UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE
School of Information Studies
L&I SCI 501 - Foundations of Library and Information Science
SYLLABUS (Preliminary)
Summer, 2017
DRAFT
8 weeks
Instructor: Joyce M. Latham, Ph.D.
Office: Room 2535, NWQ
e-mail: ; put 501 in subject line
Phone: 229-3205
Discussion post requirements: (Week A) Wednesday by 11:00 pm, (Week B) Sunday by 11:00 pm
CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
Introduction to library and information science (LIS); outline of the role of information agencies in modern society; overview of LIS research, policy, and practices. (3 credits)
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
An introduction to the profession of Library and Information Science (LIS), this required MLIS course provides a historical framework and summary of the role of libraries and other information agencies in modern society, describes the general knowledge creation and distribution cycle, introduces major issues of information policy and ethics, provides examples of libraries, library types, other information institutions, and introduces aspects of research and professional accomplishment and careers.
PREREQUISITES:
Junior standing. Basic computer literacy as outlined in the SOIS policy is required. The professor is not responsible for technology issues of students.
OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Articulate important developments in library and information science (LIS) as a discipline and profession;
2. Assess the relative importance of services offered by a variety of information agency types;
3. Incorporate theoretical frameworks into understandings of LIS practice;
4. Analyze relationships between information technologies and the research and practice associated with library and information science;
5. Assess the impacts of important social and political issues on the profession and the role of the profession in society;
6. Describe and evaluate relevant aspects of the activities and goals of the profession as a whole and select sub-groups within the profession;
7. Articulate the importance of professional statements, codes of ethics and professional values.
8. Propose strategies for community engagement.
10
501 Foundations of Library and Information Science
SOIS UWM
10
501 Foundations of Library and Information Science
SOIS UWM
METHOD:
Lecture/Discussion/Presentation
Students with special test and note-taking needs should contact the instructor as early as possible for accommodations. No accommodations will be made without prior approval through UWM.
TEXTS:
REQUIRED:Rubin, R. E. (2010). Foundations of Library and Information Science. 3rd Ed. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers.
VandenBos, G. R. (Ed.) (2010) Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 6th edition Washington D.C.: American Psychological Association ISBN 1-4338-0561-8 (responsible for content)
Readings also will be assigned from a variety of sources. They are available in the Contents section of D2L.
Communication: To contact the professor via Email, be sure to include “501” in the beginning of the subject line to ensure the message does not get routed to junk mail. A special “501” filter exists to prioritize the visibility of student email messages.
COURSE SCHEDULE:
WEEK: / TOPICS: / READINGS: (if not otherwise identified, readings are from Rubin, Foundations)1:A / Course overview;
Course work concepts;
Introduction to library and information science (LIS) / · Class introductions (online)
· Lecture: Introduction to the syllabus
· Lecture: The basics
· Where good ideas come from (video)
· Lecture: Chapter 1: ERI Infrastructure
1:B / Discussion of Preliminary Work for Careers Paper; rubric for paper / · Tim Berners-Lee: The WWW (video)
· Lecture: How to do research with library resources
· Exercise: Search the concept of “ethics within Library and Information Science” and post 10 results you believe are relevant to an intelligent discussion of the topic to the relevant discussion board
2: A / Fundamental concepts of information
First Assignment:
Using the critical thinking cheat sheet develop a write up of the Webster reading for discussion (due 7/5) / · Lecture: Chapter 7: Information Science: A Service Perspective (lecture)
· Frank Webster. Information Society. Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, 3d edition
· Marc Andreeson and the Web
2:B / History of information agencies & technologies / · Lecture: Public Library History
· Battles, David M. “1926-Mid-1929: The Calm before the Storm”, pp. 59-64 in The History of Public Library Access for African Americans in the South, or, Leaving Behind the Plow.”
AND
· Joan Aiken, “High Culture, Low Culture”
OR
· Cole, John. “The Library of Congress and the Democratic spirit” in Libraries and Democracy: the Cornerstones of Liberty edited by Nancy Kranich. Chicago: ALA, 2001.
