University
of Iowa School of Library and Information Science
Cultural
Foundations 021:101
Fall
2006
Jennifer
Burek Pierce, PhD
Office
Hours (tentatively): Tuesday, 1-2 p.m./by appointment
Office:
3076 Main Library
Phone:
319.335.5716
Email:
jennifer-burek-pierce@uiowa.edu
Required
Texts
1)
Matthew Battles, Library:
An Unquiet History. New York: WW Norton, 2003.
2) College Students¹
Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources: A Report to the OCLC Membership. Dublin, Ohio:
OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc., 2006.
3) Louise Robbins, The
Dismissal of Miss Ruth Brown:
Civil Rights, Censorship, and the American Library. Tulsa:
University of Oklahoma Press, 2000.
4)
Some
required readings are on reserve, available online through Web outlets, notably
The University of Iowa Libraries distance education support pages. You will need regular access to both
print and electronic library resources provided by the UI libraries to complete
assignments for this course.
Course
Description
Cultural Foundations introduces the role of libraries and information agencies in society, considering both historical and contemporary context. It surveys major contemporary concerns, including information policy, professional ethics, literacy, diversity, technology, and pedagogy. User perceptions of libraries and related information environments are also studied.
Course
Objectives
In
this course, students should develop
1)
A
preliminary understanding of foundational issues, ideas, and questions regarding work and
research in library and information science;
2) A vocabulary of foundational professional terms and concepts to support one¹s learning through the rest of the curriculum and post-degree employment;
3)
Analytical
abilities that support one¹s efforts to evaluate and to discuss, through
critical reflection, ongoing professional concerns; and
4)
The
ability to articulate critical insights regarding existing challenges and
developing issues in the information professions.
Core
Questions
This
course asks you to read a great deal about the profession and professional
concerns, such as library users (or non-users), technologies, and
collections. Implicitly or
explicitly, these readings demonstrate attitudes and values, as well as
opinions about the field¹s past, present, and future activities. A goal of your reflection on the
readings and participation in class discussions should be to identify and
evaluate these issues and stances.
In addition to recognizing recurring themes and ongoing debates, you
should be developing your own ideas about these matters, as well as the ability
to support your position with reference to others¹ ideas and sources of
evidence. Some questions to
consider as you prepare for each class include the following:
1)
What does the writer mean by library? Are all concepts of the library the same? All purposes? How does this writer understand the library and what
implications for service and use follow from that understanding?
2)
Who is the library user?
A frequently heard question at LIS research conference revolves around
³the library in the life of the user² as opposed to ³the user in the life of
the library.² How is the library
user understood by this author? What
is the relationship between the user and the library?
3)
What is the relationship between the library and the larger
culture or environment in which it operates?
4)
What does this tell us about the past or present condition of
working in the information professions?
What does it suggest about the future of the professions? What issues or concerns will you deal
with as a librarian, and why? How
does the past shape your thoughts about the current professional environment?
Expectations,
Procedures, and Other Guidelines
1. It is hoped and assumed that each
member of the class will be treated with respect. While there will be
some lecture, this course involves significant student discussion and
participation. This necessitates attendance and active preparation for
class.
2.
If you cannot attend class, you must notify the instructor in advance.
Because one cannot duplicate a discussion or interactions following the class
meeting, it is inevitable that any make up work will not duplicate the same
learning which took place during class. The instructor reserves the right
to offer make-up work only in the event of documented, excused absences for
which advance notice is given.
4. In your out-of-class work, please
select and follow an appropriate style sheet or citation manual consistently,
including conventions for citation of research, editing, and so on.
Please be aware that the School of Library and Information Science, in accord
with the University, deals with academic and personal misconduct such as
plagiarism according to the procedures in the Code of Student Life. Further, you may consult style sheets
including the Chicago Manual of Style, MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly
Publishing or
APA Publication Manual for guidance on all matters related to academic writing. You will be expected to use standard
conventions of academic writing for this course, such as introductions, thesis
statements, paragraphing, conclusions, etc.
5. Students are expected and encouraged to
ask questions about their work in this course. Please remember that if
you feel that readings or assignments are unclear, you should ask for
clarification before work is due. I am more than happy to work with you in
advance of assignment submission to make sure you do the best work you can.
6. Incompletes will not be awarded except
under extraordinary circumstances. Any request for an extension –
whether for an individual assignment or for the course – must be made in
advance of the due date or the last class meeting.
7. Students requiring accommodation due to
medical conditions or learning disabilities should see the instructor soon
after the first class meeting. These accommodations will be made in
accordance with university policies and procedures which require that students
needing accommodations because of disability work with Student Disability Services (http://www.uiowa.edu/%7Esds/index.html) to allow accommodations to be made.
8. Points are
assigned and aggregated to determine the final grade. These points are
converted to a letter-grade on the following 1000-point scale: A=940+,
A-=900-939, B+=870-899, B=840-869, B-=800-839, and so on.
9. The instructor reserves the right to
make, with notice, necessary adjustments in the calendar and content.
10. All assignments must be completed to
pass this course.
Course
Components and Assignments
Assignments
and Point Distribution
Participation
150
Interview
assignment
250
Conference
assignment 250
Final
essay
350
Total
Points
1000
Course
Outline, Reading Assignments and Resource Highlights[1]
8/23:
Introduction to the course, library history and vocabulary; fill out
background/interest cards
8/30:
Libraries in history: collection,
canon, and censorship
9/6:
Libraries in history: structures and issues in modern information access
9/13:
Fast forward: Librarianship today,
including technology and its effects/possibilities
9/20:
Assign interviewees; overview librarian interview assignment and interviewing
protocol. Guest speaker: Jacqueline Snider of ACT (to be
confirmed)
9/27:
What do patrons think about what librarians do today?
10/4: Share responses to interviews with consideration of emerging issues, including connections/disconnects with course readings; continued discussion of needs and issues in the field reflected by recent surveys/assessments.
·
Librarian resource: The Whole Library Handbook
·
Due:
Librarian interview
·
Read:
Long Overdue: A Fresh Look at Public and Leadership Attitudes About Libraries
in the 21st Century available at http://www.lff.org/long_overdue061306.html;
The State of America¹s Libraries.
10/11:
Modern librarianship and intellectual freedom: a case study
·
Librarian
resource: Searchable indexes at
Iowa and LISA database
·
Read: Dismissal of Miss Ruth Brown, pp. 3-97
10/18: Modern
librarianship and intellectual freedom:
a case study, continued
·
Librarian
resource: IFLA
·
Read: Dismissal of Miss Ruth Brown, pp. 98-178
10/25:
Continuing education in LIS; discussion of conferences and other sources of
continuing education in the field
11/1:
Online writer¹s workshop via ICON
11/8: Perspectives on collections and users
11/15: Research time in compensation for
conference attendance/no class meeting
11/22: Thanksgiving Recess/no class meeting
11/29: Image of the librarian/libraries and
librarians in popular culture
12/7: Informal discussion of findings and
opinions; job seeking in LIS.
[1] The librarian resources identified for each meeting are organizations, publications and other materials that may be helpful to you during the program and in your work life. These items will be introduced briefly during the class session – no preparation is required for these items.