INFO 210-10
Reference and Information Services
Summer 2017 Syllabus

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 June 5th, 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.

NOTE: Early birds can e-mail 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 (21%)
  Mini activities
  
• Assignment 2 (9%)
  Reference transaction script and analysis
• Assignment 3 (30%)
  Discussion topics/activities + sharing post
• Assignment 4 - (20%)
  Choose one of the project options or propose an alternative project of your own.
• Assignment 5 (20%)
  Choose one of the project options or propose an alternative project of your own.

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: Mini Activities 21% (3% X 7 weeks)
  In seven out of the ten 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 have a suggestion for an alternative assignment that would give you comparable skills using reference sources in a specific type of library setting, contact me.
• INFO 210 Course Learning Outcome addressed: 
• CLO2: Use basic reference tools and searching techniques to answer a wide range of questions.
  
  
• Assignment 2: Reference Transaction Script and Analysis (9%)
  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 RUSA's Health and Medical Reference Guidelines and/or Guidelines for Business Information  and/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 Course Learning Outcome addressed:
• CLO3: Conduct effective reference interviews.
• NOTE: You may want to consider using this assignment 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: 
  Discussion Topics (9 X 3%) + Sharing Posting (3%) = 30%
  Discussion topics frequently require you to visit a library or use a library service. These weekly activities require more than posting your own personal opinions on the topic under discussion.  Address the posted discussion questions using substantive content by utilizing, analyzing, and synthesizing what you learned in the textbook, class readings, etc.
• Post one sharing posting in the Sharing discussion forum over the course of the ten weeks of class. The sharing postings can be anything that is library related that you think will be of interest to the class.  For example, you can do anything from sharing something interesting that happened at work or when you attended a conference to sharing a library joke or offering job hunting tips. The sharing post counts for 3% of the total discussion grade.
• INFO 210 Course 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: A number of the topics for the weekly discussions may serve as evidence to support various core competencies for your e-portfolio.
  
  
• Assignment 4 (20%) See project options listed below.
  
• Assignment 5 (20%) See project options listed below.
  .
• Project Options for Assignments 4 and 5
  Choose a topics for your projects for Assignments 4 and 5 from the list of options provided in the Assignment folder. Options include:
• Shadow a reference librarian at the reference desk or while doing some other reference-related work such as instruction, outreach, promoting digital literacy, and marketing. Describe the setting, and write a 7+ page reflection paper about what you learned and what future directions you see for reference services.
• Interview a reference department manager, liaison librarian, or some other kind of reference librarian, and write a 7+ page reflection paper about what you learned and what future directions you see for reference services.
• Create an instructional or training tutorial. Describe the scope or purpose, and write a short reflection paper about the instructional process and technology used and what you learned,
• Create an action plan. Describe the scope or purpose, outline the plan, and write a short reflection paper about what you learned.
• Create some kind of social media or other technology-related project that promotes reference resources. Describe the scope or purpose of the project, provide the project or a link to the project, and write a short reflection paper that discusses the techniques and technology used and what you learned.
• Create a pathfinder/subject guide/LibGuide on a specific topic to be used by patrons or library staff. Describe the scope or purpose, provide the document or a link to the guide, and write a short reflection paper about the criteria for your selections and what you learned.
• Create an annotated bibliography of 25 core reference resources that you think your library cannot be done without. Clearly describe the library setting, and write a short reflection paper about the selection criteria used, justification for inclusion for each item, and what you learned.
• Other reference-related projects can also be proposed, but alternative options must have pre-approval to be sure that the proposed options align with the course learning objectives.
• See the Assignment folder for a more detailed description of the alternative assignment as well as the Panopto video, any exemplars, and the scoring rubrics with the grading criteria for alternative project options.
• INFO 210 Course Learning Outcome addressed:
• CLO1: Identify and assess the characteristics and functions of various types of reference sources.
• 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

Course Grading

• 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 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, 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. 

top

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. Identify and assess the characteristics and functions of various types of reference sources.
2. Use basic reference tools and searching techniques to answer a wide range of questions.
3. Conduct effective reference interviews.
4. Describe the relationships between user needs, information resources, and relevant information technologies.
5. Describe current issues and trends in reference services, including the impact of technology on user needs and reference interactions.
6. Evaluate reference services that address the needs of a diverse and changing society.
7. Understand the relationship between reference service and information literacy instruction.
8. Begin to develop a personal philosophy of reference service.

Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)

INFO 210 supports the following core competencies:

top

Textbooks

Required Textbooks:

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

top

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 or undergraduate (for BS-ISDA);
  For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA, Informatics, BS-ISDA) — 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 if you wish to stay in the program. 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.

Graduate Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). Undergraduates must maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

University Policies

Per University Policy S16-9, university-wide policy information relevant to all courses, such as academic integrity, accommodations, etc. will be available on Office of Graduate and Undergraduate Programs' Syllabus Information web page at: https://www.sjsu.edu/curriculum/courses/syllabus-info.php. Make sure to visit this page, review and be familiar with these university policies and resources.

In order to request an accommodation in a class please contact the Accessible Education Center and register via the MyAEC portal.

Download Adobe Acrobat Reader to access PDF files.

More accessibility resources.