7/11:
3:A / The LIS Profession
Careers Prompt sheet due 7/18
(Dropbox) / · Lecture: Chapter 3: Library and Information Science: An Evolving Profession
· Partridge, et. al. Becoming “Librarian 2.0.” Library Trends, Volume 59, Numbers 1-2, Summer 2010/Fall 2010, pp. 315-335
· Browse one of the following of interest to you:
o ALA Standards for Accreditation (2015) (http://www.ala.org/accreditedprograms/sites/ala.org.accreditedprograms/files/content/standards/Standards_2015_adopted_02-02-15.pdf);
o Special Librarian Association Competencies ( (http://www.sla.org/content/SLA/professional/meaning/competency.cfm );
3:B / Information Agencies: libraries, archives, and records centers / · Lecture: Chapter 5: The Library as Institution: An Organizational Perspective
AND 1 of the following:
OR
· Society of American Archivists. “So You Want to be an Archivist: An Overview of the Archives Profession.” Retrieved August 29, 2012. http://www2.archivists.org/profession.
Plus review these organizations:
· Professional Organizations in Library and Information Science
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SOIS/resources/professionalorg.htm
WK 4 / I will set up an online discussion chat space this week for students who want to check in.
7/18:
4:A / Information needs and user behavior / · Latham: Lecture on information-seeking
· Taylor, R.S. (1968). Question negotiation and information seeking in libraries. College and Special Libraries, 29, 178-189.
· Reijo Savolainen. Everyday Life Information Seeking.
In Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences,
Third Edition. Taylor and Francis: New York.
· Sense-making video with Dervin graphic
4:B / Civic partnership / · Video: Sandel on Social Justice
· Nancy Kranich. Civic Partnerships: The Role of Libraries in Promoting Civic Engagement
· John Buschman and Dorothy A. Warner. On Community, Justice, and Libraries
7/25
5:A / Information services; Reference/research services; Organization of information / · Lecture: Chapter 4: Organization of Information :Techniques and Issues
PLUS one of the following:
· Wakimoto, Diana, Bruce, Christine, Partridge, Helen. “Archivist as activist: lessons from three queer community archives in California.” Archival Science , December 2013, Volume 13, Issue 4, pp 293-316.
OR
· “Role Reinvention, Structural Defense, or Resigned Surrender: Institutional Approaches to
Technological Change and Reference Librarianship”, by Tiffany LeMaistre, Rebecka L. Embry, Lindsey L. Van Zandt, and Diane E. Bailey. The Library Quarterly, Vol. 82, No. 3 (July 2012), pp. 241-275.
7/25:
5:B / Collection development and Library Acquisitions /
· Lecture: Acquisitions
Select one of these two readings and create a critical analysis using the critical thinking cheat sheet:
· David F. Kohl .”Collection Development in the ARL Library”. Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, 3d edition
OR· Cynthia Orr. “Collection Development in Public Libraries”, Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, 3d edition
PLUS· Schmidt, Shelburne, Vess. “Approaches to Selection , Access and Collection Development in the Web World.” LRTS, 52, (3), p. 184.
8/1:
6:A / Exam
Responses due 8/4 / · No readings … just writing: exam questions will be posted on D2L & should be deposited to D2L within the allotted time frame: don’t be late.
6:B / Information technology and the information professions
Thesis/Outline/Sources for Issues Paper due
8/7
(Dropbox) / · Chapter 6: Redefining the Library: The Impacts and Implications of Technological Change
PLUS
one of the following:
· Swan, A, & Brown, S. (2004). Authors and open access publishing. Learned Publishing, 17, 219-224. Available:
http://www.keyperspectives.co.uk/openaccessarchive/Journalpublications/Authors_and_open_access_publishing.pdf
OR
· Wood, Lamont. “Fending off the digital dark ages”:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9181658/Fending_off_the_digital_dark_ages_The_archival_storage_issue
8/8:
7:A / Information Policy;
Copyright; Censorship;
Privacy / · Lecture: Chapter 8: Information Policy: Stakeholders and Agendas
· Jaeger, Bertot, Thompson, Katz, DeCoster (2012). The Intersection of Public Policy and Public Access: Digital Divides, Digital Literacy, Digital Inclusion, and Public Libraries. Public Library Quarterly, March.
7:B / Information Policy:
Intellectual Freedom / · Lecture: Chapter 9: Information Policy as Library Policy: Intellectual Freedom
· Lewis, Anthony. Freedom for the Thought that We Hate: Chapter 10.
8/15:
8:A / Information Ethics / Chapter 10: Values and Ethics of Library and Information Science
Buchanan, E. A, (2001). Ethical considerations for the information professions. In R.A. Spinello & H. T. Tavani (Eds.), Readings in CyberEthics. Boston: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, pp. 523-534.
