Sample Syllabus - Pratt Institute

651, FALL ’11 Lopatovska 

I. Course Information: 

Introduction to Information Profession 

LIS 651-01 

Tuesday, 3:30 - 5:50 p.m. 

r. 602 

Office hours: Tue 2:30-3:30, Thu 2:30-3:30 (and/or upon request) 

II. Instructor Information: 

Irene Lopatovska 

Email: ilopatov@pratt.edu 

GA: Anna Cory-Watson 

Email: acdashw@yahoo.com 

Phone: (will be given in class) 

Listserv: 

III. Course Description: 

Bulletin Description: Introduces the fields of librarianship and information professions. Course 

material covers the evolving role of libraries in society, the legal and ethical aspects of the 

profession and the impact of rapidly changing information environments. Also included are the 

principles of management, development of policies and procedures, effective communication 

skills, types of libraries and information centers, and organizational and staffing structures. Three 

hours of field observation is required. 

Detailed Description: As suggested in the course description, 651 is one of the 

foundational courses of the curriculum that develops awareness and general knowledge of the 

major issues of the field of library and information science. The course explores a broad range of 

issues and introduces students to library and information science concepts that they may choose 

to subsequently specialize in during their further course of study. The course balances practical 

skills and theoretical concepts and develops students’ abilities to apply both to the world of 

changing technologies and services. 

Course Goals 

The course is designed to achieve the following goals: 

1) introduce students to the major areas of the library and information science; 

2) broaden students’ understanding of information professions and careers in library 

and information science field; 

3) help students to develop critical thinking, communication, research, presentation and 

other skills required for successful completion of the program and the professional 

growth. 

Students’ Learning Objectives 

1. Students learn basic concepts, principles and practices of LIS that form the foundation of 

their program of study. The students gain an understanding of: 

1.1 the concept of information, and its definition in LIS and other areas (e.g., art, economics, 

etc.); 

1


1.2 similarities and differences between library and information sciences, relationships 

between research and professional practice; 

1.3 principles and key aspects of a) information organization and management; b) human 

information behavior; c) information systems’ design; d) information institutions’ 

management; e) information policy issues; f) ethical and legal issues (e.g., democratic 

and constitutional principles such as free speech and free press), and other issues 

1.4 past, present and emerging library and information practices and settings 

1.5 ethical and moral principles of the profession and the importance of balancing 

professional, personal and cultural values 

1.6 diversity of information needs, uses, users, and sources, including international and 

digital contexts 

2. Students develop understanding of information profession and learn the importance of 

professional development and social skills. The students should: 

2.1 develop an understanding of career paths available in the library and information science 

field 

2.2 identify and internalize core professional values 

2.3 become part of professional community(-ies) 

2.4 become familiar with professional development and continuing education techniques 

3. Students begin to develop their individual voice as information professionals as they acquire 

skills needed to analyze and evaluate information, contextualized and express their views, 

and present them in class project presentations as well as written reports. Students learn to: 

3.1 critically examine information institutions, practices and services 

3.2 critically examine library and information science literature 

3.3 analyze and present their findings in a professional setting as both written reports as well 

as oral presentations 

LMS Program students: please see the last section of the syllabus for New York State Learning 

Standards applicable to this course and information on observation conducted within the scope of 

this class. 

Course Calendar/Schedule [subject to change]: 

Wee 

k 

# 

Lectures & 

Practice 

Readings 

Assignmen 

ts* 

1 Aug 

30 

Introduction, 

Course Overview 

Select topic 

for the library 

history 

presentation 

2 Sept 

6 

Information and 

Information 

Structures 

Information, 

Misinformation, 

Disinformation, 

Propaganda 

Buckland, M. (1991). Information and Information Systems. 

New York: Preaeger, Chapters 1, 4, 5, & 6. Pratt Manhattan 

Library 

Kirk, E. E. (2001). Information and Its Counterfeits: 

Propaganda, Misinformation and Disinformation. In Research 

Help found at The Sheridan Library Johns Hopkins. Retrieved 

March 1, 2008, from 

http://www.library.jhu.edu/researchhelp/general/evaluating/cou 

nterfeit.html 

Selection of a 

topic for 

Assignment 3 

is due 

Start working 

on 

Assignment 2 

and 4. 

