Reference and Information Services

LSC 504

Spring, 2005

Dr. Donna L. Gilton                                                                Course Time: Thursday 3:30-6:00

9 Rodman Hall                                                                          Office Hours: Thursday, 1:00-3:00

(401) 874-4630                                                                          E-mail: dgilton@uri.edu

 

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

 

 

     LSC 504 is designed to introduce students to information sources and services and will concentrate on the following areas:

 

          - print and electronic catalogs, bibliographies, indexes, and abstracts

 

- basic print and electronic reference sources, such as directories, encyclopedias, ready-reference     

       sources and biographical sources

 

-          problems, issues, and challenges in current reference services.

Any student with a documented disability is welcome to contact me as early in the semester as possible so that we may arrange reasonable accommodations. As part of this process, please be in touch with Disability Services for Students office at 330 Memorial Union. 874-2098.

 

 

EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS WHO TAKE LSC 504

 

            Students who have taken LSC 504 should be able to demonstrate the following GSLIS Educational Outcomes (which will be referenced to the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) Beginning Teachers Standards (BTS)):

 

  1. Graduates of LSC 504 will be know of specific services and resources that are provided by libraries and other information agencies to meet the educational, recreational, developmental, and information needs of users (BTS 1, 1.1, 1.2, 3)

 

  1. Graduates of LSC 504 should be guided by the American Library Association (ALA) Bill of Rights and other ethical and professional guidelines and codes published by the ALA, the Special Library Association, (SLA) the American Society for Information Science (ASIS) and other related professional organizations, especially as they pertain to reference and information services. (BTS 11)

 

  1. Graduates of LSC 504 should understand issues and values relating to intellectual freedom, intellectual property rights, equitable access to information, confidentiality, and privacy rights, and other issues related to reference and information services. BTS 11)

 

  1. Graduates of LSC 504 should apply the principles and theories needed for the selection, acquisition, preservation, organization, storage, retrieval, dissemination, use, and evaluation of recorded information and ideas of society.  (BTS 2, 2.1, 2.3, 2.4)

 

5.      Graduates of LSC 524 will demonstrate competence in using information technologies to access information and provide patrons with access to information resources in all formats. (BTS 2.4)

 

  1. Graduates of LSC 504 will be aware of the field of information literacy, including skills needed to locate, access, use, and evaluate information resources in all formats. (BTS 2.2, 2.5, 2.6)

 

  1. Graduates of LSC 504 should exhibit interpersonal skills and respect in the treatment of colleagues and patrons. (BTS 6,7)

 

  1. Graduates will identify and evaluate information needs of the community served, and tailor information resources and services to them. (BTS 8)

 

  1. Graduates of LSC 504 will demonstrate a commitment and ability to serve the information needs of users and nonusers. (N/A to RIDE BTS)

 

  1. Graduates of LSC 504 will recognize and respond proactively to the information needs of individuals of diverse backgrounds, ages, developmental stages, learning styles, and circumstances. (GSLIS Educational Outcome 11, BTS 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4)

 

  1. Graduates of LSC 504 will be aware of managerial issues in the specific field of reference and information services. (GSLIS Educational Outcome 12, N/A to RIDE BTS)

 

  1. Graduates of LSC 504 should understand the process of research in the field of reference services and to apply this research and evaluation to the improvement of these services. (GSLIS Educational Outcome 13, BTS 2.1, 9)

 

  1. Graduates of LSC 504 should deal flexibly and strategically with change, adapting new resources and technologies to the support of reference and information services. (GSLIS Educational Outcome 15, N/A to RIDE BTS)

 

  1. Graduates of LSC 504 should respect the importance of diversity in its broadest sense in collections, services, programs, and staffing.  (GSLIS Education Outcome 20, BTS 4)

 

  1. The instructor of this course will monitor achievement of these outcomes through examinations, class participation, readings, and other assignments.

 

 

RELEVANCE OF LSC 504 TO OTHER COURSES AND TO THE FIELD

 

     1.It is both a required and an essential course for all future librarians.  The course

          will lay a basic foundation for most public services librarians. It will also familiarize future technical   

          services librarians with reference needs and trends.