Review the ALA Code of Ethics, or the ethical code for your chosen specialization
· Case studies (group discussions)
8:B / Work on papers
Final Papers Due 8/19 / Papers received after the due date will be automatically reduced one letter grade
ASSIGNMENTS:
Written assignments are due on the specified date at the specified time. Grades will be reduced for late papers (one full grade for each week or part thereof). You may not resubmit work that has already been used in fulfillment of the requirement of this or any other course. Rules of academic conduct require that you not use the work of others without clearly indicating it as such. Academic misconduct may result in a lowered grade, no credit for a given assignment, or removal from the course. Plagiarism is serious academic misconduct and includes re-using or “updating” the research of others and presenting it as your own, either in whole or in part. “Cutting and pasting” from web sites is plagiarism; the use of quotation should be less than 20% of a paper.
You must use APA style for papers and exams. It is expected students will consult and appropriately cite the research and professional literature where merited. Grades will also be reduced for papers that include irrelevant content to “fill up space” to meet the length specifications for a paper, or for references that are not included in the paper itself. You must submit papers to the dropbox with your name incorporated into the filename, as well as some indication of the assignment. Points will be deducted if it is necessary to add this information to the file.
Webster & Critical thinking
Due 7/5 in dropbox
Using the “critical thinking” cheat sheet available on the D2l site for the class, analyze the Webster reading on information. Answer the questions posed in the cheat sheet to the best of your ability, and then bring the cheat sheet to class. Bring a pen so you can annotate your cheat sheet to turn in at the end of the class. The purpose of this exercise is to help you manage your encounters with academic writing and make it of use to you.
Careers in Library and Information Science
Prompt sheet due on 7/18 at 11:00 pm.
Careers Prompt sheet - TBD
Essay Exam
Due: 8/4 at 11:00 pm.
The essay assesses students’ understanding of the foundational concepts, tools, and techniques found in library and information science as discussed through readings and lectures for class. The questions will be made available on 7/31 and will be due on 8/4 at 11 pm. There are no exceptions unless arranged at the beginning of the semester. Failure to turn the exam in on time will result in a failed grade for the exercise.
Issues in the Profession Paper
Thesis Statement/Outline/Sources due 8/7 at 9:00 pm.
Final paper due 8/19 at 11:00 pm.
Develop a research essay on an issue of current professional interest. Examples of topics that may be used include:
· how the Internet or digital libraries have benefited and competed with a traditional information agency (e.g., library, archive, records center, museum) of your choice;
· the information commons;
· social justice and LIS;
· Privacy and libraries;
· Materials licensing in libraries;
· the changing nature of information literacy in the 21st century;
· the changing nature of scholarly publishing in the 21st century;
· an issue of information ethics and how it is dealt with in the information professions;
· copyright and the changing nature of authorship;
· principles of intellectual freedom for adults or youth;
· diverse user populations and their information needs and seeking behavior and how an information agency may serve those needs.
Other topics may be investigated but must be first be approved by the instructor. No one may research the “image” of the librarian.
Your thesis / outline / sources / assignment should:
· Include a thesis statement of not more than 2-3 sentences;
· Include a formal outline indicating how you expect to structure the paper (see online lecture);
· Provide a list of @ 20 articles you intend to use for the essay, formatted according to the APA style manual.
Students taking the class for graduate credit should submit a paper of 3000 – 3500 words plus the list of references they read and used for the essay. Those taking the class for undergraduate credit should submit a paper of about 2000-2500 words, plus references. Your essay should reference appropriate scholarly and professional sources on the topic selected (minimum of 10 for undergraduate students and minimum of 20 for graduate students, at least five of which should be scholarly articles).
CLASS PARTICIPATION:
Participation in class discussions on the discussion boards is expected of all students. Much of the learning in any course (online or onsite) takes place in the exchange of ideas and experiences that takes place in one on one exchange. It’s an opportunity to broaden your horizons and learn from your colleagues. Students that do not participate in class discussions are not likely to earn the required “B” for the class. There are discussion questions for every week except exam week. Students are expected to respond to all questions and engage other students in discussion of the topic when appropriate.
Grading of participation: via discussion boards.
Value: 20 points
· 20: Offers excellent, consistent, voluntary participation grounded in thorough analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of assigned reading and integration of additional materials; contributes to collective understanding both in class and on discussion boards; discovers, interprets and incorporates material that is not assigned and reviews additional recommended materials. Shows initiative by posing and answering questions.