STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to

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1 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO HOURS: T, 3-5 ;W, 11-3; & BY APPT. DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION STUDIES OFFICE: 349G CURRY BLDG. PHONE :( 336) LIS 620 Information Sources and Services James V. Carmichael, Jr. Spring, 2009 COURSE DESCRIPTION: Information Sources and Services deals with the origins and characteristics of information and of information sources, and with such related issues as the negotiation of information requests, standards for ethical conduct, and the development of appropriate search strategies. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to 1. Describe the processes by which information sources are compiled, and the original sources of information contained in standard reference works. 2. Discuss problems likely to be encountered with the use of sources, including problems accessing materials through index terms and headings, as well as problems of scope, organization, bias, and inaccurate and/or conflicting information. 3. Identify the sources most likely to contain specific types of information; 4. Discern the virtues and weaknesses of products available in multiple-formats (i.e., print, microfilm, CD-Rom, electronic), and make appropriate choices from among available options for each information request; and 5. Articulate requirements for a general bibliographic instruction unit for information seekers based upon a review of the existing literature in any given subject field. 6. Create user documents on the World Wide Web, and/or develop facility in the use of Internet resources. TEACHING METHODS AND ASSIGNMENTS FOR ACHIEVING LEARNING OUTCOMES: 1. Lectures that provide an overview or reference work with respect to reference sources, evaluative criteria, and clarification of readings. 2. In-class discussion each week of the workbook exercises designed to illustrate key features of reference works and pitfalls of misunderstanding. 3. Demonstration of effective search techniques through assigned structured reference puzzle questions and case questions from library practice. 4. Practice in articulation of evaluation criteria and technique through a bibliography assignment that also provides an opportunity for the student to design a information literacy project. CONTENT: I. Reference Sources A. Formats 1. Print (standard) 2. Micro reprography 3. CD-ROM 4. Online 5. The Network environment and its options 6. Archival and manuscript B. Types 1. Bibliographies a. National b. Trade

2 c. Subject 2. Indexes and Abstracts a. General b. Subject c. Subject Heading Problems I. The LC Subject Headings 3. Encyclopedias a. General b. Subject 4. Geographical Sources a. Atlases b. Gazetteers c. Guidebooks 5. Sources of Factual Information a. Handbooks b. Almanacs c. Directories d. Manuals e. Yearbooks f. Miscellaneous g. Alternative Press h. Pop Culture 6. Government Sources a. National b. State c. Urban d. Local 7. Database and online Alternatives a. Decision-Making b. Cost comparisons C. "Noise" in print vs. electronic forms II. Reference Services A. The User 1. Community Surveys 2. Cultural Differences and Biases B. The Reference Librarian 1. Attitudes towards customers 2. Burn-out 3. Expanded Roles a. Bibliographic Instruction b. Rotating Staffing Patterns c. Related Functions--Reader's Advisory/IR C. The Reference Process 1. The Reference Interview a. Psychology of Unexpressed Needs 2. The Role of Serendipity 3. Building Clienteles a. e.g., faculty liaison C. Administrative Aspects 1. Collection Development and Weeding 2. Automated Alternatives 3. Paraprofessional vs. Professional 4. Marketing of services in various administrative environments 4. Evaluation of Reference Services

