LIBR 259-10
Preservation Management
Fall 2009 Greensheet

Victoria McCargar, M.A., MLIS
E-mail   Please put "LIBR 259" or "LIBR-259" in the subject field
Faculty website: ischool.sjsu.edu/people/faculty/mccargarv/mccargarv.php
Phone: (310) 954-4377 (emergencies only)
Office Hours: In Elluminate TBA and via IM in ANGEL when online

Angel information: All course material will be presented in ANGEL in weekly learning units, unless otherwise indicated in a specific week. The site will be available on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2009, at noon PDT, and you may enroll starting that day. An enrollment code will be sent to you via MySJSU. Please enroll by Friday, Aug. 28, 2009.

Course Description

The class introduces students to both technical and conceptual issues in the preservation of library and archival materials in non-digital (analog) and digital formats. Readings and course materials address the history, development and philosophy of preservation as a discipline, the causes of deterioration, evolving best practice, controversies, and the critical interplay between preservation and access. Building on a foundation of traditional library and archives preservation, the course emphasizes the urgent issues and emerging solutions for dealing with our already massive born-digital legacy. 

â–º The preservation, conservation and restoration history of the original Domesday Book (1086 A.D.) and its successor Digital Domesday (1986 A.D.) will be used as an opening narrative to bridge the two preservation paradigms, and the conclusion of the semester will be a thought-provoking discussion of the issues common to all questions of what to preserve – and what to let go.

Course Prerequisites: LIBR 200, 202, 204 required.

Course Objectives

Student Learning Outcomes
Through readings, online exercises, discussions, assignments and hands-on techniques, the motivated student will gain a solid grounding in

• Evolution of preservation theory and practice
• Decision-making processes behind selection for preservation
• Causes of physical deterioration of various types of information objects, from paper to DVDs, and approaches for dealing with each
• Concepts and standards central to digital preservation efforts, such as the OAIS framework and auditable trustworthy repositories
• Principles of a workable preservation policy in library, archives and corporate DAM settings
• Disasters: planning for, prevention of, response to and recovery from
• Go-to professional preservation resources online and in print
  
  

LIBR 259 supports the following MLIS Core Competencies:

• Use the basic concepts and principles related to the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation an organization of specific items or collections of information
• Evaluate programs and services on specified criteria
• Demonstrate proficiency in the use of current information and communication technologies, and other related technologies, as they affect the resources and uses of libraries and other types of information providing entities

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Course Requirements

The course is conducted entirely in ANGEL with occasional, pre-recorded sessions in Elluminate.

â–º The course is asynchronous; for direct communication purposes, note that the instructor is based on the West Coast of the U.S. (GMT -7/PDT or GMT -8/PST). 

The course is organized by weekly learning unit, which is the entry to readings, unit tasks and discussion boards. Semester-long resources and assignments are also accessible from the Lessons tab, and a .doc version of the syllabus will be available on ANGEL for downloading.

Student work will be assessed based on three assignments and two short exams. The first two assignments are designed to give the student some hands-on experience with preservation practice. The third assignment is a graduate-level research paper or professional-level disaster recovery plan. The exams will test the student's familiarity with the readings.

Details for each will be provided in ANGEL.

Course Calendar

Weekly topics are as follows. Readings are assigned in Angel by week:

• Week 1: History and the problem of preservation
• Week 2: All things paper and books
• Week 3: Library building design and assessment, disaster mitigation
• Week 4: Microfilm, scanning and digitization
• Week 5: Digital preservation: the Big Picture
• Week 6: Theories and current approaches to digital preservation
• Week 7: The Open Archive Information System framework (OAIS)
• Week 8: PREMIS and preservation metadata
• Week 9: Global responses and research
• Week 10: The repository movement and trustworthy repositories
• Week 11: Special problems in digital preservation
• Week 12: Preservation and copyright
• Week 13: Personal digital assets
• Week 14: Digital Asset Management (DAM)
• Week 15: Policy planning and selection for preservation

Important assignment dates will be posted in ANGEL's Course Calendar. The following are the due dates of the exams and assignments listed in ANGEL. Dates are subject to change with proper and adequate notice.

â–º ALL ASSIGNMENTS AND EXAMS ARE DUE ON THE FRIDAY OF THE LISTED WEEK AT 11:55 P.M. VIA THE ANGEL DROP BOX.

• Assignment 1: Soak-A-Book. Due Week 3, Sept. 11, 2009
• Assignment 2: Digital Curation. Due Week 13, Nov. 13, 2009
• Assignment 3: Final Term Paper. Due Finals Week, Dec. 11, 2009
• Exam 1 (analog preservation): Week 4, to be completed by Sept. 18, 2009.
• Exam 2 (digital preservation): Week 12, to be completed by Nov. 13, 2009.

Students are expect to contribute to participate in discussion boards throughout the semester.

Course Grading

In addition to the assignments listed above, assessment is based on participation in class discussion boards, awareness of current events and interactive tasks in the weekly lessons. 

Grades are based on an overall total of 100, broken down as follows. The SJSU grade distribution appears below.

Submitting Assignments 
Please turn in all assignments via ANGEL. Exams are offered through ANGEL. Naming conventions for files will be posted. You must always include your last name in the character string.

Assignments must be word- processed in 12 pt. Times Roman and utilize a one-inch margin all around. Papers may be submitted in MS Word (.doc format only) or Apple Pages. "Track changes" will be used for editing and commenting.

â–º Late assignments will not be accepted unless by prior consent of the instructor. Consult the instructor about any situation that arises. Medical conditions that inhibit you from completing assignments or exams must be registered with the university's Disability Resource Center, and proof of medical emergencies must be provided. Please see SJSU SLIS policy below.

â–º Plagiarism of any kind will be vigorously prosecuted. Please see SJSU SLIS policy below. 

Textbooks and Readings

No textbook purchase is required.

All readings are available online. Readings will be posted in ANGEL under the week's Unit Materials. Readings will be available through any of three channels:

• URLs for the public web
• Reserved Readings at the King Library
• Citations for articles available in one or more of the SJSU databases

The course site in Angel will include the "Fall ’09 Preservation Blog," an important  resource for conveying information about news and ongoing developments in the field.  Students are asked to read and comment on it in addition to required discussions on weekly material.

No Textbooks For This Course

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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