Library Science 101: Honors Library Research Methods (Syllabus)

Created Feb. 7, 2024 by Cynthia M. Orozco

Library Science 101: Honors Research Methods
East Los Angeles College - on the unceded territory of the Tongva
Fall 2018
Tuesdays 8-10:05am (August 27-October 21, 2018 (8 weeks))

Instructor: Cynthia M. Orozco, MLIS, MA (she/her/hers) 
Office Location: F3-127 (behind the Research Help Desk)
Phone: 323-415-5463 (calls only)
Email: orozcocm@elac.edu & Canvas message (preferred)
Office Hours: Tuesdays 10:05-11:05am & by appointment

Course Description 

What are the lasting skills that you as a student will need in 2018…and beyond? What are professors looking for? What are employers looking for? Information literacy is a critical skill that permeates all aspects of your student life, professional life, and personal life. In this course, we will work together to build information literacy skills that help you find, organize, evaluate, and cite online and print sources of information so that you become a strong researcher, and a life-long learner.

Course Learning Outcome (CLO): Upon completion of Library Science 101, students will be able to construct a bibliography that reflects a focused research question, selection of appropriate keywords, effective evaluation and selection of sources, and adherence to formatting and citation rules. 

Required Books

The Information Literacy User's Guide: An Open, Online Textbook (Open SUNY): This is a free, open textbook. We will discuss open access and open educational resources, but for now just know that you will not need to purchase any textbook for this course! 

Important Note: The last day to drop this class without having to pay fees is Sunday, September 9th. 

Learning Outcomes

In this course, we will work together to achieve the following learning outcomes:

  • Construct a bibliography that reflects a focused research question, selection of appropriate keywords, effective evaluation and selection of sources, and adherence to formatting and citation rules (our CLO!). You will be able to...
    • Determine an appropriate scope of investigation 
    • Organize information in meaningful ways 
    • Synthesize ideas gathered from multiple sources 
    • Identify the contribution that particular books, articles, and other scholarly pieces make to disciplinary knowledge 
    • Design and refine needs and search strategies as necessary, based on search results 
    • Give credit to the original ideas of others through proper attribution and citation

  • Participate in discussion with peers about various issues related to information. You will be able to:
    • Consider research as open-ended exploration and engagement with information 
    • Contribute to scholarly conversation at an appropriate level, such as local online community, guided discussion, undergraduate research journal, conference presentation/poster session 
    • Critically evaluate contributions made by others in participatory information environments 

  • As a class, develop a Creative Commons-licensed zine resource for ELAC students about research skills. You will be able to:
    • Recognize that authoritative content may be packaged formally or informally and may include sources of all media types 
    • Acknowledge you are developing your own authoritative voices in a particular area and recognize the responsibilities this entails, including seeking accuracy and reliability, respecting intellectual property, and participating in communities of practice
    • Articulate the purpose and distinguishing characteristics of copyright, fair use, open access, and the public domain 

Course Schedule

Class format will emphasize in-class activities and reflection. Technical challenges are in-class activities and/or renewable assignments that support you in discovering through critical thinking and problem solving. All after class discussions are reflections in relation to your readings, which will take place in Canvas. 

 Date  Content  Assignments
8/28/2018   -Syllabus and course introductions/expectations
-Introduction to online catalog & academic database searching		 In-class: Technical challenge
After class: Discussion
 9/4/2018 -Advanced searching: Controlled vocabulary & metadata
-Reading a scholarly article

Happy Library Card Sign-Up Month!		 In-class: Technical challenge
After class: Discussion
 9/11/2018 -Evaluating online websites & developing a gold standard
-First Amendment, censorship, and the right to information		 In-class: Technical challenge
After class: Discussion
 9/18/2018 -Primary sources
-Attribution and citing in MLA		 In-class: Technical challenge
After class: Discussion
 9/25/2018 -Attribution and citing in MLA (continued)
-Organizing citations and information

Happy Banned Books Week!		 In-class: Technical challenge
After class: Discussion
 10/2/2018 -Open access, open education/educational resources, and open data In-class: Technical challenge
After class: Discussion
 10/9/2018 -Scholarship as conversation: non-traditional information sources
-Student as expert: What research advice and/or tips would you offer your fellow students (Final class zine)		 In-class: Technical challenge
After class: Discussion
 10/16/2018  -Wrap-up! Brief presentation of zine contributions 

Due: Final Annotated Bibliography		  In-class: Final exam
After class: Discussion

Note: The course schedule is subject to change.

