INFO 4400 INFO 5400 Syllabus Summer 2016-1

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS SCHOOL OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCES INFO 4400 & SLIS 5400 INFORMATION RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT Delivered via Blackboard Learn-NO required class meetings INSTRUCTOR: Connie Coyle, Adjunct Instructor School of Library and Information Sciences University of North Texas P.O Box 311068 Denton, Texas 76203 otherstar@earthlink.net (Please use this email only in the case of a Learn outage or other emergency) 940.565.2445 (or 1.877.ASK.SLIS the Main SLIS number) 832-444-0196 (cell) COURSE DESCRIPTION (UNT GRADUATE CATALOG): Principles and methods of evaluating, selecting and acquiring different kinds of information resources Development and maintenance of information collections Bibliographic tools and on-line databases Searching and verification; publishers and publishing; censorship issues; acquisition processes Representative research, problems and practice COURSE GOALS: • To provide students with an overview of the major types of libraries and corresponding funding sources for collection development • To introduce and discuss various types of informal and formal needs assessment instruments that can be designed to analyze users' collection development needs • To provide a detailed discussion of the various types of print and electronic publishers and distributors • To review both general and specific resources that can be used to evaluate, select and acquire different types of information resources • To discuss the standard terminology and methods used in library acquisitions, fiscal management, and collection development • To examine the relationships between intellectual freedom, censorship, and collection development, providing students with a framework to assist them in developing cogent written responses to censorship challenges and requests for investigation from the government • To review the primary elements common to most written collection development policies PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES: At the conclusion of this course, students will have engaged in group and individual learning experiences and will have completed projects that demonstrate the following competencies: The ability to compose a detailed written profile of a library of their choice that includes the following elements: (1) descriptions of primary and secondary user groups, (2) budgetary figures related to primary and secondary sources of funding and collection development monies, (3) major collections (print and electronic) that support users' information needs, (4) secondary and unique collections and services that support users' information needs, and (5) quotations from interviews with collection development staff members Proficiency in designing a brief needs assessment research instrument related to users' information needs at the library of their choice Skill at using relevant print and electronic resources to select a "gap" collection of library materials within a specific subject or genre-related area for their chosen library, given a limited budgetary allocation Proficiency in providing a cogent written response to a typical censorship challenge or government-sponsored request for investigation The student's response will be based upon practical examples discussed in the course, as well as class discussions and independent readings The ability to design a detailed written collection development policy, one that contains documented knowledge of users' information needs at the library of their choice, together with details concerning what formats and subject areas are emphasized, who selects, what major resources are used in the selection process, and policies for dealing with complaints, censorship challenges, and investigations METHODOLOGY: Student learning will be accomplished through Blackboard Learn lectures, independent study, interactive class discussions, audiovisual aids, and written projects Blackboard Learn enables the faculty to track information on each student's number of postings to the class discussion list, number of Web sites visited, and the time of last posting This information will be used, in part, in the process of determining the final grade for the course REQUIRED TEXT: Evans, G Edward Developing Library and Information Center Collections 5th edition Greenwood Village, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, 2005 ISBN-13: 978-1591582199 STUDENT REQUIREMENTS: Completion of five (5) written assignments, each of which is worth fifteen (15) points Total of 75 points (75% of grade) • Library Profile (15 points) • Needs Assessment Project (15 points) • “Gap” Selection Activity (15 points) • Privacy, Censorship, & Government Legislation research paper (15 points} • Collection Development Policy (15 points) Blog Posts Total of 15 points (15% of grade) Individual class participation Total of 10 points (10% of grade) GRADING SCALE: A: 90-100 points B: 80-89 points C: 70-79 points D: 60-69 points F: 59 points and below GRADING: Some grading falls outside the scope of most assignment grading but warrants just-in-case coverage GRADE OPTIONS: Extra credit Extra credit will be granted on an individual basis You must be in good standing