Business Information Sources & Services

LIS 690 220, 221

8 week Summer Session 2006

June 8 - August 3

The course will be mainly online but will have four REQUIRED classroom meetings in Lexington:

Friday, June 9, 2006

Friday, June 30, 2006

Friday, July 7, 2006

Friday, July 28, 2006

All meetings will be from 9:00 am – 1:30 pm (with a break in the middle), location TBD.

Lisa G. O’Connor, Assistant Professor, MLIS, A.B.D.

Office:                         King Library 518E

Office phone:             859-257-5679

E-mail:                        loconnor@uky.edu

Prerequisites:  Successful completion of LIS 601 is a required prerequisite for this course. 

Students must request permission to register for the course from the SLIS administrative office.  Contact ukslis@uky.edu or nicole.montgomery@uky.edu.

The complete syllabus may not be available until the first day of class.

Course Description:

Business information sources and services is typically a fairly difficult course for many library students because it involves learning a new nomenclature and some basic principles about business in general (how and why corporate disclosure is carried out, how industry ratios and norms are developed, and how authoritative accounting literature is produced and structured for example) as well as learning about business information sources and services in particular.

In my seven years of teaching this course, I have nearly always found that it is one of the most difficult that students take.  I have furthermore found that much of the content is quite difficult to acquire through simple reading of texts. 

I have quite carefully thought through the content that is difficult for most learners and have estimated the time required to cover this content in a more flexible face-to-face environment and scheduled meetings accordingly -- keeping in mind the convenience of students to the fullest possible extent, without compromising the pedagogical aims of the course.

I would reiterate that this will not be an easy course.  It will be strenuous and will require extensive work in the library in addition to the meeting times.

Required Text: 

Moss, Rita. Strauss's Handbook of Business Information, 2^nd ed.         Westport, CT:  Libraries Unlimited, 2004.       

Assignments and Grading:

            Company Profile

            Investment Profile                              50% of final grade for profiles        

            Industry Profile

            Marketing Profile

            Web Pathfinder                                 20% of final grade

            Final Exam                                         20% of final grade

            Class Participation                           10% of final grade

Grading Policy:

     All grading is comparative. Projects are assigned grades in comparison with each other, based on quality of thought, content and of writing style, thoroughness of research and of originality. Only exceptional work will receive an "A" grade. Projects that are received after the due date will be assigned a lower grade than would otherwise be received.

     It is assumed that each student will be prepared (having thoughtfully read course material) and participate actively in discussions -- the equivalent of a "B" grade for "participation." Failing to participate will lower the grade; informed and engaged participation will raise the grade.

     Acceptable reasons for non participation include illness or bereavement; it is the policy NOT to grant incompletes (I) for reasons other than these.

     Work for this class requires original research and writing. Quotation of other’s work without full attribution (plagiarism) is a violation of ethics and University policy; Senate rules stipulate an E grade -- or worse -- in instances of plagiarism. Ask if you have any questions about citation. All work must be written specifically for this course and may not be duplications of work completed for other courses.