Dateline: Library
Services Supporting a Proposed Journalism Program
Aimée deChambeau and Barbara Selvin
15 June 2006
deChambeau & Selvin
SUNYLA 2006
Journalism Program Background
The mission of the program is to educate the next generation of
American journalists and news consumers at a time when an
unprecedented flow of information and disinformation threatens to
overwhelm the body politic. Both a corps of well-trained and
independent-minded journalists operating in the public interest, and an
audience of discriminating and discerning consumers of news, will be
essential for democracy to flourish.
The journalism school will also become the home for a general
education program in news literacy
deChambeau & Selvin
SUNYLA 2006
Journalism Program Future
Eventually the program will also offer a five-year combined
undergraduate and master’s degree in Science, Health and Technology
Journalism. It is possible that this program will begin as early as 20072008. At this point the library will need to make the appropriate
adjustments to the collection development policy and the services
provided to the program.
deChambeau & Selvin
SUNYLA 2006
Chance favors the prepared mind
As a member of the Committee on Academic Planning and Resource
Allocation (CAPRA) I was involved in the early stages of review for the
proposed journalism program. The program, as presented, would be
very strong in the area of media literacy. The description of media
literacy in the proposal was so close to the definition of information
literacy that it was very easy to initiate discussions and recommend
value-added library services to the program.
deChambeau & Selvin
SUNYLA 2006
Media Literacy and Info Literacy
Media Literacy:
The ability to access, analyze, evaluate and create media in a variety
of forms. (Center for Media Lit)
Information Literacy:
a) Information literacy includes the abilities to recognize when
information is needed and to locate, evaluate, effectively use, and
communicate information in its various formats. (SUNY)
b) Information literacy is a set of skills that enables a person to
recognize a need for information, locate and use resources to fulfill
the information need, effectively evaluate and synthesize the
information found, and apply it in an ethical and responsible manner.
(ACRL Information Literacy Standard)
deChambeau & Selvin
SUNYLA 2006
From Media Lit to News Lit
News Literacy course description:
How do you know if you’re getting the truth from the news media? This
course is designed to prepare students to become more discriminating
news consumers. It will examine standards of reliability and accuracy in
news gathering and presentation, and seek to establish the differences
between news and propaganda, assertion and verification, bias and
fairness, and infotainment and journalism. Students will be encouraged
to critically examine news broadcasts, newspaper articles and Web
sites. Visiting journalists will be questioned about the journalistic
process and decision-making.
deChambeau & Selvin
SUNYLA 2006
Opportunity Defined
SUNY’s Council of Library Directors supports an initiative to promote the
adoption of information literacy competencies across the curriculum
throughout the SUNY system.
Information literacy instruction is most effective when combined with
discipline-specific work.
The establishment of a new Journalism program, with a fresh curriculum
and with the desire to be the News Literacy Resource for campus as a
major goal, offers a unique opportunity for collaboration.
A very brief survey of the literature shows that when journalism faculty
incorporate info lit instruction into their courses student research
improves. Also, one survey of editors showed that it is awareness of
resources rather than access that determines what journalists will use.
deChambeau & Selvin
SUNYLA 2006
Be careful what you ask for!
Once the library determined that we wanted to pursue this opportunity,
things quickly became very busy!
• Meetings, Meetings, Meetings
• Developing Research Modules
• Teaching
• Consulting & Advising
• Drafting a collection development policy
• Creating budget proposal
• Selecting materials
deChambeau & Selvin
SUNYLA 2006
Team Teaching the Research Modules
An experiment initiated by the program director
Collaborated with Barbara to create relevant research modules for JRN
387: Advanced News Reporting and Writing
Looked at course syllabus, text, and expectations and decided on 5
modules – taught as part of the lab component of the course
Picked a local school district as our specific beat to follow through all 5
modules as the example
deChambeau & Selvin
SUNYLA 2006
JRN 387 Research Modules
The 5 research modules covered finding and using:
• Biographical information
• Demographic information
• Legal and Court information
• Business information
• School districts, school budgets, and related local information
deChambeau & Selvin
SUNYLA 2006
JRN 387 Research Midterm
Research modules were tested as part of the course midterm exam (17
questions).
Some example questions:
You’re developing background information for a story about race and
school districts on Long Island. Give me 10 keywords or phrases you
could use for an online search.
One of the foundational cases of modern libel law is NY Times v
Sullivan. Find the legal citation for the case and the date on which it was
decided by the Supreme Court.
