INFO 220-13
Resources and Information Services in Professions and Disciplines
Topic: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer/Questioning (LGBTIQ) Resources and Services
Summer 2021 Syllabus

Lisa Houde, Lecturer
E-mail
Mobile Number: Locate this in our Canvas course site
Office Hours: Email, text, or phone 6 AM to 6 PM Pacific

Canvas Information: Courses will be available beginning June 1st 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.

INFO 220-13 will be available beginning June 1, 2021, at 6 AM Pacific; the last day of term is August 6, 2021.

Module 1 for this class is from Tuesday, June 1 to Friday, June 4. Weekly units begin on Saturdays and end on Fridays at 11:59 PM Pacific when discussion posts and assignments will be due.

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 to develop a toolkit around services to a constituent queer community.  The LibGuides platform will be used to create this toolkit. 

Course Requirements and Information

How to Reach Me

Please e-mail me as a first option using 220-13 as the subject line. I will respond quite quickly - likely by the evening of the day you contact me, and certainly within 24 hours of your email unless I've otherwise noted the need to extend that timeframe. If you have an urgent situation, please text or call me; my mobile number will be available in our course site. Preferred contact times are 6 AM to 6 PM Pacific. Note that I live and work in New Hampshire which is likely in a different time zone than most of you.  If you are asking something that would be helpful or of interest to other members of the class, please post your message to the Student Lounge Discussion Forum.

Course Format

This course is offered on the iSchool Canvas site and all interactions for the class will be through that site and will include links to journal articles and other web-based offerings; most will be easily accessed in the San José State Library. Assignments will be uploaded in the Canvas site, and class discussions will take place using the Canvas discussion forum. Detailed assignment and discussion post information, formatting requirements, and rubrics will be available in Canvas.

Weekly Topics

Assignment and Discussion Post Due Dates and Grade Percentages

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

Assignment Details

Nine Discussion Posts and Responses

Participation in discussion forums is mandatory. Forums form the heart of this course. Your posts must be substantive, thoughtful, creative, and grounded in research and assigned readings.

A rubric available in Canvas will be used to assess you on the following factors:

• timeliness, relevancy, quality, and quantity of postings
• incorporation of course-related research and readings
• evidence of proofreading

You must post your initial message before the midpoint of the forum (i.e., Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday).

You must post at least one response to a classmate by Friday night @ 11:59 PM Pacific to earn full credit

Your posts may be:

• responses to the questions I post at the start of and during each forum
• responses to other students in the class, or
• messages that start new threads in the discussion. 

Do not feel obligated to answer every question that I post. They are merely there to generate conversation. (Course Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

Unit Assignments

Throughout the semester, you will be required to submit an assignment based on a particular unit’s topic. These seven assignments are designed to build upon one another and be incorporated into the final toolkit.

I will assess your assignment based on the following criteria:

• completeness
• originality/critical thinking
• connection to assigned readings
• evidence of proofreading

Assignments are due Friday nights by 11:59 PM Pacific Time. (Course Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

LibGuides Toolkit Project

For this project, you will create a resource that provides guidance to librarians working with a specific community of your choosing that is part of the queer spectrum, i.e., transgender people, asexual people, intersex people, etc.  Toolkits are practical guides that gather together pertinent information related to a particular topic and include advice, best practices, policies, and resource lists. Your toolkit will highlight not only information resources, but will also give your audience insights into how to optimize library use, services, and interactions with the population you have chosen to research. (Course Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

LibGuides Toolkit Peer Critiques

Each of you will evaluate three 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)

Housekeeping Tasks

There are a few “housekeeping” tasks you will need to do at the beginning of class to ensure access to LibGuides and get started on your research.  Since the summer session is so much shorter than the fall and spring semesters, you'll need to attend to these tasks right away.

Extra Credit

There is no extra credit available in this course.

Late Work Policy / Other Course Guidelines

Please be sure to back up your work as a preventative measure, and retain copies of all assignments until the end of the semester.

Assignment due dates are easily viewed in this syllabus and in Canvas. Assignments submitted past the 11:59 PM. deadline on the date due will be reduced by 5% per day unless students contact me prior to the due date to negotiate an alternative reduction. Late discussion posts are not accepted.

As mentioned, unit assignments and discussion posts are due by 11:59 PM Pacific time each Friday, so be sure to plan your week accordingly.

I will grant you ONE free pass: you may turn in ONE assignment up to a week late without penalty if you have contacted me BEFORE the assignment due date.  All subsequent assignments must be turned in on time.  Keep in mind that some assignments build upon previous work, so a pattern of late submissions will impact your overall production.  This free pass does not apply to the Toolkit, the Toolkit Critiques, or participation in discussion forums; turning in these items late will adversely impact your classmates’ performance.

Should a family or medical 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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