Class Assignments

Class Activity    Points Possible  Actual Points (please use this space to keep track of your grade!--also available in Canvas)
 Participation (attendance, technical challenges, discussion post/replies)  50  
 Zine contribution  10  
 Final Exam  15  
 Annotated Bibliography   25  
 Total  100  


Class Assignments and Grades can be found in the "Grades" tab of our Canvas course. Rubric for assignments will be in Canvas using the rubric feature.

Course Expectations and Policies

Academic integrity: I expect you to practice academic integrity in all aspects of your conduct and work for this course. This means you will not cheat through plagiarism or getting others to do your work, nor help others to do the same. There are a number of campus-wide policies outlining academic honesty and student conduct at ELAC. Please review this information, as it pertains to all of your classes at ELAC. 

In short: Violations of ELAC’s Policy on Academic Honesty, including plagiarism, will not be tolerated in this course. Plagiarism is defined as the misrepresentation of the published ideas or words of another as one’s own. At the discretion of the professor, plagiarism or other violations may result in zero points for the assignment and/or failing the course. 

Attendance, Punctuality, Communication, & Participation: This is a one-unit, 8-week course and, as such, the course will go by incredibly fast! I expect you to attend every class on time having completed the discussion in Canvas from the week previous, prepared to participate in in-class activities and technical challenges.

Late work should not happen. Your Canvas discussion posts must be submitted by Monday at 11:59pm for full credit.  Your zine contribution should be submitted at the end of class or in my mailbox by end of day Thursday (October 11th). Your annotated bibliography should be submitted within the first 10 minutes of our final class meeting (October 16th). 

Of course, life happens! I will accept excuses for illness, religious holidays, and family emergencies. Please contact me ahead of time, as soon as possible, in these cases. 

In-Class Technology: Our class will be in a computer classroom, which can be distracting! Please refrain from using your computer, phone, or other technology during class with the exception of assignments and activities in which I ask you to use your computer or phone. Our class is only two hours long with a short break in the middle. Please take care of phone conversations and texting before or after class or during our break. If there is an emergency, please take your call outside of the class. 

Classroom & Online Etiquette: We are a community of learners! We depend on each other to support, learn, and grow with one another. We won’t always be in agreement on certain issues, which is expected; however, this does not condone disruptive, rude, sarcastic, or disrespectful behavior and will not be tolerated. 

In Canvas, please remember that we are in a professional environment and that writing a discussion post is similar to writing a research paper or other assignment: please use proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling and no abbreviations. 

Resources and Support

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for reasonable accommodations: If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability (physical, emotional, or learning-related), or if there is emergency medical information I should be aware of, please inform me as soon as possible. 

Diversabilities Support Program & Services (DSP&S) office is located in the Student Services Building at E1-160. They can be contacted at (323) 265-8787 or dsps@elac.edu. 

Reading & Writing Center: This Center offers individual and group tutoring, online tutoring, and several workshops to help you with your writing in this and other courses. They are located in E3-220 and can be contacted at (323) 415-4147 or helpdesk@elacwritingcenter.org. The South Gate Center can be reached at (323) 357-6248. 

Library: The Library offers research help services at the Research Help Desk (RHD), which is the desk towards the back of the first floor. This includes finding books, articles, and authoritative websites, as well as citation help. There are also several workshops offered (although we will be covering the content from every workshop in this course!). The Library is the F3 building. For information about your account, contact the Circulation Desk at (323) 265-8758 (Monterey Park) or (323) 357-6219). For Research Help from a librarian, contact (323) 415-4134 (Monterey Park) or (323) 357-6214. 

Online Resources

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