LIBR 504 / ARST 570: Management of Information Organizations – Course Syllabus (3)

Program: Master of Library and Information Studies / Master of Archival Studies
Year: 2009-2010 Winter Session, term 1
Course Schedule: Thursdays, 1800-2100
Location: IKBC 260
Instructor: Guy Robertson
Office location: N/A
Office phone: 604-224-3243
Office hours: Prearranged with students as required. Feel free to call me for an appointment.
E-mail address: guy_robertson@telus.net

 

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Course Goal : The goal of this course is to introduce students to the theory and practice of management in information organizations.

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand the characteristics of leaders and managers in information organizations
• Understand staff hierarchies in information organizations
• Understand the challenges of managing a hybrid information organization
• Understand a manager’s role in working with boards and sponsors
• Be able to compile a basic strategic plan for an information organization
• Understand the fundamentals of human resources management in information organizations
• Understand the elements of employee training and development in information organizations
• Understand issues in the determination of salaries and benefits in information organizations
• Understand the essential elements of labor negotiations and contracts in information organizations
• Understand the foundations of staff motivation and team building in information organizations
• Understand the basic elements of financial management of information organizations
• Understand the requirements and implications of austerity budgeting in information organizations
• Be able to determine basic budget priorities in information organizations
• Understand the essential aspects of managing information facilities
• Understand basic purchasing practices for information organizations, with an emphasis on IT
• Be able to set up the purchasing of select information assets
• Be able to organize and manage a basic security program for an information organization
• Understand the management perspective on occupational health and safety in an information organization
• Be able to identify the key ethical issues in the management of information organizations
• Identify major aspects of IT governance in information organizations
• Organize high-level internal communications in information organizations
• Understand the management image—internal and external—in information organizations

Course Topics:

• Training in management for information professionals
• Leadership and management
• Organizational structures, traditional and emerging
• Management of the hybrid library
• Corporate culture and its evolution in information organizations
• Dealing with boards and sponsors
• Strategic planning
• Human resources management in information organizations
• Ongoing employee development
• Credentials and “credentialism”
• Determination of salary levels and the provision of benefits
• Labor issues, negotiations, and contracts
• Motivation and team building
• Financial management and resources
• Austerity management: surviving tough times
• Leadership in facilities management
• Purchasing for information organizations
• Security management
• Occupational health and safety: the management perspective
• Ethical issues and solutions
• IT governance, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness
• Internal communications: managing the message
• Management deportment and image

Prerequisites:

MLIS candidates: LIBR 500, 501, 502, or permission of the SLAIS Graduate Advisor

MAS candidates: ARST 500, or the permission of the SLAIS Graduate Advisor

Course delivery:

Classes will include lectures and presentations, discussion of cases from the field, and tabletop exercises.

Required and Recommended Reading:

Reading materials will be recommended during the course.

 

Course Assignments, due dates and weight in relation to final course mark:

Assignment	Due date	Weight
Annotated bibliography	September 24/09	20%
Portfolio	October 22/09	20%
White Paper/Occasional Paper/Management Report	November 19/09	45%
Participation		15%

 

Course Schedule :

Session Date	Topics
September 10/09	History of management : overview of management studies and terminology; management and professional practice; leaders and managers in information organizations
September 17/09	Organizational structure and corporate culture : boards, sponsors, and governance; staff hierarchies; flat management structures; organizational behavior; strategic planning
September 24/09	Human resources management : orientation, training and employee development; credentials and qualifications; testing, assessment and evaluation; salaries and benefits; labor negotiations and contracts; motivation and morale; team building
October 1/09	Financial management : money, cash and funding; priority allocation; budgets; accounting and auditing; insurance; fund raising; austerity management
October 8/09	Facilities management : needs analyses; site assessments; management of site development and upkeep
October 15/09	Purchasing management : relations with vendors; contracts; alliances and shared resources
October 22/09	Organizational security : policies and procedures; audits; loss control; enhancement of security systems and technology
October 29/09	Management of occupational health and safety: codes and compliance; liability issues; ergonomics and productivity; OHS committees; “Green” information organizations
November 5/09	Management ethics: personal and professional issues; crisis management and decision-making
November 12/09	IT governance: systems development and auditing; change management; long-term planning
November 19/09	Internal communications and information control: policy formulation, delivery and updating
November 26/09	Marketing and promotion: management of outreach and user service issues; advertising; “assumed necessity”
December 3/09	Management image in the information professions: preparations for leadership; necessary and unnecessary accessories; leading by example

 

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.”

Evaluation: All assignments will be marked 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/policies/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.