University of Maryland
College of Information Studies
Management and Administration for the Information Professional
LBSC 635
Course Syllabus
Fall 2012
Dr. Bruce W. Dearstyne
bdearsty@umd.edu
Introduction
Welcome to LBSC 635, Management and Administration for the Information Professional!
This course is offered entirely online via the University’s Enterprise Learning Management
System (ELMS), asynchronously. There are no classroom meetings. ELMS is based on the
Blackboard electronic system. It is very user-friendly! Teaching and learning in ELMS will be a
rich and rewarding experience. It gives us the ability for online discussions in a number of
forums, described below. Before you begin, if you’re not familiar with ELMS, which uses the
Blackboard system, there are three places to get a quick orientation:

University of Maryland Office of Technology/Academic Support:
http://www.oit.umd.edu/as

Blackboard’s web site: http://www.blackboard.com

The “Introduction to ELMS” in the “Course Documents” section of the course web site
If you have problems with ELMS, please call 301-405-1400, Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. through
5:00 P.M. or e-mail: elms-support@umd.edu. If you have other questions or problems, please let me
know.
The course is described on the College’s web site as “Management and administrative theory and
principles and their implications and applications to information organizations.” It is designed to
introduce students to the principles, practices, and techniques of management and apply them to
building strong library, archives, and other information programs.
Please read the entire syllabus at the beginning of the course. It provides a roadmap for how the
course is organized and how it will proceed. You will note that you have a good deal of choice in
assignments – you can skip one of the written assignments and one of the weekly discussions;
there is a choice of readings each week; a paper whose topic you select; and one unit, 12, on
another topic you can select if you opt to do this unit.
Please also access the course web site and become familiar with the material under each heading.
Getting started. We would like to get to know you! Please begin by writing a one-page minibiography with information that you are willing to share with your colleagues in class, e.g., your
name, current position, career goals, subject area interests, the type of projects that you currently
manage or expect to manage, project management issues and challenges that most interest you,
and any other information you would like to include. This will help me and your colleagues in
class get to know you. It will also help me develop the group projects. Please post to the Class
Bio Forum by Sept. 1
Code of Academic Integrity. In all of the work for the course, students must abide by the
University’s Code of Academic Integrity. It is particularly important to follow appropriate rules
for quoting, citations, and footnoting. Please review this statement before the course begins at:
http://www/president.umd.edu/policies/docs/III-100A.pdf
Contacting the professor. If you have any questions during the course, please contact me via
ELMS or just e-mail me directly: bdearsty@umd.edu.
Discussion Board Forums
I will use the Announcements tool to disseminate information to the class, including information
about the course schedule, syllabus or assignments. I also e-mail the class from time to time, and
occasionally messages are disseminated in both e-mail and via the Announcements tool.
We will use four online discussion forums, also called “discussion boards,” in the course – two
for assignments and two others just for information sharing.
1. Weekly Discussion Forums. For five of the weeks, there is a weekly discussion topic
related to the theme of the week. Please participate in four of these, your choice. These
are discussed below.
2. Group Project Forums. We will use these forums in Units 13 and 14 to discuss,
analyze, and critique group reports, discussed below.
3. Class Bio Forum. As noted above, please begin by writing a short mini-biography with
information that you are willing to share with your colleagues in class. Please post by
Sept. 1
4. Management Issues Forum. This is an informal discussion forum; participation not
required, no credit. Please post as you wish. It is used for noting new publications, calling
attention to news in the field, describing management issues in the field, or commenting
on management problems. You may also use it to ask your colleagues in the course for
advice on sources for your research papers. It is open-ended; please use for discussion of
management issues related to information professionals.
Readings
Please note that there is a good deal of choice in what you read for the course. You can select
based on your interests and needs.
Book. One book is required for the course: Bruce W. Dearstyne, Managing Records and
Information Programs: Principles, Techniques and Tools. Lenexa, KS: ARMA International
2009. This book was written specifically for information professionals in any information
program. Copies are available at the bookstore, or you may order via Amazon or in any other
way you wish.
