Syllabus

LSC 555 – Information Systems in Library and Information Centers

School of Library and Information Science

The Catholic University of America

 

Dr. Bill Kules

Spring 2007

 

DRAFT 1/8/2007

 

(202) 319-6278

kules@cua.edu

http://faculty.cua.edu/kules/

Marist Hall Room 248

Office Hours: Wed & Thu 2:00-3:30 pm

and by appointment

 

Description

 

This course is designed to introduce students to the role of information systems in the storage and retrieval of information. It covers information-seeking behavior and communication in electronic environments, with special emphasis on the evolving using systems to solve information problems. Students explore the use of information technology in information centers, libraries, and on the Web.

 

At the conclusion of this course, students should be able to:

  1. Discuss the role and functions of computer-based information systems in libraries and information centers, and on the Web
  2. Employ basic systems concepts to analyze and evaluate library and information system operations and Web-based information systems
  3. Describe important human and technological issues in the electronic environment
  4. Apply user-centered and system-oriented design principles to the analysis, design, and evaluation of information system user interfaces
  5. Describe fundamental computer and communications technology principles applicable to library and information center systems
  6. Apply basic principles to analyze the design, development and operation of information systems.

 

Prerequisites

None

 

Meetings

Class will meet Thursdays, 4:10 – 6:40 pm. Marist Hall Room 208.

BlackBoard will be used for online discussions and course communication. Course ID: lsc555c

 

Course Outline - This syllabus is subject to change depending on class needs.

Week

Date

Topic

Assignment

1

Jan 11

Introduction, A Little History, Information systems, HTML Basics

Start Case Study 1: Digital Libraries and Catalogs

2

Jan 18

HCI, Users, and Digital Libraries

Possibly out of town

 

3

Jan 25

Tools for Structured Documents: CSS, XML, EAD; Web graphics

CS 1 due: Post HTML document
Start CS2: Digital Archive

4

Feb 1

Structured Documents, Metadata, and Digital Archives

 

5

Feb 8

Databases, SQL, and Web Forms

CS 2 due: Post spec for archive
Start CS 3: Virtual Reference Desk

6

Feb 15

Digital Reference and Information Access

 

7

Feb 22

JavaScript, Multimedia, Ubiquitous/pervasive computing

CS 3 due: Post virtual reference system
Start CS 4: TBA

 

Mar 1

Spring Break – No Class

 

8

Mar 8

Hardware, software, storage and networking

 

9

Mar 15

System analysis & design, User-centered design

CS 4 due: Post UI and hardware architecture

Start final project: TBA

10

Mar 22

Telecommunications

 

11

Mar 29

Out of town
Guest Lecture: Web 2.0 at the National Geographic Society (Karen Huffman)

 

12

Apr 5

Social Issues in IT

 

13

Apr 12

Final project presentations

Final projects due @ 2pm

14

Apr 19

Final project presentations
Future directions in IT

 

 

Apr 26

No class – Reading Day

 

 

May 3

Possibly out of town

Final portfolio due

 

Grades for this course will be based upon the following:

 

Component

Points

Percent

Class participation (14 class @ 4 points/class)

56

28%

Web portfolio - Case studies (4 @ 18 points)

72

36

Final project

60

30

Final portfolio

12

6

TOTAL

200

100%

 

Class Participation

Each class is critical to your learning experience. Your energy in contributing to class discussions, small-group exercises, and online discussions will be important. Therefore, coming to class prepared (e.g., reading all course readings, working on project research, etc.) and actively participating will be necessary to receiving full credit for class participation. The readings are intended to stimulate questions in addition to providing information. It is a good strategy to make notes of questions and comments as you read – these can be useful contributions to the discussion.

Web Portfolio – Case Studies

Class sessions will include either a discussion of a case study on a topic covered in the readings or a technology presentation. Discussion will be based on the readings for that day. Each Web Portfolio Project will utilize both the case study and the technology skill to complete. These projects will have a collaborative and individual in-class component, and an individual at-home component. In class, you will work in small groups to discuss the case study and produce any deliverables as outlined in the case study; as a group, you will present back to the class to share the highlights of your discussion. In class, you will also spend some time on your own producing an HTML document based on your group's in-class discussion and using the HTML techniques learned in class. By the end of the course, you will have a Web Portfolio.

You will have 4 Web Portfolio Projects. Before submitting your work, please test your work using a PC and Internet Explorer. If you do not have access to a PC, you can use one in the lab.

