LIBR 220-04
LIBR 220-13
Resources and Information Services in the Disciplines and Professions
Topic: African Americans & Persons of African Descent
Summer 2009 Greensheet

Dr. Arglenda J. Friday
E-mail
Other contact information: 918-378-2609
Office location: Tulsa, OK
Office Hours: Best time: 10 a.m. - 12 noon CST, Tuesdays & Thursdays

ANGEL information: Students must self-enroll in the ANGEL section of the course from May 20-June 3 using the access code distributed to registered students through My.SJSU. There will be no waiting list, but you can check for openings during the drop/add period.

Course Description

This course examines the nature of resources for and services to, professions and disciplines including methods of communication, characteristics of researchers and other users, and current methods of meeting research needs in libraries and information centers. The focus of these efforts will be on African Americans, and persons of African descent or associated with the African Diaspora, including mixed race patron bases. 

Course Prerequisites: LIBR 202 required.

Course Objectives

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

• Gain knowledge about the characteristics, challenges, issues, needs, interests, and concerns associated with providing information services to African American, and diverse groups of African descent,
• Develop skills and methods for identifying appropriate resources and communication channels;
• Design, implement and evaluate effective and responsive programs and services; and
• Review readings and studies reflecting major national, regional, state, and local trends for providing culturally appropriate library services to diverse groups.

This section of LIBR 220 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 the basic concepts and principles related to the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation and organization of specific items or collections of information;
• demonstrate proficiency in the use of current information and communication technologies, and other related technologies, as they affect the resources and uses of libraries and other types of information providing entities;
• use service concepts, principles and techniques that facilitate information access, relevance, and accuracy for individuals or groups of users;
• describe the fundamental concepts of information-seeking behaviors;
• 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;
• evaluate programs and services on specified criteria; and
• contribute to the cultural, economic, educational and social well-being of our communities

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Course Requirements

The primary requirements for this web based course are to:

• Complete readings, assignments, and discussion topics as detailed on ANGEL;
• Complete required exercises and assignments to assess learning and provide practical experience and application;
• Contribute substantive comments to the weekly class discussions;
• Complete all work by the respective due dates.

Course Calendar
Readings and discussion board topics will be posted in modules on a weekly basis. All projects, lecture notes, discussion questions, and major assignments will be included in the appropriate sections of ANGEL.

The detailed schedule of topics and assignments is available in the Course Information section of ANGEL and may be subject to change with fair notice.

Course Grading
Everyone begins this course with a grade of “B”, the standard grade for graduate level work. If you do the assignments as outlined, you will maintain that “B”. Sub-standard work will receive a B- or below, while above standard work will receive a B or better.

Above standard work clearly displays one or more of the following criteria:

• Originality in the approach to the assignment
• Greater depth of analysis and overall treatment than required by the assignment
• Making substantive comments to discussion board forums by identifying issues, resources and approached pertaining to the topic(s) under consideration
• Critical evaluation of the readings by comparing them to other authors/sources
• Superior organizational, written, or communication skills in the presentation of the   material

Correct usage of academic English, spelling, grammar, and composition is expected; points will deducted for failure to do so. Use formal (non- personal) tone, and avoid slang. Be certain to structure your paper or comments to follow the assignment guidelines.

Late Assignments
Late assignments will not be accepted without prior notification and approval of the instructor, and with the understanding that there may be a reduction in the number of points earned for the assignment.

Incompletes
Incompletes will be assigned ONLY in cases of documented family or medical emergency.

Textbooks and Readings

Readings
Readings will be provided and available through the San Jose State Universtiy Martin Luther King, Jr. Library.

No Textbooks For This Course

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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