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LIBS 6012: Analyzing and Synthesizing Professional Library
Information
Spring 2016
East Carolina University
Master of Library Science Programs
Department of Interdisciplinary Professions
Instructor
Dr. Elaine Yontz
E-mail: yontzm@ecu.edu
Phone: 252/373-1150
East Carolina University
Ragsdale 112—Mail Stop 172
Greenville, NC 27858-4353
Office Hours:
Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 am - 11:15 am
Other times by appointment
I can meet with you in person in my Ragsdale office, via phone, or
over email.
Messages left at the office phone number, 252/373-1150, are saved
as audio files and immediately sent to me via email.
I ordinarily check PirateMail and Blackboard at least once each
weekday. If I will be away from this schedule due to travel or other
responsibilities, I will let you know ahead of time if I can.
Should you need to contact me in the evening, over a weekend, or
while I am traveling, feel free to call or text to 229/269-9484 (note
Georgia area code). If you text, put your full name and the course
number (6012) in the first message.
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About the Course
Course Description: Planning and conducting basic research and
applying research methods to solve problems are essential skills for
librarians in all types of library settings. Skill as a researcher, and as a
consumer of research publications, is necessary for sharing knowledge,
and advances the field in general. This course will introduce you to
various types of research methods used in the social sciences and how to
apply them appropriately to your personal research as a student and later
as a practicing librarian. Prerequisite: LIBS 6010 or permission of the
instructor.
Course Learning Objectives:
 Understand and apply the fundamentals of quantitative and
qualitative research methods
 Understand and locate research literature of the field
 Apply the principles and methods used to assess the actual and
potential value of new research
 Apply research to professional problems
MLS Program Objective met by LIBS 6012:
2. Analyze, evaluate and synthesize research literature in
library and information science and design basic
practitioner research
Required Texts:
American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the
American Psychological Association (6th ed.).
Washington, DC:
APA.
Wildemuth, B. (2009). Applications of social research methods to
questions in information and library science. Westport, CT:
Libraries Unlimited.
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Course Overview
There are four modules in this course. Each one begins with
chapter readings from the textbook, and three modules include an
assigned landmark study in library and information science. Each
module includes one or more companion activities, such as contributing
to a topic blog or completing a short exercise. Three of the modules
include tests over the readings. Begin each module by doing the
readings, take the test over the readings, and then contribute to the topic
blog. Each module ends with a task or exercise.
Module 1 introduces you to thinking about research in general and
you will read from the textbook, read the landmark study, and contribute
to the topic blog. Then you will take Test 1 in Blackboard. The last task
in Module 1 is to generate a research question(s) of interest, or formulate
a hypothesis(ses). By the end of the course, you will be prepared to
develop a brief research proposal based on the research question(s) or
hypothesis(ses).
Module 2 prepares you to explore and select the most appropriate
research design to pursue the research questions or hypotheses and find
related research on your topic. You will read from the textbook, read the
landmark study, and contribute to the topic blog. Then you will take
Test 2 in Blackboard, and complete a database search exercise.
Module 3 prepares you to determine what data would be collected,
and how it might be collected in search of answers to your research
question(s) or to support your hypothesis(es). You will read from the
textbook, read the landmark study, and contribute to the topic blog.
Then you will take Test 3 in Blackboard, and complete a citation
exercise.
Module 4 completes the course by asking students to write a brief
research proposal based on their own research question(s) and providing
critiques for two other students’ research proposals. Students may work
with a classmate-partner to develop the research proposal. You will read
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from the textbook, complete CITI training modules, develop a brief
research proposal, post it to a discussion board, and critique two other
classmates’ proposals.
The CITI training modules may be completed at any time during the
course, but must be completed and reported by December 14. I suggest
working on the CITI modules early in the course, as the information in
the modules may affect how you want to design your final course
project.