Optional: Bates, M. J. (2006). Fundamental Forms of 

Think/find your 

2


Information. 

Journal of the American Society for Information and 

Technology, 57(8), 1033-1045. 

Available at: 

http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/bates/articles/NatRep_info_1 

1m_050514.html 

examples of 

data, 

information, 

misinformation 

and 

disinformation 

3 Sept 

13 

Human 

Information 

Behavior 

Kuhlthau, C. C. (1991). Inside the search process: Information 

seeking from the user’s perspective. Journal of the American 

Society for Information Science, 42(5), 361–371. course 

website. 

or 

Wilson, T. D. (2000) Human Information Behavior. Informing 

Science, 3(2). Available at: 

http://inform.nu/Articles/Vol3/v3n2p49-56.pdf 

and 

Ross, C. S. (2003). The reference interview: why it needs to 

be used in every (well, almost every) reference transaction. 

Reference and User Services Quarterly, 43(1), 38-41. H.W. 

Wilson Library Literature & Information Science Full-Text 

database 

Bohn, R. & Short, J. (2009). How much information? 2009 

report on consumer affairs. Retrieved from 

http://hmi.ucsd.edu/pdf/HMI_2009_ConsumerReport_Dec9_20 

09.pdf 

Deane. G. (2003). Bridging the value gap: getting past 

professional values to customer value in the public library. 

Public Libraries 42(5). 315-319. H.W. Wilson Library Literature 

& Information Science Full-Text database 

4 Sept 

20 

5 Sept 

27 

User-centered 

perspective: 

assessment, user 

studies, grant 

writing. 

Library and 

information 

sciences: 

Historical 

perspective 

Powell, R. R. (1999). Recent trends in research: A 

methodological essay. Library & Information Science 

Research, 21(1), 91-119. [special attention to the list of 

research methods (pp. 96-98) and their definitions (pp. 101- 

112).] Pratt Manhattan Library. 

http://www.libqual.org/about/about_lq/general_info 

http://www.libqual.org/about/about_lq/general_faq 

Rutner, J. & Shelf, J. (2010). Still bound for disappointment? 

Another look at faculty and library journal collections? 

Retrieved from personal communication, November 5, 2010. 

Saracevic, T. (1999). Information Science. Journal of 

the American Society for Information Science, 50(9), 

1051-1063. course website 

Shera, J. H. and Egan, M.E. (1953). A review of the 

3


Topics in 

Information 

Science 

present state of librarianship and documentation. In 

S.C. Bradford (ed.) Documentation. 2nd ed. London: 

Crosby pp. 11-45. course website 

6 Oct 

4 

Information 

Technology 

Bush, V. (1945). As we may think. Atlantic Monthly. Available 

at: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/194507/bush 

Radford, M. L. and Radford, G. P. (1997). 

Power, knowledge, and fear: Feminism, Foucault, and the 

stereotype of the female librarian. The Library Quarterly, 67(3), 

250-266. 

Rubin, Chapter 2 

Technology Helps Students Learn In E-Library. Available at: 

http://www.4029tv.com/education/17164483/detail.html 

Leiner, B. (December, 2003). A brief history of the internet. In 

Internet Society. Retrieved from 

http://www.isoc.org/internet/history/brief.shtml 

Liu, Z. (2006). Print vs. electronic resources: a study of user 

perceptions, preferences, and use. Information Processing 

and Management: an International Journal, 42(2), 583 – 592. 

Tenopir, C. (2008).Online systems for information access and 

retrieval. Library Trends, 56(4), 816-829. 