 

     2.It is a "building block" course that will prepare students for more specialized

          library literature courses, e.g. government publications, literature of the social sciences, etc.

 

 

 

 

REQUIRED TEXTS

 

     Bopp, Richard G. and Linda C. Smith (eds.) Reference and Information Services.

          Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 2001.

 

     Frost, William J. (ed.) The Reference Collection: From The Shelf Of The Web. N.Y : Haworth Information Press.

 

  

  ELECTRONIC TEXTS

 

Links to Tutorials

 

1.Library Instruction Round Table. (LIRT)

     http://www3.baylor.edu/LIRT/

 

2.LOEX Clearinghouse for Library Instruction.

     http://www.emich.edu/public/loex/loex.html

Look under Instruction Links – Tutorials

 

3.New England Library Instruction Group (NELIG).  Library Instruction Resources on

the Web.  http://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/nelig/

     - Look under New England Library Instruction Programs

 

4.The Teaching Library: Bibliographic -Instruction Resources on the Internet.

     http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/BIResources.html

     Look under Library Research Tutorials

 

5.Vanguard University.  WWW Tutorials and Library Instruction Tutorials.

http://vanguard.edu/library/general.cfm?doc_id=340

 

 

 

Sites for Computer Basics and information Literacy

 

1.Chapman University.  Thurman Clark Memorial Library.  Instruction/Tutorial.

     http://www.chapman.edu/library/instruction

 

2.Intemet Navigator Home Page.

     http://medstat.med.utah.edu/navigator

 

3. Maricopa Community Colleges. Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction.

Webhound.

     http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/webhound/index.html

 

4.Ohio State University Libraries. net.TUTOR

     http://liblearn.osu.edu/tutor/

 

5.SUNY Albany.  U. at Albany Libraries.  Internet Tutorials.

     http://library.albany.edu/internet/

 

 

 

 

Sites for Computer Basics, Only

 

1.University of Rhode Island

     a. short courses

     (1).schedule - http://www.uri.edu/ois/iits/education/course.schedule.html

     (2).course descriptions -

http://www.uri.edu/ois/iits/education/coursedescription.html

b. self-paced training on video-tape

     http://www.uri.edu/ois/iits/education/selfpacedtraining.html

 

2.Value Click http://www.december.com/web/text/

 

 

Sites for Information Literacy, Only

 

 

1. U. of Massachusetts, Amherst.  Merlin.

     http://www.library.umass.edu/merlin/directory.html

Reference on the Internet

 

1.Digital Librarian.

     http://www.digital-librarian.com

 

2.Internet Library For Librarians.

   http://www.itcompany.com/inforetriever/

 

3.Intemet Public Library.  IPL Ready Reference Collection.

     http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/ref00.00.00

 

4.Librarians' Internet Index.

     http://lii.org/

 

5.LibrarySpot

     http://www.libraryspot.com/

 

 

The Virtual Reference Desk

 

1.Library of Congress. Global Reference Network.

     http://www.loc.gov/rr/digiref/

 

2.Question Point 24/7 Ref. http://www.247ref.org/

 

3.The Virtual Reference Desk

     http://www.vrd.org

 

 

Evaluating the Web

 

1.Thinking Critically About World Wide Web Resources.

     http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/college/help/critical/index.htm

 

2. Widener University.  Wolfgram Memorial Library.  Evaluating Web Resources.

http://www.widener.edu/Tools_Resources/Libraries/Wolfgram_Memorial_Library/Evaluate_Web_Pages/659

 

More Internet Sources for Librarians

 

1.Internet Library For Librarians

     http://www.itcompany.com/inforetriever/

     Look under Internet Tools for Library Staff

 

 

 

 

 

Some Examples of Good Library Home Pages

 

Special and University Libraries

 

1.Library of Congress Home Page

     http://lcweb.loc.gov/

 

2.Smithsonian Libraries and Archives.

     http://www.sil.si.edu/

 

3.UMass, Boston. Healey Library.

     http://www.lib.umb.edu/

 

4.URI Libraries

     http://www.uri.edu/library/

 

Public Libraries

 

1.Boston Public Library

     http://www.bpl.org/

 

2.Internet Public Library

     http://www.ipl.org/

 

