UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE
School of Information Studies
L&I SCI 501 - Foundations of Library and Information Science - ONLINE
SYLLABUS
Spring 2010
Instructor: Catherine Hansen
Email: chansen5@uwm.edu
Office Hours: Before or after class or by appointment
Location:
Phone:
Fax:
Bolton Hall Rm 518
414-229-3123
414-229-6699
Meeting Time: Wednesdays 9:30AM-12:10PM, Bolton B91
CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
Introduction to library and information science (LIS); outline of the role of information agencies in modern
society; overview of LIS research, policy, and practices. (3 credits)
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
An introduction to the profession of Library and Information Science (LIS), this required MLIS course provides
an historical framework and summary of the role of libraries and other information agencies in modern
society, describes the general knowledge creation and distribution cycle, introduces major issues of
information policy and ethics, provides examples of libraries, library types, other information institutions, and
introduces aspects of research and professional accomplishment and careers.
PREREQUISITES:
Junior standing. Basic computer literacy as outlined in the SOIS policy is required.
OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Articulate important developments in library and information science as a discipline and profession;
2. Assess the relative importance of services offered by a variety of information agency types;
3. Analyze relationships between information technologies and the research and practice associated with
library and information science;
4. Assess the impacts of important social and political issues on the profession and the role of the profession
in society;
5. Describe and evaluate relevant aspects of the activities and goals of the profession as a whole and select
sub-groups within the profession;
6. Articulate the importance of professional statements or codes of ethics.
METHOD:
Lecture/Discussion/Debate/Presentation
Students with special test and note-taking needs should contact the instructor as early as possible for
accommodations.
TEXTS:
REQUIRED:
Rubin, R. E. (2004). Foundations of Library and Information Science. 2nd Ed. New York: Neal-Schuman
Publishers. ISBN 1-55570-518-9
VandenBos, G. R. (Ed.) (2010) Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 6th edition
Washington D.C.: American Psychological Association ISBN 1-4338-0561-8 (2nd printing)
Readings also will be assigned from a variety of sources. They will be available on the Internet or through
electronic reserve at the Golda Meir Library.
COURSE SCHEDULE:
WEEK:
Jan. 27
Week 1
Feb. 3
Week 2
Feb. 10
Week 3
Feb. 17
Week 4
TOPICS:
Course overview;
Introduction to library and
information science (LIS)
Fundamental concepts of
information
History of information
agencies & technologies
The LIS Profession LIS
Education; LIS Competencies
READINGS: (if not otherwise identified, readings are from
Rubin, Foundations)


Chapter 1: The Information Infrastructure: Libraries in
Context
Golda Meir Library visit

Chapter 2: Information Science: A Service Perspective

Buckland, M. (1991). Information and information systems.
New York, New York: Praeger. Read Chapter 1, pp. 1-13.

Shannon, C. & Weaver, W. (1949). The Mathematical
Theory of Communication. Urbana, IL, University of Illinois,
pp. 98-103. (Don’t worry about the formulas presented,
just the general ideas). Or, read the following:
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/short/trans.htm
l

Chapter 7: From Past to Present: The Library’s Mission and
Its Values

William, R. V. (2002). Chronology of Information Science &
Technology. Available:
http://www.libsci.sc.edu/bob/istchron/ISCNET/ISCHRON.H
TM Browse the website and note developments over time

Writing Center Visit

Chapter 10: Librarianship: An Evolving Profession

Appendix A: Major Periodicals, Indexes, Encyclopedias, and
Dictionaries in Library and Information Science;

Appendix C: Accredited Master’s Programs in Library and
Information Science in the United States and Canada

Tenopir, C. (2002). Educating Tomorrow's Information
Professionals Today. Searcher, 10(7)
http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/jul02/tenopir.htm
Continued on next page…
L&I SCI 501 – Fall 2009
Catherine Hansen
2

Browse one of the following of interest to you:
o ALA Standards for Accreditation
(http://www.ala.org/ala/educationcareers/edu
cation/accreditedprograms/standards/index.cf
m );
o Society of American Archivists (no date) So you
want to be an archivist: An overview of the
archival profession. Available:
http://www.archivists.org/prof-education/arprof.asp.
o Special Librarian Association Competencies
(http://www.sla.org/content/SLA/professional/
meaning/competency.cfm );
Feb. 24
Week 5
Information Agencies:
Public, academic, school,
corporate, governmental,
archives, and records centers

Chapter 9: The Library as Institution: An Organizational
View

Appendix B: Summary of Major Library and Information
Science Associations and List of Additional Associations;

Professional Organizations in Library and Information
Science
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SOIS/resources/professionalor
g.htm

Case, D. O. (2002). Looking for information: A survey of
research on information seeking, needs, and behavior. New
York: Academic Press. Read Chapter 4 – Information Needs
and Seeking, pp. 65-78.