7 Oct 

11 

History of 

librarianship 

Library history 

presentations 

8 Oct 

18 

Organization of 

Information 

Svenonius, E. (2000). Information Organization; Bibliographic 

Objectives; Bibliographic Entities. In The Intellectual 

Foundation of Information Organization, 1-14. Cambridge: MIT 

Press. Read Introduction and Bibliographic objectives 

chapters. Pratt Manhattan Library 

or 

Wilson, P. (1968). Subjects and the Sense of Position. In Two 

Kinds of Power; An Essay on Bibliographic Control. Berkeley: 

University of California Press, 69-92. course website. 

and 

Rubin, Chapter 4 

Travis, K. (Sept. 13, 2010). Crowdsourcing Project Hopes to 

Make Short Work of Transcribing Bentham, Chronicle of 

Higher Education. Retrieved from: 

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/crowdsourcingproject-hopes-to-make-short-work-of-transcribingbentham/26829 

4


9 Oct 

25 

no class – 

midterm break 

10 Nov 

1 

Collection 

Development and 

Resource 

Management 

Arizona Collection Development Training Site (All sections). 

Available at: http://www.lib.az.us/cdt/collman.aspx 

Branin, J., Groen, F., & Thorin, S. (2000). The Changing 

Nature of Collection Management in Research Libraries. 

Association of Research Libraries. Library Resources & 

Technical Services, 44 (1), 23-32. H.W. Wilson Library 

Literature & Information Science Full-Text database 

Collection Development Policies for Small Libraries 

PNLA Quarterly 70(2), Winter 2006, 12-16 H.W. Wilson Library 


Note/bookmark: 

Collection Development and the Internet, available at: 

http://www.loc.gov/acq/colldev/handbook.html 

11 Nov 

8 

12 Nov 

15 

Library 

Management 

Discussion of library observations Assignment 2 

due 

Rubin, Chapter 5 (pp.165-173) 

Frank, F. D. & Taylor, C. R. (2004). Talent management: 

Trends that will shape the future. Human Resource Planning, 

27(1), 33-41. Omni File database 

Holcomb, J. M. (2007). Moving into Management: Strategies to 

Take the Pinch Out of Stepping into New Shoes. Law Library 

Journal, 99(1),167-73. H.W. Wilson Library Literature & 

Information Science Full-Text database 

Oder, N. (1999). Libraries of the Year: Strategies for Success. 

Library Journal 124(2), 52-53. H.W. Wilson Library Literature & 

Information Science Full-Text database 


• ALA Library Administration and Management 

Association: 

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/llama/lama.cfm 

• SLA Leadership & Management Division: 

http://units.sla.org/division/dlmd/ 

• Libraries Unlimited, Book Companion: Library and 

Information Center Management, 7th Edition. Web Links: 

http://lu.com/management/weblinks.cfm 

5


13 Nov 

22 

Trends in 

libraries, 

archives, special 

collections 

Rubin, Chapter 5 (pp.173-215) 

BOOKMARK: Libraries and Library Use 

http://www.galbithink.org/libraries/analysis.htm 

Two-Thirds of Americans Have a Library Card. Available at: 

http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=94 

9 

"2010 State of America's Libraries Report," American Library 

Association, March 30, 2010. 

http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/mediapresscenter/am 

ericaslibraries/index.cfm 

Prochaska, A. (Summer, 2003). Special collections in the 

international perspective. Library Trends, Available at: 

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1387/is_1_52/ai_111853 

145/?tag=content;col1 

2010 top ten trends in academic libraries: A review of the 

current literature. Available at: 

http://crln.acrl.org/content/71/6/286.full 

Williams, C. R. & Walters, T. O. (2003). Reference and 

instruction services go virtual as a form of outreach: case 

studies from academic libraries: the new virtual environment. 

Information Outlook. Available at: 

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FWE/is_8_7/ai_10 

6863492 

Miller, M. (2000). As school libraries race forward, it’s time to 

dispel some myths. American Libraries, 47(10), 42-43. H.W. 

Wilson Library Literature & Information Science Full-Text 

database 

14 Nov 

29 

Information Policy 

Issues – 

copyright, 

censorship, 

privacy 

Rubin, Chapters 8 and 9, 

Busha, C. H., & Wedgeworth, R. Censorship and Intellectual 

Freedom. In Wedgeworth, R. (Ed.), World Encyclopedia of 

Library and Information Services, (3rd ed.). Chicago: American 

Library Association. 1993: 182-185. Pratt Manhattan Library 

Whelan, D. L. (2009) Dirty Little Secret: Self-Censorship-- 

School Library Journal, 2/1/2009 Available at: 

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/index.asp?layout=articlePr 

int&articleID=CA6632974 


6


• The Copyright Website: http://www.benedict.com/ 

• U.S. Copyright Office: http://www.copyright.gov/ 

15 Dec 

6 

Ethical 

Considerations 

Rubin, Chapter 10 and 3; 

Symons, A. K. & Stoffle, C. (1998). When Values Conflict. 