3.New York Public Library

     http://www.nypl.org/

 

4.Worcester Public Library

     http://www.worcpublib.org/

 

School Libraries and Media Centers

 

1.Beverly High School Library Media Center (MA)

    http://www.bhsonline.org/library/index.htm

 

2.Cole Junior High Library. (East Greenwich, RI).  Information Place.

     http://www.ri.net/schools/East_Greenwich/Cole/library.html

 

3.Taunton Public Schools (MA).  Libraries K-12.

     http://www.tauntonschools.org:16080/library/library/

 

 

 

ASSIGNMENTS

 

     1.Reading and Exercises (Learn the sources!!!)

-          This cannot be stressed enough! Sixty percent of your course grade will depend on how well you do this. Also, as public service librarians (if you go in that direction), you will need to be intimately familiar with most of the sources on your list.

 

     2. Quizzes (20% each)                                                                                                                   60%

          - There will be three of them. They will consist mainly of questions likely to

          be asked at a reference desk (for the most part), and you will be required to state where and how you

          can find the information to answer the question. For the third exam, you will probably be required to

          answer questions in the Reference Room of the library, just as if you were working there.

 

     3. Electronic Search                                                                                                                   10%    

 

     4. Tracer Bullet or Pathfinder                                                                                                             10% 

 

     5. Final Paper on a Topic Related to Reference Services                                                           20%    

-          Ten to twenty pages. This can take the form of either a position paper or a review of the research

Literature (more information on the next few pages

 

THE ELECTRONIC SEARCH: SOME TIPS AND GUIDELINES

 

 

Purposes of the Electronic Search

 

     - To introduce students to electronic literature searching

     - To enable students to determine their own information needs and to describe

          them to another

     - To enable students to practice a form of the reference interview with another

        student

     - To enable students to obtain preliminary information for their final papers

 

 

How to Do the Electronic Search

 

1.Choose a topic for your final paper within the next week or two.

 

2.You will be required to interview a classmate in class to ascertain information needs for

her or his final paper. You will then do an electronic search for your partner (who will do the same for you.)

 

3.Keep a log of your search strategies and results.

 

4.You will check back with your partner to see if she or he is satisfied with the results.  If

not, revise the search and try again, continuing to keep a log of your strategies and results.

 

5.Present your search results to your partner, again.

 

6.Write a brief evaluation (one paragraph) of the search that your partner has done for

you and return a copy to your partner.

 

7.Submit the following:

a. your search strategy and a list of databases consulted

b. your interview of your partner

c. an evaluation by your partner of the search that you did for her or him.

d. A brief list of your best citations or results

 

 

 

DUE: OCTOBER 29, 2007

 

 

TRACER BULLET OR PATHFINDER: SOME TIPS AND GUIDELINES

 

     This will be a brief document designed to help your library find information on a popular subject. Choose an academic, research, or life-related topic that you care about passionately. Clear your topic with the professor, as soon as you can. As you learn about reference sources in this class, find the following that will give you good information on your topic:

 

     General Books for Background Information

 

     Bibliographies

 

     Related Periodicals

 

     Related Periodical Indexes or Abstracts

 

     Reviews (Where relevant)

 

     Web Sites

 

     Specialized Encyclopedias and Dictionaries (Where applicable)

 

     Handbooks and Guides (Where applicable)

 

     Directories (Where applicable)

 

     Organizations

 

     Libraries (Any with strong collections on your topic?)

 

     Government Agencies (Where applicable)

 

     Other Types of Information (Where applicable)

 

     One to three examples per category should usually be sufficient, but look for the best sources of information on your topic. Think also of the search strategy or strategies that you would advise people to take as they research your topic. It is often wise to start with encyclopedias, dictionaries, or handbooks for an overview, some definitions, and a few important citations, and then go to bibliographies, indexes, abstracts, search engines, and webliographies to do a more thorough literature search, but other search strategies may be advisable, depending upon your topic. Use the pathfinders at the URI Libraries as one general set of examples and for ideas (but be sure to do your own original work)

 

DUE: DECEMBER 3, 2007

 

 

POSITION PAPER: SOME TIPS AND GUIDELINES

 

     Write a position paper on an issue or problem affecting reference services, that can be submitted to a general library magazine, such as LJ or American Libraries. A few general guidelines are listed below:

 

1. Use a term paper manual (such as Turabian, MLA or APA) from the beginning.  When

      you find relevant sources, be sure to write them down in the way suggested by your manual. Follow their

      rules for writing and citation, throughout.