100 score points are distributed across these activities as follows:
 Tests = 15 points (5 points for each of three tests)
 Blogs = 30 points (10 points each for three topic blogs)
 Exercises and CITI exam – 15 points (five points each for three
tasks)
 Research proposal = 35 points
 Critique of classmates’ proposals = 5 points
Critical Dates
Classes begin
Personal Introductions due
State Holiday
Module 1 due
Spring Break
Module 2 due
Drop course without academic penalty by 5pm
State Holiday
Module 3 due
Classes End
Reading Day
Final Exams
Module 4 and TaskStream due*
Course grades visible in OneStop by 5pm
Jan 11
Jan 15
Jan 18
Feb 8
March 6-13
March 14
March 21
March 25-27
April 4
April 26
April 27
April 28-May 5
May 2
May 7
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* Internal deadlines for Module 4
 April 11: Post research proposal draft on Discussion Board
 April 18: Critique 2 classmates' proposals on Discussion Board
 May 2: Post your final research proposal in two places: Blackboard
and TaskStream
 May 2: Complete the reflection in TaskStream
 May 2: Complete CITI online tutorials and submit completion
report
About the Assignments
Complete information about the assignments is contained in
separate module folders under the “Assignments” button at the
Blackboard course site. Each module includes a reading assignment and
related activities. Activities include four writing assignments (three
blogs and a research proposal, which is the course artifact), three tests
over the readings, and completion of an online training program (CITI
training).
Because it is not unusual, and can be very useful for investigators
to partner and then collaborate on research projects, you will be able to
collaborate with one other student in the class on the course artifact.
Only one assignment per partnership should be submitted. The partners
will receive the same grade. It is up to partners to determine that the
work distribution is fair and equal. If you choose not to collaborate or if
you begin the course late, you can work individually on the assignments
with no penalties.
The College of Education and the Master of Library Science
Program have chosen the American Psychological Association
publication style using the in-text and reference list options as the
required style. A quick guide is available at http://www.apastyle.org/
You should now own a copy of the Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association (6th Ed.). For online guides to APA style,
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including the APA Style Guide to Electronic References, see
http://www.ecu.edu/cs-lib/Reference/refdesk/style.cfm These
documents are included, along with an APA tutorial under the “Other
Course Docs” button.
How to Complete and Submit Assignments
Assignments are due by 11:59 pm on the due date. If an
assignment is submitted late, I will grade it if I have time, but I reserve
the right not to accept it. This means, the only way to make sure that
your assignment will be graded is to meet the due date. If you need an
extended deadline, contact me in advance if you can; I will be as flexible
as I can be. The exception to this policy involves your final research
proposal and reflection; see below.
Your final research proposal and the reflection are your “final
exam” for this course. The research proposal is due in both Blackboard
and Taskstream on May 2, and the Reflection assignment is due in
TaskStream on May 2. May 2 is the Monday of Exam Week.
If your research proposal is not in Blackboard and your
research proposal and reflection are not in TaskStream by May 2,
your course grade will be reduced by one letter.
Like most of the MLS program courses, this is a writing-intensive
course. For students who recognize that writing may be a barrier to their
success, I highly recommend the University Writing Center’s Online
Writing Lab. Lab personnel will review papers submitted online and
return them with diagnostic suggestions for improvement. Complete
information on how to submit is available at:
https://ecu.mywconline.com/
Review and Grading of Assignments
Grading will be based on the following criteria: adherence to
assignment requirements; the detailed, concise and logical presentation
of information that addresses the assignment requirements; use of
resource materials to justify responses; and use of appropriate grammar
and style. This is a graduate-level course: the instructor will be
expecting and grading all assignments at that level of ability. Written
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work that shows a lack of understanding of subject matter, is unclear or
poorly organized, contains few or irrelevant details, does not follow
directions, contains little or unsubstantiated evaluative commentary, or
is otherwise poorly written, prepared (e.g. typos, grammatical errors), or
documented will receive low grades. Please remember that while an
electronic spell check of a document will note most misspellings, spell
checkers do not recognize context and verb agreement. This is still
something that people do better than machines.
Students should use the Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association (6th ed.) to prepare citations in this course.
You will learn in the course about ways to copy reference citations from
the web, but please know that these are not always done correctly. You
are responsible for editing these to conform to APA style if necessary.
Grading Scale: The course assignments total 100 points in value.
These points comprise your final grade for the course. The grading scale
is as follows:
93 - 100 total points results in a final grade of "A"
85 - 92 total points results in a final grade of "B"
75 - 84 total points results in a final grade of "C"
00-74 total points results in a final grade of “F”
Additional Course Information and ECU Course Policies
ADA Accommodation
East Carolina University seeks to comply fully with the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Americans with Disabilities
Amendments Act (ADAA). Students requesting accommodations based
on a disability must be registered with the Department for Disability
Support Services (DSS) http://www.ecu.edu/cs-studentlife/dss/ and
located in Slay 138 (252) 737-1016 (Voice/TTY).
