Instructor - Chris Billinsky

Information technologies in libraries, media centers, & other information agencies; operation & applications of computers & telecommunications; database design; online access methods.

Course content will be delivered through Blackboard, DVD, CD and email. Course discussion will take place through Blackboard Discussion Forums, with the course listserv serving as backup in the event of Blackboard outage. Discussion will be asynchronous; there is not a requirement to be online at a specific time. There will not be an on-site class.

706 E-mail:	cbillin706@yahoo.com  -  not for assignments
URL:	http://www.libsci.sc.edu/chrisb/
Office Hours:	By appointment
Telephone:	Please email, so we can schedule a time when I can call you.

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Madonna Stoehr - SLIS Student Services Coordinator for Distance Education

Telephone:	803-777-8068  or   800-304-3153
E-mail:	madonna@sc.edu

Madonna provides help with all issues related to Distance Education and the mechanics of the course.
Examples of questions and issues that Madonna can help with include:

• Course requirements
• How to submit assignments
• Has your assignment been received
• Questions about problems with e-mail lists
• All sorts of course-related issues
• Whenever you have a question or problem, but are not sure whom to contact

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Richard Davis - Course contact person within DEIS

Goal 1
To introduce students to the dynamics of information technology as implemented in libraries, archives and other information agencies.

Objectives - At the conclusion of the course students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the history of information technology.
2. Describe the types of organizations that comprise the information technology industries.
3. Identify providers of electronic information services and describe the range of information that is available.
4. Describe the operation of computer/communications networks.
5. Define terms and concepts related to information technology.
6. Identify information technology trends that impact libraries, archives and information agencies.
7. Assess and evaluate information technology applications.

Objectives - At the conclusion of the course students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the concepts of information architecture.
2. Create Internet content.
3. Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of database construction, access and searching.

Goal 3
To introduce students to the issues and concepts of information policy.

Objectives - At the conclusion of the course students should be able to:

1. Identify the primary issues of information policy related to libraries and other information agencies.
2. Describe legal and legislative aspects of information policy.
3. Demonstrate knowledge of the ethical issues relating to information policy.

Goal 4
To introduce students to information technology management in libraries and other information agencies.

Objectives - At the conclusion of the course students should be able to:

1. Select computer hardware and software in a systematic manner.
2. Describe equipment configurations necessary to support electronic information services.
3. Assess and evaluate information technology applications.

1. STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES - Accommodations will be made for students with disabilities defined by the Americans With Disabilities Act. During the first week of class, contact the Office of Disability Services (803-777-6142) if you will require assistance.

2. PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC RESPONSIBILITY - As a student of the university you agree to comply with the University Honor Code,  Rule of Academic Responsibility,  Code of Conduct,  Carolinian Creed  and all other policies of the University of South Carolina. Violations of any codes, creeds, rules, or policies are serious offenses that carry consequences.
   
   All University of South Carolina rules and codes governing plagiarism are in effect for this course. Further information on the policies and procedures of the University of South Carolina can be found in the Carolina Community.
   
   
3. WRITING - Writing quality is included in the grading criteria for all assignments. Elements such as sentence structure, syntax, grammar and spelling are all considered in assessing writing quality. Assignments with writing problems will be marked down.   
   
   
4. COMPUTER, INTERNET/WEB AND E-MAIL - All students must meet the computer and Internet requirements established by the School. Check the SLIS Computer and Internet Requirements to make certain that you meet the requirements. 
   
   Students must have daily access to a computer with web access and e-mail. Students must be reachable by email until final grades are posted
   
   Students must be able to receive email from Yahoo! Email accounts. If you cannot receive Yahoo! email, you can use the email account that the University provides, or you can open a Yahoo! email account. Many students find it useful to have a separate email account that is used just for school.
   
   I will use Blackboard to communicate with you by email (but the sending email address will be a Yahoo! account). If you change your email address, you will need to change it within Blackboard immediately. (You do not need to notify me about email address changes.)
   
