INFO 210-11 (3 unit)
Reference and Information Services
Spring 2016 Greensheet

Dr. Johanna Tunon
E-mail -- For class-related communications, use the Canvas e-mail.
Home phone: (954) 249-1449
Office location: Richmond, VA
Office hours: By appointment by phone or via Collaborate. NOTE:  You are welcome to call before 9 pm ET.

Canvas Information: Courses will be available beginning January 28th, 6 am PT 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 on the first day that the class meets.

You will be enrolled into the Canvas site automatically.

The course will be automatically available to students on Jan. 28, 2016.

NOTE: Early birds can email me if you would like the list of video lecture links for the class before the course starts.

Course Description

Catalog Description: A process-oriented examination of how information professionals answer reference questions. The interpersonal skills required for effective question negotiation and the sources with which questions are answered are stressed.

Full Description: This course provides an overview of reference and information services. We will be examining and evaluating key information sources in a variety of formats and becoming familiar with professional resources. Because the field of librarianship is changing rapidly, we will be exploring various methods and models for delivering information and examining how emerging trends as well as ways to use new ideas and skills that are impacting the future of reference services and access to information.

Course Requirements

• Assignment 1 (30%)
  Discussion topics/activities (3 X 9 = 27%)
  + sharing (0.5 X 6 = 3%)
• Assignment 2 (4%)
  Virtual reference transaction script and analysis
• Assignment 3 (21%)
  Mini activities
• Assignment 4 - (15%)
  Complete a pathfinder/subject guide 
• Assignment 5 (15%)
  Annotated bibliography of core reference sources 15% 
• Assignment 6 (15%)
  Reference desk shadowing
  ** Alternative option (for A4, A5, or A6)
   Prerecorded tutorial video or another pre-approved assignment alternative

Course Calendar

*Due dates are subject to change with fair notice. 

Description of Assignments and Grading Criteria
NOTE: If you have some special circumstance that makes completion of some activities difficult, contact me about possible alternative activities.

•  Assignment 1: Discussion Topics (9 X 3% + 3% sharing = 30%)
  • Nine discussion topics address a variety of themes in the class and frequently require you to visit a library or use a library service. These discussion topics are worth 3% of the final grade. As a result, they require using substantive content by utilizing, analyzing, and synthesizing what you learned in the textbook, class readings, articles you have located in the professional literature, etc.  The other six weeks in the class have short "sharing" posts that are each worth 0.5% of the final grade. These are short discussion postings do not have an assigned theme. They can cover everything from something that you wanted to share about something that happened at your library to something you read tht caught your attention to a funny library-related cartoon.  See my Panopto video and the scoring rubric.
  • INFO 210 Student Learning Outcomes addressed: 
  • CLO4: Describe the relationships between user needs, information resources, and relevant information technologies.
  • CL05: Describe current issues and trends in reference services, including the impact of technology on user needs and reference interactions.
  • CLO6: Evaluate reference services that address the needs of a diverse and changing society.
  • CLO7: Understand the relationship between reference service and information literacy instruction.
  • CLO8: Begin to develop a personal philosophy of reference service.
  • NOTE: You may be able to use a number of the topics for the weekly discussions as evidence to support various core competencies for your e-portfolio so choose your topics strategically!
  
  
• Assignment 2: Reference Transaction Script and Analysis (4%)
  Provide a written script for a short reference transaction that addresses some kind of ethical question. It can be on something like a medical or legal topic or a reader's advisory question specifically asked by a child: Just be sure to provide an analysis of the reference transaction as well as a discussion of ethical considerations. Your scenario does not need to be long, but it should illustrate the RUSA or principals of a good reference interview using the RUSA Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference Information Service Providers and/or the RUSA Guidelines for Medical, Legal, and Business Responses or the YALSA Competencies for Librarians Serving Youth. See the Panopto video and the scoring rubric for details for Assignment 2 and the grading criteria.
• INFO 210 Student Learning Outcome addressed:
• CLO3: Conduct effective reference interviews.
• NOTE: See the video on using assignments and disussions as possible artifacts for your e-portfolio. For example, you may want to consider using Assignment 6 as evidence for Core Competency I or also possibly Core Competency A as evidence of ethics and foundational principles of librarians and information professionals.
  
