Presentation

ONLINE PRESENTATIONS (30% course grade)

Brief the class on a program, activity, or issue of interest. Possible topics:

	Programs: book discussion groups; services to genealogists; developing an online presence for the library
	Activities: managing difficult patrons; planning for diversity; establishing a policy for internet use; organizing a book discussion group, developing a virtual collection
	Issues: The USA Patriot Act; the future of public funding for public libraries; collection balance

A sign-up sheet will be circulated at the first class session; to avoid duplication, cross off the topic you choose. If you come up with an alternative topic, present it for approval. If more than one of you would like to do the same topic, consider a team collaboration. Presentation can be on-line or in person.

Mechanics of on-line presentation: Here are two ways to make your presentation available to the class on-line.

Some of you may want to put your presentations up on your independent web sites. E-mail the instructor your URL, and she will create a link from the LSC 521 home page "Presentations" section.

Some may prefer to e-mail your presentations to the instructor as attachments, so she can upload them to the LSC 521 "Presentations" section. In this case, certain restrictions apply:

	Your file must be compatible with the instructor's system.
	Your file must be small enough for relatively speedy download; attachments over 500K will be rejected.
	Your file must have an identifying filename that includes your own name (or an abbreviation of it), not just "Presentation," or "LSC521presentation," or something that could belong to just anybody.
	Your file name should not have any spaces or special characters.

Things that tend to backfire in the design and layout department: illegibly dark fonts on dark backgrounds; beautifully fussy backgrounds against which fonts disappear; special features that take more download time than anybody's got -- these are the online equivalent of face-to-face presentations where the speaker stands in front of a transparency with such tiny print you can't quite make it out anyhow, and reads aloud from it in a droning monotone you can't quite hear, and carries on for at least 25 minutes even though the assigned time limit was 10 or 15. You've all seen it happen -- usually near the end of a class, when you have an urgent need to be elsewhere....

As you consider which program to use for your presentation, bear in mind that most people (including your instructor, alas) use Microsoft products. Also, many of your classmates may not be equipped to handle movies, streaming video, and other fancy options, attractive as they may be; you may have a choice between being barebones (and accessible) or cutting edge (and inaccessible).

And remember, too, that your content is more important than your technology in this class. All this stuff about mechanics matters only because you need a clear medium to communicate your good ideas. How you say things matters because it affects how the rest of us understand them -- if you have something worth saying and you put it across effectively, it can be simple as all get-out and we'll love it.

Criteria for grading

Your work will be graded on content (60%), appeal or relevancy (20%), and form (20%).

4. Above the Standard (B+ or A-)

Content: There is a clear statement of topic and scope, and terms are defined as needed.

Program or activity: the rationale is compelling, in terms both of the library's mission and the needs of the intended audience. Directions for carrying out the activity or program are easy to follow and well thought out; it is clear that this activity is a cost-effective way to meet the audience needs described, and any likely problems can be dealt with effectively. The planned evaluation is outcomes-based, and can be carried out simply, with a minimum of staff time and effort. Sources are relevant and authoritative.

Issue: there is a clear explanation of why the issue matters. Terms of the debate are well defined. Both sides of the issue are well presented, and reasonable criteria are given for determining which side should prevail. The main ideas are clear, and are persuasively connected to each other; arguments are supported by relevant data from reliable sources (government reports, peer-reviewed research, etc.).

Appeal or relevance:

	Program or activity: The proposed activity is likely to have high appeal to its intended audience. Any samples, illustrations, graphics, or other supporting material presented online are both conceptually and visually attractive.
	Issue: The issue is of compelling interest for public librarians; whether or not it is currently under debate in the profession, the presentation clarifies its importance.

Form: Your report is presented as a legible, well-laid out web or a document. It is easy to read and navigate, well-organized, well-written, and engaging; the spelling and grammar are very good.

3. Meets the Standard (B)

Content: There is a clear statement of topic and scope.

	Program or activity: the rationale is persuasive in terms of the library's mission and/or the needs of the intended audience. Directions for carrying out the activity or program are well thought out; plans are in place to deal with any likely problems. The planned evaluation is logical, given the rationale and intended outcomes of the program. Sources are relevant.
	Issue: there is a reasonable explanation of why the issue matters. Important terms are defined. Both sides of the issue are presented, and the presenter makes a reasonable case for preferring one side over the other. The main arguments are easy to follow, and supporting data is relevant and comes from basically reliable sources.

Appeal or relevance:

	Program or activity: The proposed activity is likely to appeal to its intended audience. Any samples, illustrations, graphics, or other supporting material presented online are attractive.
	Issue: The issue is fairly interesting to public librarians, and may be currently under debate in the profession.

Form: The report is presented as a legible, well-laid out web or a document. It is easy to read and well-organized; the spelling and grammar are good.

2. Below the Standard (C+ or B-)

Content: The topic, scope, and/or special terms may be unclear.

Program or activity: Rationale for the activity may be based more on the presenter's needs and interests than on those of the intended audience (e.g., "I chose this topic because I love poetry," or "I thought I should do this because I'm weak in this area"). Directions for carrying out the activity or program may be unclear, inconsistent, or impractical; there may be unmet objections to it. The planned evaluation may be perfunctory ("The program will be evaluated by a survey"), unrelated to desired outcomes, or too difficult to carry out. Sources may be weak or irrelevant.

Issue: It may be unclear why the issue matters; again, the rationale may be based more on the presenter's own needs and interests than on those of the profession, and the presenter may have failed to make a persuasive case that this neglected issue really should matter to the profession. Important terms may be undefined. One side of the issue may be presented with excessive bias, or with too little detail. Arguments may be unclear, or bogged down in excessive detail. Supporting data may be irrelevant or lacking in authority.

Appeal or relevance:

	Program or activity: May be likely to bore its intended audience. The presentation may be less attractive.
	Issue: May be boring and irrelevant.

Form: The report may be hard to read (for instance, there may be dark purple font on dark green backgrounds, or thin font against fussily textured backgrounds with distracting and irrelevant graphics) or to follow. It may less well organized, or less well written. Spelling and/or grammar may be substandard. It may be submitted late.