INLS 131

Management for Information Professionals

Section 2, Spring 2004

Management means, in the last analysis, the substitution of thought for brawn and muscle, of knowledge for folkways and superstition, and of cooperation for force.  It means the substitution of responsibility for obedience to rank, and of authority of performance for the authority of rank.

 

Peter Drucker

 

Instructor:  Deborah Barreau

Office:        206 Manning Hall

E-mail:        barreau@ils.unc.edu

Phone:        966-5042

Class Meetings:  Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00-3:15 p.m., Room 307 Manning Hall. 

Office Hours:   11:00-12:00 and 3:30-5:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Other times by appointment.

Course Description

INLS 131 provides a general introduction to the principles of management.  It is required for all SILS MSLS and MSIS students.  Undergraduate majors may take it as an elective.  Graduate students may waive INLS 131 only if they can present evidence of satisfactorily completing a comparable course before coming to SILS.  The focus of the course is on management in information agencies of all types, both for-profit and not-for-profit, but the principles taught are applicable in any management setting.  A wide range of topics will be covered including planning, budgeting, organizational theory, staffing, leadership, organizational change and decision making.  The course will be conducted by lecture and discussion.  Readings will be assigned as background to the lecture material and as preparation for the discussions.  In addition, during the semester a variety of class exercises, simulations and case studies will be undertaken to elaborate and illustrate specific topics.  Class participation is expected and encouraged.

Course Objectives

• To provide you with an understanding of the management task within an organizational setting, including knowledge of the basic functions of management, the theories and principles of management, and contemporary issues in management.
• To help you learn to think like a manager, including developing personal managerial skills and a philosophy about management.  At the end of the course you should have a sense of how you would like to manage and be managed as well as the sort of organizational culture you would find most supportive as a worker or manager.
• To help you to develop an appreciation for the complexities of modern organizational life and the role of the professional within an organization.
• To encourage and enable you to acquire effective group skills.
• To help you to develop strategies for continued learning about management and continued development of leadership skills.  Since almost every SILS graduate becomes a manager (and many are one in their first positions) it is important not only to get a grounding in INLS 131 but to continue learning about management after graduation.

Textbook

This course is a management course that is intended for students who may have careers in a wide range of information agencies, including libraries and other non-profit as well as corporate settings.  There is no one textbook that covers both the profit and non-profit sector equally well.  In an attempt to tailor the assigned readings to your interests, for some assignments you will have the choice of reading a selection from one of two textbooks.  Most of the class readings will be taken from these two textbooks.  One of each will be on reserve in the SILS library and both are also available for purchase in the UNC Student Stores.  (Another option is to visit the online textbook vendors for the availability of the texts.)  Although neither of these are required texts, they will be used heavily.  If you decide to purchase a text, buy only one of these two.

Textbook recommended for students intending a career in the corporate or for-profit world:

Robbins, S.P. and D.A. DeCenzo (2004)  Fundamentals of Management. 4th edition (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall).

Textbook recommended for students intending a career in a library setting:

Stueart, R.D. and B.B. Moran (2002) Library and Information Center Management. 6th edition (Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited).

Reserve Materials

Readings will be primarily from the text.  Additional readings will be placed on reserve in the SILS library or will be available on the class home page as noted in the schedule.  The articles from journals can be found either in the SILS library or in Davis.  In many cases these readings are also available through NCLive which accessible through the UNC library homepage.  These additional materials will be used to provide more in depth coverage of issues and/or to represent the particular problems of managing, organizing, or working for particular types of organizations.

Honor Code

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has had a student-administered honor system and judicial system for over 100 years.  Because academic honesty and the development and nurturing of trust and trustworthiness are important to all of us as individuals, this is a most significant University tradition.  The system is the responsibility of students and is regulated and governed by them, but faculty members share the responsibility and are committed to its ideals.  Please make sure that you are familiar with the policies and principles of the honor system as your full participation and observance is expected.

Course Policies and Requirements

1. Class participation is encouraged and expected. 

2. Reading assignments should be done before class.

3. Assignments should be turned in at the beginning of the class on the day they are due.  When extenuating circumstances will affect meeting a deadline, you should let me know in advance.

4. Attendance in class is expected unless there is an emergency.

5. If there is something you do not understand, please ask or come and see me.

6.  The Honor Code described above is in effect.  If you have a question about how group activities might be interpreted under the Honor Code, please ask.

7. Students are expected to complete the course work within the semester.  A grade of incomplete will be granted only under special circumstances.

Grading

Management Portfolio                40% (see assignments for details)

Midterm Exam                              20%

Final Budgeting Project             Budget and supporting documents, 20%

                                                      Presentation, 10%

Class Participation                       10%

The assignments, presentations, and class participation will be graded on the following scale:

H    95-100%

P+    90-94%

P      85-89%

P-    80-84%

L      70-79%

F      69% and below.

This syllabus was developed by Barbara Moran and was modified slightly by your instructor for section 2 of inls 131.

Duplication ensures that students in both sections of the course will have a similar learning experience.

December 2003.