Individuals in need of additional information or training should
contact DSS at (252) 737-1016.
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Copyright
The intellectual property used or created in LIBS 6012 and fixed in
any tangible medium (electronic or paper format) is fully protected by
the copyright law as embodied by US Code Title 17. Examples of
intellectual property include the intellectual property of you and your
classmates as expressed in course assignments and electronic discourses,
and the course instructor as expressed in his course syllabus, class
assignments, course resources, and presentations of an audio/video
nature. The copyright law does allow what is described as “fair use" of
copyright materials. Under “fair use” of copyright protected materials
used or generated within LIBS 6012, students may only utilize protected
intellectual property in support of their education pursuits in this class as
long as fully cited and authorship/creator acknowledgement is noted.
Please ask the instructor if you have any questions regarding copyright
law and “fair use.”
Privacy
While individual privacy is highly valued, it should be noted that
there is no absolute safeguard to guarantee and protect the right to
privacy in all circumstances and environments. Accidents may happen,
mistakes can be made, and safeguards can be overcome.
As a result, students should be hesitant to share personally
identifiable information (i.e. personal contact information, Student ID
number, etc.) or other sensitive information (i.e. personal finances,
health information, gripes about supervisors or work situations) about
themselves, their family members, or close friends.
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to turn in original work and adhere to the
principles of Academic Integrity. All resources quoted, noted, or used
as an example in students’ work should be provided at the end of the
course artifact as “References,” and noted with in-text references.
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Students shall avoid all forms of academic dishonesty, including
but not limited to:
 Cheating - obtaining or attempting to obtain, or aiding another to
obtain credit for work, or any improvement in evaluation of
performance, by any dishonest or deceptive means.
 Plagiarism – the use or nearly exact use of others’ intellectual
property without attribution and without enclosing the property in
quotation marks or other identifying notation. Multiple and
extended quotes or paraphrasing of another’s intellectual property
will be considered plagiarism even if the source is named when it
degrades the overall originality of the work. Basically this means
you cannot cabbage together an assignment from found
documents.
 Submitting work prepared for another course – do not submit in
whole or part, assignments that have been prepared for another
course. This defeats the
learning objectives of the assignment,
unfairly advantages you over other
students, and would usually
earn a poor grade anyway because it would not match elements on
the grading rubric.
These are behaviors I expect of all students:
 I will use only my own assigned/selected username and password
when participating in online activities such as tests or assignments.
 I will use only materials permitted by my instructor while taking
online tests.
 I will discuss only appropriate course materials and not test content
with other students.
 I will do my own work and will not share individual assignments
with others unless I have the instructor’s permission.
 I will prepare assignments and cite materials according to APA
style.
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 I will not provide answers to other students during a test, such as
using an online communication tool to send/receive answers.
 I will not copy and or provide another student with test questions
accessed during an exam.
 Any student suspected of violating ECU’s Academic Integrity
policy will be charged accordingly. The complete policy and
charge procedures are available at:
http://www.ecu.edu/csstudentlife/policyhub/academic_integrity.cf
m
Technology Related Information
Contingency Plan for Course Delivery in Case of Technical Challenges
PirateMail is the supplementary communication vehicle for the
course and is our first choice if Blackboard becomes unavailable. I will
use either provided phone numbers or alternate email addresses to
deliver course information in the event that both ECU email and
Blackboard fail for an extended period of time. Extreme emergencies
resulting in wide scale electrical, phone outages will be dealt with as
appropriate to the situation and following procedures determined by the
University.
Technology Assistance and Resources
Technical assistance and resources for using Blackboard software are
available within the course Blackboard site (Blackboard Support tab at
the top of the window).
Technology Requirements
In order to successfully complete this course, you will be required to
have access to and be able to effectively use personal computers, the
Internet, email programs, online databases, and Microsoft Word. While
I can sometimes offer advice and counsel with the use of these
technologies, I’m not able to troubleshoot your computer. But I will
help you as best I can and refer you elsewhere for assistance.
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Use the latest version of either Firefox or Chrome as the browser
when you are using Blackboard. Previous experience has shown that
several Blackboard features will not work properly if you don’t.
Back up all your documents for this course. $5 spent on a thumb
drive could be the best $5 you will ever spend. And don’t ever give a
university professor your only copy of anything .
Please note: This syllabus may be subject to change before or during the
CURRENT semester. Changes to the syllabus will be posted as
Announcements.