Taylor, R.S. (1968). Question negotiation and information
seeking in libraries. College and Special Libraries, 29, 178189.

Connaway, L.S. Sense-making and synchronicity

Chapter 6: Information Organization: Issues and Techniques

Lee, H-L, (2000). “What is a collection?” JASIS, 51 (12),
1106-13.

Penka, J. T. (2003). The technological challenges of digital
reference. D-Lib Magazine, 9(2). Available:
http://www.dlib.org/dlib/february03/penka/02penka.html.

Chapter 3: Redefining the Library: The Impacts and
Implications of Technological Chang
Pomerantz, J. (2006). Google Scholar and 100 percent
availability of information. Information Technology and
Libraries, 25(2), 52-56. Available:
http://www.lita.org/ala/lita/litapublications/ital/252006/25
Thesis/outline/sources for
Careers paper due
Mar. 3
Week 6
Mar. 10
Week 7
Information needs and user
behavior; types of users and
their needs; Models of
information seeking behavior
Information services;
Reference/research services;
Collection development;
Organization of information
Careers paper due
Mar. 17
Week 8
Information technology and
the information professions
L&I SCI 501 – Fall 2009
Catherine Hansen

3
02jun/contenta/pomerantshtml.cfm.
Continued on next page…

Mar. 24
No readings
Spring Break
Week 9

Mar. 31
Digital libraries; Electronic
publishing
Week 10
Essay questions released


Borgman, C. L. (1999). What are digital libraries?
Competing visions. Information Processing & Management,
35, 227-243.
Swan, A, & Brown, S. (2004). Authors and open access
publishing. Learned Publishing, 17, 219-224. Available:
http://www.keyperspectives.co.uk/openaccessarchive/Jour
nalpublications/Authors_and_open_access_publishing.pdf
Kling, R., & McKim, G. (1999). Scholarly Communication and
the Continuum of Electronic Publishing. JASIST 50 (10): 890906

Borgman, C. L., & Furner, J. (2001). Scholarly
communication and bibliometrics. In M. Williams (Ed.),
Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (Vol.
36, pp. 3-70). Medford, NJ: Information Today. (This is a
long review article. Scan for key concepts).

Wolfram, D. (2003). Applied informetrics for information
retrieval research Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. Read
Chapter 3 – Informetrics (pp. 39-65).
Information Cycle
Apr. 7
Executive Summary 2009 Horizon Report Available:
http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2009-Horizon-Report.pdf
Essay due
Week 11
Discussion of Final Paper
Apr. 14
Week 12
Apr. 21
Week 13
Thesis/Outline/Sources due for
Issues Paper
Information Ethics;
Information Policy;
Copyright; Intellectual
freedom; Censorship; Privacy
L&I SCI 501 – Fall 2009
Catherine Hansen
No readings

Chapter 8: Ethics and Standards: Professional Practices in
Library and Information Science

Buchanan, E. A, (2001). Ethical considerations for the
information professions. In R.A. Spinello & H. T. Tavani
(Eds.), Readings in CyberEthics. Boston: Jones and Bartlett
Publishers, pp. 523-534.

Appendix D ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct

Appendix E: SCIP Code of Ethics for CI Professionals

Chapter 4: Information Policy: Stakeholders and Agendas;

Chapter 5: Information Policy as Library Policy: Intellectual
Freedom
4
Continued on next page…
Apr. 28
Week 14
LIS and allied areas
Issues Paper due

Lipinski, T. L. (2003). The myth of technological neutrality in
copyright and the rights of institutional users: Recent legal
challenges to the information organization as mediator and
the impact of the DMCA, WIPO, and TEACH. Journal of the
American Society for Information Science and Technology,
54(9), 824-835.