   
5. ATTENDANCE - Does not apply in the usual manner. However, students must keep current with all course work and materials.
   
   
6. GRADING - All graded assignments and tests will be assigned a numeric grade.

   	A  /  94-100	A-  /  92-93
   B+  /  87-91	B  /  83-86	B-  /  80-82
   C+  /  77-79	C  /  73-76	C-  /  70-72
   D+  /  67-69	D  /  63-66	D-  /  60-62
   	F  /    0-59

   
   At the end of the semester these grades are weighted and averaged to come up with the appropriate final course grade. The University allows the following final grades to be posted:
   A,    B+,    B,    C+,    C,    D,    F
   
   Your grade is based on the course assignments and tests. It will not be possible to rework a graded assignment or do "extra work" to raise your course grade.
   
   
7. ASSIGNMENTS
   • For SLIS706, each assignment will contain specific instructions on how it is to be submitted.  It is important that the specific instructions are followed for each assignment. Assignments that are not submitted correctly will be marked down.
     
     
   • Assignments are due on the date stated. Assignments that are submitted electronically are due by midnight. Two assignments and the Grade Sheet are submitted by postal mail. These three items need to be postmarked (or dropped off at Madonna Stoehr's office) by the due date.
     
     
   • Late assignments will be reduced one letter grade. An assignment that is more than one week late will not be accepted for grading, and a failing grade will be recorded for that assignment. If you believe that you will need an extension for an assignment, you must contact me before the assignment is due - not after the fact. I know that unexpected problems do occur, and I will work with you to accommodate your situation. Course "Incompletes" are only assigned for extremely extenuating circumstances.
     
     
   • Your grade is based on the course assignments and tests. It will not be possible to rework a graded assignment or do "extra work" to raise your course grade.
     
     
   • You are responsibe for maintaining a copy of all graded and returned materials, until the final course grade has been received and accepted. If you wish to appeal your grade, you must have copies of your assignments.
     

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BOOKS AND READINGS

The books are really not required. People who have experience with technology and web design may already have similar books, or choose to find the necessary information through the web. The books provide background and reference information. There will not be specific reading assignments from any of the books.

RECOMMENDED FOR NOVICES FOR THE WEB DESIGN ASSIGNMENTS:

Sherry Willard Kinkoph.  TEACH YOURSELF VISUALLY HTML.  2nd edition.  Wiley, 2005.  (ISBN: 0-7645-7984-3)

SUGGESTED FOR NOVICES FOR THE FUNDAMENTALS OF COMPUTING TEST:

Paul McFedries. COMPUTERS SIMPLIFIED.  
7th edition.  John Wiley & Sons, October 2007.  (ISBN: 978-0-470-16877-6)

OTHER READINGS:

See the Course Links Site for reading material available on the web.

HANDOUTS:

• Course materials and assignments for classes will be available through Blackboard. File formats used are PowerPoint, , and PDF.  You will need PowerPoint to use the PowerPoint files and Adobe Acrobat Reader to use the PDF files.
  
  If you have not used Blackboard before, consult the Instructions For Accessing Blackboard.
  
  
• CD's  --  Instructions for completing web page assignments will be distributed as movies on CD.  To meet the needs of both PC and Mac users, the instructional files are provided in both MOV and AVI formats.
  
  
  • Most Mac users prefer to use the .mov files.
    They can be used with QuickTime.
    
    
  • Most PC users prefer to use the .avi files.
    They can be used with Windows Media Player, Real Player, QuickTime, . . .
    
    
  • The CD's are not self starting. After inserting a CD in your drive, you will need to go to it (via My Computer or Windows Explorer) and click on a file to start it. Start with the Read_Me_First file.
    
    
• DVD  --  Talks by guest speakers will be distributed on DVD. Some talks may also be available by web stream. You will be told when to view these talks and where to find them.
  

BLACKBOARD ANNOUNCEMENTS, BLACKBOARD DISCUSSION BOARD FORUMS, COURSE LISTSERV:

Students are responsible for reading all announcements and postings that appear in Blackboard Announcements, Blackboard Discussion Board Forums, and the Course Listserv.

SUGGESTED FOR COMPLETING SOFTWARE COMPETENCY:

The software competency is not specifically part of SLIS J706, but is a preliminary for work required in many areas of the degree program.  A CD or DVD containing projects and video instructions was mailed to each of you along with your letter of acceptance.

- Ruth Maran, maranGraphics.  TEACH YOURSELF VISUALLY MICROSOFT OFFICE 2000. IDG Books, 1999.  (ISBN: 0-7645-6051-4)
  or
- Ruth Maran. TEACH YOURSELF VISUALLY MICROSOFT OFFICE XP. John Wiley & Sons, 2001.  (ISBN: 0-7645-0854-7)
or
- Sherry Willard Kinkoph. TEACH YOURSELF VISUALLY MICROSOFT OFFICE 2007. Visual, 2007.  (ISBN: 0-4700-4590-6)

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SOFTWARE

•  Microsoft PowerPoint.  Course "lectures" are provided in PowerPoint format. You must have MS Powerpoint in order to view the files and associated notes..
  
  
•    Adobe Acrobat Reader.  Free download. Many course documents will be in PDF format and must be viewed with Adobe Acrobat Reader.
  
  
•    IrfanView.  Image Editor. Free download. You will need a program that allows you to crop and resize image files for the web page assignments. If you use a PC, and do not already have software to do this, IrfanView is recommended. IrfanView is freeware for private, non-commercial, or educational (schools and universities) use. Commercial and for-profit users of IrfanView are expected to pay for it.
  
  
•    QuickTime Player.  Free download. Mac users will use QuickTime Player to view the movies on the web page assignment instruction CDs. If you need the current version of QuickTime Player, download it from this site.
  
  
•    Button Studio  -  Free download. You will need a program that allows you to design buttons for the web directory assignment. If you use a PC, and do not already have software to do this, Button Studio is recommended. Button Studio is shareware that can be downloaded for a free trial period.
  
  • If you have problems downloading and installing from the links below, you can access Button Studio through Blackboard - Assignments Area: Directory Web Page. This often works best.
  • Button Studio 1.45 - Sometimes this link does not work. If it is not working when you try to download the program, download version 1.4 from the next link. (Though it looks like you have to pay to download, you do not.)
  • Button Studio 1.4

Button Studio will not work with a Mac. If you cannot use Button Studio, there are many web sites that permit you to make buttons directly on the web. Several of these sites are listed within the HTML & Web Design Page of the Class Links.

• COMPOSER 
  Instructions for the Directory Web Page Assignment are based on Composer, a free HTML Editor. If you plan to use the instructions you will need to download and install a version of Composer.
  
  There are three different versions:  (1) SeaMonkey Composer,  (2) Mozilla Composer, and  (3) Netscape Composer 7.2.  Any of these versions will work fine for SLIS706. Each is a complete browser suite. Installing one will not replace your current browser;  it will simply give you another browser option. You can leave your current browser as your default.
  
  Because SeaMonkey is the most recent, and is currently being maintained, I would recommend that you download and install SeaMonkey. If you experience problems with Sea Monkey, try one of the others.
  
  These are large downloads. If you have problems downloading large files, you can install the Netscape 7.2 Suite from the CD you receive with your course materials.
  
  Links to the download locations follow (you only need one of these):
  - There are separate downloads for Windows and Mac. Make sure that you download the correct version.
  - If given the choice, request the Full Suite -- otherwise you will only get the browser, and you will not have Composer.
  
  
  •     SeaMonkey 1.1.2 Suite  -  Free download.
    
    
  •     Mozilla 1.7.13 Suite  -  Free download.
    
    
  •     Netscape 7.2 Suite  -  Free download.  
    If you have problems downloading, you can install Netscape 7.2 from the CD you receive with your course materials.
    (Netscape 8.1.3 is the current version, but it does not include Composer.)

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COURSE LINKS SITE  -  Spring 2008

Links For Classes - Reading material available on the web. You are expected to browse/read the items that are check marked. Other materials are there for digging deeper when you have further interest.

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COURSE SCHEDULE  -  SUBJECT TO CHANGE

• Lecture Notes and most other course materials will be placed in the Course Documents and Assignments areas of Blackboard
  

Date	Week	Topic	Assignments
Jan 14 to Jan 18	(1)	Course Introduction History of Info Tech Basics of Computers
Jan 16 Wed	(1)		Due: Grade Record Sheet
Jan 18 Fri	(1)		Due: Start-Up Assignment
Jan 22 to Jan 25	(2)	Basics of Computers
Jan 28 to Feb 1	(3)	Basics of Computers
Feb 4 to Feb 8	(4)	Telecommunications Networks
Feb 11 Mon	(5)		Due: Test - Fundementals of Computing (Take Home)
Feb 11 to Feb 15	(5)	Internet & WWW
Feb 18 to Feb 22	(6)	Search Engines & Strategies
Feb 25 Mon	(7)		Due: Computer Buying Assignment
Feb 25 to Feb 29	(7)	Data Structures - File, Record, Field - Indexes - MARC Record Format - Searching Online Catalogs
Mar 3 to Mar 7	(8)	Web Content & Design - Design Issues, HTML, Images
Mar 17 Mon	(9)		Due: Web Search
Mar 17 to Mar 21	(9)	Web Content & Design - CSS, Favicons
Mar 24 to Mar 28	(10)	Web Content & Design - Web Accessibility (Info Policy)
Mar 31 Mon	(11)		Due: HTML Coded Web Page
Mar 31 to Apr 4	(11)	Web Content & Design - Copyright & the Web (Info Policy)
Apr 7 to Apr 11	(12)	Web Content & Design
Apr 14 to Apr 18	(13)	Computers and Information Systems in Libraries
Apr 21 Mon	(14)		Due: Directory Web Page
Apr 21 to Apr 25	(14)	Computers and Information Systems in Libraries
Apr 28 to May 2	(15)	Computers and Information Systems in Libraries
May 2 Fri	(15)		Due: Test (Take Home)

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ASSIGNMENTS AND TESTS

The "Grade Record Sheet" and "Start-Up Assignments" are for Spring 2008, and can be done now. The rest of the assignments are from previous semesters. They are available here to give you an idea of what to look forward to. When assignments are ready for you, they will be listed in the Assignments area of Blackboard. Assignment criteria will vary, so ALWAYS WORK FROM THE ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE CURRENT SEMESTER.
DATE / WEEK	DAY	ASSIGNMENT	%
Jan 16 (1)	Wed	Submit (Postal Mail) - Grade Record Sheet (pdf) - Spring 2008 - Can be done now	1%
Jan 18 (1)	Fri	Start-Up Assignments (Electronic) (pdf) Spring 2008 - Can be done now	2%
Feb 11 (5)	Mon	Test - Fundementals of Computing Take Home	25%
Feb 25 (7)	Mon	From a previous semester. Use only as an example. Computer Buying Assignment (pdf) Sample - Apple (pdf) Sample - PC (pdf)	13%
Mar 17 (9)	Mon	From a previous semester. Use only as an example. Web Search (pdf) Sample (pdf)	12%
Mar 31 (11)	Mon	From a previous semester. Use only as an example. HTML Coded Web Page (pdf) - Sample - with single image - Sample - with style sheet & favicon - Sample - with multiple images held in place by a table	10%
Apr 21 (14)	Mon	From a previous semester. Use only as an example. Directory Web Page (pdf) -  Sample	12%
May 2 (15)	Fri	Test - Take Home	25%

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|  Chris  |  SLIS  |  USC  | Course Syllabi:  |  SLIS529  |  SLIS706  |  Course Link Pages:  |  529  |  706  |

Chris Billinsky - USC/SLIS