There are a few additional optional book chapters, available in PDF on the “Course Documents”
section of the course web site under “Book Chapters”
Articles. Articles are available online and can be accessed via the University Library's research port. You
can select databases by subject or name. These databases may be particularly helpful: Quick Search,
Article First, Academic Search Premier, Business Source Complete, Emerald, Google Scholar. I have
found that the best one to access the articles is Business Source Complete. I suggest typing in the full title
of the article; that seems to work better in some cases than entering the author’s name. If you have any
problems, contact the Library (a good place to start is their Ask Us! page:
http://www.lib.umd.edu/help.html), or let me know.
Some of these articles have long sections on research methodology near the beginning. Often you can
skim this to save time, and concentrate on the findings and conclusions.
Other items in the syllabus are available on the web by clicking on the URL noted in the syllabus.
Other material. Other items are available online by clicking on the URL provided in the
syllabus.
Assignments
There are three types of assignments: (1) weekly assignments; (2) a short research paper; and (3)
a group project.
Please note that all assignments must be completed on time. If there are extenuating
circumstances, such as illness or some other unexpected event, please contact me and we will
work something out.
Please note that there are no exams in this course.
1. Weekly Assignments.
Please peruse the unit lecture notes each week. The notes are posted in the Course Content
folder, linked from the Course Menu. The lecture notes provide interpretations and insights,
particularly on management issues; summarize other experts; and supplement the readings. They
also provide a partial basis for the weekly discussions or written assignments.
Please also read the assigned readings each week.
There are two types of weekly assignments – 4 short written essays and 4 online discussions.
Units 3,5,7,9 and 12: Four short written essays (5-8 pages double spaced). There are five of
these but you need to submit only FOUR, your choice. That is, you can skip one, based on
your time and interests. (However, once you submit an essay, it will count. That is, you cannot
ask for it not to count once it is submitted and graded.) The assignments are specified each week.
The essays should work in references to the unit’s reading and other course material but should
also reflect your own observations and experience.
These four essays will count for 25% of the course grade.
Units 4,6,8, 10 and 11: Four online discussions. Please note that there are five of these but you
need to participate in only four, your choice. That is, you can skip one based on your time and
interests. (However, once you participate in the discussion, it will count; that is, you cannot ask
for it not to count once it is completed and graded.)
For each of the units you select, you need to post at least twice – an original post (new “thread”) the first
day of the discussion (Wednesday) and at least one more anytime during the discussion. The second post
may be another original post, or it may be a response to someone else.
Please refer to the document Guidelines for Online Discussions on the course web site, which discusses
this in detail, before the first discussion.
Your participation in these online discussions is a requirement of the course and will count for
20% of the grade
2. Short research paper on a management or administration topic of interest to you
Please complete a short research paper of approximately 15 - 20 pages (double spaced)
on a topic of your choice.
It must relate to leadership, management, or administration of information programs and
must be approved by me. It should be on a topic that interests you and it needs to be
precise enough that you can carry out the research in the time available during the
semester and handle it in a paper of this length. The paper may cover a topic that is
related to your own work situation or career interests. For instance, you might want to do
research on a particular information program management issue, a problem you are
facing or expect to face, some aspect of management effectiveness, or some model
practices or techniques.
The paper must be adequately researched, well organized, clearly written, carefully
proofread, present a clear thesis or argument, include appropriate footnotes in proper
form, and include a bibliography that notes sources consulted.
Please send me a proposal by ELMS e-mail by Sept. 7. The proposal can be short – a
page or less should be enough -- and should address the following:





Your name
Title of the topic
A short description of it (a few sentences), including researchable
questions
Initial list of sources – titles of a few books, journals you expect to consult
(you don’t need to cite specific articles for the proposal), web sites, etc.
This does not need to be a long list; just enough so that it is clear that a
critical mass of source material exists.)
A few sentences on why you are interested in this topic
The final version of the paper is due by December 5; late papers are not acceptable
unless there are extenuating circumstances. If there are, please contact me in advance.
“Suggestions for Research Papers” in the “Course Documents” section of the course web
site provides some additional suggestions.
The paper will count for 25% of the grade.
3. Group Projects
We will divide the class into teams, based on class size and in part on the interests you
express in your biographical sketches in the Class Bio forum. The number of groups will
depend on the size of the class.
