LIBR 298-05
LIBR 298-14
Special Studies: Professional Socialization and Trendspotting (1 unit)
Fall 2009 Greensheet

Dr. Dan Fuller
E-mail
Phone:408-924-2490 
Office location: 405 Clark Hall
Office Hours: By appointment and at the CLA Meeting

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Course Description

The MLIS program encourages lifelong learning as a professional value. One means of engaging with colleagues and new developments is through association and conference participation. This course examines current trends and issues using an annual professional conference as the “text.”

Note: the California Library Association annual conference in Pasadena, October 30 to November 1, 2009 will be the vehicle and venue for this course.

Course Prerequisites: LIBR 200
Completion of a minimum of 24 credits towards the MLIS degree preferred. 

Course Objectives

Course Goal
The overarching purpose of this course is to expose students to a critical facet of professional life, conference attendance and participation, in a structured, facilitated manner. The course will provide education and training in identification of critical issues, trend analysis, measurement for evidence-based practice and related skills such as assessment of new products and services and professional networking.

Student Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this one credit course, the student will be able to:

  1. explain the role of professional conferences in continuing professional education;
  2. tell the history and development of the state/national association;
  3. appraise the professional literature emanating from association members;
  4. network and interact with peers and association leaders and discuss current issues and trends in association leadership and the profession;
  5. assess industry trends in product development and utility for professional practice;
  6. analyze the research base for best practices as articulated by conference presenters;
  7. lead discussions with peers on critical observation of the library landscape.

This course supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:

  • apply the fundamental principles of planning, management and marketing/advocacy;
  • design training programs based on appropriate learning principles and theories;
  • demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations and professional level presentations;
  • evaluate programs and services on specified criteria.

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Course Requirements

Pre-conference

 

  1. Students will be assigned a short project and readings prior to the first meeting with the instructor the day before the conference begins.
  2. An association leader(s) will provide an overview of association history, issues and conference organization, for which the students will have prepared to engage in discussion.
  3. Students will organize with the instructor to ensure that at least one student attends two different conference sessions each day; each student will attend a minimum of four sessions. Students will be provided with a template for reporting on conference sessions in Angel, including a brief description of content, the research on which the presentation was based, possible implications for best practices, questions or concerns raised for further investigation.
  4. Students will work with the instructor to plan criteria for an assessment of the trade show and exhibits and the latest trends in products and services.
  5. Students will attend a session on professional networking.

Conference

  1. Students will attend conference sessions.
  2. Each day the instructor and students will meet to discuss content, research bases, implications for best practice and issues. Each student will lead one session, having prepared an introduction, thought-provoking questions and preparation for the next discussion.

Post-conference

 

  1. Students will post a five page research paper (750 to 1000 words) on an area requiring further investigation, incorporating one or more conference sessions and an assessment of their foundation for professional practice.
  2. Students will meet electronically one month following the conference to determine the usefulness of the conference, of the course, and suggestions for improvement of each.

Course Calendar

Class Topic
October 15, 2009 9 PM Introduction to the California Library Association and Professional Networking (via Elluminate
October 30, 2009 7 AM Conference Seminar One
October 31, 2009 4 PM Conference Seminar Two
November 1, 2009 4 PM Conference Seminar Three
December 1, 2009 9 PM Conference Assessment and Elluminate Discussion

Course Grading

Credit/No Credit: To obtain credit a student requires a minimum grade of 79% (C), which constitutes “adequate” work for a graduate level course.

Assignment Due Weight
Short Project October 22,2009 20%
Conference Seminars October 30 to November 1, 2009 50%
Research Paper November 30, 2009 30%

Other Relevant Information

Attendance

  • Regular attendance is expected of students. Please be present and on time for class or inform the instructors in advance (cell 951-294-8264), as you would any supervisor in a workplace; as there is no final examination, absence from two or more seminars will make it difficult for you to succeed.

Evaluation

  • Evaluation in this course is an ongoing process. An important part of this process is the strengthening of your own self-evaluation skills—learning the process of critical, non-defensive scrutiny of your own performance. The better you are able to do this, the more your professional growth will continue after you leave the course. Should the course requirements or grading practices appear unclear or inconsistent, it is your right and responsibility to seek clarification from the instructors.

Other Course Policies

  • please be present and on time for class or inform the instructor in advance; as there is no final examination, absence from two or more classes may result in failure;
  • submit assignments on time according to instructions; written assignments will not be accepted after the stated deadline without prior approval, and may be subject to a grade penalty;
  • contribute positively and productively to the professional growth of others in meetings, seminars and peer assessments;
  • complete readings and assignments to increase understanding of leadership and management issues;
  • complete assigned tasks with demonstrated understanding of process, competence in products and the ability to analyze objectively and critically one's performance.

Textbooks and Readings

Required Readings

  • California Library Association Web site: www.cla-net.org/
    Rezac, D., Thomson, J. & Hallgren-Rezac, G. (2005). Work the pond! Use the power of positive networking to leap forward in work and life. Old Tappan, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

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Grading

This is a Credit/No Credit course. Incompletes are considered on a case-by-case basis, and are given for family or work emergency situations.

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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