Written by Welcome to Module 3! Information – creation, accession, consumption, and dissemination – pervades everything we do and is a foundational characteristic of information communities. From studying the information seeking behaviors of varied and diverse populations to analyzing information activities in online settings, the importance of the exchange is foundational to understanding libraries, emerging information technologies and design, and the management of knowledge in organizations. We’re moving closer to each of you choosing an information community to study and this module may further inform your decision. I would urge you to start broad and narrow, as appropriate, over the course of the semester as you gain your footing in research and writing about your information community. Please be patient and open-minded as you approach the blog posts and the larger writing assignments (Information Sources Survey, Literature Review Matrix, Research Paper). A few students last semester decided mid-term to change direction or completely abandoned their initial information community. We do have that flexibility in case things aren’t falling into place.
Please read this important post about surveys and interviews.
- Your community choice is due soon as a blog post. Please join the group for discussion of your community choice. If you haven’t, please read over the Choosing Your Community helper.
- Blog Post #2 is due SUNDAY.
- If you haven’t yet, please review the Assignment Synthesis examples to see how the work you begin this week leads to the final paper.
- I would also suggest reviewing the assignment pages and submission details and rubrics closely so you understand the expectations for each assignment.
- Hopefully, everyone has downloaded the OPML file
- Be sure you are logged in to our section site (this one) and the Community Site so your activity is added to the streams. If you are not logged in your activity is not visible.
- For this site: If you haven’t added a profile pic or avatar for your member account, please do so by editing your Profile under the top right-hand menu on our site. Remember: you can use any image to represent yourself in class. I’d also suggest doing it at the 200 Community Site as well.
- Try using an @username to give another classmate a shout out or send me a public thought with @michael. See this page for more info.
Occasionally throughout the semester, we will have class chats on Zoom. These are optional “drop-in” sessions for students to ask questions, share or just chat. There are no mandatory sessions, but students are encouraged to attend if schedules allow. It will be a way for us to check and keep in touch. All sessions will be recorded. The following are scheduled:
Please see the front page of our canvas site for Zoom links and passwords.
- March 1 at 1pm PT : INFO 200 Assignment Q & A Session: We will go over you might have about the Sources Survey and LRM.
- April 12 at 1pm PT : INFO 200 Research Paper Q & A Session: We will go over any questions you might have about the Research Paper.
Blog Report Due Dates: (See assignment page for full descriptors.)
- Blog Report #1: Introduce yourself. DUE: 2/01
- Blog Report #2: Describe the Information Community you are choosing to explore for the course and the research paper. DUE: 2/15
- Blog Report #3: Report on the information-seeking behavior and information needs of chosen community. DUE: 3/01
- Blog Report #4: Summarize one of the peer-reviewed articles relating to your information community you’ve found. DUE: 3/08
- Blog Report #5: Explore how libraries and information centers create learning and programming opportunities for your chosen community. DUE: 4/19
- Blog Report #6: Report on the issues your community may face on an international scale. DUE: 4/26
- Blog Report #7: Report on your community’s use of emerging technologies. DUE: 5/03
- Blog Reportt #8: Personal reflection on information communities. DUE: 5/10
- LIS Model/Theory Research Summary DUE: 2/22
- Information Sources Survey: DUE: 3/22
- Literature Review Matrix: DUE: 4/12
- Research Paper: DUE: 5/10
Late Submissions
Assignments submitted after the due date and time without prior approval will be penalized 20% of the total possible points per calendar day. Even submissions that are just a few minutes after the deadline are considered late.
Canvas automatically calculates late penalties and rounds up to the next full day. Assignments submitted five or more days late without an approved extension will receive a zero.
Emergencies and Extensions
If you’re facing a serious medical issue, personal emergency, or family crisis, please reach out before the due date whenever possible. We’ll work together to set a new timeline. Extensions are granted at the instructor’s discretion and will require documentation.
