LIS 415 - Assignments

Due dates are all on the course outline page. Please review the FAQ on assignment file names.

You have five numbered assignments (1 through 5), for which information will be made available, along with instructions on delivery format. Some may include online components. You have one OPAC presentation, which is described below. Each of these six activities is equal to 14% of your final grade. 16% is left to several different less formal activities (see below), called various different things, and which will receive points rather than grades.

Revising assignments

I am happy to look at numbered assignments (1-5) and the OPAC presentation ahead of time, if you provide evidence that you have read the readings and made a good effort. I can only do this in person - not by e-mail, fax, phone, Skype, IM, and so on. Just face to face. Special arrangements will be made for blended classes to have a similar option.

Printing OCLC records in the Lab

You may not be able to print OCLC records in many environments where printers are networked (including GSLIS labs). So, select Adobe or PDF (or whatever variation you find) as your printer - this will result in something which you can print. Or, capture a screen and paste it into a Word document.

OPAC presentation (a graded assignment)

You are a bibliographic instruction librarian at an academic library. You have been asked to prepare a 15 minute talk with illustrations on how to use the catalogue, for new incoming undergraduates. It's not enough time, but it's what you have. You have prepared a complete walk through, in case the network goes down. Do it for a real library OPAC which is Web-accessible (and give me the URL). I want the visual presentation (which should consist primarily of captured screens) and the script. You can use PowerPoint (and put the script into Notes), Word with screen captures, Camtasia, Jing, HTML, whatever, as long as I have visuals and a script. Unles you provide the audio yourself, I will speak it out loud and time it, so you have to get to the essence of what they need to know in 15 minutes. This is not an introduction to the library in general, nor to reference sources, nor to how to find articles in databases. Just the catalog.

Introstuff (0-1 points)

This is a "scavenger hunt" intended to make sure that you can find the stuff you need, do some basic tasks, and introduce yourself. Instructions will be found in the assignment document when it is loaded into eLearning.

The biography assignment (0-4 points)

Points: 0-2 for the biography, 0-2 for the bioquiz

A sign-up sheet involving a list of historically important figures and events will be posted on the course e-learning site. Sign up for one (no more than three students per figure). Each group will create a brief biography or exposition and discussion about why that person or event is important to the study of information organization. Include a "References" section citing your sources, and a "Resources" section (three or four print or online resources for further exploration) if there are resources outside of your reference list. The narrative should be 400 to 500 words, exclusive of resources and references. A picture (if possible) would be nice as well. There will be a dropbox for this assignment in eLearning site. To be followed by an activity requiring that everybody read all of them (kind of like a scavanger hunt).

Please do not put general queries about these people or events into listserv lists - librarians on listserv lists are starting to get really irritated by this kind of behaviour. Do not rely on Wikipedia either. Do research. Remember that the emphasis is on why are they important to organization. You can work on this entirely virtually if you wish. Get in touch with your collaborators by e-mail - you will have the contact sheet.

Browsing in bookstores and libraries (0-6 points)

Instructions will be posted in the handout section of eLearning.

Various classroom assessment activities (0-5 points)

There will be five classroom assessment activities of various kinds throughout the semester. Each will be worth 1 point.

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