SYLLABUS, LIS 6260, Introduction to Information Science in Librarianship
Information Science in Librarianship
LIS 6260
Spring Semester 2003
Course Description:
Historical overview of the emergence of information science as a discipline.
The fundamental concepts of information retrieval systems and subsystems,
related information technologies, including indexing and abstracting, and
their applications to the field of librarianship. Additional emphasis will
be placed on the social aspects of computing and communication theory.
Required Textbooks:
- Norton, Melanie J. Introductory Concepts in Information Science
Medford, N.J.: Published for the American Society for Information
Science by Information Today, Inc., 2000.
- Naughton, John. A Brief History of the Future: From Radio Days
to Internet Years in a Lifetime. Woodstock, N.Y.: Overlook Press, 2001.
(paperback ISBN 1-58567-184-3)
- Wolf, Milton T., Pat Ensor, & Mary Augusta Thomas. Information
Imagineering: Meeting at the Interface. Chicago: ALA, 1998.
Grades:
Pioneer paper (30%), scholarly communication paper (30%), and current issues
paper (40%).
Course Goals:
- To gain knowledge of the development of the field of information science
and how it interacts with library studies.
- To learn about the role of indexing and abstracting in the organization
of knowledge.
- To gain a basic knowledge of communication theory and its application
to library and information science.
- To gain an understanding of the range of impacts that computerization
has now and can have for businesses, public agencies, communities and individuals.
- To understand the impact of computerization on scholarly communication.
- To raises your level of effective literacy as an information professional
by helping you learn to read complex and conflicting literatures about the
social aspects of computerization.
Beginning in fall semester 2000, the USF Registrar began recording plus
and minus grades. Be aware that I do not give out an A+ for a course since
both an A and A+ is a 4.0, but I may that grade may be assigned to an individual
assignment. The midpoint of the range [shown in brackets below] will be used
for purposes of converting letter grades to numbers when calculating final
grades. The following numerical ranges will be used to determine grades
in this class.
- A+ = 97-100 [99 -- rounded up from 98.5]
- A = 93-96 [95 -- rounded up from 94.5]
- A-= 90-92 [91]
- B+= 87-89 [88]
- B = 83-86 [85 - rounded up from 84.5]
- B- = 80-82 [81]
- C+= 77-79 [78]
- C= 73-76 [75 -- rounded up from 74.5]
- C- = 70-72 [71]
A similar scale would continue down, but I am assuming that this is as low
as there will be in a graduate class!