and be current on all of your assignments in order to seek extra credit Withdrawal See UNT Graduate Catalog for policies and UNT semester schedule for deadlines A grade of Withdraw (W) or Withdraw-Failing (WF) will be given depending on your participation and grades to date Note that if you simply disappear and not file a UNT withdrawal form, you may receive an F You are responsible for ensuring that the withdrawal process is completed Incomplete See UNT Graduate Catalog for policies and UNT semester schedule for deadlines A grade of Incomplete (I) will be given only for a justifiable reason, only if you are passing the course, and only if you have signed a letter of agreement with the instructor You are responsible for contacting the instructor to request an incomplete and discuss requirements for completing the course If the incomplete is not removed within the time frame agreed upon by you and the instructor, you will receive a grade of F POLICIES: Online participation/Communication You are expected to log in to Blackboard Learn daily, except for weekends and holidays, and to reply to email within 48 hours I will extend the same courtesy and respond to emails and postings within 48 hours, but I am not online 24/7 and cannot (will not) respond immediately Courtesy/Professionalism Faculty and students should treat each other with courtesy and respect at all times This course involves discussions of controversial topics that are relevant to information professionals At the same time that you are encouraged to voice your opinions about these topics, you are also urged to keep the discussions at a mature and productive level Please conduct public discussions professionally and keep them on topic Please move any discussion to the private email area if your interaction moves off topic or does not contain information relevant to all in the course Ireserve the right to remove any discussion deemed to be offensive, inflammatory, or irrelevant to the entirety of the class from the public discussion areas Electronic tracking Blackboard Vista enables the instructor to track some of your site usage, such as log ins and page hits (You can also view your own usage data in the 'My Progress" area of the course.) This information may be employed, in part, to determine your level of activity in the course MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS (75%) LIBRARY PROFILE For this assignment, the student will identify and select a library that can be studied through out this course The library profile will be created using a variety of sources, which should include personal visits to the library, discussions with library personnel, web resources such as the library web site, library pamphlets, and any other resource that might contain information to help the student understand the library, its collections, its users, and its operations The profile will be a written document where the narrative portion is not to exceed 15 pages All information MUST be cited properly The purpose of the library profile is to become acquainted with the library users, the library collections, and the existing policies of your chosen library Please refer to the assignment outline for specific requirements Required readings: Evans, G Edward (In future Webliographies, referred to as "Evans") Developing Library and Information Center Collections 5th ed Greenwood Village, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, 2005 Chapter 1, "Information AgeInformation Society," pp 1-19 Blackboard Learn, Lesson and associated readings NEEDS ASSESSMENT STUDY For this assignment, the student will choose ONE of the FORMAL needs assessment methodologies discussed in lesson two The student will then design and conduct a brief needs assessment study and then write up a description of the process (Not to exceed 15 pages.) The purpose of the needs assessment study is to familiarize students with the process of creating and administering needs assessments in order to identify the needs of library users Please refer to the assignment outline for specific requirements Required readings: Evans, Chapter 2: "Information Needs Assessment," pp 20-48 Blackboard Learn, Lesson and associated readings SELECTION EXERCISE For this assignment, the student will identify a “gap” in the library's current collection A "gap" is an area where one particular area of a library's collections are week/sparse, non-existent, or outdated The gap is usually related to a specific subject or genre Given a budget of $2,000 (U.S dollars), select a collection of materials (books, ebooks, reference books, e-reference books, musical scores, compact discs, DVDs, etc.) for this library The purpose of the selection exercise is to identify areas of weakness within existing collections and to use a variety of professional selection and review sources to build a collection of information resources Please refer to the assignment outline for specific requirements Required readings: Evans, Chapter 4: "Selection Process in Practice," pp 69-98 Evans, Chapter 11: "Distributors and Vendors," pp 248-276 Blackboard Learn, Lesson and associated readings Additionally, a great deal of information is contained in the following chapters: Evans, Chapters 6, 7, 8, and 9: "Serials - Print and Electronic," "Other