NOTE: All Web Portfolio Projects must be submitted by 2:00 pm the day they are due . If your project is submitted anytime after 2:00 pm, your grade will be reduced by 2 points (your best possible grade being a 'B'). Each day it is late thereafter you will lose 1 additional point (e.g., submitting one day late would reduce your grade by 3 points). All projects will be graded on content, tool use, and information presentation in the following form (TBD).

Final Project & Presentation

For the final project, you will partner with at least two other people in the class to redesign a web-based application (or part of one). Working with 2 or more people allows you to undertake an ambitious and rewarding project. You will gain experience working on a technology project in a group – which is a real-world requirement for most jobs. You group will present its work during the last two class sessions.

NOTE: All pieces of the final project must be submitted by the due date at 2:00 pm. If it is not submitted on time that day, your grade will be reduced by 5 points. For each subsequent day it is late your grade will be reduced by 5 points (the best your grade can be will be a 'B').

Final Portfolio

After the final project presentations, you will be asked to prepare the final version of your web portfolio. This will include a reflective essay that critically examines your experience – what you’ve learned, how your perceptions of information technology have changed, etc.

Course Texts

K&M - Kochtanek T.R., Matthews J.R. (2002) Library Information Systems. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. (ISBN 1591580188)

S&R - Stair, R., Reynolds, G. (2006) Fundamentals of Information Systems. Third ed. Boston: Thomson Course Technology. (ISBN 0619215607)

Note that we are using the 3rd edition of S&R.

Readings

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

  • Textbooks
    • K&M Chapter 6
  • Cascading Style Sheets

·         CSS Quick Tutorial

·         Effective Use of Style Sheets

·         CSS FAQ

·  XML

·         XML in 10 points

·         What is XML?

·         Intro to XML

·  EAD

·         What is EAD?

·         Official EAD site

·  Adding Graphics to Web Pages

·         Adding Graphics

·         Image Formats

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

  • Textbooks
    • S&R Chapter 8
    • K&M Chapter 7, 10

Cervone, Frank. (2004) “How Not to Run a Digital Library Project.” OCLC Systems & Services 20:4, p. 162-166. Available:  ALADIN: Emerald.

Nielsen, J. How to Conduct a Heuristic Evaluation. Available: http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_evaluation.html

Nielsen, J. Ten Usability Heuristics. Available: http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.html

Nielsen, J. (2005, Oct. 3) Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 2005. Available: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/designmistakes.html

Week 10

  • Textbooks
    • S&R Chapter 4
    • K&M Chapter 5, 13

Week 11

O’Reilly, T. (2005, Sept. 30) What is Web 2.0. Available: http://www.oreillynet.com/lpt/a/6228

McFedries, P. (2006 June) “The Web, Take Two.” IEEE Spectrum, p. 68. Available: http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/jun06/3655 .

Castro-Leon, E. (2004 Feb.) “The Web Within the Web.” IEEE Spectrum, p. 42-46. Available: ALADIN: IEEE All Society Periodicals.

Miller, P. (2006, April) “Coming Together around Library 2.0.” D-Lib Magazine 12(4). Available: www.dlib.org/dlib/april06/miller/04miller.html

Cerf, Vinton G. (2004 Sept.) On the Evolution of Internet Technologies. Proceedings of the IEEE 92:9, p. 1360. Available: ALADIN Electronic Reserve: http://www.aladin.wrlc.org/Z-WEB/Aladin?req=db&key=ALADINPROXY&url=http://erescu.wrlc.org/x/docs/LSC555%20Shumaker/on.pdf

 

Week 12

Week 14

Managers Say the Majority of Information Obtained for Their Work Is Useless, Accenture Survey Finds

 

Unassigned But Probably Should Be

Austin B. (2001 June) “Mooers’ Law: In and Out of Context.” Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 52:8. Available on electronic reserve: http://www.aladin.wrlc.org/Z-WEB/Aladin?req=db&key=ALADINPROXY&url=http://erescu.wrlc.org/x/docs/LSC555%20Shumaker/mooer's.pdf