  
• Assignment 3: Mini Activities 21% (3% X 7 weeks)
  In seven weeks of class, mini activities will have you actually look for appropriate sources for "information quest" questions, try search strategies, or examine specific types of resources. See my Panopto video and the scoring rubric for details on the mini activities and the grading criteria.
  NOTE: If you are working in a special library setting and would like to propose an alternative assignment that would give you comparable skills using reference sources in a specific type of library setting, I will be happy to consider it.
• INFO 210 Student Learning Outcome addressed: 
• CLO2: Use basic reference tools and searching techniques to answer a wide range of questions.
  
  
• Assignment 4 (15%)
  Pathfinder/Subject Guide/LibGuide Option 
  A reference librarian needs to understand patrons’ information needs so it is important to be able to help them locate appropriate resources. In order to hone these skills, create some kind of pathfinder, subject guide, or LibGuide designed to help library patrons in a real or fictional library locate appropriate resources on a specific topic. In an accompanying document, reflect on what you learned in the process as well as the relationships between your users’ needs, the type of information resources utilized, and any relevant information about technologies that you used to design your guide. See the scoring rubric and Panopto video for Assignment 4 for details, examples, and grading criteria. 
• INFO 210 Student Learning Outcome addressed:
• CLO4: Describe the relationships between user needs, information resources, and relevant information technologies
  
  
• Assignment 5: Annotated Bibliography of Core Reference Sources (15%)
  Unlike Assignment 4, the goal of Assignment 5 is to develop an annotated list of 20 or more core print or online reference sources rather than a subject guide or pathfinder of resources on a specific topic.
  

  Before getting started, take a look at Brian Kenney's 2015 article, "Where Reference Fits in the Modern Library, (Links to an external site.)" because Kenney raises some important questions about the need for reference collections in the 21st century.

• Part 1: Bibliography of 20 Core Reference Resources and Annotations (10% of the final grade)
  Based on the readings, the textbook, and your own experience, I want you to develop an annotated bibliography with 20 print or online core reference resources that you think are critical for reference librarians to purchase or subscribe to in order to have access.

  • Identify the size and type of the library setting. 
  • Select 20 core reference resources. Your resources can be in print, digital, or online formats. All types of reference resources can be included as long as they are not free/open access.
  • In the annotations, provide a description of each item. Include information on the purpose, scope, audience, format, and cost.
  • In the annotations, provide a clear justification for your reason for purchasing each resource, particularly if your selected resources are similar to free items that are available via the web. You can use professional reviews, awards, lists of core collections for your type of library, recommended sources in the Cassell and Hiremath textbook or subject guides as well as recommendations by reference librarians at SJSU or local libraries in your selection process. 
  • The annotated bibliography can be provided in a print format or using some technology such as a blog or LibGuide if you prefer.  (If you want a LibGuide shell created, email me with your email address, and I can create a shell for you.)

  Part 2: Reflections (5% of final grade)
  Your reflections should address the following:

  • Discuss why you think your selected items are important enough for a library to purchase those sources.
  • Reflect on  the selection criteria you used for selecting your core list of reference resources and any budgetary considerations.
  • Describe how your choices support a diverse and changing population in the 21st
  • Discuss what you learned in the process of completing this assignment. (This can serve as a justification if you decide to use this assignment as a possible artifact for your e-portfolio.)

• INFO 210 Student Learning Outcome addressed:
• CLO1: Identify and assess the characteristics and functions of various types of reference sources.
• NOTE: This assignment may serve as a possible artifact for Core Competency F your e-portfolio.
  
