CIMT 631~Reference Sources & Services Syllabus Fall 2010

Instructor Shelley Arvin, M.I.S. Reference/Instruction Librarian Cunningham Memorial Library Indiana State University Specialties: Biology; Chemistry; Nursing; Physics; Distance Learning Cunningham Memorial Library Room 113 Indiana State University Terre Haute, IN 47809 E-mail: shelley.arvin@indstate.edu Phone: (812) 237-2605

Office Hours Large or small, please contact me with your specific questions through Blackboard or the above email. When you contact me by email, please put CIMT631 in the subject line, so that I will know immediately your question relates to our course.
In addition, you may contact me via the Reference Chat. Please put CIMT631 in the message or another librarian may respond to your chat. If necessary, other librarians can transfer the chat to me if I am available. As Distance Learning Librarian, I host an online reference session each week while classes are in session. Anyone going to the URL and giving a nickname can enter the session. (Sessions are not private.) This is primarily for the convenience of distance learning students but any person may attend. No scheduled session is held on holidays or between semesters. Online Reference Session Where: http://breeze.indstate.edu/ref2/ When: Times for fall semester are being evaluated.

Since ours is an online course, office hours will be virtual, i.e., via e-mail or scheduled telephone calls. I may schedule a live chat through our Blackboard course environment, as needed, for arising issues which concern the group. Library Support The Cunningham Memorial Library provides support for distance education courses and students. Information about services and support can be obtained: 800-851-4279 or 812-237-2580 or http://libguides.indstate.edu/distancelearning Technical Support The Information Technology (IT) Division provides technical support for distance education courses and students. Direct technical and access problems to them: 1-888-818-5465 or IT-Help@indstate.edu or http://ithelp.indstate.edu/.

CIMT 631Reference Sources and Services Fall 2010

Shelley Arvin, shelley.arvin@indstate.edu

Course Description Reference Sources and Services is a 3-hour credit graduate course designed as an introduction to standard sources of reference information for school and public libraries. Both print and non-print formats are addressed. Also included is the theory and practice of reference services. Required Textbooks Lanning, S. & Bryner, J. (2010). Essential reference services for todays school media specialists. Westport: Libraries Unlimited. (2nd edition) Carter, Thomas L. and G. Edward Evans (2009). Introduction to public services. Westport: Libraries Unlimited. (7th edition) It is expected for course discussion and postings to make informed and appropriate references to the textbook and other related professional readings selected by you. Completing the readings and asking questions as necessary are your responsibility. Recommended Textbooks & Sources
Remember that YOU are responsible for your APA errors. o Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. (2009). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. (6th edition, NOT the first printing, which contains errors) o Perrin, Robert. (2009). Pocket Guide to APA Style 2009. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. (3rd edition or latest in production) o Purdue Online Writing Lab http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/standards.cfm ALA Library Bill of Rights www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/statementsif/librarybillrights.cfm Your states school and public library professional organization

Required Resources: TK20 & Web Editing Software TK20/ If you do not have a LiveText account, you must purchase a TK20 account. TK20 is an assessment module that is required by the College of Education for students enrolled in this course. You can purchase your TK20 license by going to http://tk20.indstate.edu - once there, there is a link that says "purchase or register account." If you have a LiveText account, please print the "Welcome" screen that has your name on it. Forward that document/printout as an attachment to me, and I'll ensure that you get a TK20 account for free (you already bought LiveText so the college does not want you to incur this additional cost). If you do NOT have a LiveText account - do NOT purchase one. Indiana Division of Professional Standards addressed 1, 6, 7, 8 and 10 (http://www.doe.in.gov/educatorlicensing/LibraryMediaContStds.html )

CIMT 631Reference Sources and Services Fall 2010

Shelley Arvin, shelley.arvin@indstate.edu

Course Goals/Proficiencies Welcome to CIMT 631! Im glad that you are part of this classroom community of researchers and writers. At the end of this course, when youve successfully completed CIMT 631, you will be able to: 1) demonstrate your understanding of and be able to articulate the role and importance of reference collections and services in an effective library/media program; 2) be able to identify and use multiple reference sources/resources, both print and non-print, in basic subjects and curricular areas; 3) demonstrate an understanding of the reference interview and the communications skills necessary to serve as a mediator between information seekers and the information itself; 4) demonstrate an ability to develop logical, practical strategies for addressing an information need; 5) demonstrate an understanding of the factors associated with the evaluation of reference resources; 6) formulate written policies that reflect ethical practices in providing efficient and effective reference services; You'll demonstrate your level of accomplishment of these goals through formal and informal writing assignments. Late Work Please try not to work too far ahead because course discussions are an important part of this course. But do stay up-to-date with the assignments in this class. It is too easy to fall behind, so plan now your strategy for organizing the course into your life schedule. Some guidelines to help you stay on track: 1. Assignments need to be submitted on their due dates. In other words, get your stuff in on time. Each task in this course builds upon previous tasks, therefore late homework will be penalized. 2. Contact me in advance or late work will NOT be accepted, except in cases of extreme emergency. In this regard, immediate notification and arrangements must be made with me, and I reserve the right to ask for formal documentation of the emergency.