Electronic Materials," "Government Information," and "Audiovisual Materials," respectivelypp 120-228 However they are more useful for reference and not require "cover-to-cover" reading PRIVACY, CENSORSHIP, AND GOVERNMENT LEGISLATION For this assignment, the student will research issues of privacy, censorship, and government legislation as it relates to building collections of information resources The focus should be on these issues as they relate to your specific library Each type of library (school, public, university, special) will be impacted by these issues differently The student should include a brief discussion of legislation such as the USA PATRIOT Act, CISPA, CIPA, net neutrality, and any other up and coming legislation that could potentially impact libraries The student needs to state what the legislation is, its potential impact on libraries (especially collection development), and its current status In addition to legislation, the student needs to research and discuss discuss censorship and whether or not it is okay for libraries to self-censor their collections during the collection development process Use persuasive language and supporting documentation in defense of your position The paper must be limited to 15 pages and must include three readings not discussed in this class or cited within the Webliographies for this class All of the information included MUST be properly cited! Please refer to the assignment outline for specific requirements Required readings: Evans, Chapter 18: "Censorship, Intellectual Freedom, and Collection Development," pp 410-429 Evans, Chapter 17: "Legal Issues," pp 384-409 Blackboard Learn, Lesson and associated readings COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY For this assignment, the student will create a clear and concise collection development policy for the library that has been studied for the duration of the semester This policy MUST look and sound like a professional document All information MUST be cited properly The written portion of the policy should be limited to 20 pages The collection development policy is a culmination of all of the other assignments Much of the information will come from the other projects The purpose of the Collection Development Policy is for the student to demonstrate what he/she has learned through out the course Please refer to the assignment outline for specific requirements Required readings: Evans, Chapter 3: "Collection Development Policies," pp 49-68 Blackboard Learn, Lesson and associated readings GUIDELINES FOR ALL ASSIGNMENTS • Adopt a formal writing style, avoiding the use of slang and "folksy" phrases All assignments should look and sound like professional documents • Write in the third person (e.g "The author of this paper believes" instead of "I believe") Assignment 4, the position paper, is the only assignment in which you may use first-person expressions such as "I" or "my." • Compose your documents using Microsoft Word (97 or higher) as your wordprocessing software package If you not have Microsoft Word, you can use other programs IF you save them as Rich Text Format (.rtf) • Double space your documents, except for the final assignment (the Collection Development Policy) where single spacing is acceptable • Use a standard 12 point font (Arial or Times New Roman) Do NOT use fancy fonts • Use a consistent citation style throughout the projects and please identify the chosen style in your initial project The citation style must be a recognized and easily available (verifiable) format (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) • Please cite all information accurately and consistently • When in doubt as to the amount of detail to provide, err on the side of more rather than less detail Providing more detail helps your instructor to determine that you are able to analyze situations accurately Papers with superficial detail provide little evidence of critical thinking on your part • Do not hesitate to ask the instructor for guidance • Provide a cover page at the beginning and a bibliography/works cited page at the end of the paper Please put the course name and number that you are registered for on your cover page If you are registered for 4400.001, please put that on your cover page to facilitate quicker grading • Please save your documents using your last name followed by the assignment name For example, coylelibraryprofile.doc is the preferred document naming convention for submissions • Use your spell check and grammar check before submitting your papers Then, read your paper again carefully to catch any errors not detected by these "checks." Youmay lose points for persistent spelling and grammar errors, which detract greatly from your paper's overall effect • Organize the body of your paper through the use of section headings (e.g I Introduction, II Statement of the Problem, etc.) An outline, with headings, has been provided for you to follow for each of the assignments You MUST follow the outline If you would like to ADD additional headings or sections, that is okay but you MUST include the headings that are provided • Follow the assignment guidelines Each assignment has detailed guidelines to help you complete each of the major assignments BLOG POSTS (15%) Students will use the My Ideas/blogfeature