Mooers, Calvin N.  (1960) Mooers’ Law, or, Why Some Retrieval Systems Are Used and Others Are Not. American Documentation 11(3), p. ii. Available: Electronic reserve. http://www.aladin.wrlc.org/Z-WEB/Aladin?req=db&key=ALADINPROXY&url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdlink?did=639727291&sid=2&Fmt=1&clientId=31807&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Cutts, M. (2005, Dec.) “How Does Google Collect and Rank Results?” Google’s Newsletter for Librarians. Available: http://www.google.com/newsletter/librarian/librarian_2005_12/article1.html

Foote, J. (2005, July—Sept.) “Kooks, Obsessives, Sturgeon’s Law, and the Real Meaning of Search.” IEEE Multimedia 12:3, p. 4-7. (Available: ALADIN: IEEExplore or  http://www.fxpal.com/publications/FXPAL-PR-05-332.pdf )
 
Wehmeyer, L. (2000, Oct. 23) "Computerized searches", AccessScience@McGraw-Hill. Available: ALADIN: http://www.accessscience.com.proxycu.wrlc.org , DOI 10.1036/1097-8542.YB000360.
 

Loots, M., Camarzan, D, Witten, I. (2004, March) “Greenstone Digital Library: From Paper to Collection.” Available: http://sewm.pku.edu.cn/src/gsdl/Paper-en.pdf or http://dlib.ionio.gr/software/greenstone/Paper-2.39-en.pdf

Policies

 

Participation & Conduct:

  • Attendance is mandatory. Attendance is required, in keeping with university policy. Your class participation grade depends on being in class and actively participating. If you will be unavoidably absent, you must consult with the instructor as early as possible.
  • Arrive on time.  Late arrival will affect your class participation grades.
  • Late work.  The instructor will not accept late work except by prior arrangement.  If accepted, it may not be graded until the end of the term.
  • Makeup work.  If a student has a legitimate reason, such as a family emergency, the instructor might allow a student to do makeup work. The amount and nature of the work is up to the instructor’s discretion.  It will be graded at term’s end.
  • Behave respectfully.  Students are expected to behave respectfully while in class and online.  Participation grades will reflect a student’s maturity level and professionalism, and whether the student actively participates in class discussions.
  • No phone calls during class. Turn off or silence cell phones and pagers. Students leaving the room for calls are not allowed to return to that class session.
  • No grade discussions in class. Instructor will not discuss grades in class. First consider why the instructor deducted points.  If you still disagree, explain your disagreement in an e-mail to the instructor.

 

Assignments

  • All assignments are to be submitted electronically through the BlackBoard System.
  • Place your name and email address on the first page.
  • Any work submitted with numerous ungrammaticalities will be penalized.

 

Disabilities

Students with documented disabilities who need course accommodations, have emergency medical information or require special arrangements for building evacuation should contact the instructor within the first week of class. Verification of any special arrangements need to be made through the Office of Disability Support Services.

 

 

 

Academic Honesty Policy

Please read, understand, and follow the “Academic Honest Policy” as written in the University’s Online Student Handbook at: http://studentlife.cua.edu/studenthandbook.pdf and on the website for the University’s Policies & Procedures at: http://policies.cua.edu. .  Catholic University of America’s definition of plagiarism includes:  “intentionally or knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as one’s own in any academic exercise.”  All those found in violation will be publicly flogged in the garden of Marist Hall and then turned over to the authorities.

It is expected that all students will adhere to accepted codes of ethical, personal, and civil conduct while in this class and conversing online, using e-mail, or engaging in any online chat sessions. Failure to meet these standards will have serious consequences: you will receive a zero on the project or exam in question, and will be reported to the Dean for possible further action such as an F for the course and a withdrawal from the program.

 

Catholic University of America defines plagiarism as:

 

“presenting the work of another as if it were one's own.  It includes quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, or utilizing the published work of others without proper acknowledgement, or, where appropriate, quotation marks”

 

“… any unacknowledged use of another’s ideas constitutes plagiarism, including the use of papers written by other students, interviews, radio or TV broadcasts, and any published or unpublished materials (including web-based materials, letters, pamphlets, leaflets, notes or other electronic or print documents).” 

CUA’s “Academic Graduate and Undergraduate Student Academic Dishonesty” Policy, Section III., Categories of Academic Dishonesty.  http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad//integrityfull.cfm#i 

 

 

****     Plagiarism will not be tolerated.  Cite your sources. ****

 

Syllabus changes

The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus as needed. All changes will be provided to students via BlackBoard.

Acknowledgements

This syllabus is adapted from material by David Shumaker and Allison Druin.