(2006). Information architecture defined. Available:
http://www.eleganthack.com/archives/2001_06_20.html

Univ. of Edinburgh definition of “Informatics”. Available:
http://www.inf.ed.ac.uk/about/vision.html

Levinson, M. (2007). ABC: An introduction to KM. CIO.
Available: http://www.cio.com/article/print/40343
May 5
Week 15
Video: Remote Access
ASSIGNMENTS:
Written assignments are due on the specified date. Grades will be reduced for late papers (one full grade for
each week or part thereof). Assignments will be graded and posted within two weeks of the due date, barring
any catastrophic delays on my end. (I’ll let you know if there’s a problem.)
You may not resubmit work that has already been used in fulfillment of the requirement of this or any other
course. Rules of academic conduct require that you not use the work of others without clearly indicating it as
such. Academic misconduct may result in a lowered grade, no credit for a given assignment, or removal from
the course.
You must use APA style, no abstract needed. It is expected students will consult and appropriately cite the
research and professional literature where merited. Grades will also be reduced for papers that include
irrelevant content to “fill up space” to meet the length specifications for a paper.
Careers in Library and Information Science
Thesis Statement/Outline/Sources due Feb. 24th
Due: March 10th
This project will provide you the opportunity to analyze the range and prospects of one LIS career specialty.
While you may pursue this or another direction, such preparation sets the stage for future analysis and should
equip you with tools you will find useful as you launch your professional career.
Your paper should:
 Identify an information profession (e.g. reference librarian, cataloger, digital librarian, school library media
specialist, archivist, information broker, etc.);
 Define its scope and related career development paths;
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



Assess and articulate professional development goals and activities associated with this specialty;
Identify a current skill set (managerial, personnel management, technological, etc.) for this profession;
Analyze the challenges and problems facing this specialty; and
Assess the prospects for this specialty for the foreseeable future.
Your viewpoint should be supported by:
 Relevant readings;
 Stated public positions of professional organizations related to this specialty;
 Interviews with professionals;
 Your own experiences;
 Class lectures and discussions; and
 Your original critical analysis of the current role of this specialty.
Graduates: Your submission should be about 6-8 pages and reference a minimum of 10 appropriate sources.
Undergraduates: Your submission should be about 5-6 pages and reference a minimum of 5 appropriate
sources.
Papers should reference appropriate scholarly and professional sources on the topic selected.
Essay
Due: April 7th
The essay assesses students’ understanding of the foundational concepts, tools, and techniques found in
library and information science. The essay will be made available on April 7th and will be due April 14th. No
exceptions.
Issues in the Profession Paper
Thesis Statement/Outline/Sources due April 14th
Due: April 28th
Develop a research essay on an issue of current professional interest. Examples of topics that may be used
include:





how the Internet or digital libraries have benefited and competed with a traditional information
agency (e.g., library, archive, records center, museum) of your choice
the changing nature of information literacy in the 21st century
the digital divide and how an information agency of your choice can help bridge the divide
an issue of information ethics and how it is dealt with in the information professions
identify one type of user population and their information needs and seeking behavior and how an
information agency may serve their needs
Other topics may be investigated but must be first be approved by the instructor.
Graduates: You should submit a paper of about 10-12 pages with a minimum of 20 references
Undergraduates: You should submit a paper of about 7-9 double-spaced pages with a minimum of 8
references.
Papers should reference appropriate scholarly and professional sources on the topic selected.
Discussion Leader Critical Analysis of Issues in Library and Information Science
Individuals will prepare a written critical analysis of one special issue within the topic of their assigned
discussion week and lead a class discussion. For instance, a discussion leader may choose to focus on library
missions and how these have changed over time as the ‘special issue.’ The critical piece should be 1-2 pages
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and be put in the dropbox, as well as posted in the appropriate discussion area. The discussion leader should
not do an overview of the topic (everyone will have done the readings); instead, choose a specific issue that is
interesting or controversial for discussion. The discussion leader should then prepare 2 discussion questions
for the class.
CLASS PARTICIPATION:

Participation in class discussions is expected of all students.
Much of the learning in any course (online or onsite) takes place in the exchange of ideas and experiences that
takes place in the discussion area. It’s an opportunity to broaden your horizons and learn from your colleagues.
A brief note about grading: The University of Wisconsin uses a grade of “A” to indicate “Outstanding” work,
therefore if you do what you are asked and you do it correctly you will be graded according to the scale below
and get a “B”. That is your starting point from which you move up or down. Extra points will be given for
outstanding work. So if you want an A, ask yourself if what you are doing is truly “Outstanding”?
EVALUATION:
Undergraduate
Students
Graduate
Students
Thesis Statement/Outline/Sources
5 pts.
5 pts.
Careers paper
15 pts.
15 pts.
Essay
20 pts.
20 pts.
Thesis Statement/Outline/Sources
5 pts.
5 pts.
Issues Paper
20 pts.
20 pts.
Discussion Leader
10 pts.
10 pts.
Class Participation
25 pts.
25 pts.
Total
100 pts.
100 pts.
GRADING SCALE:
96-100
A
74-76
C
91-95
A-
70-73
C-
87-90
B+
67-69
D+
84-86
B
64-66
D
80-83
B-
60-63
D-
77-79
C+
Below 60
F
GRADE REQUIREMENT FOR MLIS STUDENTS:
If you are pursuing an MLIS degree, you need to earn at least a B to pass the course. See the policy at:
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SOIS/academics/mlisrequirements.html
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D2L and STUDENT PRIVACY:
Certain SOIS courses utilize the instructional technology Desire to Learn (D2L) to facilitate online learning. D2L
provides instructors the ability to view both individual data points and aggregate course statistics, including
the dates and times individual students access the system, what pages a student has viewed, the duration of
visits, and the IP address of the computer used to access the course website. This information is kept
confidential in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), but may be used for
student evaluation.
UWM AND SOIS ACADEMIC POLICIES
The following links contain university policies affecting all SOIS students. Many of the links below may be accessed
through a PDF-document maintained by the Secretary of the University:
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/SyllabusLinks.pdf. Undergraduates may also find the Panther Planner and
Undergraduate Student Handbook useful (http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/OSL/DOS/Handbook2005-06.pdf). For graduate
students, there are additional guidelines from the Graduate School (http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/Grad_Sch/StudentInfo/),
including those found in the Graduate Student and Faculty Handbook:
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/Grad_Sch/Publications/Handbook/.
Students with disabilities. If you will need accommodations in order to meet any of the requirements of a course, please
contact the instructor as soon as possible. Students with disabilities are responsible to communicate directly with the
instructor to ensure special accommodation in a timely manner. There is comprehensive coverage of issues related to
disabilities at the Student Accessibility Center (http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/DSAD/SAC/MainOffice.html ), important
components of which are expressed here: http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/DSAD/SAC/SACltr.pdf.
Religious observances. Students’ sincerely held religious beliefs must be reasonably accommodated with respect to all
examinations and other academic requirements, according to the following policy:
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/acad%2Badmin_policies/S1.5.htm. Please notify your instructor within the first three
weeks of the Fall or Spring Term (first week of shorter-term or Summer courses) of any specific days or dates on which
you request relief from an examination or academic requirement for religious observances.
Students called to active military duty. UWM has several policies that accommodate students who must temporarily lay
aside their educational pursuits when called to active duty in the military (see
http://www3.uwm.edu/des/web/registration/militarycallup.cfm), including provisions for refunds, readmission, grading,
and other situations.
Incompletes. A notation of “incomplete” may be given in lieu of a final grade to a student who has carried a subject
successfully until the end of a semester but who, because of illness or other unusual and substantial cause beyond the
student’s control, has been unable to take or complete the final examination or some limited amount of other term work.
An incomplete is not given unless the student proves to the instructor that s/he was prevented from completing course
requirements for just cause as indicated above (http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/acad%2Badmin_policies/S31.pdf).
Discriminatory conduct (such as sexual harassment). UWM and SOIS are committed to building and maintaining a campus
environment that recognizes the inherent worth and dignity of every person, fosters tolerance, sensitivity, understanding,
and mutual respect, and encourages the members of its community to strive to reach their full potential. The UWM
policy statement (http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/acad%2Badmin_policies/S47.pdf) summarizes and defines situations
that constitute discriminatory conduct. If you have questions, please contact an appropriate SOIS administrator.
Academic misconduct. Cheating on exams and plagiarism are violations of the academic honor code and carry severe
sanctions, ranging from a failing grade for a course or assignment to expulsion from the University. See the following
document (http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/OSL/DOS/conduct.html) or contact the SOIS Investigating Officer (currently the
Associate Dean) for more information.
L&I SCI 501 – Fall 2009
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Complaints. Students may direct complaints to the SOIS Dean or Associate Dean. If the complaint allegedly violates a
specific university policy, it may be directed to the appropriate university office responsible for enforcing the policy.
Grade appeal procedures. A student may appeal a grade on the grounds that it is based on a capricious or arbitrary
decision of the course instructor. Such an appeal shall follow SOIS appeals procedures or, in the case of a graduate
student, the Graduate School. These procedures are available in writing from the respective department chairperson or
the Academic Dean of the College/School (http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/acad%2Badmin_policies/S28.htm).
Examinations, Finals. The Secretary of the University is authorized to prepare the final examination schedule. The time of
the final examination for an individual or a class may be changed only with the prior approval of the dean or director of
the respective college/school. The change will involve a postponement to a later date. For individuals with exam conflicts,
a separate week at the very end of the exam week will be reserved to take one of the conflicting exams
(http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/acad+admin_policies/S22.htm).
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