3 COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Exercises for class preparation (most classes), problem questions, and one paper, (details on next page.) Grades will be computed on the following basis: problem questions 45% (SLO 2, 3), paper 48% (SLO 2-6); class participation 7% (SLO1,2,3,5). For the final product, criteria for grading will be presentation, writing, organization, depth of reflection and analysis, and selection and use of sources. GRADING SCALE: A=superior; exceeds course requirements; demonstrated ability to: integrate concepts covered in class and readings; think abstractly, logically, critically and ethically about issues; analyze problems objectively, identify needs, set goals, and formulate original and creative solutions; communicate clearly and concisely. B= Good; meets course requirements; demonstrates ability to: understand concepts covered in class and readings; apply concepts to practical problems; communicate clearly and concisely. C=Weak, but acceptable on a limited basis for graduate credit. F=Failure I=Incomplete; indicates inability, for reasons beyond the student s control, to complete course requirements by the end of the term in which the course was offered. (A grade of incomplete is not encouraged, and is available ONLY in consultation with the instructor.) W= Withdrawal from course within the time period specified by the university. NC=No credit (for audited courses). TEXTBOOKS AND READINGS: We will use: Kay Ann Cassell and Una Hiremath, Reference and Information Services in the 21 st Century: An Introduction (New York: Neal-Schuman, 2006) I suggest that you read descriptions of the assigned groups of sources in Cassell and Hiremath before doing the assignments. You are to follow the daily calendar with corresponding assignments in your LIS 620 WORKBOOK available in preliminary form on Blackboard (a work always in progress). You will also find the following source to be of immense help in doing your paper: Charles Baylay. Guide to Reference Books. 11th ed. Chicago: American Library Association, Located near on shelves beside the reference desk in Jackson Library, this source may be consulted for your bibliographies and new titles. (If you are using a library other than Jackson at UNCG, make sure you have the "new" edition. Also useful for updated information are the volumes of the American Reference Book Annual (aka ARBA ), also located in the reference department. ELECTRONIC RESOURCES: It will be necessary for you to fully understand basic mechanics of navigating the Jackson Library catalog (JACLIN), including electronic databases, interlibrary loan, etc., as well as the internet and the World Wide Web. But caution: GOOGLE OR OTHER SEARCH ENGINES (including WIKIPEDIA) May NOT be used for answering problem questions, and should be used on your final project only when you know enough to assess search engine results from a reference standpoint. This is not a course about search engines. Other classes address search engine assessment. If you plan to use the resources of

4 another library or to do the bulk of your searching at home, you will be responsible for accessing the materials available at Jackson, and you will need to understand how to access the Jackson electronic resources from where you are. PLEASE NOTE that you cannot do the work in this course by using electronic sources alone. Many sources are still only available in book format, and others have more limited information in the electronic version. DAILY EXERCISES: There will be frequent exercises in the use of reference sources in your workbook, which is available on Blackboard (one assignment almost every class meeting). These exercises are considered part of normal class preparation, and are NOT to be handed in. Students are responsible for sources included in these assignments (you may confuse them at the beginning of the course, but no doubt will become more familiar with them as the semester progresses; some students keep note cards to help them remember which is which, what they do, how they are indexed, etc.) CAUTIONARY NOTES ON DOING THE DAILY EXERCISES AND PROBLEM QUESTIONS: (1) Please don't expect reference librarians to do your work for you. Learning to use unfamiliar sources is a necessary part of reference work. It's not hard: read the introduction to the source for instructions. Do ask for help locating sources when you can't find them. But once you have them, learn to use them yourself. (2) Try not to interfere with other's use of the reference area. Don't tie up sources longer than necessary when others are waiting, and put things back (carefully!!) when you are through with them. NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WHATSOEVER remove materials from a ready reference area to another location in the library without asking permission. AND ALWAYS PUT THEM BACK ON THE HOLDING CART CLOSE TO THE REFERENCE DESK. In other words, show the same consideration to librarians and library users now that you will expect others to show when YOU are the reference librarian re using YOUR reference collection. (3) I absolutely insist that you work alone unless otherwise instructed, and that you not share answers on the problem questions that you will turn in. There may be no "right" answer, and a classmate may mislead you. I grade you on your progress in developing search logic, not just on answers. If you are frustrated and tired because you can't find an answer after exhausting the logical sources, I suggest you rest, get a cup of coffee, or go home and get some sleep. Then think about the question again and retrace your tracks. You will be amazed what a difference a day makes. If you haven't done your own work, your laziness will show up! And much as you resent me, the questions, and the bibliography while you are working them (that's normal and healthy), you will love what you've learned when it's all over. If you do the work and assignments, there is no way you can fail. All I ask is that you show up and try. (4) No GOOGLE!!!! NO SEARCH ENGINES!!! GET OVER IT! TERM PROJECT: There will be a BIBLIOGRAPHY, which will be assigned shortly after classes begin. Due dates for this assignment and the problem questions are somewhat flexible: assignments may be handed in at any time up to a week following the due date without excuse or penalty. The paper MUST be turned in on time which means that you will need to begin working on it as soon as you have identified a topic, as I need time to read them before grades are due and the department and the graduate school do not look favorably upon "incompletes." STYLE: Clark James L. Cyberstyle! The Writer s Complete Desk Reference (Cincinnati: Thomson Learning, 2001 (ref. HF5726.C ) for electronic, Turabian s Manual of Style (latest edition available) for standard references (see Chapter 11 for examples). ATTENDANCE: You are adults. Participation in class is expected, and forms a part of your grade. If it is necessary for you to miss class, please let me know ahead of time. ACADEMIC HONOR CODE: You will be required to sign the academic honor statement on all major work

