the Angel discussion board.  For each topic read the suggested reading(s) and/or other source(s) on the same topic.  Write a 1-2 page paper on the topic posted.  Each paper must include two sources, one of which may be one of the suggested readings.  You will be graded on the content and style of your discussion paper. 
• In order to receive full credit for the assignment, you must reply to at least two of your classmates' discussion papers.  Your replies must be substantive in nature - at least two paragraphs in length.  You will have one day after the post is due to complete discussion comments/replies.  So, posts are due on Thursdays.  Your replies will be due on Friday.
• You do not need to reply to the getting acquainted message, the interview, the professional event summaries, or the fieldwork report or paper.  Of course, you are encouraged to do so.

Course Calendar
This calendar is subject to change with fair notice.  The first column indicates the day the work is due to be posted on D2L.  Remember that replies to other students' posts are due the day after the post is due (Fridays).  Tentatively, Elluminate sessions will be held on Thursday evenings, starting on January 26.  A lecture that corresponds to the topic of the discussion will precede the discussion paper due date.  Thursday Elluminate sessions are not mandatory, but are encouraged.  There is one mandatory Elluminate session:  Saturday, May 5, from 9 am -noon PST.  Arrangements will be made individually for telephone conversations.

Grading
The following is a breakdown of the assignments and the grading scale. A full explanation of each assignment will appear on blackboard.

Extra Credit
Extra credit options will not be available.

Late Work
Late work will only be accepted only with prior approval of instructor.

Textbooks and Readings 

Recommended Textbooks:

• Dority, G. K. (2006). Rethinking Information Work: A Career Guide for Librarians and Other Information Professionals. Libraries Unlimited. Available through Amazon: 159158180X.

• Kelsey, S. E., & Porter, M. J. (Eds.). (2011). Best practices for corporate libraries. Libraries Unlimited. Available through Amazon: 1598847376

• Matthews, J.R. (2002). The bottom line: Determining and communicating the value of the special library. Libraries Unlimited. Available through Amazon: 159150048.

• Siess, J.A. (2003). The visible librarian: Asserting your value with marketing and advocacy. American Library Association Available through Amazon: 0838908489.

• Siess, J.A. (2006). The new OPL sourcebook: A guide for solo and small libraries. Information Today. Available through Amazon: 1573872415.

• Yu, H., & Breivold, S. (2008). Electronic resource management in libraries. Information Science Reference. Available through Amazon: 1599048914.

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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