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Last revised 3/24/05

Course Syllabus for IRLS 424/524 Information Resource Evaluation

Link to Course Outline not available yet

Fall 2005 Instructor:

William C. Welburn



IRLS 524/424: Information Resource Evaluation

 

Prerequisites: None

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COURSE DESCRIPTION


Study of the methods of evaluation of information resources used in society and of particular concern to library and information professionals.  Development of terms for evaluation functions.  Specific topics include evaluation of reference and information sources and services, specific types of reference and information tools, reference interviews and instruction, and the management of reference and information services.  Learning will be through lectures, readings exercises, and a term project.
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COURSE OBJECTIVES

By the end of the semester, students will be:

1. Knowledgeable of theory and practice of reference and information services in different information environments.
2.  Proficient in the evaluation and use of different types of information resources.
3.  Aware of central issues in information seeking and retrieval, and of the fundamentals of reference interviews
4.  Aware of policy and management issues associated with the provision of reference and information services in different environments and cultures.
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REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS

Richard E. Bopp and Linda C. Smith. Reference and Information Services: an Introduction (Libraries Unlimited, 2000)

Tara Calishain. Web Search Garage (Prentice Hall, 2005)

Simon Winchester.  The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary.  Oxford University Press, 2003

Suggested Reading:

Joseph Janes. Introduction to reference work in the digital age. (Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2003).
 


COURSE PROCEDURES

As a virtual course, our anchor will be time.  Each Monday, a new topic will be introduced in the form of a short lecture, sometimes augmented with learning objects. At the end of each lecture a discussion topic will be posted.  Small groups of class members will take turns facilitating each discussion.  At regular intervals, students will submit exercises and evaluations.  It is essential that each assignment should be completed by its due date.  At the end of the semester, all students will submit their semester projects, which will be posted withing the course website for everyone to see.

There are no exams.

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COURSE POLICIES

Academic Code of Integrity

Students are expected to abide by The University of Arizona Code of Academic Integrity. 'The guiding principle of academic integrity is that a student's submitted work must be the student's own.' If you have any questions regarding what is acceptable practice under this Code, please ask an Instructor.

Accommodating Disabilities

The University has a Disability Resource Center. If you anticipate the need for reasonable accommodations to meet the requirements of this course, you must register with the Disability Resource Center and request that the DRC send me, the Instructor, official notification of your accommodation needs as soon as possible. Please plan to meet with me by appointment or during office hours to discuss accommodations and how my course requirements and activities may impact your ability to fully participate.

Assignment Policies

Incomplete

The 1997-8 University of Arizona General Academic Manual, p.23 reads

The grade of I may be awarded only at the end of a semester, when all but a minor portion of the course work has been satisfactorily completed. The grade of I is not to be awarded when the student is expected to repeat the course; in such a case the grade of E must be assigned. Students should make arrangements with the instructor to receive an incomplete grade before the end of the semester ...

If the incomplete is not removed by the instructor within one year the I grade will revert to a failing grade.


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GRADING

Exercises and Evaluations.  Submit 10 exercises and resource evaluations assigned over the course of the semester.  Each is worth 5 points for a total of 50 points, or 50% of your grade.

Term project.  Prepare a Webliography of resources on a topic of your choosing. [A Webliography is an annotated bibliography of reference tools that can be accessed on the World Wide Web, either through a Web search or through a library gateway.]  The final project should be submitted as a Web page or Word document.  The project is worth 40 points (40%) of your final grade.

Participation in weekly discussion forums will determine the remaining 10% of your grade.  You will be divided into small groups.  Each group will be expected to lead two discussions.

Any assignment submitted after the posted due date will be reduced by the equivalent of one letter grade.
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CONTACTING ME

I can be reached by phone at (520) 299-1417, email (wwelburn@u.arizona.edu), or at SIRLS (in person or by mail).  A separate email address is available in the d2l course website

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