California State University, East Bay

Library 1210: Introduction to Information Literacy

Course Description and Syllabus for Winter, 2008

 

Friday, 12:00 noon – 1:50 p.m.

Held in LI 2046 and LI 3040

Aline Soules, Professor

aline.soules@csueastbay.edu

Two Units

Phone: 510-885-4596

Office hours: Friday, 2-5, or by appointment

Office: LI 2031

Reference desk hours: to be established

 

Course Description

 

The goal is to develop “information literacy,” a lifelong process. To be information literate, you need to be able to create a strategy, ask the right questions, find information, and evaluate that information to determine if the information is valid, relevant, and can help you formulate more questions. In LIBY 1210, you will learn how information in a subject evolves, how it is organized, and how to follow a process to discover useful information. We will also cover the general use of a library and how to prepare information for research papers.

 

Course Objectives

 

By the end of Library 1210, you will be able to

• Recognize and articulate an information need

• Formulate a research question

• Develop and apply appropriate search strategies

• Evaluate strategies and results, and revise them as needed

• How to make effective use of traditional and new library resources and tools

• Describe research processes and communicate results

• Understand and apply principles of information ethics

 

You will also learn how information is created, produced, and organized; concepts of the research process; how to think critically when developing research strategies and evaluating information resources; how to cite and annotate your results effectively and appropriately; and some ethical and legal issues related to the access and use of information.

 

Course Requirements:

 

Class Materials

 

Readings and other materials may be assigned and will be given as handouts, placed on library reserve, or made available through BlackBoard. There is no required textbook, but if you are interested, you can read Information Research, 2nd ed., by Carla List-Handley.

 

Attendance and Class participation

 

Class Attendance and active participation are required, both for learning and for sharing with others. Unless we have reached an agreement regarding an absence or attendance problem BEFORE class, you will be expected to be present. IF we do agree that you may miss a session, come late, or leave early, you are still responsible for any assignments by the stipulated due date and time. Further, because in-class work generally cannot be made up, absences can affect your grade.

 

Please sign the attendance sheet at the start of each class. Reading materials for other classes, preparing materials for other classes, playing computer games, or attending to anything extraneous to our course during our class will result in loss of 5 participation points for each occurrence.

 

If you miss class, your responsibility is to:

o find out what was covered in class

o download handouts and assignments from BlackBoard or from my wiki (http://libresos.pbwiki.com/LIBY1210.

 

Please turn off your cell phones.

 

In-class assignments and quizzes:

There may be in-class activities.  These must be completed before the end of class and cannot be made up.

 

Requirements for Written Work

•  Assignments prepared outside of class will generally be submitted on your individual blogs.  Other assignments must be prepared in Times New Roman, 12 point or Arial, 10 point.  Exceptions may be some in-class work.

• Use standard English usage, grammar, and spelling for all written work, including emails.

• Format each assignment according to the requirements provided.

• A master calendar will be built throughout the quarter to give you due dates and times.

 

Assignments

• You are expected to spend time outside on assignments, online discussion, and practice.

• Assignments should be turned in on time, generally on your blogs.  Anything else should be turned in to me directly or submitted at the reference desk with a request to place the assignment in my basket.  Do not place assignments under my door.  It is your responsibility to ensure that your assignments reach me.

• There will be a 10% deduction per day for late assignments. If you have an unusual circumstance, please discuss this with me in advance whenever possible.

• Plagiarism and copying work from your classmates is unacceptable and will result in a zero on that assignment for both you and for the person from whom you copied. Please see CSUEB’s Policy on Academic Dishonesty (http://www.csuhayward.edu/ecat/20022003/i-120grading.html#section12).

 

Portfolio

• You are required to maintain a portfolio and complete a self-assessment of your progress as part of your course responsibilities. The portfolio will contain your assignments and written activities from this class. Further details will be discussed as we proceed, but some elements of the portfolio include:

o all assignments and other work completed during the quarter

o your research journal – details of the journal will be discussed in class

o a self-assessment essay

Note: guidelines will be given in class.

 

Grading

Weighting of work is as follows:

• Assignments and quizzes: 50%

• Portfolio: 30%

• Final exam: 20%

Final grades will be based on the following percentage scale:

 

A = 95 – 100

A- = 90 – 94

B+ = 87 – 89

B = 84 – 86

B- = 80 – 83

C+ = 77 – 79

C = 74 – 76

C- = 70 – 73

D+ = 67 - 69

D = 64 - 66

D- = 60 - 63

F = <60

 

 

Please do NOT ask me about extra credit points.  I do not provide those; however, I am more than willing to help you earn the grade point opportunities that I do provide, so don’t wait until week 7 or 8 to decide that you’re in trouble.  Work diligently through the quarter and you will do well.

 

Note: The last date to add or drop this class without permission of the professor is Friday, January 18, 2007.

 

Additional Information

 

Emails

 

Given the difficulties of anonymous e-mails, I will delete unidentified messages. Please include your name and LIBY 1210-01 in the Subject Line to assure that I look at your message promptly.

 

DURING EARTHQUAKE: DUCK AND COVER.

 

Get under a desk or table. Protect your head with your arms. DO NOT TRY TO EXIT building until shaking stops as objects may fall from the roof. DO NOT USE elevators. AFTER SHAKING STOPS - Remain calm. Think of a way out. Check for potential hazards. When safe, evacuate to the area designated for the library building (library staff will direct you) and check in with your professor at the designated area. Expect aftershocks.

 

DISABILITY STATEMENT

 

If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss your approved academic accommodations, or if you need assistance in the event of an emergency, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible.

 

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copyright Aline Soules 2007

under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/us/