Updated: February 23 , 2000

Building and Using the Universal Library

The Evergreen State College, Lib 1612

http://www.scn.org/edu/tesc-ds/1999-2000/u-lib/syllabus.html

Syllabus

Winter Quarter, 2000

Wednesdays, 6-10 pm and two Saturdays (January 8 & March 4), 9 am - 5 pm
Program E-Mail distribution address: u-lib@scn.org

Doug Schuler
dschuler@evergreen.edu
Lib 1608A
360.866.6000 ext. 6704

Randy Stilson
stilsonr@evergreen.edu
Room assignment
360.866.6000 ext. 6126

The library has been created by actual necessities in modern civilization. It is now a necessary unit in the social fabric. Culture must now transcend the individual for it is essentially a social cumulation of experience whereby the men of each generation possess potentially at least, all that their predecessors have ever learned. Books are one social mechanism for preserving the [human] racial memory and the library one social apparatus for transferring this to the consciousness of living individuals. Any understanding of society must include an explanation of this social element and of its function in communal life. Thus librarianship takes its place among the phenomena to be discussed in any system of social science.
- Pierce Butler, 1933

Program Themes

Building and Using the Universal Library is a one-quarter program devoted to the study of the library as a facilitator of human communication. The library has an exalted place in the narratives of democracy. We will examine its historical incarnations, its current state, and its extrapolated futures. We will pay special attention to how libraries (and their human users) might adjust to meet the needs of a world that is changing due to globalization and new communication systems.

Suggested (upper division) equivalencies:

  2 social science
  2 computer science
  4 library and information science

Program Components

Seminars

There will be several in-person seminars this quarter. Promoting a "learning community" is key at Evergreen, and seminars are essential to that goal. Everybody is expected to participate in the seminars. This means that everybody needs to be prepared for each seminar: the material must be read and reflected upon. The goal of the seminar is for everybody to gain a better understanding of the ideas and the implications of the material that we read. It also means that people must be aware and supportive of each other. Sometimes it is appropriate to ask a question, other times it's appropriate to connect two seemingly disparate ideas or point out a contradiction that exists in the writings. The most important thing to remember is that the seminar is a collective experience in which everybody plays a role in developing a successful session.

On-line Seminars

We will use the on-line seminars to complement (and help us prepare for) the in-person seminars. Everybody in the program will participate by contributing a question (by Monday at noon) and a one paragraph response to somebody's question (by Tuesday at noon) every week using Web Crossing. We will get a Web Crossing training session early in the quarter.

Readings

There will be weekly reading assignments. The readings will be found in one of three places:
  1. In one of our texts (available in Evergreen book store): Word Power issue of Index on Censorship, March / April, 1999, and Internet Dreams: Archetypes, Myths, and Metaphors, by Mark Stefik, MIT Press, 1997
  2. The Universal Library reader (also in Evergreen book store)
  3. On the web (URLs listed with assignments below)

The reading assignments for the individual weeks are listed in the schedule below.

Journal Entries

There will be eight one-page "journal entries" which are due every Wednesday except the first and last Wednesday. These will be in response to a simple question or statement which will be found in the syllabus. These are not formal essays -- they're intended to help develop your thoughts -- but they shouldn't be "throw-away" either. They should be legible and thoughtful.

Research Paper

Each student is expected to complete a research paper, due on March 1. The topic and possible hypotheses are due on January 19. This paper must be typed and be a minimum of five pages. Each paper should clearly state the objectives it is attempting to attain at the beginning of the paper. Remember: It is recommended that you use quotations and ideas from books, articles, the web, etc.; this is how we participate in the ongoing human dialogues on issues that matter. On the other hand, it is not acceptable to use material without indicating and crediting the source. Some ideas for papers include: threats to libraries, uses of information, comparisons with other media, new network tools, what information do we make available and why, new roles for librarians. Research papers can also have technical themes and approaches.

Field Study

Each student is expected to make two visits to libraries and write a short paper comparing them. These "libraries" can be just about any place where information is stored in a way to facilitate its use. In other words, a visit to a museum would be appropriate as would a visit to a company that makes database information available for a fee. These visits are set up by students and should be planned ahead of time. If you're going to talk to somebody who works there, you should take the time to prepare your questions. Your field study write-up will be due on the last night of class, March 8.

Computer Fluency

Each student will participate in one of the seven computer fluency components which are similar to group contracts. There will be time in class to work on these in class but students will be doing the bulk of the work outside of class. Each student will select an area of study, identify objectives, and develop a plan for meeting those objectives. The seven computer fluency modules are
  1. Basics (e.g. e-mail and/or browser use)
  2. JavaScript
  3. CGI / Perl scripting for the web
  4. Graphics (e.g. Photoshop)
  5. Presentation software (e.g. Microsoft Powerpoint)
  6. Building Web Pages (e.g. HTML, FrontPage, Pagemill, Flash, etc. )
  7. Networking (e.g. protocols or RFCs)

Statement from group due: January 19
The statement from the group should contain broad aims, strategy, division of labor, group evaluation technique.

