INFO 204-11
Information Professions
Summer 2021 Syllabus

Dr. Ruphina Ozoh
E-mail
Office: Virtual
Phone: 678-860-4730
Office Hours: Available via email. Telephone appointments scheduled as needed.


Syllabus Links
Textbooks
CLOs
Competencies
Prerequisites
Resources
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Canvas Information: Courses will be available beginning June 1 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.

The course theme is 'MAINTAINING A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE.'

   COURSE SCHEDULE

 (This schedule is subject to change with fair notice)

Unit

Topics

Course Materials

Activity/Due Date

1

June

1-6 

Growth and Evolution

 

Leadership

Textbook:

Chapter 1: The Transformative Information Landscape: What It Means to be an Information Professional Today

Chapter 2: Libraries, Communities, and Information: Two Centuries of Experience 

Chapter 3: Librarianship: A Continuously Evolving Profession

Chapter 37: Leadership Skills for Today’s Global Information Landscape

Article:

Mcmanus, A. (2017). Serving to Lead. Reference & User Services Quarterly57(2), 86–88

Video:

Public Libraries: The Next Level | Rebecca Raven | TEDxBrampton

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frOurFNzFE0

Guest Speaker: Leadership

Prerecorded 

Discussion post

Video

 

 

GUEST SPEAKER

Due June 6

 

 

2

June

7-13

Information Sectors

Textbook:

Chapter 6: Literacy and Media Centers: School Libraries

Chapter 7: Learning and Research Institutions: Academic Libraries

Chapter 8: Community Anchors for Lifelong Learning: Public Libraries

Chapter 9: Working in Different Information Environments: Special Libraries and Information Centers

Chapter 10: Digital Resources: Digital Libraries

Discussion post 

 

 

 

Due June 13

 

 

3

June

14-20

Innovative Services/

Digital Platforms

Remote Services of the Digital Era

Hyperlinked Libraries

 

 

Textbook:

Chapter 11: Information Intermediation and Reference Services 

Chapter 12: Metadata, Cataloging, Linked Data, and the Evolving ILS

Chapter 15:  Accessing Information Anytime and Anywhere: Access Services

Chapter 17: Hyperlinked Libraries

Article:

Brown, A. K. G. (2019). Technology: The Haves, the Have Nots, and the Not Quite Enoughs. Reference & User Services Quarterly58(3), 132–133. https://doi.org/10.5860/rusq.58.3.7037

Videos:

Dr. Marie Radford - Virtual Library Reference Serviceshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk1P5au7_yw

Ask a Librarian!                        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uLQ4inArgE

Discussion post

 

Videos

 

Assignment 1: Library Management Challenges

Due June 20

 

 

4

June

21-27 

Strategic Planning

Change Management

Information Policy

Intellectual Freedom

 

 

Textbook:

Chapter 19: Strategic Planning

Chapter 20: Change Management

Chapter 29:  Information Policy

Chapter 35: Intellectual Freedom

Videos:   

How to Perform a SWOT Analysishttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_6AVRGLXGA 

The Morgan Library & Museum Strategic Plan-2019  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzREgxtA6VI           

Discussion post

Videos

 

 

Due June 27

5

June

28-Jul. 4

Library Management:

Managing Human and Non- Human Resources 

Textbook:

Chapter 21: Managing Budgets

Chapter 22:  Managing Personnel

Chapter 24:  Managing Collections

Chapter 25:  Managing Technology

Guest Speaker: Library Management

Prerecorded 

Discussion post

 

GUEST SPEAKER

 

Due July 6

 

6

July

5-11

Marketing and Outreach Strategies

Advocacy

 

Textbook:

Chapter 27: Communication, Marketing, and Outreach Strategies

Chapter 28:  Advocacy

Article:

Kachel, D. E. (2020). The Library Website as an Advocacy Tool. Teacher Librarian47(4), 61–63.

Video:

Library Advocacy: Berlin on Bike! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFQqbiN11M0

Discussion post

 

Video

Assignment 2:

Part 1. Group Project: Environmental Scan 

Due July 11

 

7

July

12-18

User Experience

Facilities Management

Textbook:

Chapter 14: User Experience

Chapter 23:  Innovative Library and Information Services:  The Design Thinking Process

Video:

San Diego's New Central Library - a center for learning, literacy and education

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1us-dfklNs

Discussion post

 

Video

 

Due July 18

8

July

 19-25 

Managing Data and Data Analysis

 

Textbook:

Chapter 26:  Managing Data and Data Analysis in Information Organizations

Article:

Farney, T., & Tonyan, J. (2016). Measuring the Success of Your Social Media Presence with Google Analytics. Library Technology Reports52(7), 38–42.

Discussion post

 

 

Due July 25

9

July

26-Aug.1

 

Diversity

Textbook:

Chapter 4: Diverse Information Needs

Chapter 5:  Diversity, Equity of Access and Social Justice

Article:

van der Linden, K., Bartlett, J., & Beheshti, J. (2014). New Immigrants’ Perceptions and Awareness of Public Library Services. Canadian Journal of Information & Library Sciences38(2), 65–79. 

Videos:

Librarian JJ Pionke on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Libraries: "It's personal to me"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58FmnzlFzzs

Queens Library Adult Learner ESOL Program pt 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdYC6AK8h0c

Multnomah County Library: Creating conditions for equity to flourish

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKGlxh-zc0Y

Guest Speaker: Diversity -Prerecorded 

Discussion post

Videos

GUEST SPEAKER

 

Assignment 2:

Part 2. Group Project: Strategic Plan

 

 

Due August. 1

10

August

 2-6

Career Development

Trends

 

Textbook:

Chapter 36:  Career Management Strategies for Lifelong Success

Trends 

Visit at least three websites of  your desired information organization

Link:

http://www.ala.org/tools/future/trends

 

 

Discussion post

Use the e-Portfolio and the University's Career Development  Resources to enhance your resume. 

