The UNIVERSITY of WESTERN ONTARIO
Faculty of Information and Media Studies

LIS 514 - Academic Libraries

Winter 2003

GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATING ASSIGNMENTS

Content

• Responding to assignment topic
• Demonstrated understanding of the topic
• Included own opinions based on literature and/or experience
• Appropriate use of quotations

• Presentation of thesis
• Logical progression and expansion of ideas
• Reached a conclusion
• Length of paper
• Grammar and construction

• Print and electronic mix
• New (not on list of selected readings) references provided
• Appropriate choice of citations
• Consistent citation style

• Paper is at a graduate level for content and composition
• Received on time

Discuss how the strategic plan of an institution of higher learning will influence the priorities and strategies of the academic library. (I recommend that you refer to an existing plan in order to ground the discussion in reality.) 

JANUARY 23 - SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION

Describe the scholarly communication cycle, the role of libraries and librarians in that cycle, the trends in academic research that have an impact on scholarly communication and publishing, and the consequent effect on academic libraries.

JANUARY 30 - PLANNING AND BUDGETING

Describe the elements of a strategic plan and the steps taken to create a plan. Comment on appropriate consultation, time lines and performance measures.

FEBRUARY 6 - COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT IN A DIGITAL WORLD

Collection development in academic libraries has moved from "just in case" to "just in time" to "just for you". Define each of these modes. Describe the various collection development practices and the impact on customers' access to information resources associated with each.

FEBRUARY 13 - SERVICE DELIVERY IN A DIGITAL WORLD

Increasingly in academic libraries, services may be delivered just in time. Discuss your understanding of how you think the just-in-time model could (or should) be shaping delivery of services and the potential impact on faculty, students, and library staff. What do you think of the model and its utility for academic librarians?

FEBRUARY 20 - INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIOUR OF RESEARCHERS

Interview a faculty member or graduate student about his/her research process, giving particular attention to sources of information, formal and informal, including libraries. Submit a synopsis of the interview as well as an analysis of how well the faculty member matches the profile of scholars in that discipline based on your analysis of the scholarly and professional literature. [Note: Research means academic enquiry, not googling.]

MARCH 13 -INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Increased use of technology in academic libraries raises concerns about losing the 'human face' of our services. How do we determine the best balance between 'self service' and 'full service'? How can the technology be used to support (rather than replace) that 'human face'?
 
MARCH 20 - FACULTY STATUS FOR LIBRARIANS

Academic or faculty status is a fact of life for most college and university librarians. Discuss the key components of faculty status and why librarians have lobbied for it. Why has the move towards faculty status been so hotly debated?

APRIL 3 - INFORMATION LITERACY

1) The Association of College and Research Libraries' objectives for information literacy competencies provide a collection of outcomes and performance indicators. Select five outcomes that you consider to be the most important, justify your selections and describe how you would use the standards, objectives, and performance indicators to design instruction.

AND/OR

2) Teaching and Learning Centres (sometimes known as Teaching and Learning Commons) are becoming more common in universities. Discuss the mandate of TLCs, and in particular, the role that the academic library can play.

APRIL 17 - PROFILES OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS

What is your preferred future as an academic librarian - information specialist, scholar, educator, leader, manager or some combination of these roles? Discuss why you would choose one future and not another. Comment on how well the UWO LIS program has prepared you for that future. Support your presentation with references to the scholarly and professional literature and/or an interview with a practising academic librarian.