Syllabus
LIS 588 - Current Issues in Library and Information Science
Instructor: Rick Gates (rgates@locust.cic.net)
Fall, 1995
Office Hours: Aug 24 - Sep 4 only
TBA
Course Goals:
It is the goal of this course to provide a self-paced, independent learning experience in
the areas of microcomputer maintenance, local area networks, patron support and
problem resolution. Toward that goal, the student will:
- Attend a two-week intensive period of introduction to the School of Information
Resource’s microcomputer lab.
- Work regularly scheduled hours as a lab monitor
- Work on all course criteria (see below)
- Provide 2 self performance evaluations.
Grading:
- Attendance at 10 of 12 initial training sessions: 5%
- Return of University keys: 5%
- Conduct on the LIS588 Listserv and Elysium talker: 10%
- Performance Evaluations: 80%
Performance Evaluations:
There will be two performance evaluations, one at mid-term and one during finals week.
Each evaluation consists of the following:
- A short, personal evaluation indicating how the student met each of 5 course
criteria (see below).
- Evaluative evidence gathered by instructor during the semester.
Course Criteria:
There are 5 primary tasks that can occupy students in this class. These are weighted in
importance, and thus in impact upon the student’s grade. In priority order, these are:
- Patron Support - Helping users of the lab
- Lab Problems - Working on unresolved problems in the Lab Problems Database.
- Committee Work - Committees form in response to needs that arise, such as faculty
communication, scheduling, help-file creation, etc.
- Extra Lab/LIS 588 Work - Individuals may take on extra work that arises
occasionally. These tasks may be self-motivated, or requested by the instructor.
- Extra School of Information Resources Work - Individuals may take on extra work
that benefits the state of computing and electronic information at the School.
These tasks may be self-motivated, or requested by faculty members.
The LIS588 listserv:
All students are expected to be subscribed to and regulary read all listserv traffic on
lis588@listserv.arizona.edu.
All students must post a shift summary at the end of each shift in the lab, detailing
level of patron traffic, kinds of help requested, new problems arising, a count of
unresolved problems in the Lab Problems Database, and work done on problems. All
listserv traffic is saved by the instructor, and is an important aspect of evaluative
evidence.
Additionally, all students are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner
on the LIS588 Listserv. Conduct which does not contribute to the productivity, morale,
and learning experience of this class should not be expressed on the listserv.
The Lab Problems Database:
This is stored in Buttonfile in the lab, with access available only to lab monitors. All
students are expected to review the database on a regular basis, and use it to help
resolve lab problems. Every entry in the Lab Problems Database is saved by the
instructor, and is an important aspect of evaluative evidence.
Note:
After the first 2 weeks of training the instructor may not be available for personal help.
This is for 3 primary reasons:
- The instructor may be out of town, or otherwise unavailable
- It is important that the student learn how to resolve problems with little or no help.
This kind of learning can only come in isolation.
- It is important that the student become accustomed to working in an electronic
environment. Thus, the instructor may choose to communicate electronically.
Rick Gates (rgates@locust.cic.net)