within Blackboard Learn to create a blog for sharing ideas related to course materials Blog posts will be based on writing prompts provided by the course instructor The purpose of the blog is to create a space for students to gather information and ideas relating to the major assignments and other course topics CLASS PARTICIPATION (10%) Class participation consists of submitting your assignments in a timely manner, completing the lesson exercises, and keeping up with the discussions You not have to read the postings of all of your classmates but you will be held responsible for any information posted in the forums by the course instructor Class participation also involves being an active participant in this course Keep in mind that Blackboard Learn has tracking features that may be used to help calculate participation grades REQUIRED TEXTBOOK READINGS: Lesson Required: Evans, G Edward (In future webliographies, referred to as "Evans").Developing Library and Information Center Collections 5th ed Greenwood Village, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, 2005 Chapter 1Chapter 1, "Information Age-Information Society," pgs 1-19 (Evans_Chapter_1.pdfEvans_Chapter_1.pdf) Lesson Required: Evans, Chapter_2Chapter_2: "Information Needs Assessment," pp 20-48 (Evans_Chapter_2.pdfEvans_Chapter_2.pdf) Lesson Required: Evans, Chapter : "Producers of Information Materials," pp 99-119 Evans, Chapter 11: "Distributors and Vendors," pp 248-276 Lesson Required: Evans, Chapter 4: "Selection Process in Practice," pp 69-98 Evans, Chapter 11: "Distriburtors and Vendors," pp 248-276 Evans, Chapters 6, 7, 8, and 9: "Serials - Print and Electronic," "Other Electronic Materials," "Government Information," and "Audiovisual Materials," respectively-pp 120-228 these chapters are more for reference and may not require "cover-to-cover" reading Lesson Required: Evans, Chapter 10: "Acquisitions," pp 229-247 Evans, Chapter 12: "Fiscal Management," pp 277-294 Lesson Required: Evans, Chapter 18: "Censorship, Intellectual Freedom, and Collection Development," pp 410-429 Evans, Chapter 17: "Legal Issues," pp 384-409 Lesson Required: Evans, Chapter 3: "Collection Development Policies," pp 49-68 LATE POLICY: Assignment due dates are listed in the course calendar as well as under the assignments tab Major Assignments are due by 11:59 PM on the dates listed Late assignments may be penalized points per day, unless extenuating circumstances have been discussed with the instructor prior to the due date The only assignments that have firm due dates are the five (5) major projects Recommended due dates for blog posts are listed in the course calendar Points will not be deducted for late blog posts but it may impact your class participation grade All lesson exercises must be submitted before the course closes Nothing will be accepted after the course closes UNT POLICY ON ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Academic misconduct Policies The UNT Code of Student Conduct and Discipline defines cheating and plagiarism as types of academic misconduct along with other unethical and illegal activities It says students are responsible for understanding the meanings and consequences of academic misconduct The SLIS Academic Misconduct Policy supports the UNT policy and particularly addresses plagiarism A signed acknowledgment form related to this policy is required from every student enrolled in a SLIS course This form is collected only once and placed in the student's academic file The SLIS policy contains definitions of cheating and plagiarism from the UNT Code of Student Conduct and Discipline (http://policy.unt.edu/policydesc/code-student-conduct-anddiscipline-18-1-11) Dr Schamber'sTips for Coursework (http://courses.unt.edu/schamber/TipsForCoursework.pdf ) provides guidance on how to avoid plagiarizing as well as links to helpful resources about plagiarism Generally, it is recommended that you cite sources • in all your work • of all types, published and unpublished • with or without direct quotations • completely and accurately Procedures Any or all student work may be submitted to Turnitin.com for verification of originality The instructor looks for passages of text that conspicuously fail to adhere to the parameters above (excluding required parts of assignments that obviously will be duplicated) Penalties Plagiarism is illegal, unethical, and unacceptable Instances of plagiarism in this course will result in these penalties: • First offense: Assignment grade reduced by one complete grade • Second offense: Final course grade reduced by one complete grade • Third offense: Final course grade reduced to F (Fail) DISABILITY ACCOMODATION The School of Library and Information Sciences is committed to full academic access for all qualified students, including those with disabilities In keeping with this commitment and in order to facilitate equality of educational access, faculty members in the school will make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with a disability, such as appropriate adjustments to the classroom environment and the teaching, testing, or learning methodologies when doing so does not fundamentally alter the course If you have a disability, it is your responsibility to obtain verifying information from