LIBR 101 INFORMATION RESEARCH
SKILLS
Spring 2007
Online class through WebAccess
Please contact the instructor to enroll in this class
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Instructor: Teresa Morris, Librarian |
Phone Number: 650-574-6579 |
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Office: CSM Library |
Email: morrist@smccd.edu |
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Office Hours: By appointment |
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This is a course in the use of information resources and information technologies, emphasizing the principles of information competency. It teaches students how to use information resources available in libraries and on the Internet to carry out research projects, and how to successfully identify, choose, analyze, and synthesize data to meet various information needs.
Quaratiello, Arlene Rodda. The College
Student's Research Companion.
Available at the CSM Bookstore (look under LIBR 105) or buy online from online bookstores like Amazon.com or Barnes and Nobles or Half-Price Books.
Note: An additional copy of this text will be on reserve at the library for two-hour checkout.
You will also need access to a public or
academic library. CSM students can get a library card that can be used at CSM
Library and at any PLS library (most libraries in
Since this is not a lecture-based course, learning occurs by completing the assigned readings and the assignments that accompany each unit. This is a self-paced course with a minimum time requirement of two to three hours a week. Since the summer session is compressed, it is essential that students keep up with assignment due dates (see below). Reading requirements are heavier at the beginning of the course, so get a head start if possible so you don’t fall behind.
This course is a one-unit course with the option of a letter or credit/no-credit grade.
All assignments are posted online as Microsoft Word documents. Answers should preferably be typed within the document, underneath the relevant questions.
As assignments are completed, return them to the instructor by e-mail or, if you prefer, print them out and turn them in at the CSM Library reference desk. Graded assignments will be left for you to pick up at the reference desk. All assignments are due no later than one week before finals.
Friday, February 2: Assignments 1 and 2
Friday, February 23: Assignments 3 and 4
Friday, March 16: Assignments 5 and 6
Friday, April 13: Assignments 7 and 8
Friday, May 4: Assignments 9 and 10
Monday May 21: Final Project Due
The points from each of the ten assignments and the final will be combined into a cumulative total. Your cumulative score against the total possible score will determine your final grade for the course according to the following scale:
90% to 100%= A
80% to 89%= B
70% to 79%= C
Below 69%= D
Plagiarism is the use
of someone else’s language, images, data, or ideas without proper attribution.
It is a very serious offense in both academic and professional environments. In
essence, plagiarism is both theft and lying: you have stolen someone else’s
ideas, and then lied by implying that they are your own. Plagiarism
will lead to grade penalties. It might also result in you failing the
course and/or having the incident permanently noted in your CSM student
records. If you are unsure what constitutes plagiarism, it is your
responsibility to educate yourself, or ask for clarification, before you hand in written work
CSM Definitions
“Cheating” refers to unauthorized help on an
assignment, quiz, or examination as follows:
(1) a student must not receive from any other
student or give to any other student any information, answers, or help during
an exam; (2) a student must not use unauthorized sources for answers during an
exam, must not take notes or books to the exam when such aids are forbidden,
and must not refer to any book or notes while taking the exam unless the
instructor indicates it is an “open book” exam; and (3) a student must not
obtain exam questions illegally before an exam or tamper with an exam after it
has been corrected.
“Plagiarism” means submitting work that is
someone else’s as one’s own. For example, copying material from a book or other
source without acknowledging that the words or ideas are someone else’s, and
not one’s own, is plagiarism. If a student copies an author’s words exactly, he
or she should treat the passage as a direct quotation and supply the
appropriate citation. If someone else’s ideas are used, even if it is
paraphrased, appropriate credit should be given. Lastly, a student commits
plagiarism when a term paper is purchased and/or submitted which he or she did
not write.
Students requiring accommodations for a
certified disability that may affect class performance are requested to
schedule an appointment during the first week of the semester with a staff
member at the