LIBR 204-01
Information Professions
Spring 2015 Greensheet

Dr. Cheryl R. Dee
Email
Office Hours: Virtual Office Hours, by appointment


Greensheet Links
Textbooks
SLOs
Competencies
Prerequisites
Resources
Canvas
iSchool eBookstore

Mission of the School
The School of Information (iSchool) at San Jose State University educates professionals and develops leaders who organize, manage and enable the effective use of information and ideas in order to contribute to the well-being of our communities.

Getting Started
iSchool utilizes a content management system called Canvas for class communications, submitting assignments, and grade records. This course will be available on Canvas. 

Canvas Information: Courses will be available beginning January 22nd, 12:01am PST unless you are taking an intensive or a one unit or two unit class that starts on a different day. In that case the class will open at 12:01am PST on the first day that the class meets.

You will be enrolled into the Canvas site automatically.

Weekly class sessions run from Monday through Sunday of the following week. Weekly material and assignments will be visible in Canvas from the beginning of the semester for students' semester planning. Assignments are generally due Tuesday evenings by midnight.

Course Description

Examines the organizations and environments in which information professionals work.  This course explores different specializations and career paths, professional communities, networks and resources, ethical and legal frameworks. This course also introduces management and leadership theories and concepts and applies them to different information environments. A special focus is placed on management responsibilities in order to emphasize the importance of these skills in the professional workplace.

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 iSchool program, including Canvas, Collaborate and Second Life. This course must be completed by all new iSchool students within the first 4 weeks of their first semester. For more information, see ischool.sjsu.edu/classes/coursedesc.htm

Assignments
More detail on each assignment will be provided in Canvas

This course will provide an overview of practical and theoretical library management using the textbook, printed and audio lectures on Canvas,  asynchronous group discussions, optional synchronous group discussions and real-life management exercises. Each weekly assignment includes the iSchool required student learning objective and iSchool core competency related to the Assignment.

  • Canvas Online Discussion/Class Participation
    As this class is completely on-line and asynchronous, participation in Canvas is essential. Assignments are due on Tuesday unless otherwise indicated according to the posted due dates in Canvas. Substantive participation in on-line discussions is a graded element in the course. (Supports SLO #1, SLO #3SLO #6)
  • Library Manual
    Students will develop a creative fictitious Library (of personal interest to the student) in a selected library environment. The Library Manual uses management theories and practical applications to create the following sections: 1) Library Description 2) Services, 3) Vision 4) Mission, 5) Diversity Statement and 6) Marketing Plan. (Supports SLO #1, SLO #3)
  • Management Styles and Skills
    Students will take several informal management assessments or obtain information from the published literature. Students will reflect on their current and potential management style and skills in areas such as delegating, communicating, leading, and conflict management and will discuss new or confirmed insights. Management skills will prepare students for the Team Project as well as future careers. (Supports SLO #3)
  • Leadership
    The Leadership reflection will describe an admired leader from business, education, sports, librarianship, family or even a fictitious leader. The focus is on the analysis of the leaders’ traits and students will compare their current and potential leadership skills in different library enviroments with those of their chosen leader. Library directors and leaders will guest speak via videos to share their leadership experiences. (Supports SLO #3
  • Technology
    The technology assignment will introduce students to managing current library technology. (Supports SLO #3)
  • Cover Letter, Resume and Interviewing
    The cover letter and resume assignment and the Interviewing Assignment will prepare the student to develop a dynamic cover letter and resume, understand the ePortfolio function and practice interviewing skills from a management perspective.  (Supports SLO #4, SLO #7
  • Group Project
    Students will be assigned to a team to create a strategic plan for a information center chosen by the team. Team building is an essential part of this project. Each team will describe the information center, develop a vision and mission statement, professional communities, networks, resources and action plans for the information center. Students will their project to the class either on Collaborate or posted on the Discussion Board in audio format. A peer review will be conducted to assess individual team contributions to the project. (Supports SLO #2, SLO #5, SLO #8)
  • Summary Assignment: The In-Basket
    The In-Basket will place the student in the role of a manager and requests responses to a set of management items. The instructions say the Director “has a plane to catch in 3 hours and an unexpected international speech to present;” however, intriguing and sometimes amusing items are in an In-Basket that requires attention before the departure to Geneva. The In-Basket requires an application of management theories and practical issues discussed throughout the semester. This assignment is not a test but is a learning experience. The assignment produces lively discussions as the class shares their responses to the InBasket items. (Supports SLO #1, SLO #3)
  • Citations
    You will cite from the textbook, posted lectures and additional relevant sources of your choice. Use APA for citations.

