IRLS 588-003

Issues in Information Resources: Academic Libraries

 

Thursdays, 3:30-6:00pm

William Welburn

Colleges and universities are among society’s most enduring institutions. Yet they have undergone substantial transformations since the years following World War II. This course is intended as an overview of the present context and organization of libraries in colleges and universities. Interdisciplinary in orientation, merging issues in academic libraries with selected trends in higher education and the world of scholarship, class lectures and discussions will be supported by an eclectic mixture of readings in and outside of library and information studies that are pertinent to the administration and practice of library services that support scholarship and learning.

You are encouraged to read beyond our professional literature to support your understanding of college and university libraries in class discussions, exams, papers, and other assignments.

By the end of the semester I hope that you will all have more to say about the:

I also hope that each of you will further develop critical perspectives on issues facing academic libraries and librarianship.

The following texts will be used to support class lectures and discussions:

Bright College Years: Inside the American College, Anne Matthews, University of Chicago Press, 1998

American Academic Culture in Transformation: Fifty Years, Four Disciplines, ed. By Thomas Bender and Carl E. Schorske, Princeton University Press, 1998

Avatars of the Word: From Papyrus to Cyberspace, James J. O’Donnell, Harvard University Press, 1998

Suggested readings include:

The Chicago Guide to Your Academic Career: a Portable Mentor for Scholars from Graduate School through Tenure. University of Chicago Press, 2001

As well as current issues of the Chronicle of Higher Education, CRL News, and a daily newspaper (such as the New York Times, Washington Post, or Los Angeles Times)

 

Course Requirements:

You will be assigned three out-of-class papers and at least one in-class "panel." There will also be two short in-class exams. Course requirements are as follows:

Exams (15 points each)

Class participation (10 points)

Topics Outline

Part I: Commonalities/Differences

Similarities and differences between academic libraries and other types of libraries. Themes include organizational cultures and shared values, planning and the allocation of resources, and the balance between technology and service to diverse populations

Part II: The Milieu for Higher Education

Different cultures, different environments

Bender, 3-54; Matthews, 17-44

Students

Matthews, 44-133

Faculty and Academic Culture

Matthews, 135-191; O’Donnell, 1-13

Bender, as assigned

Administering Colleges and Universities

Matthews, 194-271

 

 

 

 

Part III: College and University Libraries: Responding to Institutional Priorities

Library as Organization: Planning and Resource Allocation, Personnel and Human Resources

[Case Study]

Library as Place: Physical Space Organization and Use

Information Resource Development and Preservation; Technical Services

O’Donnell, 14-123

Reference, Instruction, and Information Services

O’Donnell, 124-196

Academic Status of Librarians: Professional Development

Part IV: Issues in Academic Libraries

Various topics including Academic and Intellectual Freedom, Cultural Diversity, Copyright and Intellectual Property, and the Academic Library in a "Networked" Environment