ALA (LINK)

 

 

Assignment 2:

Part 3. Lessons Learned/Peer-Review 

 

Due August 6

Class Structure

INFO 204 will be conducted in an asynchronous manner.  There will be no live sessions organized by the instructor. 

Discussion Forum

This class will consist of lectures and discussions, comparable to the ones held in a traditional classroom. The weekly reading assignments will consist of mandatory textbook sections and sometimes recommended scholarly journal articles. Occasionally, some articles may be assigned as required reading. Short YouTube videos and prerecorded guest speaker sessions will be provided for some units. While the videos and prerecorded guest speaker sessions added will make the class experience more exciting and fun, they were selected for their educative and informative values. Additional materials may be added when necessary.

 Participation in the discussion forum is mandatory as it is a platform designed for all to exchange information gained from the textbook, scholarly articles, videos, and prerecorded guest speaker sessions as well as personal experiences and observations.

Students will be required to provide substantive comments to each discussion topic with a minimum of 200 words by the deadlines noted.  In addition, students will be required to respond to at least two students for each discussion session.  While a specific length is not required when commenting on the posts made by other students, such comments must go beyond the "great post" or "I agree with that" type of messages.

Comments made by students to each discussion topic will stimulate a classroom discussion and give students the opportunity to interact and learn from the instructor and one another.

Discussion participation will be evaluated based on the quality of the work submitted as related to the topic, instead of the number of posts generated at the end of the course.   Supports CLOs: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9.

Assignments:

Assignment 1: Management Challenges

Students will produce a well-written essay on the topic "Challenges Facing Library Management in the 21st Century."  You are required to synthesize the information gathered from the textbook(s), journal articles and your personal experiences when completing this work. 

This paper should be 8-10 pages long. Do not submit more than 10 pages. Supports CLOs: 2,4,5,6,8.

Assignment 2: Group Project-Organizational Analysis

Students will be divided into small groups to develop a three to five year strategic plan for an information organization of their choice.  Each group will operate as the strategic planning committee of the selected information organization.  The assignment consists of three parts:

Part 1. Each team will conduct an environmental scan and SWOT analysis

(strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) of their chosen information

organization. Teams will then use this information to draft vision, mission, and value

statements for the organization

Part 2. Based on the first part of the project, the

group will articulate strategic directions for the information organization

3. Lessons Learned/Peer review of individual contributions on the team

Use the samples provided as your guide. The samples will also serve as a guide for the length of your submissions. Part 3 should be one to two pages and double-spaced. Supports CLOs: 2,3,4,5,6,7,9

 Part 1 will include an enumerative (REGULAR) bibliography. Part 2 will include an annotated bibliography.  The annotated bibliography should be single-spaced.

Requirements for Assignments:

  • Provide a title page
  • The third person pronoun should be used for writing all the assignments
  • Double -spaced with the exception of the annotated bibliography of the group project
  • 12 Point Font
  • APA Format

The title page and bibliography sections will not count towards the length requirements.

NOTE: Professional behavior is required when conducting any assignments at libraries either physically or virtually.

All discussion posts and assignments should be submitted by 11:59 pm PACIFIC STANDARD TIME.

This is a graduate program and students are expected to be responsible with regards to deadlines. However, if there is an extenuating circumstance that would prevent a student from meeting a specific deadline noted, the instructor should be contacted so that the student can be accommodated. 

LATE SUBMISSIONS

  • Discussions: Discussion posts should be made within the assigned period only.  All submissions made after the deadlines will not count.
  • Assignments: One point will be deducted each day an assignment is submitted late.  Assignments submitted after seven days will not be accepted. 

Grading

Assignment

Point Value

Due Dates

Discussions 

2 points each

(20 points total)

Ongoing

Assignment 1: Library Management Challenges

20 points

June 20

Assignment 2: Group Project-Organizational Analysis

 

Part 1. Environmental Scan – 25 points

Part 2. Strategic Plan – 25 points

Part 3. Lessons Learned/Peer Review – 10 points

 

July 11

August 1

August 6

 

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:

  1. Describe the similarities and differences between various information organizations and professional roles from historical, current, and future perspectives.
  2. Recognize the roles and activities of managers in information organizations.
  3. Explain strategic planning processes and skills.
  4. Identify and choose appropriate assessment tools for evaluating organizational effectiveness.
  5. Synthesize (including reviewing, using and properly citing) the professional and research management and leadership literature.
  6. Demonstrate leadership abilities through collaborative teamwork.
  7. Analyze and assess their own and others leadership abilities through self-reflection and peer review.
  8. Apply management theories and principles, professional values, and ethical frameworks to organizational issues and decision-making using scenarios and case studies.
  9. 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:

  1. 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.
  2. B Describe and compare organizational settings in which information professionals practice.
  3. D Apply the fundamental principles of planning, management, marketing, and advocacy.
  4. M Demonstrate professional leadership and communication skills.
  5. N Evaluate programs and services using measurable criteria.

Textbooks

Required Textbooks:

  • Hirsh, S. (Ed.) (2018). Information services today: An introduction (2nd ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. Available as free eBook through King Libraryarrow gif indicating link outside sjsu domain

Recommended Textbooks:

  • American Psychological Association (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). American Psychological Association. Available through Amazon: 1433832178. arrow gif indicating link outside sjsu domain

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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