Each of the teams will be given a problem or issue in management or administration of
information programs to address. The objective is to give you an opportunity to
collaborate in addressing an issue or problem and present your findings, working in an
online environment. This will also give you experience in working on a mini-project
within a defined timeframe, which should provide additional insights into how projects
actually work.
To the degree practicable, I will try to take into account your interests as expressed in the
Class Bio forum in making the assignments, and to release the assignments by September
8.
Each team will be assigned collaborative workspace in ELMS with four tools: discussion,
file exchange, e-mail, and virtual classroom. Each team needs to select a team chair, and
you may organize and proceed as you wish. You may collaborate online using the ELMS
tools, use e-mail, meet face-to-face, use an external collaboration tool such as Google
Docs, or all of the above. Each group will need to carry out some outside research, as
appropriate.
The group project report, no more than 10 pages, double spaced, should include
references and citations to particularly helpful articles, interviews, and other sources that
the group used. It should also pose, at the end, 2-3 questions or concerns to get the online
discussion started.
During the final two weeks of the course (Units 13 and 14), the class will discuss the
project reports online, launching the discussion from the 2-3 questions that each group
poses in their report. We may establish two or more forums that week, one for each case
study.
Everyone is expected to participate in the discussion, but we will need to work out the
mechanics depending on class size and the number of teams and reports.
Students not on the team that developed the report may comment on strategies, raise
questions, challenge the report’s approaches, identify gaps and shortcomings, suggest
alternate solutions, comment on the report in light of the readings and lectures in the
course, reflect on it based on their own experience, identify areas where additional
research or analysis is needed, identify implementation challenges, and otherwise
comment on it.
Students on the team may wish to elaborate on or embellish the report’s
recommendations, explain alternatives that were discussed but not selected, answer
questions, and respond to other students’ posts.
The group reports must be submitted by Friday, November 23, midnight. The online
discussions are scheduled to take place November 27-Dec. 3 and Dec. 4-10. The
scheduling will depend on class size and the number of groups and reports.
The group project report will count for 20% of the grade for the course. The grade will
be awarded to each group.
Your comments on and discussions of the reports will count for 10% of the grade.
Grading
As noted above, grades will be assigned as follows:
*
*
*
*
*
Unit written assignments
Participating in weekly topic discussions
Research paper
Group project/report
Comments on the group project reports
25% of grade
20%
25%
20%
10%
Course Units
Unit 1. Managing Information Programs: Issues and Challenges
August 29-Sept. 1
Lecture notes: Issues and Challenges in Managing Information Programs (in the Course
Documents section on the course web site)
Readings: Please read Dearstyne, Managing Records and Information Programs, Ch. 3
And any two of the following.
American Library Association, The State of America’s Libraries, 2012. Please
read the Executive Summary, Introduction, and the sections you find of interest.
http://www.ala.org/news/mediapresscenter/americaslibraries/soal2012
Association of College and Research Libraries, Environmental Scan 2010.
http://www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/publications/whitepapers/EnvironmentalS
can201.pdf
Institute for Museum and Library Services, The Future of Museums and
Libraries: A Discussion Guide. 2009.
http://www.imls.gov/assets/1/AssetManager/DiscussionGuide.pdf
Roger Levien, Confronting the Future: Strategic Visions For the 21st Century
Public Library. ALA Office of Information Technology Policy, 2011.
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oitp/publications/policybriefs/confronting
_the_futu.pdf
Karen Munro, “Resistance vs. Sustainability: The Future of Libraries.” Aug. 24,
2011. http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2011/resilience-vssustainability-the-future-of-libraries
Bryan S. Vogh, “Opportunities and Challenges for Libraries: An Open Letter,”
College & Undergraduate Libraries, 18 (2011), 97-103
Written assignment: None this week
Online discussion: None this week
Unit 2. The Information Professional as Manager
September 2-8
Lecture notes: The Information Professional as Manager (in the Course Documents section on
the course web site)
Readings:
Please read
Dearstyne, Managing Records and Information Programs, Chs. 1-2.
And any two of the following:
John Hamm, “The Five Messages Leaders Must Manage,” Harvard Business
Review 79 (May 2006), 114-123
Ronald Heifetz et al, “Leadership in a (Permanent) Crisis,” Harvard Business
Review 87 (July/August 2009), 62-69.
