<br>
Last revised August 21, 2006

Course Syllabus for IRLS 424/524


COURSE NAME, NUMBER, AND PREREQUISITES

IRLS 424/524

Information Resources Evaluation

No prerequisites
[return to top of page]


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 provision theory; information seeking and retrieval; the history and philosophy of reference services; types of reference services; reference service in different library environments; the reference interview; the fundamentals of bibliographic control; the evaluation of reference sources and services; the management of reference services; specific types of reference sources, in both physical and digital format; and other topics. Learning will be through lecture, group presentations, guest speakers, use of reference sources to answer specific reference questions, and completion of a final project guiding library users to appropriate reference sources in a topic. Three credit hours.
[return to top of page]


RECOMMEDED COURSE MATERIALS 

Katz, W.A. (2002). Introduction to Reference Work, vol. 1 8th edition. Boston: McGraw Hill. For those of you near Tucson, some copies of this are available at the U.A. Bookstore.

[return to top of page]


COURSE REQUIREMENTS

All students are required to:

 1.      Complete two reference worksheets.  A handout describing this assignment will be

provided.

Due: September 22, October 13

 Value: 30%

 2. Complete one group written report and discussion. A handout describing this

assignment will be provided. 

Due: October 6, 13, 20, 27, and November 3

Value: 20%

 3.   Complete a Pathfinder in digital format, either posted to the World Wide Web or

submitted to the instructor electronically. A handout describing this assignment will be provided. 

Due: Interim report Sept. 15; Final Pathfinder, December 1

Value: 50%

[return to top of page]


COURSE POLICIES

Academic Code of Integrity

Students are expected to abide by The University of Arizona Code of Academic Integrity, see . '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

         Assignments are due no later than 10 p.m. PT (MT. after the time change) on the their assigned due date.

           Please include your name at the top of all your assignments.

Attendance and Class Participation:

Active participation is expected. Class participation will have no specific grade value.  However, meaningful and active participation will contribute to a student’s final grade by increasing it slightly (for example from a high B to a low A.).  Conversely, inappropriate and disruptive participation will lower a student’s final grade.

Incompletes

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 incompete 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.

[return to top of page]


GRADING

Late work will lose one letter grade from the grade it would have gotten had it been turned in on time.  However, the final project, the opening
day collection, will not be accepted late.

 Grading criteria:

 A=90-100
B=80-89
C=70-79
D=60-69
F=59 and below

 


[return to top of page]


CONTACTING ME

Office Phone: 520-621-5220
 E-Mail: bedgar@u.arizona.edu
Office:  No. 2
Office Hours: Thursday, 3:00-4:00 or by appointment

[return to top of page]