LIS 612

Science and Technology Information Sources

Course description

A study of the major bibliographic and information sources and services in the sciences and technology. (Prerequisites: LIS 600, LIS 557)

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of LIS 612, the learner will be able to

1. Identify, describe, and evaluate the literature of the sciences and technology.
2. Identify, describe, and evaluate the methods of access to information in the sciences and technology.
3. Recognize strengths and weaknesses of access tools in the sciences and technology.
4. Design and create a literature search in a subject area in the sciences and technology.
5. Discuss the forces influencing the dissemination of information in the sciences and technology.

COURSE CONTENT

1. Introduction

   1. Meaning of "science" and "technology".
   2. Nature of the disciplines in the sciences and technology.
   3. Expectations for library and information services.

2. Access to the literature

   1. Indexing services
   2. Abstracting services
   3. Thesauri
   4. Guides to the literature, bibliographies, literature searches, translations

3. Access to information

   1. Dictionaries and encyclopedias
   2. Handbooks, manuals and guides, treatises
   3. Textbooks, monographs, histories
   4. Reviews, annuals and yearbooks, field trip guides, almanacs, compendia, anthologies

4. Primary sources of information

   1. Periodicals, proceedings, technical reports
   2. Patents, dissertations, preprints, standards and specifications, tables

5. Other forms of information

   1. Trade catalogs
   2. Directories and atlases
   3. Union lists
   4. Nonprint materials

6. Relevance to types of libraries

   1. Special libraries
   2. Public libraries
   3. Academic libraries
   4. School libraries
   5. Developing collections for these libraries

REQUIREMENTS

Text:

EVALUATION CRITERIA

• Attendance and participation (10%)
  As a part of attendance and participation, you will be required to take part in class discussions to contribute your experience and knowledge to the class. Materials covered during class sessions will be of major importance to the completion of your term project.

• Terminology quizlettes (10%)
  Because many of the most important and useful sources of information in the science and technology are known by terms other than title or author, it is important for the learner to become aware of the jargon of the sciences and technology. In order to emphasize the importance of this jargon, there will be two quizlettes consisting of multiple choice questions, matching questions, and true-false questions.

• Oral reports (10%)
  You will prepare a short oral report on the development of your term project to share with the class. Many subject areas in the sciences and technology have special information problems which cause unique sources to be created to fill those information needs. You will determine what the special problems were for your subject, and report on these problems.

• Final exam (30%)
  The final exam will consist of one or two questions which you will be given to take home and prepare a typed or word-processed paper.

• Term project (40%)
  During the first or second class, you will select a subject in the sciences and technology, in consultation with the instructor. During the semester, you will pursue this subject in the creation of an annotated bibliography of sources of information. Titles, with annotations, should be identified for all categories of sources discussed during the course (where applicable. It is recognized that some subjects do not lend themselves to availability in all formats). Citations should appear in a standard format of your choosing, but you must identify the source for the style of citation you are using.