Linda A. Hill, “New Manager Development For the 21st Century,” Academy of
Management Executive 81 (August 2004), 121-126.
John P. Kotter, “What Leaders Really Do,” Harvard Business Review 79
(December 2001), 85-96
Allen I. Kraut et al., “The Role of the Manager: What’s Really Important in
Different Management Jobs,” Academy of Management Executive 19 (2005), 122129.
Michael D. Watkins, “How Managers Become Leaders,” Harvard Business
Review 90 (June 2012), 65-72.
Gary Yukl and Richard Lepsinger, “Why Integrating The Leading and Managing
Roles is Essential for Organizational Effectiveness,” Organizational Dynamics
34 (November 2005), 361-375.
Written assignment: None this week
Online discussion: None this week
Unit 3. Strengthening and Changing Programs
September 9 - 15
Lecture notes: Strengthening and changing programs (in the Course Documents section on the
course web site)
Readings:
Brian Matthews, “Think Like a Startup: A White Paper to Inspire Library
Entrepreneurialism,”
2012.
http://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/18649/Think%20like%20a%20STA
RTUP.pdf?sequence=1
And any three of the following:
Maria Carpenter, “Cheerleader, Opportunity Seeker, and Master Strategist: ARL
Directors as Entrepreneurial Leaders,” College and Research Libraries 73
(January 2012), 11-32
Jon E. Cawthorne, “Leading From the Middle of the Organization: An
Examination of Shared Leadership in Academic Libraries,” Journal of Academic
Librarianship, 36 (March 2010), 151-157.
Edie Hedlin, “Meeting Leadership Challenges: Lessons from Experience,” in
Bruce W. Dearstyne, ed., Leading and Managing Archives and Records Programs
(New York: Neal-Schuman, 2008), 163-181. (In the Book Chapters part of the
Course Documents section of the course web site.)
Kathleen DeLong, “The Engagement of New Library Professionals in
Leadership,” Journal of Academic Librarianship 35 (September 2009), 445-456.
George Maritz et al, “Leadership Skills for Archivists,” American Archivist 74
(Spring/Summer 2011), 102-122.
Lynn Olver, “So You’re the New Director? Twelve Points to Help You Survive
The First Year,” Public Libraries 50 (March/April 2011), 6-7.
Written assignment (due Saturday, Sept. 15, midnight): Based on the readings for the first three
units, and your own experience, please discuss what you believe are the most important
leadership and management issues for information programs, and indicate how, as a program
director, you would address them.
Online discussion: None this week.
Unit 4. Strategic Planning and Program Development
Sept. 16-22
Lecture notes: Strategic planning and program development (in the Course Documents section of
the course web site)
Readings:
Dearstyne, Managing Records and Information Programs, Ch. 4. (Please also peruse
Appendix A)
Clayton M. Christensen, “Making Strategy: Learning By Doing,” Harvard Business
Review, 75/6 (November/December 1997), 141-156.
Gary L. Neilson et al., “The Secrets to Successful Strategy Execution,” Harvard Business
Review 86 (June 2008), 61-70.
Robert S. Kaplan and David Norton, “Mastering the Management System,” Harvard
Business Review 86 (January 2008), 63-77.
Written Assignment: None this week.
Online discussion (Sept. 19-22): Please discuss the best approaches to developing a sound
strategic plan for an information program. Some questions that you might address: What is an
effective plan? What factors do you need to address? How would you change the list of “Traits
of a Sound Strategic Plan” in this week’s lecture notes? If you’ve been part of a strategic
planning effort, what went right; what went wrong? What are the best approaches for executing
the plan? Is the approach advocated by Brian Matthews in the reading in Unit 3 consistent, or not
consistent, with the other readings for this week?
Unit 5. Partnerships and Advocacy
Sept. 23-29
Lecture notes: Partnerships and Advocacy (in the Course Documents section on the course web
site)
Readings:
Please read any two of the following:
And please read any two of the following:
Lewis Bellardo, “Observations on Thirty Years of Advocacy,” in Larry Hackman,
ed., Many Happy Returns (Chicago: SAA, 2011), 86-106 (in the Book Chapters
part of the Course Documents section on the course web site.)