American Libraries, 29(5), 56-58. course website. 

Assignment 3 

papers due 

ALA Code of Ethics: 

http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/code 

ofethics/codeethics.cfm 

Milton, S. (2008). Back to Basics: Reviving Ethical Practice in 

Library Management. Electronic Journal of Academic and 

Special Librarianship, 9(1). Available at 

http://southernlibrarianship.icaap.org/content/v09n01/milton_s 

01.html 

Lester, J. and Koehler, W. C. (2003) Fundamentals of 

information studies: understanding information and its 

environment. New York. Neal-Schuman Publishers. Chapter 

11, pp 221-258 Pratt Manhattan Library. 

McMenemy, D. (2007). Librarians and ethics neutrality: 

revisiting the creed of a librarian. Library Review, 56(3), 177- 

181. Emerald Management Xtra Database 

16 Dec 

13 

Professional 

development 

Gordon, R. S. (2005). How To Become a Librarian, Library 

Journal. Available at: 

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA605244.html 

Green, S. S. (1876). Personal Relations Between Librarians 

and Readers. Library Journal, 1, 74-81. Available at: 

http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/jrichardson/DIS220/personal.htm 

Occupational Outlook Handbook, Available at: 

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos068.htm 

Discussion 

Assignment 4 

due 

Wilder, S. (2007). The New Library Professional. The 

Chronicle of Higher Education, Chronicle Careers. Available 

at: 

http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2007/02/2007022001c/careers. 

html 

Auster, E., & Chan, D. C. (2004). Reference librarians and 

keeping up-to-date: A question of priorities. Reference & User 

Services Quarterly, 44 (1), 57-66. H.W. Wilson Library 


MLS: Hire Ground? 


Changes in user behavior and technology and tight budgets 

push public libraries to redeploy—and to some extent use 

fewer—MLS librarians 

7


IV. Course Requirements 

Textbook: 

Rubin, R. E. (2010). Foundations of Library and Information Science (3 rd ed.). New York: Neal- 

Schuman. 

Secondary text: 

Haycock, K., & Sheldon, B. (2008). The portable MLIS. Insights from the experts. Westport, CT: 

Libraries Unlimited. 

Readings: 

Arizona Collection Development Training Site (All sections). Available at: 

http://www.lib.az.us/cdt/intro.htm 

Auster, E., & Chan, D. C. (2004). Reference librarians and keeping up-to-date: A question of 

priorities. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 44(1), 57-66. 

Baeza-Yates, R., & Ribiero-Neto, B. (1999). Modern information retrieval. New York, ACM Press. 

Chapter 1: Introduction. (pp 1-17). 

Bates, M. (1999). The invisible substrate of information science. Journal of the American Society 

for Information Science, 50(12), 1043-1050. 

Beghtol, C. (2005). Ethical decision-making for knowledge representation and organization 

systems for global use. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 

56 (9), 903-912. 

Branin, J., Groen, F., & Thorin, S. (2000). The Changing Nature of Collection Management in 

Research Libraries. Association of Research Libraries. Library Resources & Technical Services, 

44 (1), 23-32. 

Brown, M. (1997). The Field of Information Policy: 1. Fundamental Concepts. Journal of 

Information Science. 23(4), 261-275. 

Buckland, M. (1996). Documentation, Information Science, and Library Science in the USA. 

Information Processing and Management 32: 63-76. 

Collection Development and the Internet, available at: 

http://www.loc.gov/acq/colldev/handbook.html 

Deane. G. (2003). Bridging the value gap: getting past professional values to customer value in 

the public library. Public Libraries 42(5). 315-319. 

Fallis, D. (2007). Information ethics for twenty-first century library professionals. Library Hi Tech, 

25(1), 23-36. 

