LIS-S 604 Topics in Library and Information Science
1-4 credits
- Prerequisite(s): None
- Corequisite(s): LIS-S 500, LIS-S 507
- Delivery: Online
- Semesters offered: Fall, Spring, Summer (Check the schedule to confirm.)
Description
Study of specific topics in librarianship and preservation. May be repeated for credit when topic varies. Same course number used for different courses.
Topics include:
Family Engagement in Libraries (Spring)
This semester-long three-credit course focuses on all aspects of the topic: Family Engagement in Libraries. This topical seminar involves exploration of all aspects of family engagement both for children and young adults ages 0-18, as well as support for their parents, guardians, caregivers, and educators. All types of literacies including but not limited to traditional print literacies will be investigated. Developmentally appropriate practices related to family engagement opportunities and programming in libraries will be explored. Site-based institutional mission, vision and strategic planning documents will be used to envision and plan family engagement initiatives that support an identified community. This topical course centers on the patron-services side of library and information science. The concepts encompass access and support for both our youngest patrons as well as their parents, guardians, caregivers and educators who nurture and guide their social, emotional and educational growth. Identifying and using a public library will be necessary for this course. This can be done both in-person and virtually but will require at minimum a public library card with access to their collection and potential services. Engaging Families in Public Libraries by M. Elena Lopez, Margaret Caspe and Christina Simpson, 2017 and Preparing the Next Generation of Librarians for Family and Community Engagement by the same researchers in 2018 establish a lens for examining the concepts in this course. Students initially explore current trends in public libraries in their own community to assess how needs are determined and how (if) perceived needs are used to shape patron services, programming, and funding. Final project choices allow students to identify and complete either a pragmatic product such as a grant application for funding family engagement support, or a vision proposal that could serve to identify and support a family community need.
Global Digital Services (Spring)
This is a course for Study Abroad: Finland. This experience is comprised of two learning components. The first is a semester-long course taken by local students alongside others from Finland for a global classroom experience (graduate: LIS S531, undergraduate: INFO I400), and those traveling abroad will take an additional 3 credits starting in spring but terminating during summer session 1. LIS S604/S400 will offer students the opportunity to collaborate with students at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki, Finland. This course will begin in the spring semester and continue at our cooperating institution during summer I. In the spring semester, students from the IU Indianapolis campus will be partnered with students from the Haaga-Helia campus and follow the course together via Canvas and other tools. The online course in the spring will provide technological and conceptual knowledge in skills such as HTML, CSS, and information architecture that will be practiced and refined in collaborative course projects. For Indiana University students who wish to go abroad, part of spring semester will also be devoted to academic sessions in anticipation of the international travel. All projects will be finalized at the end of spring semester but with the option to further collaborate with their partners. In the first half of summer session 1, students will have the opportunity to reconvene in Helsinki to discuss and pursue their projects with their collaborators at Haaga-Helia University. In Finland (not limited to Helsinki) the students’ activities will be supplemented by field trips and site visits relevant to the class as well as to Finnish culture in general via visits to historic sites, museums, industries, and cultural events. Our partner institution is Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki, Finland. However, we will not need to use classroom facilities at the University, although that is an option. Most lectures will have been accomplished before arrival. On-site activities include meetings, class visits, and lectures.
History and Methods of the Islamic Book (Summer)
The history of books is the history of the world and in no field is that more true than the history of the Islamic book. This course will be an overview of the history of Islamic Manuscripts, preparing students to encounter Islamic manuscripts as LIS/GLAM professionals: Thus, this course will adopt a broad understanding of the term ‘Islamic’ to give students an inclusive, diverse view of the world of books in Muslim-majority lands (as well as their diasporas). The approach we take centers accessibility and reparative approaches so get ready to ask hard questions of the institutions we’re studying. Each week will introduce students to different aspects of the materiality of the book and issues around cataloging, artistry, digitization, rare book libraries, and museums. Students will be introduced to each material component of the Islamic manuscript, as well as its history. This course is global in its approach, introducing students to manuscripts from West Africa to Southeast Asia, spanning the 500s to the 1800s. Additionally, while students will learn basic handling principles and some aspects of conservation, this course will center the use of digital archives. Digital open-access archives for Islamic manuscripts, including digital library repositories, museum catalogs, and more, will be a constant in the course on a week-to-week basis. Students will engage in critical analysis of archive accessibility including but not limited to user interface (UI)/user experience (UX) and the viability of digitization as an accessibility solution. The course will prepare students to catalog and describe Islamic manuscripts, do research on Islamic manuscripts and give them a grounding in what Islamic manuscript collections exist globally and digitally. Students will read 60-100 pages a week and will write weekly response papers of 500-750 words on accessibility of the archives under consideration for that week. Students are also responsible for watching the weekly lecture. Knowledge of Arabic or any other non-European language is useful but not required. Non-DLIS students are also encouraged to enroll.
