LIBR 204-12
Information Organizations and Management
Fall 2009 Greensheet

Brian Reynolds
E-mail
Work Phone: (805) 781-5785
Office Hours:
Virtual Office hours are: 5pm to 6pm on Tuesday evenings using the telephone (individuals) or Elluminate software (groups). Face to face and phone meetings by appointment. Come visit me in lovely San Luis Obispo! :-)


Greensheet Links
Textbooks and Readings
Course Requirements
Resources
ANGEL
ANGEL Tutorials
iSchool eBookstore
 

ANGEL Information:  The content for the course is managed through Angel Learning Resources. Students must self-enroll for this course on Angel between August 7 and August 21, 2009. You will be required to use a password access code. The code will be provided to you via the MySJSU Messaging system.

Course Description

Identifying distinguishing characteristics, culture, and relationships of information organizations. Emphasizes the role and responsibilities of managers and leaders, orchestrating people in achieving organizational goals.

Note:  Effective Spring 2009, LIBR 204 must be completed with a B grade or higher.

Course Objectives

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Compare management theories, principles, and practices;
  • Apply analytical and strategic planning processes and skills;
  • Identify the roles and activities of managers;
  • Understand portfolios as a means of performance assessment;
  • Experience and assess working in teams;
  • Managing issues of diversity in the workplace;
  • Prepare and post a resume and use the services of the SJSU Career Center;
  • Review and use the professional and research literature of management.

LIBR 204 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;
  • evaluate programs and services on specified criteria.

http://ischool.sjsu.edu/slis/competencies.htm

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 SLIS program, including Angel, Elluminate and Second Life.

For more information, see http://ischool.sjsu.edu/classes/coursedesc.htm

Assignments
There is general flexibility in designing appropriate learning activities, but every LIBR 204 section must specifically linke course assignment to the required student learning objectives, listed above.  For example:

  1. Outcome:  Understand portfolios as a means of performance assessment.  Assessment:  Students will use the ePortfolio module in Angel to build a folder and upload a least two assignments from LIBR 204 as artifacts.
  2. Outcome:  Compare management theories, principles and practices.  Assessment:  Students will participate in class discussions that address current management and leadership theory and practice in the information professions.
  3. Outcome:  Experience and assess working in teams.  Assessment:  Students will work in groups on a strategic plan for a library and information science organization.  The team project will include an evaluation of the group experience and peer review of other team members.

Grading


The total number of points for the course is 400.

Number Assignment % of Points
1 Introduction and Résumé
Pre-class Survey
2.5
2 “Changing Role of Libraries” essay 5
3 “Dos and Don’ts of Leading a Work Team” essay 5
4 New Service Proposal essay 5
5 New Service Proposal Plan, including Goals & Objectives 5
6 New Service Proposal Plan Budget exercise: allocate $100k to the Plan 10
7 TEAM PROJECT: Design two outreach projects to two target customer groups based upon two New Service Proposal Plans 20
8 Secret Shopper Exercise: Research a local library and critique it for customer service 2.5
9 “Books and Bytes”: Strengths & weaknesses of books, computer, and other technologies 5
10 Customer Service Outcomes Research essay 5
11 “Difficult People/Staff Safety” essay 5
12 Live Elluminate Session 10
13 “New Ideas” essay #1 10
14 “New Ideas” essay #2 10

Course Calendar
The first formal week of this online class will begin Monday, August 24, 2009. I’d like you to submit your own self-introduction/résumé and complete the class survey by Friday, August 28, 2009. Send your self-introduction to the Discussion Board and the Class Survey to my e-mail:  brianar628@sbcglobal.net.  One synchronous Elluminate session will be scheduled during the semester, with the day and time set once I become acquainted with your schedules and time zones.  The tentative date for this Elluminate session is Monday, 16 November, 7pm PST.

The general topics to be covered in the lectures (created with PowerPoint and my voiceover on Elluminate and loaded onto Angel) will include:

  • A brief history of libraries, especially public libraries in recent times
  • Leadership vs. Management: Working in Teams and with Others
  • Working with Peers and Subordinate Staff
  • Working with Stakeholder Groups: Customers, Support Groups, and Governing Bodies
  • Budgeting and Fiscal Issues
  • Strategic & Tactical Planning
  • Building Design, Maintenance, Remodel, & Repair
  • Collection Technologies (Books, Audiovisual, Electronic, etc.)
  • Outreach: Marketing, Publicity, Advertising, Selling
  • Employee performance evaluation and discipline
  • Working with difficult people (staff & customers) as it affects staff morale and safety
  • New Ideas/Trends in Library Service

Assignment Due Dates
Assignment due dates are found in the Lessons tab in Angel. All assignments are due by midnight of the due date. All coursework to be completed by Monday, December 7, 2009.

Late or Missed Assignments
Penalty for late or missed work – Automatic 5% deduction

Grading
Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain an overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0.

  • Students who complete the assignments, use the class Angel site, participate in the Elluminate session, in group discussions, and in the team project will receive the B provided the quality of written work meets the standard of scholarly work for the University. Above standard work is defined as clearly displaying one or more of the following criteria:
  • Originality in the approach to the assignment
  • Greater depth of analysis than expected
  • Critical evaluation of readings by comparing them to other authors, sources, or your own experience
  • Clear, concise explanation of the issues in an assignment

Penalties are also assessed in the following situations:

  • Errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax will be subject to a grade penalty
  • Evidence of plagiarism will result in a grade of F for the course.

Other Relevant Information
Participation in online assignments and discussion (individual and group, written and verbal) is crucial. Reading/viewing/listening to required materials and discussions will enhance your ability to participate in these discussions. Check Angel regularly for updates.

I bring to this class almost forty years in librarianship and twenty-six as a public library director. However, I am relatively new at online teaching and know that online work (vs. face-to-face classroom work) is more difficult. I want each and every one of you to succeed in this class and in your chosen profession. Thus, I will minimize readings and group work. In your responses to others’ work, please be courteous and complete, but concise. If an issue is something only I can answer or help you with, please copy only me with that correspondence. E-mail histories and discussions will be limited to 3-4 responses. The preferred method of submitting assignment essays will be via Angel Courseware.  If that method occasionally becomes a problem, essays can be submitted as e-mail attachments.

General Expectations
All students must:

  • Have the minimal home computing environment as described at http://ischool.sjsu.edu/communication/homecomputing.htm
  • Enroll in the course in Angel to receive communications from the instructor by the first day of the term.
  • Complete the online survey after enrolling in the class.
  • Submit all assignments electronically. The following scheme is required for the submittal of assignment essays: [Course Number]…[Student’s Last Name]…[Assignment Number]. Example, if the student’s last name is Smith, use 204_Smith_assignment1.doc. Failure to utilize this format may result in point deductions.

Required Textbook:

  • Evans, G. E., & Ward, P. L. (2007). Management Basics for Information Professionals (2nd ed.). Neal-Schuman. Available through Amazon: 1555705863. arrow 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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