  
• Assignment 6: Reference Desk Shadowing (15%)
  Write an analysis of your experience shadowing a reference librarian for two hours at the reference desk using the RUSA guidelines and the criteria in the Cassell and Hiremath textbook.  Also incorporate two scholarly articles in your analysis. See the scoring rubric and Panopto video for Assignment 6 for details, examples, and grading criteria.
  NOTE: Shadowing a reference librarian outreach, instruction, programming, or liaisoning or interviewing a reference librarian might be an option. Just contact me so we can decide on appropriate criteria or guidelines that can be used for the analysis.
  
  • INFO 210 Student Learning Outcomes addressed:
  • CLO4: Describe the relationships between user needs, information resources, and relevant information technologies.
  • CL05: Describe current issues and trends in reference services, including the impact of technology on user needs and reference interactions.
  • CLO6: Evaluate reference services that address the needs of a diverse and changing society.
  • CLO7: Understand the relationship between reference service and information literacy instruction.
  • NOTE: This assignment might be used as evidence to support Core Competency I for your e-portfolio.
    
    
• Alternative Option (for Assignment 4, 5, or 6): Tutorial or Other Pre-approved Assignment Alternative
  This option is designed as an alternative assignment for Assignment 4, 5, or 6. It gives students the opportunity to use some kind of technology such as Collaborate or Jing for a tutorial on using a database or technology tool useful for reference librarians, and the assignment will also include a reflection on what you learned about the process and any technologies used. See the Panopto video and scoring rubric for details, examples, and grading criteria.
  
  Students do have the option to do another kind of alternative project such as developing a marketing or programming project on a reference-related. Reflect on what was learned about your topic and how it relates to support reference services, how your project supports (or does not support) a  diverse population supported by your library, and how what you learned relates to one or more of the core competencies. Pre-approval for this kind of proposed alternative assignment is required: Once you have an approved alternative assignment, I will provide you with a grading rubric.
• INFO 210 Student Learning Outcomes addressed: 
• CLO4: Describe the relationships between user needs, information resources, and relevant information technologies.
• CL05: Describe current issues and trends in reference services, including the impact of technology on user needs and reference interactions.
• CLO6: Evaluate reference services that address the needs of a diverse and changing society.
• CLO7: Understand the relationship between reference service and information literacy instruction.
• NOTE: If you plan to use the pre-recorded tutorial as an artifact for your e-portfolio, check with me to be sure that you also address related learning principles and theories for Core Competency K.

Course Grading

• See the description of the assignments in Canvas for links to possible exemplars, the grading rubrics, and links to "how-to" videos.
• All work is due by the date listed, but there is a two-day no-questions-asked grace period for all assignments. If you are unable to complete the work by the end of the grace period, there is a 10% penalty unless you contact me and formally make special arrangements for an extension.  
• Check the grading criteria provided in the scoring rubrics before submitting assignments to be sure that you are addressing all of the elements that should be included in the assignments. 
• The details of the assignments, grading criteria, and grading rubrics are subject to minor adjustments with fair notice. 
• With the exception of the standard two-day, no-questions-asked grace period for the assignment due the last week of class, no work will be accepted after the end of the course unless you have made arrangements that meet the university criteria and have been approved by me in writing or by email. 

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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

INFO 210 has no prequisite requirements.

Course Learning Outcomes

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

1. Investigate the current issues in managing reference departments and evaluating reference staff and various types of reference services.
2. Identify and assess the characteristics and functions of various types of reference sources.
3. Explore outreach and marketing roles of reference librarians.
4. Describe current issues and trends on reference departments, including the impact of technology on marketing, outreach, management, and evaluation.
5. Evaluate reference outreach, marketing, and advocacy services that address the needs of a diverse and changing society.
6. Use appropriate collection development tools for selecting and evaluating reference sources.
7. Describe the relationship between information needs, collection development policies, and the evaluation of reference collections.
8. Describe current issues and trends in selecting appropriate reference sources.
9. Evaluate reference sources that address the needs of a diverse and changing society.

Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)

INFO 210 supports the following core competencies:

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Textbooks

Required Textbooks:

• Cassell, K. A., & Hiremath, U. (2013). Reference and information services: An introduction (3rd ed.). Neal-Schuman. Available through Amazon: 1555708595

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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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