INFO 204-10
Information Professions
Spring 2021 Syllabus
Wayne Disher
E-mail
Phone: 408-421-0111
Office Location: Online
Office Hours: By arrangement
| Syllabus Links Textbooks CLOs Competencies Prerequisites |
Resources Canvas Login and Tutorials iSchool eBookstore |
Canvas Information: Courses will be available beginning January 27th at 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 in the Canvas site automatically.
Course Description
As they respond to the information needs of clients and communities, information organizations face complex and exciting challenges. This course will help prepare students to take on these challenges by providing them with an understanding of the organizations and environments in which information professionals work, traditional and emerging professional roles, and core management and leadership theories. This knowledge will help students understand the similarities and differences amongst information organizations, explore different specializations and career paths, apply professional values to ethical decision-making, and to develop core management and leadership skills. This course prepares students to be active participants in their professional communities and networks and to become collaborative professionals ready to take on management and leadership roles.
Note: iSchool requires that students earn a B in this 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.
Course Requirements
Complete INFO 203 Online Learning: Tools and Strategies for Success. This is a mandatory 1 unit course that introduces students to the various e-learning tools used in the iSchool program, including Collaborate. For more information, see INFO 203 Online Learning.
Writing Requirement
If the instructor finds that a student's writing is unacceptable, the instructor will require the student to sign up for online writing tutoring. The student will ask the tutor to confirm with the instructor that he or she is attending sessions.
Weekly Schedule and Activities
The semester will be broken into "Units". Each unit will run for a duration of roughly 2 to 3 weeks. Each week within the unit contains several activities, reading, discussions, online work, and collaboration. Each unit will have one graded assignment. Units One through Four have graded assignments that account for 10 points each. The weight of this accumulated 40 points will be 20% of your entire grade.
Inclusion Statement for this Course
Students are expected to participate fully in all class activities. It is expected that students will be open-minded and participate in discussions in class and online and debate in a mature and respectful manner. Use of derogatory, condescending, or offensive language including profanity is prohibited. For example, words such as "stupid" and "dumb" have no place in describing another person's statement. Remember, disagreement is healthy and perfectly acceptable. Expressing disagreement should always include an explanation of your reasoning and, whenever possible, evidence to support your position. Class participation is included in the final grade.
In accordance with San Jose State University's Policies, the Student Code of Conduct, and applicable state and federal laws, discrimination based on gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or disability is prohibited in any form.
Course Calendar including Assignment Due Dates
| Week | Topic/Module | Assignment |
| UNIT ONE: Organizations | ||
| 1 |
Starts 1/27/21 Information Professions today (Hirsh, Ch. 1); Operating Environment (Hirsh, Ch.2); (Disher Chapters); Hicks article. |
Discussion Week 1: Introductions including any particular area of current/future interest in the information professions and organizations. DUE: 2/6/21 |
| 2 |
2/7/21 Library environments (Hirsh, Chapters 3, 6, 7 & 8); Organization design (Disher Ch. 3) |
Discussion Week 2: Scholarly article summary and key takeaways on the topic of accountability, responsibility, or delegation. DUE: 2/13/21 |
| 3 | Starts 2/14/21 Library environments continued (Hirsh, Chapters 9, 10 & 14); Your Career (Hirsh, Ch. 11 & 36); | Due: Resume and ePortfolio assignment DUE: 2/20/21 |
| UNIT TWO: Teams & Problem Solving | ||
| 4 |
Starts 2/21/21 Teams (Disher, Chapter 10); Problem Solving (Disher Ch.11); |
Discussion Week 4: Successful virtual teams DUE: 2/27/21 |
| 5 |
Starts 2/28/21 Leadership (Hirsh, Ch. 37) Power & Authority (Disher Chapter4); Important Library teams: Councils, Boards& Commissions(Disher Ch. 9) |
Discussion Week 5: Who Speaks for The Library DUE: 3/6/21 |
| UNIT THREE: Planning & Communicating | ||
| 6 |
Starts 3/7/21 The Planning Process and Strategic Planning (Hirsh, Chapter 19; Disher Chapter 6) |
Discussion Week 6: Strategic Plans - A Case History Due: SWOT Analysis DUE: 3/13/21 |
| 7 |
Starts 3/14/21 Communicating (Disher, Chapter 8); Schramm article; Addressing Diversity (Hirsh, Ch. 5) |
Due: Communication case history DUE: 3/20/21 |
| UNIT FOUR: Managing Staff & Budgets | ||
| 8 |
Starts 3/21/21 Managing personnel (Hirsh, Ch. 22); Staffing (DisherChapter7); |
DUE: 3/27/21 |
| 9 |
Starts 3/28/21 Managing Money(Hirsh, Ch. 21) (Disher Chapter5) |
Discussion Week 9: Library budget comparison discussion DUE: 4/3/21 |
| UNIT FIVE: Managing Library Facilities and Users | ||
| 10 |
SPRING BREAK HOLIDAY - NO CLASS (3/29-4/2) Starts 4/4/21 Library Communities (Disher Chapter13) |
Discussion Week 10: Trend watching DUE: 4/10/21 Due: Library budget reduction DUE: 4/10/21 |
| 11 |
Starts 4/11/21 Managing and Planning Physical Facilities(Hirsh, Ch. 23) (Disher Chapter 12); Information needs (Hirsh, Ch. 29) |
DUE: 4/17/21 Recorded Presentations (Graded Assignment #5) must be completed by 5/1/21) |
| 12 |
Starts 4/18/21 Policy (Hirsh, Ch. 28 & 29) Collections (Hirsh, Ch. 24) |
Discussion Week 12: Prepare for the worst: Sharing an emergency/disaster plan DUE: 4/24/21 |
| 13 |
Starts 4/25/21 Managing Technology(Hirsh, Ch.16, 17, 18 and 25) |
Due: Group Presentation Visualized Critique (Graded Assignment #5) due BEFORE 5/1/21 Discussion Week 13: Emerging Technology - The Horizon Report DUE: 5/3/21 |
| UNIT SIX: Change; Legal & Ethics Issues; Marketing | ||
| 14 |
Starts 5/4/21 Changing and Innovating (Disher Chapter 15); Marketing and Advocacy (Hirsh, 27); Ethics (Hirsh, 30) |
Discussion Week 14: Matching Innovations to Environment DUE: 5/11/21 |
| 15 | Last day of instruction 5/11/21 |
Due: Management Response paper 5/17/21 |
Units Five and Six each have larger assignments worth 100 points each. They each are weighted 40%. While you will find detailed information about each graded assignment appearing in the Unit itself here is a brief rundown of what you'll be doing this semester in terms of graded assignments.
