INFO 266-12
Collection Management 
Spring 2021 Syllabus

Wayne Disher
E-mail
Phone: 408-421-0111
Office Location: Online
Office Hours: By arrangement

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

This 3-unit course supports the iSchool objective of information management, including the selection, storage, and utilization of information resources and will examine the field of collection management in all types of libraries and information centers. It will also introduce you to Collection Development principles and practices that can be generalized to the work of academic, public, school, and special libraries. The course is designed to help you understand and apply collection management theory in a variety of areas, including: material selection; development of collection management policies; collection promotion and merchandising; and, collection evaluation. The course deals with collections in a general sense rather than those limited to a particular subject, format or agency. However, while examples will be taken from a variety of settings, I will place emphasis on collection management theory as it is applied to the public library setting as this is the area in which your instructor has more experience. Finally, the course also strives to address issues related to collection management in a global and diverse work environment.

Course Requirements

Assignments
You'll find assignments explained in the "Assignments" link on Canvas. Basically, there are 6 overall assignments centered around a "collection management duties and responsibilities". Four small assignments including a community analysis (CLO 1, 4, and 5), a collection assessment assignment (CLO 1, 4 & 5), a selection assignment (CLO 1, 2, 6, & 7), and a collection development policy assignment (CLO 1, 3, and 8) prepare the student for the larger 2 assignments at the end of the semester--one group assignment (CLO 2, 5, 7, and 9) and one collection topic debate/argumentative essay (CLO 5, 6, and 9).  The group assignment will be as follows:  Students will form teams for a project conducting a "visualized critique" --a sort of collection performance audit --of a library's collection. You will be given a Performance Audit from a Library Funder named Mr. Megabucks which identifies 10 collection related issues.  The team as a whole will research and analyze such things as collection management decisions, efficiency, patron access, and collection effectiveness.  After research and analysis, students will articulate strategic recommendations for the management of the institution's collection. In a recorded online presentation, the team gives these recommendations in a presentation  to Mr. Megabucks (the instructor). There is a peer evaluation aspect to assignment #5 as well.

Course Calendar including Assignment Due Dates
Over the course of the semester, students will work on Units structured to cover critical issues and concepts of collection management and development.  Each unit's duration will be approximately 2 to 3 weeks and include a graded assignment, homework assignments, and web work, online collaborations, and discussions. 

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 y our 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.

Grading
Papers and assignments are due as listed on the Assignments page. I do not accept late papers. Additionally, due to the fact that I am an adjunct faculty member, and my schedule is such that I can not predict if I will be available in the future, I do not allow students to take an incomplete in this class.

Letter grades are assigned using the standard SJSU iSchool Grading Scale below. If you do the assignments as outlined on the assignment sheet and explained in class, you will maintain a B grade. If you submit sub-standard work, you will receive a sub-standard grade (B- or below). If, however, you submit above-standard work, you will receive an above standard grade (B or better). I define above standard work as that which clearly displays several of the following criteria:

1. Originality in the approach to the assignment;
2. Greater depth of analysis than the written assignment calls for;
3. Overall treatment of the assignment above & beyond what the written assignment calls for; or
4. Superior organizational and/or written skills in the presentation of the material.

Due Dates and Late Assignments
Due dates are not negotiable. As a rule, I do not accept late assignments. If extraordinary circumstances prevail, however, an accepted late assignment will receive a penalty of at least one-half of a grade.

Additional Reading

There are additional reading assignments contained in folders found on the course page in Canvas.

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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 202, INFO 204. 

Course Learning Outcomes

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

1. Exhibit familiarity with the theoretical and practical issues of resource selection and collection management for libraries and information centers.
2. Describe the role and value of collection management and its relationship to other library functions.
3. Describe the major forms of cooperative (shared) collection development.
4. Develop a rationale for planning the development and management of a collection.
5. Assess user information needs in the context of collection management.
6. Identify and evaluate literature and other resources pertinent to materials selection and collection management.
7. Apply methodologies and skills for selecting resources and evaluating and managing a collection.
8. Create and evaluate collection policies.
9. Identify the challenges and issues of collection management, such as ownership and access, cultural sensitivity, copyright, and censorship.

Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)

INFO 266 supports the following core competencies:

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Textbooks

Required Textbooks:

• Disher, W. (2014). Crash course in collection development (2nd ed.). Libraries Unlimited. Available through Amazon: 1610698134

• Evans, G. E., & Saponaro, M.Z. (2019). Collection management basics (7th ed.). Libraries Unlimited. Available through Amazon: 1440859647

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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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