Individual plan due: January 19
The individual plan should contain project component type (Basics, JavaScript, etc.), task descriptions, dates of relevant events, and how computer fluency plan will be evaluated.

Mid-term status report: February 9
The mid-term status report should contain description of your progress in meeting goals. Also discuss any problems and how you expect to overcome them.

Final product due: March 8
The final product should contain evidence that shows how well you met your goals. For web based projects, please turn in at least a hardcopy of the main page with the url of the page printed on the top.

Group Project

Each student will participate in a group project (3 - 6 students per group) in which an issue related to information and communication is critically explored and evaluated. Technical projects are also possible: a requirements document or software analysis for a digital library or service, for example. The projects will be presented on the last or next to the last day of class and will take no longer than 30 minutes including a five minute question and answer period. A group project plan consisting of a title, description, tasks and list of members of the project is due on February 2. Each student will turn in a description of their role in the project on the last night of class, March 8.

Portfolios

Each student must keep a portfolio of everything that they have done throughout the quarter. This should be tidy and well-organized. Your name should appear on the first page. The portfolio will be turned in on the last meeting day of the program and will be returned at the student evaluation conference. Please note that the portfolio consists of hard-copy -- it is not "virtual." If part of your work is on the Internet please turn in one or more printouts based on the work with the url plainly marked on each page. The portfolio should also contain a description of your role in the group project. Be sure to consult your portfolio or make photocopies of any material that you'll need for your evaluation!

Evaluations

Evaluation conferences should take place the week before the last Wednesday of class. Each student should bring in a self-evaluation and a faculty evalution on the proper forms.

Schedule

[1] Wednesday, January 5, 2000 - What is a Library?

Faculty and student introductions, student interest form

Syllabus preview

Student / faculty photos for Web Crossing

History of the Library presentation (Randy)

The (Platonic) Ideal Library Workshop

[2] Saturday, January 8, 2000 - Some Open Questions

Libraries and Computers lecture -- Boolean logic, search engines, etc. (Doug & Randy) --

Seminar

Group project topics discussion and workshop

Web Crossing introduction and sign-in

Readings completed:

Assignments due:

[3] Wednesday, January 12, 2000 - History of the Library

First Computer fluency meeting

Information Interpretation workshop

Readings completed:

Assignments due:

[4] Wednesday, January 19, 2000 - Library History (cont.)

Plato Lecture #1 -- Jamie McClelland, Media Jumpstart and Paper Tiger Television, New York City, "Publishing at Society's Margins"

Seminar

Readings completed:

Assignments due:

[5] Wednesday, January 26, 2000 - Representing Library Resources

Guest lecture: Phil Coombs, state archivist, formerly with state library.

Group project discussion and meetings workshop

Formats and Types of Information Presentation from Scrolls to Digital Workshop

Readings completed:

Assignments due:

[6] Wednesday, February 2, 2000 - Word Power

Computer fluency meeting #2

Interpretation and reliability of information issues

Seminar

Workshop: Internet Library Case Study

Readings completed:

Assignments due:

[7] Wednesday, February 9, 2000 - Transitions

Guest Lecture: Marc Smith, Microsoft Netscan Project, "Virtual Libraries, Collective Knowledge, and Online Communities"

Readings completed:

Assignments due:

[8] Wednesday, February 16, 2000 - The Library and the Community

Lecture on search engine architecture, etc. (Doug)

Seminar

Workshop: Standardization (or lack thereof) and its impact on global cultures.

Readings completed:

Assignments due:

[9] Wednesday, February 23, 2000 -- Digital Libraries

Computer Literacy meeting #3

Group project meetings

Workshop: Community information seeking (and advice for librarians)

Readings completed:

Assignments due:

[10] Wednesday, March 1, 2000 - Implications

Plato lecture: "Librarians Crossing the Line! Community Connections: Libraries and the Digital Divide," Ann Bishop, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Seminar

Readings completed:

Assignments due:

[11] Saturday, March 4, 2000 - Media and Libraries

Guest Speaker: Jimmy Mateson, Media Island, Olympia

Seminar

student presentations

Potluck

Workshop: Media comparisons

Readings completed:

Assignments due:

[12] Wednesday, March 8, 2000 - Libraries for the Future

Student presentations

What is a library now? What will it be in the Future?? What will we do?

Program debriefing

Readings completed:

Assignments due: