University of Arizona

School of Information Resources & Library Science

IRLS 401/501 - Knowledge Structures I

Fall 2002 - Syllabus

Instructor: Anita Sundaram Coleman
Contact details: Office: SIRLS 21, Telephone: (520) 621-4026, Email:asc@u.arizona.edu (for prompt responses about course related matters please use the WebCT email; do not use this address)
Instructor Office Hours: Wed. 11 am - 1 pm
WebCT Technical Support: Samanthi Hewakapuge (samanthi@email.arizona.edu)
GAT: TBD
Mode of Instruction: Virtual + two on-campus sessions
Virtual Access: WebCT
On-campus dates & times are: Aug. 30 (Friday) and Oct. 4 (Friday), 9 am - 5 pm
On-campus Meeting Location: Main Library Room A314
First day of classes: Aug. 26, 2002; First day for IRLS 401/501: Aug. 30, 2002
For WebCT backup and announcements subscribe to IRLS501, Course Listserv: IRLS501

REQUIRED TEXT

Taylor, Arlene. 1999. The Organization of Information. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.

CATALOG DESCRIPTION

IRLS 401 -- Knowledge Structures I (3 units) Description: Introduction to the theories and practices used in the organization of information. Overview of national and international standards and practices for access to information in collections. May be convened with: IRLS 501. Usually offered: Fall, Spring.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course studies the history, theory and practices of information organization, primarily in traditional and digital libraries. However, other organizations and information evironments such as archives, museums and management information systems are also included. This is an introductory course that surveys the information and knowledge organization techniques that exist or are emerging and focuses on standards and tools that are used in large text-based information environments.

COURSE HISTORY

Read Coleman, A. 2002. Interdisciplinarity: The Road Ahead for Education in Digital Libraries. D-Lib Magazine, 8 (7/8), July/August. Available online. URL: http://www.dlib.org/dlib/july02/coleman/07coleman.html This article will help you understand the sequence of courses that you can take in the area of Knowledge Organization. Note that the course name Knowledge Structures I will be changing to Organization of Information.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The main goal of the course is to become familiar with the concepts and practices of bibliographic and non-bibliographic information organization. By the end of the course, the student will be able to:

Define the knowledge structures (a.k.a. information handling tools) used in various information environments for organizing information and knowledge
Describe the main theories in library and archival cataloging (including recent trends in metadata), categorization, classification, and subject analysis
List the uses, advantages, and disdvantages of a sample range of knowledge structures (information handling tools)
Demonstrate basic skills in verbal subject analysis
Demonstrate basic skills in metadata creation
Demonstrate basic knowledge of at least two metadata standards
Articulate the similarities and differences between a thesaurus, ontology, authority file, subject heading list, and library classification scheme

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Attendance at both on campus meetings will fulfill 1 unit of SIRLS residency requirements. Other requirements and specific deliverables include:

Deliverable: Exercise in resource selection & metadata creation
Details shared at first oncampus and posted in WebCT by Sept. 6
Deliverable: 2 managed discussions on specified topics (MDTs) in Oct. & Nov. each.
This may include activities (you complete an exercise, visit a site, review a paper, using tools from the KS Toolbox or elsewhere, etc.)
Deliverable: Major Project in electronic resources organization

Self-directed practice & participation and discussions (using the tools in the KS Toolbox and Course Texts)
Weekly Readings from the text

METHODS OF INSTRUCTION

The classroom environment for this virtual course is WebCT. Here are guidelines to help schedule learning:

Because of WebCT woes when Fall classes start, do not expect to do too much within WebCT until Sept. 6. Read your text, this course syllabus, etc.
With the exception of weeks when there are on campus sessions, Course Notes (lectures) will be posted weekly by 5 pm Friday
In October & November, Managed Discussion Topics (MDTs) will be unlocked for individual postings on the topic by the first Monday in the month and typically left open ONLY until the month is over. There will be many exercises or topics posted here from which you can select. So pace yourself but don't wait until the last minute either; remember to participate (we don't want monologues, we want dialogue).
Use Discussions and the MDT that is unlocked and open to you for posting your input.
MDTs are intended to be supplements that reflect interactive classroom discussions.
Usually, when I open the MDT there will be a post from me with guidelines.
Note that MDTs often require you to actively DO something - an exercise, evaluate, etc.
General Class Participation and Discussions are encouraged!
Use Discussion and the topics *Main* for ALL questions related to course.
Weekly readings from the text (Author: Taylor) must be done by the end of the day they are scheduled.
Course Requirements help assess both my instruction and student learning
Use the WebCT Calendar to identify all work that must be done for this course and also DUE dates of all work besides the MDTs.
With the exception of the MDTs all work must be submitted using the Assignments WebCT DropBox link. This will allow submissions only until a pre-determined date and time. Make sure you DO NOT miss this date or wait until the last minute to submit.
Netiquette is essential in the electronic world. Learn and practice it. A good introduction to Netiquette is available from the Instructional Computing Online Library at Indiana University at Bloomington. Another good source is an interactive quiz (thanks to Garry Forger in the Office of Distributed Learning for this pointer) that you can take - http://www.albion.com/netiquette/netiquiz.html.
Your learning in this mixed medium learning course REQUIRES weekly participation, DAILY visits to the course pages within WebCT, and prompt, thoughtful, polite responses to your peers, instructor, and their posts.
When reading electronic text, give others the benefit of the doubt (remember that the written language has no verbal/body language cues to soften it's effect), and don't always be quick to assume the worst. Don't be afraid to post or ask questions but at the same time, make sure you've read everything (for example, this course outline) thoroughly and give yourself time to reflect on it. Finally, and most importantly, keep your posts brief and to the point.
Adhere to the UA codes of student conduct and academic integrity.
Practical knowledge
You will have the opportunity to work with plenty of practical tools from the KS Toolbox. Discussions, exercise, and final project papers will require you to select and use some of these tools. Start browsing, reading, and interacting with the resources assembled here.

SCHEDULE

Important Note: This is a schedule of readings from the text only.

Week 1, Aug. 30 - On campus
Week 2, Sept. 6 - Organization in Human Endeavors & Retrieval Tools
Read Taylor, Chapter 1, 2
Week 3, Sept. 13 - History of the Organization of Information
Read Taylor, Chapter 3
Week 4, Sept. 20 - Encoding Standards & Metadata Description
Read Taylor, Chapter 4, 5
Week 5, Sept. 27 - Metadata: Access & Access Control
Read Taylor, Chapter 6
Week 6, Oct. 4 - ON CAMPUS
Review chapter 1-6 and come prepared (or post them to Discussions) with questions
Week 7, Oct. 11 - Verbal Subject Analysis
Read Taylor, Chapter 7
Week 8, Oct. 18 - Verbal Subject Analysis (contd.)
Read Taylor, Chapter 7
Week 9, Oct. 25 - Classification
Read Taylor, Chapter 8
Week 10, Nov. 8 - Classification (contd.)
Read Taylor, Chapter 8
Week 11, Nov. 15 - Filing & Arrangement
Read Taylor, Chapter 9
Week 12, Nov. 22 - System Design
Read Taylor, Chapter 10
Week 13, Nov. 29 -
Happy Thanksgiving! Break
Week 14, Dec. 6 - Review: What Have We Learned?
Review, Practice, Discuss recent Advances & Trends.
Week 15, Dec. 13 - Submit Major Project
Share COMPLETE, FULL Papers - OPTIONAL
Week 16, Dec. 20 - Finals week (last day of class)

MILESTONES/IMPORTANT DATES

Aug. 30 - Oncampus

Sept. 30 - Exercise 1 completed

Oct. 4 - Oncampus - Start working on Final Project (details shared at 2nd on campus session)

Oct. 30 - Complete 1 MDT

Nov. 30 - Complete 2nd MDT

Dec. 13 - Major project completed

EVALUATION

All work must be turned in on the dates due by 5:00 pm Arizona time (unless other times are allowed by the WebCT submission facility). WebCT will NOT allow submissions past the DUE Date/Time if I have set it up to be so. Therefore, read your Assignments page and instructions carefully. Availability times are very clearly marked under the Assignments link in WebCT and in case of doubt, email the GAT for the course.
All work must be turned in using the submit/email facility within WebCT. This means that you DON'T email me the work using my asc@u.arizona.edu address.
HTML format must be used for all work turned in for grading (except discussions).
Grade Breakdown (501 students):
1. Exercise 1: 40%
2. Major Project: 50%
3. 2 MDTs: 10%
4. Total: 100%
Grade Breakdown (401 students):
1. Exercise 1: 40%
2. Major Project [scaled down version]: 50%
3. 2 MDTs: 10%
4. Total: 100%
Grade Assignment:
1. All work must be done and turned in on time to get a passing grade in this course;
2. 401/501 Course grades will be assigned as follows: A=90+; B=80-89; C=70-79; F=0-69

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