8


Frank, F. D. & Taylor, C. R. (2004). Talent management: Trends that will shape the future. 

Human Resource Planning, 27(1), 33-41. 

Gordon, R. S. (2005). How To Become a Librarian, Library Journal. Available at: 


Hawks, Carol Pitts. "Building and Managing an Acquisitions Program." Library Acquisitions: 

Practice & Theory, 18 (1994): 297-308. 

Harrison, M. M. (1997). Five-Point Plan for Local Support and Funding for Libraries. An Interview 

with William R. Gordon. Library Administration and Management, 11, 4-8. 

Holcomb, J. M. (2007). Moving into Management: Strategies to Take the Pinch Out of Stepping 

into New Shoes. Law Library Journal, 99(1),167-73. 

Iacovino, L. (2002). Ethical principles and information professionals: theory, practice and 

education. Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 33 (2), 57-74. 

Kuhlthau, C. C. (1991). Inside the search process: Information seeking from the user’s 

perspective. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 42 (5), 361–371. 

Lester, J. and Koehler, W. C. (2003) Fundamentals of information studies : understanding 

information and its environment. New York . Neal-Schuman Publishers. Chapter 11, pp 221-258 

Liddy, E. D. (2002). How a search engine works. Chapter 10 in: Mintz. A. P. (ed.) Web of 

deception. Misinformation on the Internet. Medford, NJ Information Today. (pp. 197-208). 

McClure, C. R. & Hernon, P. (1991). Library and Information Science Research: Perspectives and 

Strategies for Improvement. Westport, CT: Ablex Publishing. 

McMenemy, D. (2007). Librarians and ethics neutrality: revisiting the creed of a librarian. Library 

Review, 56(3), 177-181. 

Miller, M. (2000). As school libraries race forward, it’s time to dispel some myths. American 

Libraries, 47(10), 42-43. 

Milton, S. (2008). Back to Basics: Reviving Ethical Practice in Library Management. Electronic 

Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship, 9(1). Available at 

http://southernlibrarianship.icaap.org/content/v09n01/milton_s01.html 

Ross, C. S. (2003). The reference interview: why it needs to be used in every (well, almost every) 

reference transaction. Reference and User Services Quarterly, 43 (1), 38-41 

Saracevic, T. (1999). Information Science. Journal of the American Society for Information 

Science, 50(9), 1051-1063. 

Schamber, L. (1996). What Is a Document? Rethinking the Concept in Uneasy Times? Journal of 

the American Society for Information Science, 47(9), 669-671. 

Schwartz, C. (2000). Digital libraries: an overview. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 

26(6), 385-393. 

Shera, J. H. and Egan, M.E. (1953). A review of the present state of librarianship and 

documentation. In S.C. Bradford (ed.) Documentation. 2nd ed. London: Crosby pp. 11- 

45. 

9


Symons, A. K. & Stoffle, C. (1998). When Values Conflict. American Libraries 29(5), 56-58. 

Svenonius, E. (2000). Information Organization; Bibliographic Objectives; Bibliographic Entities. 

In The Intellectual Foundation of Information Organization, 1-14. Cambridge: MIT Press. Read 

Introduction and Bibliographic objectives chapters. 

Vakkari, P. (1994). Library and information science: its content and scope. In I. P. Godden (ed.), 

Advances in librarianship. San Diego: Academic Press. Pp. 1-55. 

Vellucci, S. L. (Forthcoming 2007). Knowledge Organization. In M. Radford and P. Snelson 

(eds.), Academic Libraries: Research Perspectives. Chicago: American Library Association. 

Vellucci, S. L. (1997). Bibliographic Relationships. In J. Weihs (ed.), The Principles and Future of 

AACR: Proceedings of the International Conference on the Principles and Future Development of 

AACR, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, October 23-25, 1997. Ottawa: Canadian Library Association; 

Chicago: American Library Association, 1998, pp. 105-146. Article available: http://epe.lacbac.gc.ca/100/200/300/jsc_aacr/bib_rel/r-bibrel.pdf 

Bibliography available: http://epe.lacbac.gc.ca/100/200/300/jsc_aacr/bib_rel2/r-bib.pdf 

Walker, G., & Janes, J. (1999). Online retrieval: A dialogue of theory and practice. 2nd ed. 