Course Content and Assignment Points

Topic Points
Introduction to the Course. Recommended Collaborate session to discuss semester assignments. Recording of Collaborate session available. 1
Personal Statement 5
Information Professions Manual 10
Management Styles and Skills using Management Assessments 0
Strategic Plan (including Plan, Journal and Team Evaluation) 20
Strategic Plan Progress Report 5
Strategic Plan Timeline 5
Leadership 10
Managing Technology 3
Planning Your Career – Cover Letter and Resume 5
Managing People - Interviewing 5
In-Basket Exercise. 5
In-Basket Discussion. Optional Collaborate Session to discover new ideas from your classmates’ discussion. A recording of the Collaborate session will be available. 6
Class and Team Participation Points 20

Writing Requirement
If an instructor finds that a student's writing ability is unacceptable the instructor will require the student to sign up for online writing tutoring. The student will ask the tutor to confirm with the instructor that the student is attending sessions.

Assignment Due Date

  • Assignments are due on Tuesday unless otherwise clearly noted.
  • Assignments must be submitted on the date due.

Late work
Assignments submitted after the due date will be subject to a grade penalty. Please contact Dr. Dee prior to an assignment deadline in case of a significant illness or emergency.

Distance Learning
Distance education is constantly evolving and is an on-going learning process for both students and instructors. Each semester this course is updated to reflect new technology to make distance education more dynamic for the student. Online classes are a two-way learning process between the instructor and the students.

Course Workload Expectations

Success in this course is based on the expectation that students will spend, for each unit of credit, a minimum of forty-five hours over the length of the course (normally 3 hours per unit per week with 1 of the hours used for lecture) for instruction or preparation/studying or course related activities including but not limited to internships, labs, clinical practica. Other course structures will have equivalent workload expectations as described in the syllabus.

Instructional time may include but is not limited to:
Working on posted modules or lessons prepared by the instructor; discussion forum interactions with the instructor and/or other students; making presentations and getting feedback from the instructor; attending office hours or other synchronous sessions with the instructor.

Student time outside of class:
In any seven-day period, a student is expected to be academically engaged through submitting an academic assignment; taking an exam or an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction; building websites, blogs, databases, social media presentations; attending a study group;contributing to an academic online discussion; writing papers; reading articles; conducting research; engaging in small group work.

Course Prerequisites

LIBR 204 has no prequisite requirements.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  1. Describe the role of information and the information profession in various contexts, and from historical, current and future perspectives.
  2. Identify the most significant areas of research in library and information science in historical and current contexts.
  3. Identify and discuss the professional values and ethics of library and information science.
  4. Explore a number of professional opportunities and related supports available to information professionals.
  5. Identify, discuss and compare key management concepts such as leadership, change, advocacy, and decision making, as well as the roles and activities of managers and leaders.
  6. Understand analytical and strategic planning processes and skills.
  7. Identify various information stakeholders and the information environments that provide for their needs.
  8. Experience and assess working in teams.
  9. Review, use and properly cite the professional and research literature of management and leadership.

Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)

LIBR 204 supports the following core competencies:

  1. A Articulate the ethics, values, and foundational principles of library and information professionals and their role in the promotion of intellectual freedom.
  2. B Describe and compare the organizational settings in which library and information professionals practice.
  3. D Apply the fundamental principles of planning, management, marketing, and advocacy.
  4. M Demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for professional collaboration and presentations.
  5. N Evaluate programs and services based on measurable criteria.

Textbooks

Required Textbooks:

  • Evans, G. E., & Alire, C. (2013). Management basics for information professionals (3rd ed.). ALA Neal-Schuman. Available through Amazon: 1555709095arrow gif indicating link outside sjsu domain

Grading Scale

The standard SJSU School of Information Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses:

97 to 100 A
94 to 96 A minus
91 to 93 B plus
88 to 90 B
85 to 87 B minus
82 to 84 C plus
79 to 81 C
76 to 78 C minus
73 to 75 D plus
70 to 72 D
67 to 69 D minus
Below 67 F

 

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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