 

2. State your problem, give some background on it, describe your opinions on it.

 

3. Explain why you are taking the position that you have stated.

 

4. Be sure to state arguments supporting your position.  Also, be sure to consider and

      refute arguments opposing your position.

 

5. If you mention yourself, be sure to refer to yourself in the third person.

 

6. When citing other people in the body of your work, use the last name, only.

 

ON ORIGINAL RESEARCH

 

     Original research (such as interviews, questionnaires, and the like) will not be required for this paper, but I expect you to do some good secondary research. However, for those of you who pursue any original research for this project, here are some points to keep in mind:

 

 

     1. State what population or sample you studied and why you chose that particular

           population or sample.

 

     2. Describe the precise methodology you used.  In other words, if you interviewed

           people how did you approach them and what did you ask?

 

     3. Include any research instrument that you used (such as questionnaires).

 

     4. Keep individual subjects anonymous.

 

OUTLINE AND BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE: NOVEMBER 26, 2007

POSITION PAPER DUE: DECEMBER 17, 2007

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESEARCH LITERATURE REVIEW: SOME TIPS AND GUIDELINES

 

Choose a subject that is a problem, an issue or challenge to reference services.

Look at both general literature and research literature on the issue, but focus on the

RESEARCH literature. Analyze the materials you find by answering these questions:

 

1.Has any research been done on this problem?

 

2.What methodologies were used to do this research?

 

3.What were the results?

 

4.Are these results valid?

 a. Does the research really study what it meant to study?

 b. Do the methodologies chosen and the questions asked correspond to the goals and

purposes of the research? Could other methodologies be used to study this problem?

 c. How well constructed was the methodology used (whether interview, questionnaire, observation, experiment, etc. )

 d. Is the research free from bias?

 e. If the research stated that something was caused by something else, was this really

true, or could the phenomena have been caused by something altogether different?

 f. Was the population chosen the best one for this particular research? Was a large sample chosen? Was there random sampling?

 g. Can this research be replicated (or done again by somebody else)? Was it described clearly enough? Were the circumstances universal enough so that results of a similar experiment would be similar?

 h. Can the results of the research be generalized? How representative of the target population was the sample chosen?'(See question 4f )

 

5.     What kind of research can be done as a follow-up to these studies, according to the researchers? What kind of research do you think can be done?

 

6.     Is there anything in any of the studies that you could use on Monday morning in a library? (Are there any applications of the study?) If so, what is it, or are they?

 

For more information on how to evaluate specific types of research, see this and similar books on library research:

 

Busha, Charles H. and Stephen P. Harter. Research Methods in Librarianship:

Techniques and Interpretation. NY: Academic Press, 1980.

 

OUTLINE AND BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE: NOVEMBER 26, 2007

RESEARCH LITERATURE REVIEW DUE: DECEMBER 17, 2007

 

 

COURSE OUTLINE

 

Reference and Information Services

 

Sept. 10-17  - From Print to Electronic: The Evolution of Reference Services

 

Required Readings For Sept. 19

 

An Introduction to Reference Information Services

     Cassell and Hiremath pp. 3-10

     Bopp and Smith - Chaps. 1 pp. 3-27

 

Some Ethical and Philosophical Issues

     Cassell and Hiremath – pp. 10-13

     Bopp and Smith - Chap. 2 pp. 28-46.

          April, 2000 pp. 47-49.

