INLS843 Seminar in Public Libraries
We will spend most of our time discussing topics related to the subject. Our first few weeks will be spent thinking about why the public library exists, what its milieu is, and how the librarianship profession has related to it. Our goal will be to develop a nuanced understanding of the public library as an institution, a big picture appreciation of the concept, which will lead into a more fine-grained introduction to issues of concern to public libraries today.
There are four graded components in this seminar
35% Shared topics:
After the initial context discussions conclude, we will step off into topics of your choice.
Lead the seminar on a topic of your choosing
Each of you will select preparatory readings and make them available online. You will plan to start the session with a presentation (it can be as structured, or as unstructured, as you prefer), followed by a guided discussion.
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Some guidelines:
- first come, first served, on topics and on dates
- plan to spend the first half of your time leading a discussion on your topic
- if you wish, you can spend the second half of your time in a discussion with someone you invite to speak with us
We will try to have a pattern of discussion among us followed by discussion with someone we invite to the seminar.
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Condition
Post links to the readings for the seminar in Sakai at least three days prior to your scheduled session. For example, if you are scheduled to manage a seminar on a Wednesday, have the readings posted by noon on the previous Sunday.
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Standard
For these tasks, the following grading standard will be applied. You may infer from the grade you receive that I felt the product could be described in the terms in this table. Numerical grades will translate into the Pass/Fail grading scheme for the Registrar within Sakai.
| Points | HPLF grade/PF grade | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 95-100 | H/Pass | Clear excellence in your preparations for the sessions (to include selection of readings) and your management of your seminar (to include a willingness to listen to others at the same time managing to make the points you wished to make). Additional credit for drawing others into the discussion. |
| 80-94 | P/Pass | Entirely satisfactory in your preparations for the sessions and your management of your seminar |
| 60-79 | L/Pass | A marginal performance reflecting inadequate preparations and poor handling of the seminar session |
| below 60 | F/Fail | If you try to do the task, you will not see this grade |