IRLS 424/524 Information Resources Evaluation Summer Session II 2003 Course Outline (Note: changes may be made before July 14; the final official syllabus will be in the WebCT course space)
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Instructor: Cheryl Knott Malone, Ph.D. Required text: William A. Katz, Introduction to Reference Work. Vol. I: Basic Information Services. 8th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2002. ISBN: 0072441070 Recommended texts: William A. Katz, Introduction to Reference Work. Vol.II: Reference Services and Reference Processes. 8th ed. McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2002. ISBN: 0072441437 Richard E. Bopp and Linda C. Smith, eds. Reference and Information Services: An Introduction. 3rd ed. Libraries Unlimited, 2001. ISBN: 1563086247 Fair Warning: We are completing this course in a single 4 1/2-week summer session. It will be intense for us all. I will not be able to accept late assignments. I will not be able to grant incompletes instead of course grades. Please assess your summer schedule realistically. It will be extremely difficult to complete this course while working full time and taking a second graduate course.
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Course Description This course is designed to familiarize students with the theory, practice, and issues of reference services in libraries and information centers. Upon completion of the course, students should be able to describe the principal features of reference services in a variety of environments. Specific topics covered include information seeking and retrieval; types of reference services; reference service in different library environments; the reference interview; the fundamentals of bibliographic control; database and Web searching; the evaluation of reference sources and services; specific types of reference sources. Learning will be through lectures, readings, exercises, and a term project.
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Assignments I use a point system. Everyone starts the course with 100 points. By the end of the course, if you have 90-100 points, your course grade is an A; if you have 80-89 points, your course grade is a B; and so on. Exercises (90 points total) You will complete 6 out of 8 exercises. Each completed exercise is worth 15 points. You may complete all 8 exercises to enhance your learning, but no extra credit will be given. Exercises are due on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Exercise 1 is due the first Wednesday of class; Exercise 2 is due the first Saturday of class, and so on. We will rely heavily on the resources available through the UA Library's Sabio Information Gateway, http://www.library.arizona.edu/ to complete assignments, so make sure you have a CatCard and know how to access the gateway's resources before class begins. Term project (10 points total) You have a choice of either turning in a self-reflexive journal of your insights and observations ranging over the entire course or of turning in a short paper exploring a topic of your choice related to the course. You must inform the instructor of your choice no later than the first Thursday of class, July 17. Term project due August 12.
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Class Schedule additional readings may be assigned Week 1, July 14-20 Katz, Introduction to Reference Work, Vol. I, Chapters 1 and 2 Exercise 1: Evaluation of Reference Sources. Due July 16. Exercise 2: Searching the Web. Due July 19. Week 2, July 21-27 Katz, Introduction to Reference Work, Vol. I, Chapters 5 and 6 Exercise 3: Indexing and Abstracting Services: General and Collections. Due July 23. Exercise 4: Indexing and Abstracting Services: Subject and Newspaper. Due July 26. Week 3, July 28-Aug. 3 Katz, Introduction to Reference Work, Vol. I, Chapters 7, 8, 9,10 Exercise 5: Ready Reference Sources I. Due July 30. Exercise 6: Ready Reference Sources II. Due Aug. 2. Week 4, Aug. 4-10 Katz, Introduction to Reference Work, Vol. I, Chapters 11 and 12 Exercise 7: Goverment Documents I. Due Aug. 6. Exercise 8: Government Documents II. Due Aug. 9. Term Projects due Aug. 12 |
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