Littleton, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited. Chapter 9: Additional search features. (pp. 177-204) & 

Chapter 10: Beyond the basic search. (pp. 205-226). 

Wilder, S. (2007). The New Library Professional. The Chronicle of Higher Education, Chronicle 

Careers 

No longer available through Chronicle; Page not found. 

Wilson, P. (1968). Subjects and the Sense of Position. In Two Kinds of Power; An Essay on 

Bibliographic Control. Berkeley: University of California Press, 69-92. 

Wilson, T. D. (2000) Human Information Behavior. Informing Science, 3(2). Available at: 

http://inform.nu/Articles/Vol3/v3n2p49-56.pdf 

Williams, C. R. & Walters, T. O. (2003). Reference and instruction services go virtual as a form of 

outreach: case studies from academic libraries: the new virtual environment. Information Outlook. 

Available at: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FWE/is_8_7/ai_106863492 

Ethics Readings 

Core Values of Librarianship 

Adopted June 29, 2004, by the ALA Council 

http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/corevaluesstatement/corevalues.cfm 

Code of Ethics of the American Library Association 

Adopted June 28, 1997, by the ALA Council; amended January 22, 2008 (latest) 

http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/codeofethics/codeethics.cfm 

Library Bill of Rights 

Adopted June 18, 1948, by the ALA Council; amended February 2, 1961; amended June 28, 

1967; amended January 23, 1980; inclusion of “age” reaffirmed January 24, 1996. 

http://staging.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/statementsif/librarybillrights.cfm 

10


The Freedom to Read Statement 

Adopted June 25, 1953, by the ALA Council and the AAP Freedom to Read Committee; amended 

January 28, 1972; January 16, 1991; July 12, 2000; June 30, 2004. 

http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/ftrstatement/freedomreadstatement.cfm 

Student’s Bill of Information Rights 

Association for Teacher-Librarianship in Canada, 1995 

http://www.cla.ca/content/navigationMenu/CLAatWork/Divisions/CASL/Business/publications/S 

tudentsBillEnglish.pdf 

Libraries: An American Value 

Adopted February 3, 1999, by the Council of the American Library Association 

http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/americanvalue/librariesamerican.cfm 

Sample ALA Policy: National information Services and Responsibilities 

http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/governance/policymanual/nationalinformation.cfm 

Resolution on the Retention of Library Usage Records 

Adopted by the Council of the American Library Association  Wednesday, J une 28, 2006   New 

Orleans, Louisiana 

http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/ifresolutions/libraryusagerecords.cfm 

ALA Position Statements (various) 

Last Revised: October 29, 2008 

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslproftools/positionstatements/aaslposition.cfm 

Additional Position statements in book list (pg 239) not included on website main page: 

Position Statement on the Value of Library Media Programs in Education 

Last revised: September, 27 2006 

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslproftools/positionstatements/aaslpositionstatementval 

ue.cfm 

Position Statement on the Role of the School Library Media Specialist in Site-Based 

Management 

Last revised: December 9, 2008 

http://www.ala.org/aaslTemplate.cfm?Section=Position_Statements&template=/ContentManage 

ment/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=15846 

Position Statement on the Role of the Library Media Specialist in Outcomes-Based 

Education Scenarios adopted June, 1994 

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslproftools/positionstatements/aaslpositionstatementrole 

library.cfm 

11


Competencies for Special Librarians of the 21st Century 

Revised edition, June 2003 

http://www.sla.org/content/learn/comp2003/index.cfm 

Students' Information Literacy Needs in the 21st Century: Competencies for 

Teacher-Librarians 

Prepared by the Association for Teacher-Librarianship in Canada (ATLC) and the Canadian 

School Library Association (CSLA), November 1997. 

http://www.cla.ca/casl/literacyneeds.html 

Assignments 

Student conduct and grading 

All assignments must be completed to receive a passing grade in the course. 

Assignments must be submitted on time, so that they can be graded consistently and discussed 

in the class session following the due date. Put the date of submission on the cover page as well 

as your name, the course number, and the title of the assignment. 