5 submitted for this course. URL: UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO Department of Library and Information Studies LIS 620 Information Sources and Services Carmichael BIBLIOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENT (TERM PROJECT) Pick a topic, any topic, of interest to you, hopefully one that you will enjoy doing (I would prefer you NOT do one in library and information science; also, remember that if you choose to do one on a particular person, I will expect you to exhaust the subject). Imagine that you are making a list of sources for a real patron who has at least as much enthusiasm for the subject as you do, who is equally well educated, etc. Using indexes, Balay, book reviews, and any guides to the literature you can identify, construct a bibliography for this person, identifying items that will be of value. This is NOT an exercise in finding everything on the subject, though you should include most of the important sources, including esoteric ones; make your selections judiciously. Ask yourself these questions, for example: Does it duplicate information found elsewhere? Why is it unique, or particularly useful? Is it easy to use, or does it require special instructions? Remember to think of related subject areas that might contain useful information; think in terms of relations between subject fields, and don't be narrow-minded. While I want you to concentrate on REFERENCE SOURCES, and the PROCESS of finding information on your topic, your search will naturally lead you to monographs, journal articles, titles of journals, listservs, archival collections, and other specific sources of information which you may recommend to your user--but all, or nearly all, should be annotated. While there is no hard-and-fast rule about how the information you have found should be presented, it is customary to move from general information (finder aids, indexes, bibliographies, etc.) to the particular (specific monograph or journal titles, addresses of corporations, etc.) in presenting your subject. Some general suggestions for constructing bibliographies are: 1. Go from the general to the specific. 2. While items in bibliographies are usually listed by FORM (that is, encyclopedias under one form, dictionaries under another, indexes under another, etc.), that arrangement may not be appropriate to your subject. You may choose to arrange your presentations by logical subdivisions of the subject matter at hand (e.g., for "The Blues": African origins; Field Chants; Influence of Church music; The Golden Era ( ); Residual influence on popular song.) Be creative. There is no hard and fast rule; devise a scheme of arrangement that seems logical and clear to you. 3. Items listed in bibliographies are usually annotated (one paragraph, but USE COMPLETE SENTENCES). These annotations provide information as to why the item is included, and provide wherever possible specific examples from the work, and notes particular strengths and weaknesses of the source. Extensive description of the physical item is usually extraneous: you are interested in content, and to a lesser extent, access (indexes, arrangement, presence of illustrations, etc.). It helps if you make an attempt to write interesting annotations that educate the reader and display your subject knowledge