Dearstyne, Managing Records and Information Programs, Ch. 3.
Carol Lee Anderson, “Moving the Library Agenda Forward: Librarians
Collaborating With the Chief Library Administrator to Cultivate Campus
Constituencies,” Journal of Library Administration, 51 (February – March 2011),
179-188
Kerry Cole et al, “Marketing the Library in a Digital World, ” Serials Librarian
58 (January – June 2010), 182-187.
Ivan Gaetz, “Collaborative Librarianship: New Light on a Brilliant Concept,”
Collaborative Librarianship (2009), 1-12.
Carol Ann Germain, “A Brand New Way of Looking at Library Marketing,”
Public Services Quarterly 4 (2008), 73-78.
Barbara Haws, “Advocating Within the Institution: Twenty-five Years for the
New York Philharmonic Archives,” in Larry Hackman ed., Many Happy Returns
(Chicago: SAA, 2011), 186-199 (in the Book Chapters part of the Course
Documents section of the course web site)
Philip Mooney, “Stranger in a Strange Land: The Archivist and the Corporation,”
in Bruce Dearstyne ed., Leading and Managing Archives and Records Programs
(New York: Neal-Schuman, 2008), 183-203 ((in the Book Chapters part of the
Course Documents section of the course web site)
William Saffady, “Making the Business Case for Records Management,”
Information Management 45 (January/February 2011), 38-41.
Please peruse any of the following that are of interest:
American Library Association, A Communications Handbook for Libraries
(2004).
http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/advleg/advocacyuniversity/advclearinghou
se/commhandbook.pdf
Materials on ALA Office of Advocacy page. http://www.ala.org/offices/ola
Association of College and Research Libraries, The Value of Academic Libraries:
A
Comprehensive
Research
Review
and
Report.
2010.
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/value/val_report.pdf
Association of College and Research Libraries, The Value of Academic Libraries
Toolkit.
http://www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/value/valueofacademiclibrariestool
kit.cfm
Society of American Archivists, American Archives Month: The Power of
Collaboration. 2011. http://www2.archivists.org/initiatives/american-archivesmonth
Written assignment (due Saturday, Sept. 29, midnight): Your choice of either (A) or (B):
A. Strong library and information programs require a good deal of cooperation, support, and
partnering from within the institutions they serve. This is particularly true in an era of the
growing importance of the Web, electronic connections, social networking technologies,
and mobile devices. What are the best strategies for a program manager to use to build
connections that enable the program to better serve the institution and, at the same time,
enable the program to leverage the resources from these connections?
Or
B. What are the best strategies for building a network of supporters and advocates for a
library or other information program?
Online discussion: None this week
Unit 6. Policies for Human Resources
Sept. 30 – Oct. 6
Lecture notes: Policies for human resources (in the Course Documents section of the course web
site)
Readings:
Dearstyne, Managing RIM Programs, Ch. 5.
And any two of the following:
Teresa Amabile and Mukti Khaire, “Creativity and the Role of the Leader,”
Harvard Business Review 86 (October 2008), 100-109.
David A. Garvin et al, “Is Yours a Learning Organization?” Harvard Business
Review 86 (March 2008), 109-116.
Daniel Goleman and Richard Boyatzis, “Social Intelligence and the Biology of
Leadership,” Harvard Business Review 86 (September 2008), 74-81
Jon R. Katzenbach et al., “Cultural Change That Sticks: Start With What’s
Already Working,” Harvard Business Review 90 (July/August 2012), 110-117.
Guy Kawasaki, “Ten Steps to Enchanting Your Employees,” Leader to Leader 65
(Summer 2012)
http://www.hesselbeininstitute.org/knowledgecenter/journal.aspx?ArticleID=923
James L. Perry et al, “Motivating Employees in a New Governance Era: The
Performance Paradigm Revisited,” Public Administration Review 66 (July/August
2006), 505-514.
Written assignment: None this week
Online discussion (October 3-6): What are the most effective policies, strategies, and
approaches that a program director can use to encourage and foster creativity and transform it
into customer responsiveness and innovation?
Unit 7. Managing People
Oct. 7 - 13
Lecture notes: Managing people (in the Course Documents section of the course web site)
Readings:
Dearstyne, Managing Records and Information Programs, Chs. 6,7.
Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer, “How Leaders Kill Meaning at Work,” McKinsey
Quarterly 1 (2012), 124-131.
Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith, “The Discipline of Teams,” Harvard Business
Review 71 (March/April 1993), 111-120.
Ales Pentland, “The New Science of Building Great Teams,” Harvard Business Review
90 (April 2012),61-70
Written assignment (due Saturday October 13, midnight): The readings and lecture notes for
Units 6 and 7 approach the issue of “human resources management” from different backgrounds
and experiences. Unit 6 is primarily concerned with motivation and encouraging people; Unit 7
deals more with the practical aspects of staff supervision. Using these two week’s readings and
lectures as a starting point and basis for the discussion (and, as usual, bringing in your own
experiences/observations as appropriate), please address any or all of these questions in your
essay:




What are the most effective approaches to developing employees and organizing
work of the program so that employees’ skills are a good match for the work?
What should be the goals or priorities of an information program’s personnel policies
in developing its employees?
When recruiting and hiring new staff, what mix of knowledge/skills/abilities should
you look for?
How should you deal with difficult staff?
Online discussion topic: None this week
Unit 8. Managing for Performance
Oct. 14-20
Lecture notes: Managing for performance (in the Course Documents section of the course web
site)
Readings: Please read any four of the following
Chun Wei Choo, “The Knowing Organization as Learning Organization,” Education and
Training 43/4-5 (2001), 197-206.
Michael Chui et al., “Six Ways to Make Web 2.0 Work,” McKinsey Quarterly, Issue 2
(2009), 64-73.
Jay A. Conger, “The Necessary Art of Persuasion,” Harvard Business Review 76
(May/June, 1998), 84-95.
Marilyn Darling, Charles Parry, and Joseph Moore, “Learning in the Thick of It,”
Harvard Business Review 83 (July – August, 2005), 84-92.
Jay J. Jamrog et al, “High Performance Organizations: Finding the Elements of
Excellence,” People & Strategy 31 (2008), 29-38.
Robert S. Kaplan, “Strategic Performance Measurement and Management in Nonprofit
Organizations,” Nonprofit Management and Leadership 11 (Spring 2001), 353-370.
Written assignment: None this week
Online discussion topic (October 17-20): A number of the readings this week, and several
previous readings, focus on the issue of workplace culture. In your discussion, please indicate
how you would define this concept, how you assess its importance, and how as a manager you
would strengthen it.
Unit 9. Management Techniques and Tools
Oct. 21-27
Lecture notes: Management techniques and tools (in the Course Documents section of the course
web site)
Readings:
Dearstyne, Managing Records and Information Programs, Chs. 8, 9, 10
And any one of the following:
Kenneth R. Brousseau et. al, “The Seasoned Executive’s Decision-Making Style,”
Harvard Business Review 84 (February 2006), 110-121.
Lawrence G. Hrebiniak, “Obstacles to Effective Strategy Implementation,”
Organizational Dynamics 35 (2006), 12-31
Andrew Campbell et al, “Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions,” Harvard
Business Review 87 (January 2009), 60-66.
Warren Bennis et al, “Creating a Transparent Culture,” Leader-to-Leader 50
(Fall 2008),
http://www.leadertoleader.org/knowledgecenter/journal.aspx?ArticleID=741
Written assignment (due Saturday, October 27, midnight). Focusing on any one (or more than
one if you wish) of the techniques and tools in Chs. 8 and 9 of Managing Records and
Information Programs or in the articles, please what you regard as their strengths, assess their
limitations, and discuss how you might apply them as a manager.
Online discussion: None this week
Unit 10. Managing Fiscal Resources
Oct. 28-November 3
Lecture notes: Managing fiscal resources (in the Course Documents section of the course web
site)
Readings:
Dearstyne, Managing Records and Information Programs, Ch. 11
And any two of the following:
Bruce W. Dearstyne, “Facing the Economic Storm: Navigating RIM Programs
Through Hard Times,” Information Management 43 (March/April 2009), 24-26,
28-30.