Inquiry and Innovation (Spring)
This course is an introduction to the use of information inquiry processes, methods, techniques, and concepts with PK-12 students and other educators and librarians. Skills and processes associated with information literacy, media literacy, creative thinking, and critical thinking provide the foundation of the course design. Throughout the course students will be exploring and applying innovative integration of technology into curriculum development and programming. Timely topics such as administrating Learning Management Systems and designing curriculum for eLearning and 1:1 initiatives are included.
Legal Issues for Library and Information Managers (Spring)
While you will not be able to learn every aspect of the law relating to libraries you will leave the course with a strong foundation to continue learning in these and new areas… we’ll dispel myths, practice how to think as courts, lawyers and “the law” thinks regarding legal issues in the library and how to approach and resolve problems of legal risk management in the library and related settings. This course will also prepare you to be an advocate for a variety of library and patron rights of access to and use of information in all its forms. Legal issues are becoming increasingly important in libraries and other information settings. The litigious nature of our society, the reactive nature of our legislative processes and at times the partisanship of our administrative agencies only exacerbate and complicate the challenges for librarians in navigating sound decision-making in this area. There is more law to understand now than 10 or 20 years ago when this course was first developed and taught; more court cases, statutes and administrative rule of direct relevance to libraries. The prevalence of digital content requires a thorough understanding of copyright and contract (licensing). In our connected world patron informational privacy remains a bulwark of the librarian profession and its practice. The Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment continues to drive our law and policy making in libraries, from access issues (meeting rooms, display cases, presence in the library, liberty interests, etc.) to content regulation (in-house and online collections) to information liability and malpractice for what some may call dangerous information, disinformation (“fake news”) or outdated information including information execution errors. These concepts are explored in detail throughout the course, increasing the repertoire of tools with which the graduating librarian can enter practice.
Python for Information Professionals (Fall and Spring)
This course, appropriate for non-computer science majors, introduces Python programming with a focus on applications relevant to library and information science (LIS) professionals. Students will learn the fundamentals of Python, including syntax, data structures, and basic algorithms, through a combination of theoretical instruction and practical exercises. Students will engage in hands-on projects designed to solve real-world problems in the field of LIS, such as automating repetitive tasks, managing and analyzing large datasets, and developing applications to enhance data accessibility and usability. For students who choose to pursue certification, the course will be aligned with the PCAP Certification Exam to become a Certified Associate Python Programmer. No programming experience is assumed or required.
Social Issues in Archives (Summer)
This course will introduce students to social, cultural, and critical theory in archival practice through scholarly literature, case studies, and the lived experiences of course participants. Students will consider how sociocultural factors such as race and ethnicity, indigeneity, gender, sexuality, class, citizenship status, and language manifest in the archival record. The course will also discuss the explicit, normative, and emerging obligations of archivists in relation to these elements and explore the outcomes of specific programs and practices. Drawing from the pedagogy of bell hooks and Paola Freire, students are expected to participate with active curiosity in critical dialogue. Drawing upon shared course readings, independent research, personal reflections, and lived experience, we will collectively respond to a series of “wicked problems” in archival practice. By the end of the course, students will demonstrate an understanding of archival practice through cross-disciplinary frameworks of sociocultural critique.
Social Science Data (N/A)
Social science data informs policies and practices related to crime, education, poverty, public health, human services, and more. In this course you will develop skills and experience that prepare you for positions requiring knowledge of social science data and the tools and techniques used to manage and analyze them.
Highlights:
- Find and evaluate social science data
- Apply GIS and other tools to create, visualize, analyze, and communicate data
- Explore the role of ethics
- Lots of hands-on activities
This topic is combined with LIS-S 407 Social Science Data.
Tools for Digital Preservation (Summer)
Building on the knowledge and skills acquired in LIS-S 582 (Digital Preservation), this course introduces students to practical tools for curating and preserving born-digital objects. Throughout the course, students will test and evaluate primarily free and/or open-source software designed to transfer, appraise (forensically), package, ingest, arrange, describe, and provide access to born-digital records. The course will also familiarize students with how to interact with digital files through a command line interface (shell) as a means for developing more efficient and scalable digital preservation workflows.
Zines in the Library (Summer)
This three-credit course is for anyone interested in learning more about zines. A zine, short for fanzine or magazine, is a self-publication, usually made on paper and reproduced with a photocopier or printer. Zine creators are often motivated by a desire to share their stories and experiences that most often occupy marginalized spaces. In this six-week course we will learn about zines through the lenses of community building and archives, participatory meaning making, and critical information literacy. We will delve into the history of zines, case studies, ethics and considerations, starting zine collections, archiving, collection development policies, and how to get community participation and buy-in. Each week will consist of presentations, readings and assignments that will support learners in thinking critically of non-peer reviewed materials and the role they play in documenting often overlooked histories.
Program Learning Goals Supported
Instructors map their courses to specific LIS Program Goals. Mapped program goals drive the design of each course and what students can expect to generally learn.
Program goals supported vary by course.
Learning Outcomes
Instructors develop learning outcomes for their courses. Students can expect to be able to achieve the learning outcomes for a given course after successfully completing the course.
Course outcomes vary by course.
Policies and Procedures
Please be aware of the following linked policies and procedures. Note that in individual courses instructors will have stipulations specific to their course.