Regarding the company that owns Newsday, find: the name; the ticker
symbol; its income for the year ending Dec 2005; the net income for the
year ended Dec 2003 …
deChambeau & Selvin
SUNYLA 2006
Summary Evaluation of Modules
Develop curriculum for the skills classes that precede JRN387:
JRN 101-B News Literacy - basic searching, evaluation, and information
use skills
JRN 110 News I: Basic News Reporting and Writing - build on searching
skills, specifically in Lexis-Nexis products and on the open Web
JRN 210 News II: Beat Reporting - advanced searching skills for topic
specific research areas such as business, government and law, and
education
deChambeau & Selvin
SUNYLA 2006
Near Term Instruction Direction
Further develop/polish JRN 387 modules, particularly the legal research
component
Pursue integration of skills into more courses (prev. slide)
Create targeted tutorials (Camtasia) for any instructor to include in their
course site
Develop stand-alone research modules that instructors can use with or
without a librarian
Ensure continuity between dept website and library resources sites
deChambeau & Selvin
SUNYLA 2006
Budget & Collection
A draft collection development policy was required before we could
begin estimating the cost of building a proper collection to support a
journalism major
We briefly looked at collections at institutions with programs, especially
for serials and non-print media
Spoke with Dorothy Levin at Newsday to get an idea about what a news
organization’s library provides
Generated a variety of lists in YBP’s GOBI system for estimates
deChambeau & Selvin
SUNYLA 2006
Draft Collection Development statement:
The collection is in support of the journalism program at the undergraduate level.
As the stated goal of the program is to educate both journalists and news
consumers, the collection supports teaching and learning within the field of
journalism, as well as news literacy instruction across the curriculum.
The basic collection supports an undergraduate curriculum that provides a firm
foundation in reporting, writing, ethics, critical thinking, and basic journalistic values
and principles. In addition, diverse library resources enable students and faculty to
explore the changes in journalism brought about by the digital revolution. At the
upper undergraduate level the collection supports student concentration in
broadcast, print, or online journalism.
At the undergraduate level there are four inter-disciplinary concentrations: Public
Affairs, Science and the Environment, Race and Diversity, and Global Issues and
Perspectives. The library collects in these areas as pertains to the journalism
profession, and will necessarily rely on materials collected for related subjects. A
core of historical treatment of the American press is required, but the emphasis of
the collection is on contemporary practice.
Biographies are collected, with an emphasis on living journalists. Other than
retrospectively collecting a small core of recognized anthologies very little
retrospective collecting will go further back than 2000. Publications collected will be
primarily from the USA, with some international publications at the basic level to
support an introductory-level course on the global press.
deChambeau & Selvin
SUNYLA 2006
Near Term Collection Direction
Write final version of collection development policy, including the
additional criteria needed to match SBU format for CD policies
Work with dept liaison to establish level of, and method for, faculty input
in collection decisions
Craft library resource web pages for journalism
Select, collect, and then collect some more!
deChambeau & Selvin
SUNYLA 2006
News Literacy Task Force
A task force comprised of faculty from across the disciplines has been
formed and will begin meeting in late summer/early fall to plan a
university-wide news literacy program. The library is represented on this
committee, and is tasked with providing an introduction to information
and news literacy in higher education to the task force members as well
as compiling a list of recommended readings.
deChambeau & Selvin
SUNYLA 2006
Going Organic
One unique aspect of this project has been ability to participate in
nearly all aspects of the program as part of the team and not as an addon or after-thought. Services from the library are integral and have
perceived value within the program.
Just as when farming organically, this level of attention to a program
does require time and attention.
deChambeau & Selvin
SUNYLA 2006
Summary
Parallels between information literacy and news literacy provided a
springboard for collaboration
Provides a perfect incubator for integrated instruction
Provides an opportunity to work on creation of campus-wide news
literacy project
Services include collection development, instruction, advising, and
active participation
Benefits to the library include increased visibility, increased materials
budget, some personnel support, and a great deal of personal
satisfaction
deChambeau & Selvin
SUNYLA 2006
Questions? Comments?
Please feel free to contact me with questions, comments, and/or words
of wisdom:
Aimée deChambeau
Electronic Resources Acquisitions and Access Librarian
Stony Brook University Libraries
Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library
Stony Brook, NY 11794-3300
631.632.1811
aimee.dechambeau@stonybrook.edu
deChambeau & Selvin
SUNYLA 2006