Except for documented medical and family emergencies, assignments submitted late will receive 

a lower grade for the following reasons: 

(a) students who take more time to prepare their assignments have an unfair advantage over 

their classmates; (b) students who submit their assignments late often benefit from the review in 

class of their colleagues' errors. 

Late papers will receive a grade but no comments. 

Participation 

We will be discussing readings and assignments in class. You should be prepared to 

discuss and/or ask and answer questions based on the readings or exercises. The 

higher and more substantive participation the higher the grade! 

Missing classes 

When you have to miss a class, please, notify the instructor and submit a 1 page 

summary of an article/chapter that you have read for the missed class. 

*Students with 3 absences (for any reason, including documented medical reasons) can not 

expect to receive an A in the course 

*Students with 4 absences or more will be asked to drop the course 

Email communication 

12


Please, include class number (LIS651) in all your class related correspondence. Try to be 

courteous and professional and ALWAYS include your name in the body of the message. 

Assignments: Papers and Presentations 

Assignment 1: Library history presentation. 

Select a topic related to the library history. Read about the topic in the textbook, research 

it on the internet and the library. Make notes and prepare a 5 minute talk about the topic. 

Highlight important and interesting facts about selected period. Turn in your notes to the 

instructor. No formal presentation is necessary for this assignment. 

Choose one of the topics: 

• Sumerian libraries 

• Assyrian libraries 

• Egyptian libraries 

• Alexandrian library 

• Greek libraries 

• Roman libraries 

• Muslim libraries 

• Monastic libraries – middle ages 

• Cathedral and early university libraries 

• Renaissance libraries 

• Impact of printing press on libraries 

• Emergence of national libraries 

• Libraries in the U.S. [Carnegie] 

o Early libraries – social 

o Early libraries – circulating 

o Emergence of special libraries 

o Emergence of academic libraries 

o Emergence of school libraries 

o Emergence of public libraries 

o Presidential libraries [or depositories of government documents] 

o Changing policies towards minorities and ethnic groups 

Assignment 2: Library observation and interview of information professional. 

Select a library of interest. Make an appointment with the director, reference librarian, 

school library media specialist or other professional; explain that you are a library student 

and would like to interview them as a class assignment. Visit the library before the 

interview. Observe the environment and interactions between librarians and visitors, 

librarians/visitors and information systems/collection. 

Your observation might inform your interview questions. School Library Media track 

students will need to spend three (3) hours touring the library and interviewing his/her 

librarian. Please, prepare your interview questions in advance. Your questions can 

concentrate on one professional area of your interest (e.g., collection development, 

internet filtering) or several areas. Please, consider interviewee’s expertise and time 

constraints in developing the questions. Obtain interviewee’s verbal/written consent to 

use his/her name, title or other personal information in your paper/presentation. 

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NOTE: if you are unable to conduct interview in person, you can arrange an on-line 

interview (via chat, email, SecondLife, etc.) 

COORDINATE: you might be interested in the same library as your classmate. We will 

discuss the libraries of your choice in class. If you and somebody else in class are 

interested in the same library, please, try to coordinate your observations, interviews and 

the content of your presentations. 

Deliverables: Summary of findings and in-class discussion. 

Summarize your findings in a 1-5 page paper/outline; be prepared to discuss them in 

class. I’m interested to hear about your experience at the library. Summarize and 

analyze your observation notes. Do not simply describe what you saw/heard; I am 

interested in your critical analysis: if you observed/learned X, Y, Z, what does it mean in 

the context of the library structure, uses, user community, benefits and flaws, etc. 

Examples will be discussed in class. 

Assignment 3: Review of an issue/trend in the Library and Information Field 

Select a topic that you think might be relevant to your future career (see samples of the 

topics below). Research the topic and write an introductory paper (10 pages max). The 

goal of this assignment is for you to learn a new concept/familiarize yourself with an issue 

(s) facing our field, and share your findings with your classmates. Feel free to pick any 

topic of interest. Possible topics include, but are not limited to 

• Digital libraries 

• Electronic media and copyright issues 

• Open source software 

• The digital divide 

• Content control and censorship 

• Privacy: legal, ethical and policy issues 

• Economics of information 

• Library leadership/management issues 

• Current trends in information organization 

• Preservation of digital and/or paper materials 

• Special library (museum, archive, etc.) 