Course Assignments This course is designed to function as an online seminar on reference sources and services. As collaborative planning is important in education, Blackboard will be utilized as a tool to share professionally informed thoughts and ideas, as well as post projects to receive feedback from peers. Our schedule is tentative and subject to revision depending on how our work proceeds. Be sure to check frequently and make note of information and course changes posted through Blackboards Announcements.

The schedule provided below, along with formal assignment sheets will govern the work for that assignment. Youll want to check Blackboard frequently, as all updates and further communication

CIMT 631Reference Sources and Services Fall 2010

Shelley Arvin, shelley.arvin@indstate.edu

will be placed there. Also, various discussion forums will be set up and made available to you throughout the semester.
Online Discussion Forum You are responsible for understanding and adhering to the guidelines posted in the Course Documents: Discussion-ForumEtiquette and Discussion-OnlineEtiquette. Participation in the Discussion Forum is a requirement for this course. At minimum, please post a response to the instructor's leading questions posted each week. Hopefully, you'll be inspired to discuss topics more than that. Considering and evaluating the views of your professional colleagues is part of being a professional. Professionals can respectfully disagree with each other without causing or taking offense. Learning how other libraries and librarians deal with challenges may help you solve your own challenges. Please respond to your classmates and provide feedback when required. Help them learn and let them help you.

Online discussion is very important with severe penalties for missing a discussion: 25% deduction of Class Discussion & Professional Contributions grade for every missed Forum. Grade will also be severely impacted if you wait to participate in discussions until the final days or do not adhere to the Discussion policy documents.
Schedule Our schedule is tentative and subject to revision depending on how our work proceeds. This is what I imagine our schedule will be through the semester, but as I get to know you and read your work and thoughts, revisions may be needed in order to better suit your needs.

Our class work will require a significant amount of your time for you to be successful. Plan to regularly spend between 9-15 hours per week on course readings and assignments.

CIMT 631Reference Sources and Services Fall 2010

Shelley Arvin, shelley.arvin@indstate.edu

Week 1

Dates Aug 25-29

Readings & Discussion Board *Discussion-ForumEtiquette and *Discussion-OnlineEtiquette *"Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information," American Library Association, September 29, 2008. Document ID: 512056 http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/resources/guidelin es/guidelinesbehavioral.cfm Online Discussion Aug 25-29: A1 Introduction feedback Introduction to Public Services and Information Lanning Preface Lanning Chapter 1 (Information) Evans Chapter 1 (Introduction) Feldman, S. (2004). The high cost of not finding information. KMWorld. 13(3). http://www.kmworld.com/articles/readarticle.aspx?articlei d=9534 Information Literacy Lanning Chapter 2 (Information Literacy) Lanning Chapter 6 (Library Instruction) Evans Chapter 6 (Information Literacy Instruction) Print Reference Lanning Chapters 3 (Evaluating Reference Sources) Lanning Chapters 4 (Print Reference Sources) Evans Chapter 5 (Reference Sources) Reference Services & Reference Interview Lanning Chapter 5 (Reference Experience) Lanning Chapter 13 (Evaluation of Services) Evans Chapter 4 (Reference Services) Online Discussion A3-Source Review until Oct 3 Library Catalogs Lanning Chapter 7 (Library Catalogs) Lanning Chapter 10 (Creating Resources) Lanning Chapter 11 (Core Curriculum & Collaboration) Lanning Chapter 8 (e-Resources) * Carr, N. (2008). Is Google Making Us Stupid? Atlantic Monthly 302(1): 56-63. * Christenbury, L. (2009). It's Not as Simple as It Seems. Knowledge Quest 37(3): 16-23. Lanning Chapter 9 (Searching the Web) *Boolean1 *Boolean2 Online Discussion A4- Library Catalog Hunt until Nov 7 Media Tools (readings and activities to be assigned) Lanning Chapters 12 (Build Ref Collection) Lanning Chapter 14 (Communicating your Value) Online Discussion: A2-Reference Observation Essay until Dec 5 STUDY WEEK FINALS WEEK