Anthony M. Cresswell, Return on Investment in Information Technology: A Guide
for Managers (SUNY Albany: Center for Technology in Government, 2004).
http://www.ctg.albany.edu/publications/guides/roi
James-Gilboe, Lynda, “Raising the Library Profile to Fight Budget Challenges,”
Serials Librarian 59 (October-December 2010), 360-369.
Charles Lowry, “Year 2 of the ‘Great Recession’: Surviving the Present by
Building the Future,” Journal of Library Administration 51 (January 2011), 3753.
Written Assignment: None this week.
Online discussion (Oct. 31-Nov. 3): Libraries and other information programs face considerable
budget and resource challenges in these difficult economic times. Please discuss any or all of the
following about how you would approach these challenges as a manager of such a program:
Developing a budget that is economical but also provides adequate services and builds for the
future (to pick up on the title of one of this week’s readings). Identifying ways to economize,
e.g., increasing efficiency, making more use of technology, volunteers, other strategies. Building
an advocacy network and alliance to support your program and in particular its budgetary
request. Developing arguments and strategies for defending your program against budgetary
reductions in hard economic times. Explaining and defending your budget in discussions and
hearings before the institution’s budget analysts, trustee or legislative fiscal committee, etc. In
the discussion, you may find it helpful to draw on earlier material in the course, e.g., networking
and advocacy, as well as on this unit, on budget development. Please work in references to the
readings as appropriate.
Unit 11. Managing Projects
Nov. 4 - 10
Lecture notes: Managing projects (in the Course Documents section of the course website)
Readings: Dearstyne, Managing Records and Information Programs, Ch. 12
And any three of the following:
Char Booth, “Managing Technology Projects,” Public Services Quarterly, 5
(January – March 2009), 59-63
Center for Technology in Government, SUNY Albany. Making Smart IT
Choices: Understanding Value and Risk in Government IT Investments. April
2004. http://www.ctg.albany.edu/publications/guides/smartit2/smartit2.pdf
Alton Chua and Wing Lam, “Why KM Projects Fail: A Multi-Case Analysis,”
Journal of Knowledge Management 9 (2005), 6-27.
Kevin P. Grant, William M. Cashman and David S. Christensen, “Delivering
Projects On Time,” Research Technology Management 49 (November/December
2006), 52-58.
Korin Kendra and Laura J. Taplin, “Project Success: A Cultural Framework,”
Project Management Journal 35 (April 2004), 30-45.
Paul Legris and Pierre Collerette, “A Roadmap for IT Project Implementation:
Integrating Stakeholders and Change Management Issues,” Project Management
Journal 37 (December 2006), 64-75.
Meredith Levinson, “Project Management – When Failure is Not an Option,” CIO
June 1, 2006. Http://www.cio.com/article/print/21413
Andrew Longman and James Mullins, “Project Management: Key Tool for
Implementing Strategy,” Journal of Business Strategy 25 (2004), 54-61.
Tonya M. Peterson, “Motivation: How to Increase Project Team Performance,”
Project Management Journal 38 (December 2007), 60-69.
Written assignment: None this week.
Online discussion (Nov. 7-10). Please address any or all of the following: How would you
define the role of the project manager? How is it similar to, and how different from, program
management in general? What are the best approaches to ensure an effective project team? How
would you define success for a project? What are the most important causes when a project is
less than successful?
Unit 12. Use of social media by information programs OR You select a topic of interest
Nov. 11-17
If you select this unit as one of the four written assignments, please select A or B. Approximately
5 – 8 pages double spaced for either.
A. Please analyze and explore the use of social media by information programs. You may
approach this in any way that interests you but you need to include at least a definition of
what you mean by this term/concept, applications, and something about strengths and
weaknesses. You will need to carry out appropriate research.
OR
B. Please select a topic related to leadership or management of information programs that is
of interest to you. It needs to be something relatively modest in scope and different from
the one you selected for your research paper and the ones we are covering in the group
projects. You will need to carry out appropriate research. You do not need my approval
beforehand for the topic.Write an essay describing the topic, identifying the chief issues,
and setting forth your analysis and conclusions.
Due Saturday, Nov. 17, midnight
November 18-24: Thanksgiving week. Enjoy!
Unit 13.
Unit 14.
8/18/12
Group Project Report Discussion
Group Project Report Discussion
Nov. 25-Dec. 1
Dec. 2-8