LIBR 282-12
Seminar in Library Mangement
Topic: Human Resources Management
(Executive MLIS)
Summer 2009 Greensheet

Dr. Ken Haycock, Professor
E-mail
Office Phone: 408.924.2491
Office Location: Clark Hall 417C
Office Hours: Before/After Each Class; By Appointment.

Angel Information: This course has an Angel site. Students are expected to enroll and participate in Angel for the entire term. SLIS enrolls Executive program students for this particular course.

Course Description

An examination of the connections between theory and best practices in strategic human resources management and organizational effectiveness. Topics include building human capital, job analysis, compensation, labor relations and contracts, screening, change management, staff development, supervision, appraisal and succession management.

Course Prerequisites: LIBR 200; LIBR 204 required.

Course Objectives

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

• analyze of the complexity of human resources issues in libraries, information organizations and the larger agencies in which they operate (assignments: strategic review, seminar leadership and contribution; research paper/case study);
• compare the options and opportunities for building high performing organizations through human capital (assignments: seminar contribution);
• apply research-based best practices to each component of the staffing and performance equation (assignments: seminar contribution; research paper/case study)
• use a range of models and approaches to solve human resources problems (assignments: seminar leadership and contribution);
• identify viable alternative solutions and actions and recognize the consequence of their implementation (assignments: seminar leadership and contribution; research paper/case study);
• articulate the need for congruence between and among organizational elements in order to affect individual and organizational performance (assignments: strategic review; seminar contribution, research paper/case study).

LIBR 282 supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:

• apply the fundamental principles of planning, management and marketing/advocacy;
• demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations and professional level presentations.

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

• design training programs based on appropriate learning principles and theories;
• 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.

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Course Requirements

Format of the Course
The course is based on the following principles of learning:

• learning requires the active participation of the student;
• people learn in a variety of ways and at different rates;
• learning is both an individual and a group process.

Consequently, a variety of strategies are used and group and individual responsibility are incorporated.

You will engage in several types of learning activities:

• to increase your awareness and broaden your understanding of the principles and theories underlying strategic human resources management;
• to provide you with opportunities to develop the reflective practitioner stance of the professional;
• to enable you to examine, discuss and reflect upon theory and applications, as well as personal beliefs;
• to encourage you to engage in focused experiences;
• to develop and hone presentation skills essential to professional and staff development.

Assignments

• Strategic Human Resources Management Review
  You are expected to read and review the three required texts on strategic human resources management. You will post your 2,500 word review to the Angel site by July 5th. The review will be assessed based on synthesis of content, analysis of issues and written expression. The review is to be comparative and evaluative, not two separate reviews.
   
• Graduate Research Seminar Content and Leadership
  Each student will lead a seminar in a given content areas.
  The student will work with the instructor to ensure that the key elements of the area will be covered. The student will assign required readings in advance of the seminar and prepare and lead the seminar discussion. This is a seminar, not a presentation alone. This is a graduate research seminar, not solely a sharing of personal experiences but more a contribution to the discussion of research and evidence from each class member’s readings.
  A PowerPoint outline will be provided to the instructor by July 12th to ensure coverage of key points and a guided discussion, including the advanced readings to be assigned to the class; a meeting will be held with the instructor the day before the seminar to review content, criteria and proposed presentation. The PowerPoint will not be presented in full form, if at all, in class but may be used by the student leader as a guide.
   
• Research Paper/Case Study
  A research paper of approximately 5,000 words on one in-depth selected topic approved by the instructor will be submitted by the specified date. The paper will take the form of an article submitted to a specific and appropriate peer-reviewed journal in the field, in this case Library Management. Evidence of submission will be provided before the end of the term.
  Alternately, the student may prepare a case study comparing human resources management practices in his or her own organization with the research-based best practices presented in the class. Research citations are required in each case.
   
• Seminar Participation
  Each student will come to class having read the required and recommended texts and assigned readings and prepared to discuss the assigned topic. Assessment of participation will be determined by the extent and level of thoughtful questions, useful examples, and extensions from research studies you have read on your own. Feedback will be provided during the on-site session to students encountering mid-term difficulties.
  You will also be expected to assess a colleague’s seminar against established criteria.

At the end of this graduate course, you should have learned as much or more direct content from your readings and colleagues as you did from the instructor who lectured, led and probed but more importantly, orchestrated the learning through course design, advising and evaluative feedback.

Course Calendar
All subject to change with fair notice.

Grading

Late Assignments
Each assignment is required by the due date. Late assignments will not be accepted as successive work and participation is contingent on their completion.

Written & Spoken English Requirement
Written and spoken work will meet standards for graduate level performance or may result in a lower mark if it is, in the opinion of the instructor, deficient in English.

Other Relevant Information

• Attendance
  Regular attendance is expected of students in all their classes (including lectures, seminars, electronic discussions, etc.). Please be present and on time for class or inform the instructor in advance (cell 408.207.8123), as you would any supervisor in a workplace; as there is no final examination, absence from two or more classes may make it difficult for you to succeed.
• Evaluation
  Evaluation is based on assignments; peer and instructor evaluations are included.
  Evaluation is an ongoing process. All completed work will be assessed for evaluative feedback. An important part of this process is the strengthening of your own self-evaluation skills—learning the process of critical, non-defensive scrutiny of your own performance. It is anticipated that students will devote the equivalent of a minimum of twelve hours per week for the fifteen week term on average to this course; that is a total of 180 hours.
  Should the course requirements or grading practices appear unclear or inconsistent, it is your right and responsibility to seek clarification from the instructor.
• Other
  The class for this course is a "laptop-free" zone.
  We will be a small group in a small board room. Your full attention is required.

Textbooks and Readings

Required Textbook:

• Armstrong, M. (2000). Strategic human resources management: A guide to action (2nd ed.). Kogan Page. Available through Amazon: 0749445114.

• Armstrong, M. (2006). A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice (10th ed.). Kogan Page. Available through Amazon: 0749446315.

• Pfeffer, J. (1998). The human equation: Building profits by putting people. Harvard Business School Press. Available through Amazon: 0875848419.

Recommended Textbook:

• Belcourt, K. J., & McBey, M. L. (2000). Strategic human resources planning. Nelson Thompson. Available through Amazon: 0176048936.

• Ulrich, D., & Brockbank, W. (2005). The HR Value proposition. Harvard Business School Press. Available through Amazon: 1591397073.

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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