the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) and to inform the instructor of your need for an accommodation Requests for accommodation must be given to me no later than the first week of classes for students registered with the ODA as of the beginning of the current semester If you register with the ODA after the first week of classes, your accommodation requests will be considered after this deadline Grades assigned before an accommodation is provided will not be changed Information about how to obtain academic accommodations can be found in UNT Policy 18.1.14, at www.unt.edu/oda, and by visiting the ODA in Room 321 of the University Union You also may call the ODA at 940.565.4323 IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR F-1 STUDENTS "To read INS regulations for F-1 students taking online courses, please go to this website http://www.immigration.gov/graphics/services/visas.htm and select the link to "8 CFR 214.2(f)" in the table next to "F-1." Paragraph (f)(6)(i)(G) A Final Rule with clarifications on the restriction can be found in a PDF file located at:http://www.immigration.gov/graphics/lawsregs/fr121102.pdf Within this document, refer to Section IX on page with the subject header "Online and Distance Education Courses." To comply with immigration regulations, an F-1 visa holder within the United States may need to engage in an on-campus experiential component for this course This component (which must be approved in advance by the instructor) can include activities such as taking an oncampus exam, participating in an on-campus lecture or lab activity, or other on-campus experience integral to the completion of this course If such an on-campus activity is required, it is the student's responsibility to the following: Submit a written request to the instructor for an on-campus experiential component within one week of the start of the course Ensure that the activity on campus takes place and the instructor documents it in writing with a notice sent to the International Advising Office The UNT International Advising Office has a form available that you may use for this purpose Because the decision may have serious immigration consequences, if an F-1 student is unsure about his or her need to participate in an on-campus experiential component for this course, he or she should contact the UNT International Advising Office (telephone 940-5652195) or email:international@unt.edu to get clarification before the one-week deadline." INSTRUCTOR'S POLICY ON CLASS CONDUCT During interactions with your fellow students and with your instructor, please conduct yourself in a professional manner Refrain from the use of flames, hostile language, profanity, or any other unprofessional behavior or language Also, please allow each person to express his or her own opinions Avoid personal attacks and unnecessary digressions from the topic under discussion, and your part to keep our interactions at a productive, scholarly level TECHNOLOGICAL COMPETENCIES REQUIRED: • Ability to operate a computer, including finding and saving files in folders, and working with different file extensions and types • Creating word processing documents in Word format, and sending or receiving Word documents via e-mail attachments • Creating spread sheets in Excel format, and sending or receiving spreadsheet documents via e-mail attachments • Moderate Web abilities, including Web searching skills, the installation of plug-ins, the management of bookmarks, and printing from Web pages TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS: • Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher; Mozilla 1.5 or higher; Mozilla Firefox 1.0 or higher; Netscape 7.0 or higher • RealOne Player (multi-media plug-in that will enable you to view and hear the instructor's greeting and a needs assessment debate between two librarians) • Adobe Acrobat (for reading the full-text articles within the course, many of which are available in PDF format within specific Web-based databases to which the University of North Texas's Libraries subscribe) ACCESSING THE COURSE: Go to the Blackboard Learn site at http://learn.unt.edu Login, using your EUID as the login name and your chosen password You can find information on obtaining your EUID and password at http://my.unt.edu The course will NOT be open until the first class day of the semester In order to complete your assignments for this course, you will need to access several Webbased databases to which the UNT Libraries subscribe Accessing these databases from remote, off-campus locations is possible only through the use of a valid EUID and password, so please obtain these without delay  ... as "Evans") Developing Library and Information Center Collections 5th ed Greenwood Village, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, 2005 Chapter 1, "Information AgeInformation Society," pp 1-19 Blackboard... "Evans").Developing Library and Information Center Collections 5th ed Greenwood Village, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, 2005 Chapter 1Chapter 1, "Information Age-Information Society," pgs 1-19... collections (print and electronic) that support users' information needs, (4) secondary and unique collections and services that support users' information needs, and (5) quotations from interviews