LIBR 220-11
Resources and Information Services in the Disciplines and Professions
Topic: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer/Questioning (LGBTIQ) Resources and Services
Summer 2019 Syllabus

E. Greenblatt
E-mail
Telephone: 720-254-1477
Office Hours: Virtually via email or telephone by appointment.

There are no special online office hours for this class. I will be happy to answer your questions as they arise. Please submit your questions and comments through Canvas or send them directly to me. Please start your email subject line with "220-11" so that I can easily identify your emails and ensure a timely reply – within 48 hours of receipt. If you are asking about something that would be helpful or of interest to other members of the class, please post your message to the Q&A Discussion Forum.

I will announce on Canvas any extended absences that may affect the promptness of my responses. Also, when contacting me, please keep in mind that I am likely in a different time zone – Mountain Time – than most of you. 

Canvas Information: Courses will be available beginning June 3rd, 6 am PDT 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 in the Canvas site automatically.

Course Description

This class will explore library services and resources as they relate to LGBTIQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer/Questioning) communities and their support systems. We will discuss various library operations and services within the context of LGBTIQ issues and concerns as well as examine and evaluate key information resources in the field. The main focus of the course is on developing a toolkit regarding services to a constituent queer community.  The LibGuides platform will be used to create this toolkit. 

Course Requirements

Class Assignments

• Unit Assignments: Most weeks, with some exceptions, you will be required to turn in an assignment based on that week’s topic. Assignments are due by 11 p.m. Pacific Time each Sunday evening. (Course Learning Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
• Weekly Discussions: All students are required to participate in discussion board activities. Participation in these discussions must be substantive, thoughtful, creative, and grounded in research and assigned readings.  (Course Learning Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
• Toolkit: Each of you will create a toolkit detailing services and resources for one of the constituent communities composing the queer community. For explicit instructions, template, and content criteria, please see Canvas. Course Learning Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
• Toolkit Critiques: Each of you will evaluate three (3) of your colleagues’ toolkits in light of the criteria associated with the toolkit assignment. You will be graded on the helpfulness of your comments, the constructiveness of your criticism, and the thoroughness of your feedback. Course Learning Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

For information on grading, please see the associated rubrics in Canvas.

Weight Percentages of Assignments

The table above includes the course assignments and weights.  Curriculum details follow below and are subject to change with notice.

Late Assignments
Assignment due dates are clearly stated on the Canvas course site. Be sure to back up your work as a preventative measure and retain copies of your assignments until the end of the grading period.

Late work will incur a penalty of 5% a day unless the instructor is contacted on or before the due date to negotiate an alternative reduction. 

I will grant you ONE free pass -- i.e., you may turn in ONE assignment up to a week late without penalty. However, you must let me know that your work will be late BEFORE the assignment due date AND subsequent assignments must still be turned in on time. Bear in mind that some assignments build upon previous work, so a pattern of regular tardiness will impact your overall production.

This free pass does not apply to the toolkit, the toolkit critiques, or participation in the discussion forums, as turning in these assignments late would adversely affect your classmates' performance.

Unless otherwise stated, weekly assignments are due by 11:00 p.m. Pacific Time each Sunday.

Should a medical situation or family emergency arise, please contact me as soon as possible so that we can make appropriate arrangements.

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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 220 has no prequisite requirements.

Course Learning Outcomes

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

1. Describe basic concepts and terms relating to GLBTIQ communities and issues.
2. Identify service-oriented issues and concerns regarding library use by GLBTIQ communities.
3. Identify access barriers to GLBTIQ resources, particularly those relating to subject access.
4. Define strategies for handling challenges to GLBTIQ materials and exhibits in the library.
5. Demonstrate familiarity with key GLBTIQ information resources, and evaluate the appropriateness of information resources relating to this topic.
6. Identify collection development issues relating to this subject area.
7. Develop culturally competent approaches to working with GLBTIQ communities and individuals.

Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)

INFO 220 supports the following core competencies:

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Textbooks

Required Textbooks:

• Greenblatt, E. (Ed.). (2011). Serving LGBTIQ library and archives users: Essays on outreach, service, collections and access. McFarland & Company, Inc. Available as free eBook from King Library.

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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 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.

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