Library Services for Racially and Ethnically Diverse Communities
INFO 275

Dr. Kristen Radsliff Rebmann
E-mail
Office Hours: By appointment.

Workshop, synchronous (ZOOM) Sessions:

The first workshop on August 24th is mandatory to view (to view, not to attend live) with a related quiz. The live session will take place on Wednesday, August 24th from 12 pm to 1:30 pm Pacific (I aim for 1 hour but might go a little over). The recording of the workshop will be posted sometime later that day. See the Canvas Weekly Welcome page(s) for details on times and access to URLs. Synchronous sessions will be recorded.

***Student attendance at live synchronous workshops is not mandatory. Recordings will be available, however, and it is expected that you will view them.  This is a group-intensive class where collaboration and participation in joint discussion activities is mandatory.***

Note: No textbook purchase required.  All readings are electronic and freely available.

Focuses on developing skills for planning, implementing, and evaluating programs for addressing the information needs of racially, ethnically, economically, and linguistically diverse communities (in addition to other dimensions of diversity). Reviews the major national, state, and local studies.

Expectations

Students are expected to participate fully in all class activities. It is expected that students will be open-minded and participate fully in discussions in class and debate in a mature and respectful manner. Use of derogatory, condescending, or offensive language including profanity is prohibited. Disagreement is healthy and perfectly acceptable. Expressing disagreement should always include an explanation of your reasoning and, whenever possible, evidence to support your position. In accordance with San José State University's Policies, the Student Code of Conduct, and applicable state and federal laws, discrimination based on gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or disability is prohibited in any form.

Course Workload

Success in this course is based on the expectation that students will spend, for each unit of credit, a minimum of forty-five hours over the length of the course (normally 3 hours per unit per week with 1 of the hours used for lecture) for instruction or preparation/studying or course related activities including but not limited to internships, labs, clinical practica. Other course structures will have equivalent workload expectations as described in the syllabus.

Instructional time may include but is not limited to:
Working on posted modules or lessons prepared by the instructor; discussion forum interactions with the instructor and/or other students; making presentations and getting feedback from the instructor; attending office hours or other synchronous sessions with the instructor.

Student time outside of class:
In any seven-day period, a student is expected to be academically engaged through submitting an academic assignment; taking an exam or an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction; building websites, blogs, databases, social media presentations; attending a study group;contributing to an academic online discussion; writing papers; reading articles; conducting research; engaging in small group work.

Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes) Supported

INFO 275 supports the following core competencies:

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics, challenges, issues, needs, interests, and concerns associated with providing information services to diverse groups.
2. Develop skills and methods for identifying appropriate resources and communication channels for service delivery to these patrons.
3. Design, implement, and evaluate effective and responsive programs and services.
4. Review readings and studies reflecting major national, regional, state, and local trends for providing culturally appropriate library services to racially and ethnically diverse groups.

Textbooks

No Textbooks For This Course.

Assignments and Exams
Students will complete the assignments shown below. More specific information regarding all assignments will be made available on the course website.

Canvas and Synchronous Participation
Attendance at the synchronous sessions is not mandatory - recordings will be available. Part of participation in this course includes listening well to others and engaging with opposing viewpoints. You are expected to be respectful and thoughtful in responding to each other and in responding to the course materials.

Help! How do I …?
I will create a discussion forum in Canvas for general questions regarding due dates, the structure of assignments, and clarification of concepts. Please post your general questions here so that all students may benefit. Feel free to contact me via email at [email protected]. Please do not email me via the Canvas mail system.  Placing the words: INFO 275 and your section number in the subject field will guarantee that your email will get to my high-priority folder so that I can get back to you promptly (usually within 24 to 48 hours). Sometimes you might see me in ZoomIM or GoogleChat - feel free to talk with me this way as well.

The standard SJSU School of Information Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses:

In order to provide consistent guidelines for assessment for graduate level work in the School, these terms are applied to letter grades:

• C represents Adequate work; a grade of "C" counts for credit for the course;
• B represents Good work; a grade of "B" clearly meets the standards for graduate or undergraduate (for BS-ISDA) level work;
  For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA, Informatics, or BS-ISDA) — INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204 — the iSchool requires that students earn a B in the course. If the grade is less than B (B- or lower) after the first attempt you will be placed on administrative probation. You must repeat the class if you wish to stay in the program. If - on the second attempt - you do not pass the class with a grade of B or better (not B- but B) you will be disqualified.
  
• A represents Exceptional work; a grade of "A" will be assigned for outstanding work only.

Graduate Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). Undergraduates must maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

Per University Policy S16-9 (PDF), relevant university policy concerning all courses, such as student responsibilities, academic integrity, accommodations, dropping and adding, consent for recording of class, etc. and available student services (e.g. learning assistance, counseling, and other resources) are listed on the Syllabus Information web page. Make sure to visit this page to review and be aware of these university policies and resources.

Course Calendar
A course calendar will be available from the modules section of the course site (in Canvas) at the start of the semester.

SJSU 2022-2023 Academic Calendar

Academic Calendar

Assignment Due-Dates
Submit assignments by 11:59 pm Pacific Time on the due date. Due dates will not be changed under any circumstances.  Please communicate with me if you are in a documented personal health or family crisis that might impact your work.  Check the course site daily for announcements and discussion posts.