Assignments A1 (Intro) post by Aug 27 A1 (Intro) deadline Aug 29

Aug 30-Sept 5

Sept 6-12

Sept 13-19

Sept 20-26

6 7 8 9

Sept 27-Oct 3 Oct 4-10 Oct 11-17 Oct 18-24

A3-Reference Source Review post by Sept 26 Send A2-Reference Observation schedule by Sept 26 A3-Reference Source Review Essay deadline Oct 3

FALL BREAK 10/15

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Oct 25-31 Nov 1-7 Nov 8-14 Nov 15-21 Nov 22-28 Nov 29-Dec 5 Dec 6-12 Dec 13-17

A4-Library Catalog Hunt post by Oct 31 A5-Part 1 due Oct 31 A4- Library Catalog Reflection Essay deadline Nov 7 A5-Part 2 due Nov 7 A2-Reference Observation Journal deadline Nov 14 A5-Part 3 due Nov 14 A5-All Parts Completed deadline Nov 21 THANKSGIVING A2-Reference Observation Essay deadline Dec 5 TK20 deadline Dec 17

CIMT 631Reference Sources and Services Fall 2010

Shelley Arvin, shelley.arvin@indstate.edu

Grading Scale for Individual Assignments A+ A AB+ B BC+ C F = = = = = = = = = 99-100 94-98 91-93 89-90 84-88 81-83 79-80 71-78 <70 Excellent, exceeds expectations

Good work Fair work Unacceptable work

Remember that this is a 600 level course. I expect thorough, reflective treatment in all assignments and discussions, with signs of analysis and synthesis. It is standard academic practice to have someone you trust read through your assignments to spot errors and point out places in your writing that lack logic/coherence. Please proofread your work. Remember, electronic spellcheck will not catch everything or correct for thoughts. Final Grade Determination Assignment 1: Personal Introduction Assignment 2: Reference Observation Assignment 3: Reference Review Assignment 4: Library Catalog Assignment 5: Reference Interview Final Exam (accessed through TK20) Readings & Discussion Contribution/Participation 5% 25% 15% 20% 10% 20% 5% 100%

Diversity Statement ISUs College of Education values diversity in its faculty, students, and staff, and in the work it does to advance the goals of its discipline. As a result, it seeks opportunities to enhance and extend the diverse and inclusive elements of its teaching, research, and service, and their impact on university and community lives. The College seeks to respect and recognize individual differences. These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political views, languages, or ideologies. Exploring these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment creates understanding beyond simple tolerance, respecting the varying aspects of diversity within individual identities. The College seeks to reach out to other communities in a range of interests and concerns, and prizes its community collaborations that have an impact on enhancing diversity and civic responsibility. Accessibility Statement ISU helps students with disabilities receive appropriate accommodations from the university and their professors (students need to register with the adaptive educational services office in order to officially receive such services). If you need accommodation in order to complete the work of the course, please let me know as soon as
CIMT 631Reference Sources and Services Fall 2010

Shelley Arvin, shelley.arvin@indstate.edu

possible (we need only discuss the accommodation you need). For more information see: http://web.indstate.edu/sasc/dss/accessibility.htm Ethics & Plagiarism When you think about ethics in writing, you might first think about plagiarismwhich is actually a complicated term that covers many types of actions. One form of plagiarism is cheating or fraudhanding in work that someone else has written and passing it off as your own. Downloading papers from the Internet and handing them in, paying someone else to write a paper for you, taking a paper written by someone else and handing it in as your own are all forms of fraud and cheating, and if you intentionally plagiarize, you will fail this course and will be subject to sanctions which might be incurred as part of the Universitys Student Judicial process. Please be aware that proven case(s) of plagiarism could have extremely dire consequences, not only for this course, but it could also result in your expulsion from the program and could follow you professionally. Plagiarism also refers to other matters: the improper use of, say, quotation marks to indicate words quoted from a source. If you make mistakes in this area consistently, your grade will not be as high as it might have been. Final Note Please keep these guidelines where you can refer to them often. You are responsible for understanding and following the information presented within this syllabus and Blackboard. As we work together, I hope you will discover how enjoyable learning in a collaborative environment can be for us. I am really looking forward to getting to know you and your writing. Please stay in touch with me throughout the semester!

CIMT 631Reference Sources and Services Fall 2010

Shelley Arvin, shelley.arvin@indstate.edu