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Department of Library and Information Studies

LIS 650 - Library Administration and Management COURSE PROSPECTUS

Prerequisites/Corequisites:

    None.

    Required Text(s):

      Gordon, Judith (2002). Organizational behavior: A diagnostic
      approach. 7th ed. NJ: Pearson Education., Inc.

      Course Description:

        This course integrates aspects of all the above approaches in examining the principles of management and learning how to apply them in simulated real life situations. Management, like any other endeavor that involves humans, is messy and sometimes not rational. Some principles work in some situations but not others. Things that should work do not, and things happen for no apparent reason at all. This is true not only for the principles of management, but for jobs themselves. Nothing you learn in a classroom will ever look much like the place you actually end up working.

        As a result, the course will use a variety of management sources, texts, and examples from both library and non-library settings. The first half of class will be a lecture and discussion of a specific principle and the second half will utilize exercises, videos, case analyses, etc. to reinforce the material in the lectures. An emphasis on diagnosing management situations which entails describing the facts, diagnosing problems, and prescribing possible resolutions and an developing an action plan for improving the situation. Utilizing situational case studies in this manner allows students to practice managing in the relative safety of the classroom in preparation for real life management situations.

        The best situation that you can hope for, and the state of mind this course aims for, is to think like a manager, to have a variety of managerial techniques to draw upon, and above all to be pragmatic.

        Good management is what works.

        (3 s.h.)

      Student Learning Outcomes:

      • To introduce the student to current research and thought in the field of general management, specifically management of information service organizations.
      • To see the integral connection between information and organizational processes, i.e., decision making, planning, managing, communicating, evaluation, and organizational change.
      • To present the student with an array of managerial techniques which promote organizational effectiveness and efficiency which can be used in actual organizational environments.
      • To develop the ability to diagnose work situations and develop feasible solutions based on the student's judgment and knowledge of management techniques.
      • To enable the student to present ideas in a professional manner.

       

    Course Introduction:

      When teaching management there are several options as to how best to approach this task. Several models exist, with the Harvard style utilizing case studies and the Yale use of lectures, demonstrating classic methods of teaching management. Other options are to frame the course topically. Some classes have used Henry Mintzberg's classification of the roles of the manager. The roles common to all managers, a la Mintzberg are:

      • interpersonal (figurehead, leader, liaison)
      • informational (monitor, disseminator, spokesperson)
      • decisional (entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, negotiator)

      Another possible approach to teaching management is to structure the class around management functions. Common management functions include:

      • planning
      • organizing
      • staffing
      • directing
        • motivating
        • communicating
      • controlling assets
      • managing change
      • evaluating

      Still another possible approach is to focus on resource management. The allocation and use of resources is an integral part of managing in an organization. These resources and their accompanying management principles are:

      • People (personnel management and organizational behavior)
      • Money ( budgeting & planning, fiscal management, fundraising and capital development)
      • Space ( management of buildings and the physical plant)
      • Time (time management, leisure time)
      • Information (information gathering and dissemination, communication)
      • Technology (hardware, software, purchasing, training)
      • Materials (information resources; collecting, organizing, disseminating)

      It is important to keep in mind that knowledge rarely falls into discrete categories. These categories overlap, and principles from one category can be applied to situations in other categories.

     

Course Requirements:

  1. Managerial Literature Review

    The purpose of the literature review is to provide the student with an in-depth understanding of the current "state of the art" articles both in print and on the World Wide Web concerning some specific management/organizational issue. You should choose a topic from an area covered in the syllabus. Within the context of this broad topic area, you will select a narrow issue on which to focus. An example of this would be to choose to study organizational communication as the broad topic and then doing a literature review on the effects of the office grapevine as a specific topic. Including management literature outside of LIS journals is highly recommended as other fields often address management issues prior to their appearance in LIS literature. There is no reason to re-invent wheels, but we often do.

    You should limit the paper to around 7 - 10 double-spaced, typed pages (plus bibliography addended) - this would probably amount to 5 -7 academic journal articles for the review. In addition to the print articles, students are HIGHLY encouraged to check out WWW sites that are pertinent to the selected topic. Cite the URLs in the bibliography. The literature review should identify the broad and narrow topic, briefly (VERY briefly) summarize each article used including any major findings; summarize the current thought on the topic; depict any emerging trends; highlight the implications for the future; and include your thoughts and interpretations of the findings.

    This is not simply an annotated bibliography nor is it an expository essay. You will not be expressing an opinion and then supporting your thoughts with evidence from the appropriate literature. You are looking for threads, trends, or issues coming up out of the literature (hence the term literature review). While a small part of the paper will be descriptive, what I am looking for is your ability to synthesize the literature on this topic and to analyze the implications for LIS. For example, does there seem to be a consensus of thought prevalent throughout the literature? Are there competing views/threads or are the articles all over the place in terms of point of view- and what does this mean to practitioners seeking guidance from the literature?

    * Two copies are due.

  2. Case Analyses

    1. Group Case/Evaluation

      You will be randomly assigned to groups and given time in class to work on the assigned group case. For written case reports, please use the following sections:

      1. a description of the case
      2. your diagnosis of the problem(s)
      3. your prescription for action(s) needed, and support for your recommendations
      4. your plan to evaluate the action(s) taken and recommendations for the future

      While it is important to cover all of the above areas, the major emphasis will be on how well you support your problem solutions. You need to cite class readings and/or class notes, but you should not need to do additional outside research (although you could if you feel you need to).

      There is no set number of pages for this assignment, but a well reasoned, complete case analysis can usually be done in 7 - 10 pages. More than this means you are re-writing the case in the description section which is unnecessary, as well as aggravating for the reader. In all cases, how well you support your argument based on both the case and your knowledge of managerial behavior are what you should concentrate on.

      Evaluation: In addition to handing in one group case analysis, each student will hand in a short paper, 4-6 pages, double spaced, evaluating both your own behavior in the group process as well as the other group members. This is not a description of who did what when, but a reflective analysis of how the group process worked/didn't work (and why), as well as what you would do differently to improve the group's performance. Cite from the course readings and class notes to support the points you make in the paper.

    2. Individual Case Analysis

      In place of a final exam, a final case analysis will be assigned. Students are to work independently on these cases which will follow the same format as the group paper.

    Topical Outline:

    Class #1 Introduction Diagnostic Approach Class #2 Historical Background Class #3 Individual Behaviors Class #4 Group Behaviors Class #5 Power, Conflict, and Negotiation Class #6 Leadership: Motivating/Communicating Class #7 Time Management Class #8 Planning Class #9 Organizing Class #10 Staffing: Hiring, Performance Evaluations Class #11 Staffing: Training, Staff Retention, Firing Class #12 Change Management/Technology Class #13 Principles of Control: Budgeting/Internal Controls Class #14 Space Management, Design, Building Facilities Class #15 Class Wrap-up: All Those Things

 

Page updated: 22 - October - 2007
Webmaster: Katherine Sun

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Department of Library and Information Studies, UNCG
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