- Unit One's 10-point graded assignment involves a Career Development
assignment in which students will be introduced to the extensive School Career Development online resources and will be asked to submit their resume. In addition, students will also utilize the ePortfolio function in the Canvas learning management system. (Learning Outcomes: 4, 7) - Unit Two's 10-point graded assignment will ask you to read a case history involving communication and diversity in an organization and asks you to think about how you'd resolve a challenging issue. (Learning Outcomes 1, 2, and 6).
- Unit Three's 10-point graded assignment asks you to learn about a strategic planning process called SWOT analysis and to submit a SWOT analysis of a library of your choice. (Learning Outcomes 2 & 3)
- Unit Four's 10-point graded assignment asks you to read over several case histories involving the creation of a library's budget. After reading over the budget scenarios, you will be asked to consider what you would do in both situations and submit a paper explaining how you handled one of the cases. (Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, and 8)
End of Term Assignments
There are two large assignments near the end of the semester. One is a group assignment and one will be an analytical assignment:
- Group Assignment: Students will form teams for a project conducting a "visualized critique"--a sort of performance audit--of a library information organization. You will be given a performance audit by Mr. Megabucks, a library funder, and asked to research and propose solutions to problems noted in the report. The team as a whole will analyze pictures and information, focusing on management decisions, facility maintenance, customer service, community outreach, the library's mission and vision, the library's efficiency, and the library's effectiveness. During the semester--through online collaboration--the team will articulate strategic recommendations for improving the library. In a recorded online presentation to the instructor (Mr. Megabucks), the group shares their recommendations regarding the issues noted in the Megabucks Report and present how these recommendations will significantly solve the issues they have identified. A peer review regarding individual contributions and performance on the team will be included and considered in the final grade for the team project. (Learning Outcomes 3, 5, & 8)
- Analytical Management Response Presentation: Students will be asked to choose to investigate and respond to one of several common administrative problems information professionals are confronted with in today's library environments. Students will utilize an alternate format (e.g. website, wiki, podcast, video, Powerpoint, Prezi, etc.) to produce and present their response to one of the issues using information they gather in research, as well as information gleaned through course readings and reflection. More detail will be provided by your instructor. (Learning Outcomes 1, 3, & 6)
Grading And Due Dates for Assignments
| Assignment | % of grade | Due Date |
| Discussion Forum participation | End of each week's unit | |
| Unit One: ePortfolio/Career Development | 5% | 2/20/21 |
| Unit Two: SWOT analysis | 5% | 3/13/21 |
| Unit Three: Workplace communication and diversity | 5% | 3/20/21 |
| Unit Four: Creating a Budget | 5% | 4/10/21 |
| Unit Five: Group Visualized Critique Recorded Presentation | 40% | Before 5/1/21 |
| Unit Six: Analytical Management Response Paper | 40% | 5/17/21 |
Due Dates and Late Assignments
All assignments must be submitted by 11:59 pm Pacific Time on the due date. As a rule, late assignments are not accepted. However, if unprecedented circumstances prevail, your instructor may accept a late assignment if you FIRST contact the instructor BEFORE a deadline. Grades will be reduced for any late work by at least 25 percent for any portion of each 24-hour period past the 11:59 pm PT deadline.
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 204 has no prequisite requirements.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Describe the similarities and differences between various information organizations and professional roles from historical, current, and future perspectives.
- Recognize the roles and activities of managers in information organizations.
- Explain strategic planning processes and skills.
- Identify and choose appropriate assessment tools for evaluating organizational effectiveness.
- Synthesize (including reviewing, using and properly citing) the professional and research management and leadership literature.
- Demonstrate leadership abilities through collaborative teamwork.
- Analyze and assess their own and others leadership abilities through self-reflection and peer review.
- Apply management theories and principles, professional values, and ethical frameworks to organizational issues and decision-making using scenarios and case studies.
- Create and deliver high quality reports, presentations and organizational documents that communicate to internal and external stakeholders organizational values, missions, and priorities.
Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)
INFO 204 supports the following core competencies:
- A Demonstrate awareness of the ethics, values, and foundational principles of one of the information professions, and discuss the importance of those principles within that profession.
- B Describe and compare organizational settings in which information professionals practice.
- D Apply the fundamental principles of planning, management, marketing, and advocacy.
- M Demonstrate professional leadership and communication skills.
- N Evaluate programs and services using measurable criteria.
Textbooks
Required Textbooks:
- Disher, W. (2010). Crash course in public library administration. Libraries Unlimited. Available through Amazon: 1598844652
- Hirsh, S. (Ed.) (2018). Information services today: An introduction (2nd ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. Available as free eBook through King Library
Recommended Textbooks:
- American Psychological Association (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). American Psychological Association. Available through Amazon: 1433832178.
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 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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