LIBR 539G: Business Reference -- COURSE SYLLABUS (3)
Program: Master of Library and Information Studies
Year: 2008-2009 Winter Session, Term 2
Course Schedule: Friday January 30: 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm; Saturday January 31: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Location: IBLC 461
Instructor: Janice Wallace
Office location: David Lam Library, 2033 Main Mall Vancouver V6T 1Z2
Office phone: 604-822-9392
Office hours: 4:00 – 5:00 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays
E-mail address: jan.wallace@ubc.ca
Course website address: http://toby.library.ubc.ca/ereserve/er-coursepage.cfm?id=2237
Course Goal: One goal of this course is to appreciate how creative, challenging, engaging and interesting business reference work is. Other major goals are to understand the basic nature of business reference work, learn some of the major categories of business reference, and identify types of resources available.
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course students should be able to:
- Conduct the business reference interview
- Identify user needs and relate them to categories of business reference
- Understand the kinds of sources available and when to use them
- Communicate research strategies and gauge when user needs have been met
Course Topics:
- Complete required readings prior to the first class
- Compare business reference in various settings (academic, corporate, public, special)
- Compare ways of categorizing business reference (company, industry, financial, etc.)
- Discuss, observe and practise reference interviews
- Analyze and practise strategies for finding and evaluating information sources
- Understand how to communicate search strategies and techniques to users
- Discuss and practise some non-traditional methods of business reference including creating online subject guides, instant messaging
- Learn to determine the appropriate depth and extent of assistance needed
Prerequisites: LIBR 500, LIBR 501, 503
Format of the course: Lectures, readings, discussions, in-class exercises, group project
Required and Recommended Reading : Recommended readings are listed on the course webpage.
Course Assignments, Due dates and Weight in relation to final course mark:
Assignment |
Due Date |
Weight |
In-class participation |
|
20% |
Marketing research quiz |
February 9 |
15% |
Financial database quiz |
February 16 |
15% |
Group write-ups on industry topics |
February 10 |
20% |
Online subject guide for industry project |
March 2 |
30% |
Attendance: The calendar states: “Regular attendance is expected of students in all their classes (including lectures, laboratories, tutorials, seminars, etc.). Students who neglect their academic work and assignments may be excluded from the final examinations. Students who are unavoidably absent because of illness or disability should report to their instructors on return to classes.”
Students must attend both classes in order to achieve a passing grade.
Evaluation: All assignments will be awarded letter grades using the evaluative criteria given on the SLAIS web site .
Written & Spoken English Requirement: Written and spoken work may receive a lower mark if it is, in the opinion of the instructor, deficient in English.
Disability Accommodation : The University accommodates students with disabilities who have registered with the Disability Resource Centre http://www.students.ubc.ca/access/drc.cfm . You must register with the Disability Resource Centre to be granted special accommodations for any on-going conditions.
Religious Accommodation : The University accommodates students whose religious obligations conflict with attendance, submitting assignments, or completing scheduled tests and examinations. Please let your instructor know in advance, preferably in the first week of class, if you will require any accommodation on these grounds. Students who plan to be absent for varsity athletics, family obligations, or other similar commitments, cannot assume they will be accommodated, and should discuss their commitments with the instructor before the course drop date. UBC policy on Religious Holidays: http://www.universitycounsel.ubc.ca/ olicies/policy65.pdf
Academic Dishonesty : Please review the UBC Calendar Academic regulations for the University policy on cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty: http://www.students.ubc.ca/calendar/index.cfm?tree=3,54,111,959 . Also visit and review the contents of these two resources: Plagiarism Resource Centre: For Students: http://www.library.ubc.ca/home/plagiarism/welcome.html and Plagiarism Avoided: Taking Responsibility For Your Work: http://www.arts.ubc.ca/Plagiarism_Avoided.373.0.html for useful information on avoiding plagiarism and on correct documentation practice. Students are held responsible for knowing and following all University regulations regarding academic dishonesty. If a student does not know how to properly cite a source or what constitutes proper use of a source it is the student's personal responsibility to obtain the needed information and to apply it within University guidelines and policies. If evidence of academic dishonesty is found in a course assignment, previously submitted work in this course may be reviewed for possible academic dishonesty and grades modified as appropriate. University policy requires that all incidents of academic dishonesty must be forwarded to the Dean’s office for review and possible action.
