LIBR 261-12
Resources for Children, Ages 7-12
Spring 2008
Adele Fasick
amfasick@gmail.com
Other contact information N/A
Course Description
An overview of literary and informational materials for children from age seven to
twelve. The emphasis will be on the evaluation and selection of materials for collections
in school media centers and public libraries. The course is designed to give students some
familiarity with materials currently available, with selection tools, and with trends in
education, publishing, and media.
Course Objectives
At the completion of this course the student should be able to



Demonstrate a familiarity with the varieties of materials available for children
(demonstrated in assignments 2, 3 and 4).
Critically examine representative materials and apply criteria for evaluating such
materials. (demonstrated in assignments 2, 3 and 4)
Use selection aids appropriately (demonstrated in assignment 4)
The course supports the following SLIS competencies:




use the basic concepts and principles related to the creation, evaluation, selection,
acquisition, preservation and organization of specific items or collections of
information;
use service concepts, principles and techniques that facilitate information access,
relevance, and accuracy for individuals or groups of users;
demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for group work,
collaborations and professional level presentations;
evaluate programs and services on specified criteria.
Course Format
This is a web-based course. Most of our interaction will take place on the SLIS
Blackboard site. Course materials will be available primarily through the "Course
Website" section of Blackboard. That will link you to the LIBR261 website, which
contains the course schedule, resource lists, and other documents.
In preparation for 261, enroll on the Blackboard site for Spring2008|LIBR26112|Fasick. You will be able to enroll on the Blackboard site starting Jan. 14, 2008. A
message will be sent from the MYSJSU messaging system when the Blackboard site
is opened. Please enroll by Jan 22 at the latest.
Textbook: There are two recommended textbooks:
From Cover to Cover by Kathleen T. Horning (Harpercollins 1997)
Children’s Books: A Practical Guide to Selection Phyllis Van Orden and
Sunny Strong (Neal-Schuman 2007)
Assignment 1: Personal Homepage should be posted in the area provided on Blackboard
site. Click on "Tools" and then "Edit Your Homepage" Feb. 5
Assignment 2: Fiction Annotations Due March 18
Assignment 3: Electronic Resources Due April 8
Assignment 4: Nonfiction Materials-group project. Due May 6
Grading
Assignment 1 5 percent
Assignment 2 25 percent
Assignment 3 25 percent
Assignment 4 25 percent
Class Discussion 20 percent
Grading
1. How letter grades are determined
The standard SJSU SLIS Grading Scale is as follows:
97-100
A
94-96
A-
91-93
B+
88-90
B
85-87
B-
82-84
C+
79-81
C
76-78
C-
73-75
D+
70-72
D
67-69
D-
Below 67 F
In order to provide consistent guidelines for assessment for graduate level work
in the School, these terms are applied to letter grades:
 C represents Adequate work; a grade of “C” counts for credit for the
course
 B represents Good work; a grade of “B” clearly meets the standards for
graduate level work;
 A represents Exceptional work; a grade of “A” will be assigned for
outstanding work only.
Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a Grade Point
Average (GPA) of 3.0.
2. Late assignments will not be accepted without prior approval of the instructor.
Academic Integrity
Your own commitment to learning, as evidenced by your enrollment at San
José State University, and the University’s Academic Integrity Policy requires
you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty members are
required to report all infractions to the Office of Student Conduct and Ethical
Development. The policy on academic integrity can be found at
http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/S07-2.htm.
Reasonable Accommodation of Disabilities
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, please e-mail
me as soon as possible. Presidential Directive 97-03 requires that students with
disabilities register with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) to establish record of
their disability. No matter where students reside, they should contact the SJSU DRC to
register. The DRC Web site: http://www.drc.sjsu.edu/