    

Virtual Reference Services

 

1.Library of Congress. Global Reference Network.

     http://www.loc.gov/rr/digiref/

 

2. 24/7 Ref. http://www.247ref.org/

 

3.The Virtual Reference Desk

     http://www.vrd.org

 

4. The Virtual Reference Desk. Digital Reference Education Initiative. http://drei.syr.edu/

 

5. Question Point: Cooperative Virtual Reference. http://www.questionpoint.org/

 

Building the Reference Collection

     Cassell and Hiremath – pp. 289-301

     Bopp and Smith. Chapter 13 pp. 309-330

     Frost – pp5-22, 69-81

    

 

Sept. 24  - National Library Catalogs and Trade Bibliographies

 

     Required Readings:

          Cassell and Hiremath pp. 53-58, 60-68

          Bopp and Smith - Chap. 20 pp. 480-508

          Assigned exercises

 

Oct.1 - Serials, Indexes, Abstracts

 

     Required Readings:

          Cassell and Hiremath pp. 58-59, 135-154

          Bopp and Smith - Chap. 21; pp. 509-536

          Assigned exercises

         

     Supplementary Readings

     "Search Like the Pros".

http://cms.longbeach.gov/search/booleansearch.htm

 

Oct. 10 - On-line Reference Services and Search Basics

 

     Required Readings:

          Cassell and Hiremath pp. 31-50, 233-251

          Bopp and Smith - Chaps. 5-7 pp. 97-176

 

Oct. 15 - Reference Interviews and Search Strategies

 

          Required Readings:

               Cassell and Hiremath pp. 15-29, 253-263

               Bopp and Smith - Chaps. 34; pp. 47-96

              Eckwright, Gail Z., Tom Hoskisson, and Mike Pollastro. “Reference Etiquette: A Guide to

                        Excruciatingly Correct Behavior.” American Libraries. May, 1998 pp. 42-45

              RASD Ad Hoc Committee on Behavioral Guidelines for Reference and Information Services.

Reference Guidelines. http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaprotools/referenceguide/Default2277.htm

            _____.            Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service 

Providers.  http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaprotools/referenceguide/guidelinesbehavioral.htm

              Straw, Joseph E. " Virtual Understanding: The Reference Interview and Question Negotiation in

                        The Digital Age.” Reference and User Services Quarterly. V. 38, no. 2 Winter, 1998

                        pp. 151-163

               Ross, Catherine Sheldrick and Patricia Dewdney. "Negative Closure: Strategies and Counter- 

                        Strategies in the Reference Transaction.” Reference and User Services Quarterly v. 38 no. 2

                        Winter, 1998 pp. 151-163

              Watson, Dana and RUSA CODES Readers’ Advisory Committee. “Time to Turn the Page: Library

                        Education for Reader’s Advisory Services.” Reference and User Services Quarterly.

                        v. 40 no. 2 Winter, 2000 pp. 143-146

            “The Reference Interview: Connecting in Person and in Cyberspace.” Reference and User Services

                        Quarterly. V. 43 no. 1 Fall, 2003 pp. 37-41       

           

 

          Assignment: Online searches on your paper topics

 

Oct. 22  - Language Sources

 

                        Examination I

 

                        Required Readings:

                             Cassell and Hiremath – pp. 111-133

                             Bopp and Smith. Chap. 17; pp. 409-432

                             Parshall, Gerald. “A ‘Glorious Mongrel’: A Language That Some Americans Want to

                                    Defend Against Foreign Invasion is Itself a Multicultural Smorgasbord of Borrowed

                                    Words.” U.S. News and World Report. Sept. 25, 1995

                             Kister, Ken. “Dictionaries Defined: Buying Guidelines and Language Notes From a

                                    Reference Expert.” Library Journal. Jan. 15, 1992

                             _____. “Buying and Selling Words: What Every Good Librarian Should Know About

                                    the Dictionary Business.” Wilson Library Bulletin. Jan. 1993 pp. 35-38.

                             Updike, John. “Fine Points: Why We Should Still Care For Fowler Seventy Years On.”

                                    The New Yorker. Dec. 23 and 30, 1996 pp. 142-149.

                             Yue, Joseph. “How Familiar is It Anymore?: Barlett’s Familiar Quotations Goes

                                    Digital” Reference and User Services Quarterly. V. 42 no. 1 Fall, 2002 pp. 26-29.

