ILS 501 Introduction to Information Science & Technology Dr. Hak Joon Kim
This was one of the required courses for the MLS program. The instructor challenged the students to learn the various aspects of technology that would effect librarians including hardware, software, and networking. One of the projects was to lead a unit with a classmate for a given topic in the course. In this case software. Additionally, a job search exercise was completed, as well as a searching exercise that examined results for a carefully constructed search for Google, Alta Vista, and Vivisimo. The major project for this course was to create a simple web page.
ILS 503 Foundations of Librarianship Ms. Jodi Williams
Another required course for the program, which provided a good foundation about different aspects of librarianship. This included topics such as intellectual freedom, CIPA, copyright, policies, ethics, and e-books. The assignments were to be written a clear and concise manner. During the course we analyzed important databases for library and information science including Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA), Library Literature, and the Emerald Library Suite. We also looked at some of the important journals for our chosen type of library, in my case academic library journals. Furthermore, the librarian's role, the work environment, and important figures in library science were studied. For the course project, a mentor was to be chosen to collaborate for approximately 40 hours of work.
ILS 504 Reference & Information Resources & Services Dr. Yan Quan Liu
This was one of the required courses that was very important to me because of my interest in reference services. During the course many general types of sources were covered, which included: dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, bibliographies, biographies, and geographical sources. The course provided several reference exercises over the semester. Another assignment was to view reference service at a library of our choice. In addition, a comparison of two search engines was done, as well as an article review.
The major paper for this course was for a topic of our choice. In my case, the paper provided a good introduction covering Bibliographic Instruction for distance learners.A Microsoft Word file of the final project is included here.
ILS 506 Information Analysis and Organization Dr. Eino Sierpe
This was one of the courses required for the masters program. During this course, we learned the detailed and technical nature of the MARC record. The instructor showed the importance of these records when looking for information. It is not just for catalogers, but for all librarians in order to understand how certain systems (e.g. the OPAC) are organized. We also looked at the complexity of a reorganization project for a section of books in a library, in this case books by and about Pablo Neruda. A third project was to view and discuss three OPACs.
ILS 519 Acquisitions and Development of Library and Information Resources Dr. Arlene Bielefield
This is one of the required courses for the Academic Track in my planned program. It was a very interesting course because there were several aspects that I knew little about with my work experience. During the course we analyzed library vendors, collected town demographics, and learned about the importance of government documents. We also learned about handling gifts, deselection of materials, evaluation of materials, and preservation of materials.
The final project was an evaluation project for a section of materials in a library. I chose to look at the computer books in a public library. A Microsoft Word file of the final project is included
here.
ILS 565 Library Management Dr. James Kusack
This course was recommended for my planned program in the Academic Track. One of the key things taught by the instructor is that "You will manage!" During the course we learned about management with an interview with a library manager. Additionally, we learned about the importance of customer service, read a book about some aspect of management and provided a speech about aspects learned from it. We also did a cost finding exercise to find the cost of something done in a library. Finally, we did an in-basket exercise that provided an example of the types of things that a manager would encounter during a work week and how to prioritize them.
ITC 575 Instructional Design Principles Dr. Hak Joon Kim
This course was recommended for my planned program by the instructor of this course. It was suggested as a good course for an academic librarian. A major project was completed in sections over the weeks of the course. The course project was to teach a group of people how to do something. One of the requirements of the project was that it be something that had not been done before. In this case, I provided a tutorial on how to find a book in the Quad-Linc public access catalog of the River Bend library system. This was one of the most difficult projects that I have ever completed. The learning experience was extremely important for my career goals. A Microsoft Word file of the final project is included here.
A Microsoft Powerpoint slide show of the final project is included here. A Microsoft Powerpoint slide show of the student handout for the final project is included here.
ILS 615 Humanities Literature and Sources Dr. Marcus Elmore
This course was an elective in my planned program. It was another important course for my interest in becoming a reference librarian. The course provided opportunities for answering reference questions and interviewing a reference librarian, as well as a library user, in this case a professor at an academic library. Other exercises included recommendation of a reference material for the library and suggestions for building a classical music collection. Students were asked to lead one of the units for the course.
The major project for the course was to pick a person or topic within the genre of Humanities. In my case, I chose to collect sources for Pablo Neruda. The mid-term portion of the project was to collect electronic sources. That file can be found here. One part of the final project was to create a portion for "public presentation". A Microsoft Word file of the final project is included here. A Microsoft Word file of the public presentation is included here. ILS 616 Social Sciences Literature and Sources Dr. Yan Quan Liu This course was another elective in my planned program, which provided an opportunity for learning about the genre of Social Sciences. One of the main concepts learned in the course is that the genre has an interdisciplinary nature. The course provided reference exercises, evaluation of web sites, and a citation exercise to look at important sources in various disciplines within the social sciences. This exercise was particularly important because it is common for librarians to have questions from students about citing references in term papers. For the course project, a study paper for one of the disciplines within social sciences was to be done, as well as a pathfinder, which in this case was for financial aid. The project was chosen as the Capstone Project, which can be linked to here. ILS 620 Legal Bibliography and Libraries Ms. Susan Davis This was another course that was chosen as an elective in my planned program. The course covered many different topics. The course provided a brief background on legal research. The course covered materials for court cases, statutes, the constitution, legislative, executive, court rules, and secondary sources. Assignments for this course included an exercise on the use of electronic materials-Westlaw and Lexis Nexis, an interview with a law librarian, and various quizzes regarding imporant information throughout the course. The course also focused on becoming familiar with the paper-based materials that a reference librarian needs to be familiar with. For the course project, a proposal was developed with the types of materials necessary for the library of our choice. In this case, it was for an academic library starting a collection of legal materials. A Microsoft Word file of the final project is included here. ILS 655 Digital Libraries Dr. Yan Quan Liu This was another elective course in my planned program. In the world of library and information science, digital libraries are an important aspect in the field. During the course, we looked at various definitions of digital libraries, reviewed what other educational institutions are using to teach digital libraries, and learned how to digitize files-both pictures and audio. In addition, we reviewed software that is used to create digital libraries. We also compared and contrasted two digital libraries. The course project was to create a digital library or in my case write a plan for creating a digital library. ILS 680 Evaluation and Research Dr. Eino Sierpe This is one of the required and very important courses for the Masters degree in Library Science. For this course, were learned about refining ideas for research articles, defining variables in research, and discovering relationships between variables. During the course, we did two major assignments-a research proposal and a research project. The research proposal taught us about organizing ideas in order to present them when looking for funding for a research project. The research project was intended to show students the complexity of the research process. For each of these assignments, we learned about the review process-both peer and instructor review. Finally, one of the requirements for this course was to complete the Human Participants Protection Education for Research Teams online course.
The project for this course dealt with Computer-Mediated Communication with regard to gender. The study analyzed messages on the Stumpers-L listserv. Specifically, the amount of questions asked by males vs. females was collected over two months (January & February 2004) via the archived messages on the server in order to view differences, if any exist. A link to the Microsoft Word file is here.
Prepared as part of the requirements for the Master of Library Science Degree
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Department of Information and Library Science
School of Communication Information and Library Science
Southern Connecticut State University