• Library history 

• Information architecture 

The paper for this assignment is due at the end of the semester. However, prepare a 5-15 minute 

presentation on the date when related topic is discussed in class {presentation scheduling will be 

discussed in class]. 

Deliverables: Paper II and Class Presentation. 

Assignment 4: Career planning 

This assignment is designed to help you identify (or narrow down) your career path. 

There are several components to this assignment: 

1. Try to identify a specific type of job(s) you are planning to seek after graduation 

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2. Think where you would look for such a job(s): professional organizations/mailing 

lists/publications, friends. Try to identify sources (digital and/or print) that advertize 

such positions 

3. Research these sources and see what positions are currently available/advertized 

4. Document your findings (the template will be available on course’ site) 

5. During the semester, keep notes on what you are learning about the job market, 

required skills, etc,; how this information changes your initial knowledge/expectations; 

what you feel about it. Summarize your notes in an essay (5 pages max) 

6. Send your job logs and the essay to the instructor on/before the due date 

An additional optional part of this assignment is sending your current resume to instructor 

for critique (no grade). 

For a good list of library-oriented listserv sites check this Web site: 

http://mingo.info-science.uiowa.edu/courses/adults/library_listservs.html 

RESEARCH: please note that your class participation, including your assignments, can 

be used for research purposes. If you want to opt out, notify the instructor 

ALL WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY VIA EMAIL to 

ILOPATOV@PRATT.EDU 

Format 

It is important to follow consistent format for all your assignments. The suggested format 

is APA [the course bibliography is an example of the APA style]: 

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2001). (5th ed.). Washington, 

D.C: American Psychological Association. 

All written assignments must have the following information in the top left corner of the front page: 

student’s name, 

course number, 

assignment or exercise number as listed in the Syllabus 

If references to other works (articles, books...) are included in the summary, they must be 

properly cited in the summary, e.g. Tenopir (2004). 

All written assignments must double-spaced throughout. 

Grading 

A = 4.0 

A- = 3.7 

B+ = 3.3 

B = 3.0 

B- = 2.7 

C+ = 2.3 

C = 2.0 

F = 0 

For details on Pratt Institute grading system please refer to the Graduate Bulletin. 

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Grades for students’ work will be determined as follows: 

Assignment 1: Library history 5% 

Assignment 2: Library observation 25% 

Assignment 3: Trend 20% 

Assignment 4: Career 30% 

Class Participation: 20% 

V. Policies 

Institute-wide policies listed in the “Community Standards” section of the bulletin. 

VI. LMS Addendum 

This course addresses the following New York State Regents guidelines: 

Content Core/NYS LMS CST #74 Frameworks 

Subarea II: Demonstrate understanding of characteristics, uses, procedures regarding library 

resources 

Understand the relationship between the library media program and information 

resources and services beyond the school. (651) 

Understand types and characteristics of print, nonprint, and electronic resources. 

Understand issues and procedures related to collection development. 

Subarea III: Demonstrate understanding of the principles of Information Literacy and teach these 

skills to children 

Understand how to determine information needs and initiate searches and how to 

teach these skills to students. 

(1) Pedagogical Core/Pedagogical knowledge, understanding and skills: 

(v) curriculum development, instructional planning, and multiple research-validated instructional 

strategies for teaching students within the full range of abilities— and skill in designing and 

offering differentiated instruction that enhances the learning of all students in the content area(s) 

of the certificate; 

(vi) uses of technology, including instructional and assistive technology, in teaching and 

learning—and skill in using technology and teaching students to use technology to acquire 

information, communicate, and enhance learning; 

LMS Program Students: 

If you conduct field observation in a school library as part of this course, you may be 

eligible to receive credit toward your 100 hours of observation. If you have questions 

about whether an observation counts toward this requirement, please contact Professor 

Jessica Hochman, LMS coordinator jhochman@pratt.edu 

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Sample Syllabus - Pratt Institute

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