6 while you are discussing the source. Please try to vary sentence structure and focus, especially for the first sentence of each annotation (i.e., something other than "This book includes lots of information... etc.") 4. Each entry in bibliographies should logically follow the one preceding it and should lead to one following. At a MINIMUM, bibliographies should contain the following elements, listed in order of appearance on the document itself: a) SCOPE--a definition of the subject. b) INTRODUCTION--An introductory essay that gives historical information and discusses aspects of the subject, including broader implications of the field. This introduction is important because it gives the reader enough information to make sense of the specific examples, etc. given in the annotations below. You should try to show why the subject is of interest or importance. It should be addressed to an educated audience. In short, it gives intelligent readers a comprehensive introduction to the whole field. A paragraph or a page WON T SUFFICE!!! This is where you show how much you know about the subject! c) SUBJECT HEADING STATEMENT--instructions on how to determine subject headings which could lead to material on your subject in various indexes, abstracts and catalogs. You should explain which headings are most useful in terms of relevance and precision of recall. d) CLASSIFICATION STATEMENT--listing of the numbers in Dewey and/or Library of Congress useful for browsing. This should also indicate which numbers are most useful for different aspects of your topic, and most fruitful in terms of number of titles retrieved. In other words, a list of numbers and subject headings alone WON T SUFFICE!!! e) FORM EXAMPLES AND SOURCES--listing of different material in various forms which are examples of what can be used to find more material on your subject. f) PUBLISHERS--Discuss a few publishers that frequently provide material on your subject area. Explain what kinds of material they publish, and their importance to your topic. Are there other special sources of information, associations, etc.? Examples of the kind of specific information you might provide on your subject include (but remember to be selective--don't include five magazine articles if they all are not equally valuable)--and please don't feel bound by the following list that is, after all, an EXAMPLE ONLY: 1. Introductory material; basic subject encyclopedia articles if available. 2. Current popular magazine articles and newspaper articles. 3. Biographical note(s) or article(s) about person(s) prominently associated with this topic. 4. Scholarly books and articles with substantial bibliographies. 5. A list of magazines in English likely to contain articles about this topic. Similarly, refereed or scholarly journal articles on your topic indicating current trends in research can be quite illuminating where applicable. 6. The names of associations, research centers, museums, and library collections generally devoted to research, information gathering, or dissemination on the topic.

7 7. Suggestions for nonprint media related to this topic. Films or videotapes would be best, but slides, audiotapes, or filmstrips would be useful as well. Other information, which can add depth to your paper, might be: 8. Appropriate statistics? 9. Sources unique to your subject (e.g., exhibition catalogs, motif indexes, musical theme indexes, etc.)? 10. Citations to articles and/or books from the nineteenth century or earlier on this topic to show continuity of interest and depth. (For example, a bibliography on home decorating would inevitably include a reference to the writings of Elsie De Wolfe and Edith Wharton whose writings changed American tastes from the clutter of Victoriana to more restrained styles of home furnishing. Similarly, you can't discuss the environmental movement intelligently without knowing the nineteenth-century naturalists who first popularized the concepts.) 11. What kinds of doctoral dissertations on this topic or a related topic have been written in the last five years? You must make an attempt to understand the significance of the dissertation topic from the abstract in Dissertation Abstracts International! 12. Are there important archival collections related to the topic? ArchivesUSA or WorldCat databases can be useful in this regard. How are they useful? 12. Are there pamphlets or other inexpensive printed items (for example, government documents) about this topic? What can you recommend? [Note: On some topics, government documents may be the major source e.g., bibliography on falconry issued by the army]. Check the H. W. Wilson Vertical File Index. 13. Highly recommended (reviewed) recent books on the topic. Provide synopsis of reviews if copy not available. Appropriate-sounding journals (whether or not you have actually seen a copy). I prefer that you use Turabian format for all citations. Equal weight will be given to narrative, exposition and presentation of your subject and the sources you find. I do not want merely a list of sources. I would like an intelligent paper that demonstrates your mastery of the subject area as well as one that introduces the reader to the subject, the information problems that a search for information on the topic presents, and a wideranging variety of types of sources and subject areas (i.e., interdisciplinary and multi-media) on the topic. Therefore, manuscript sources, older periodical and monographic citations and electronic database sources are all fair game, as are government documents, business sources, and vertical file material. This will require that you start immediately working on your topic, as some information may only be available through interlibrary loan. CAUTIONARY NOTES ON STYLE 1. PROOF WHAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN BEFORE YOU TURN IT IN!!! RUN SPELL CHECK!!! 2. Avoid first or second person throughout (no "me," "you," or our. ). Talk about the subject. 3. Avoid unsubstantiated, value-laden words ("great," "dull"). Show the reader how it is "good," and if you complain about the writing style, give examples to back up your claim. In other words, make sure what you say means something. 4. Avoid archaic terms ("aforementioned," "firstly," oftentimes ) and check for anachronisms ("alot" for "a lot"; its' for "its"; or "it's" for "its").

8 5. Italicize or underline all titles of sources. Follow Turabian's Manual of Style in citing your material (short form on our virtual Web Page)