                             Assigned exercises

 

Oct. 29 – Encyclopedias

 

                        Electronic Search Due

 

                        Required Readings:

                             Cassell and Hiremath – pp. 69-92

                             Bopp and Smith – Chap. 18; pp. 433-459

                             Kister, Ken. “Encyclopedists Head For Cyberspace.” Library Journal

                                    Nov. 15, 1998  pp. 53-58

                             Rettig, James. “Encyclopedias and the Cult of Entertainment.”

                                    Reference and User Services Quarterly. V. 38 no. 2 Winter, 1998 pp. 133-138

                             Assigned exercises

 

Nov. 5 – Ready Reference Sources: Almanacs, Yearbooks, Handbooks, Directories

 

                        Required Readings:

                             Cassell and Hiremath – pp. 93-110, 155-182

                             Bopp and Smith – Chaps. 15, 14; pp. 357-380, 331-356

                             Arant, Wendi and Brian Carpenter. “Where is the Line?: Legal Reference Service

                                    And the Unauthorized Practice of Law (UPL) – Some Guides That Might Help.”

                                    Reference and Users’ Services Quarterly. V. 38 no. 3 Spring, 1999 pp. 235-239.

                             Assigned exercises

                             Supplementary Reading: Frost pp. 117-138

 

Nov. 19  - Biographical Sources

 

                        Examination II

 

                        Required Readings

                             Cassell and Hiremath pp. 199-211

                             Bopp and Smith – Chap. 16 pp. 381-408

                             Assigned exercises                     

 

 

 

 

 

Nov. 26 - Geographical Sources, Government Publications, and Statistics

 

Outline and Bibliography of Final Paper Due

 

                 Required Readings:

                 BCassell and Hiremath – pp. 183-1989, 213-230

                 Bopp and Smith - Chaps. 19,22; pp. 460-479,537-593

                  Assigned exercises.

 

Dec. 3   - Information and the Community: Reference Services to a Diverse Population

 

            Tracer Bullet or Pathfinder Due

 

                 Required Readings:

                  Cassell and Hiremath – pp. 265-272

                  Bopp and Smith - Chap. 12 pp. 279-306

                  Gilton, Donna L. “Who People are: Diverse Users, Students, and Researchers” from Teaching About Information (website). http://www.uri.edu/artsci/lsc/Faculty/gilton/People-CoverPage.htm

 

Supplementary Readings:

                  Gilton, Donna. "A World of Difference: Preparing for Information Literacy Instruction for  

                        Diverse Groups.” MultiCultural Review. Vol. 3 September, 1994 pp. 54-62

 

                  Liu, Ziming. "Difficulties and Characteristics of Students from Developing Countries in Using   .

                        American Libraries.” College and Research Libraries. Vol. 54 January, 1993 pp. 25-31

 

                  Chao, Sheau-yueh J. "The New Americans Program: Queens Borough Public Library's Service to  

                        Multilingual/Multicultural Communities.” Public Libraries. Vol. 32

November-December, 1993 pp. 319-322

 

Craver, Kathleen W. "Bridging the Gap: Library Services for Immigrant Populations."

Journal of Youth Services in Libraries. Vol. 4 Winter, 1991 pp. 123-130

 

Villagran, M. “Community Building and Latino Families.” Reference and User Services

Quarterly. V. 40, no. 3 Spring, 2001 pp. 224-7.

 

            Dixon, Judith. “Are We Childproofing Our Public Libraries? Identifying the Barriers That Limit

                        Library Use By Children.” Public Libraries. January/February, 1996

 

             Holt, Cynthia. "Assessing the Needs of Library Users With Disabilities." Public Libraries.  

                        March/April, 1995 pp. 90-93.

 

Norlin, Dennis. A. "We're Not Stupid You Know: Library Services for

                          Adults with Mental Retardation." Research Strategies. (Spring, 1992): 56-68.

 

Kleiman, Allan. "The Aging Agenda: Redefining Library Services for a

                                     Graying Population." Library Journal (April 15, 1995): 32-34.

 

 

Dec. 10- Information Literacy

                            Administration and Evaluation of Reference Services

 

          Examination III

 

          Required Readings

          Cassell and Hiremath – pp. 273-286, 303-346

          Bopp and Smith - Chaps. 8 - 11 pp. 177-278

 

 

All Papers Due December 17th!

 

          .

Supplementary Reading:

Frost pp. 83-116