Course Assignments
Below are descriptions of each assignment. Please see the Syllabus for readings association with each assignment. Please go to Student Pages to see how to submit/present your work.
General Guidelines
Students may work in teams on an assignment (except cover letter and resume) if they have the prior approval of the instructor and can demonstrate how the workload will be divided between/among them.
All assignments are due on the dates indicated. Late assignments will only be accepted with the instructor’s prior approval and may result in the instructor’s decision to impose a grading penalty or simply not accept the assignment for credit toward the final grade.
All assignments must be submitted by July 21st in order for the student to receive credit for the course. Students may not opt out of any of the assignments.
Assignments must meet the guidelines that have been provided. However, students are encouraged to display creativity in both the content and the format of their assignments.
Students may use this course as an opportunity to explore their own interests and talents.
Everyone is encouraged to have fun and enjoy this chance to learn and share ideas!
Pre-Work: Readings (20%)
Students will be asked to read at least one daily newspaper every day of the class. We will discuss “business related news” at the beginning of each class.
Assigned readings and your online introduction need to be completed one week before class begins face to face meetings.
Readings will consist of articles about CLICs and also be drawn from publications like the Harvard Business Review and Wall Street Journal about the corporate world/environment generally. Please note that there will not be time to do the readings during the week of our face-to-face meetings.
Students will submit their individual notes on readings on their student page on the wiki and discuss with each other on the course wiki via the comments section on the various pages.
Students will be responsible for reading all the assigned readings, and must write a brief (no more than three paragraphs) reaction to what is being said on 10 readings. Dedicate one paragraph to what you think are the key/most important points in the reading. Then, use the remaining paragraphs to discuss the following:
- Do you agree with what is being said?
- What is the relevance to a CLIC?
- What kinds of information would you like as follow-up to the information in the article?
Notes on readings are due by July 21.
Pre-Work: State of the Industry Report (15%)
In advance of first class meeting (July 2), each student will select an industry and will become the class “expert” on that industry. Examples of industries are: Airline; Entertainment (Film, Television or Print); Pharmaceuticals; Software Development; Hardware Producer; Education; Groceries; Home Do-it- Yourself; Consumer Appliances….
By June 18, please choose an industry sector that is of interest to you and have it approved by the course instructor.
(__Each assignment must contain at least one primary source of information in the form of a phone, in-person or e-mail interview.__)
Provide background and analysis of the sector including its:
- history (when did it start?);
- what social, political/governmental or cultural factors influenced its growth and development;
- what entities are the “key” or largest players in the sector and how long they have held their positions of influence within the sector;
- what current social, political/governmental factors influence the sector;
what is your prediction(s) of how the sector will (or will not) change in the next 5 to 10 years.
Your analysis, which you will post on the class wiki, may be in an outline format or presented as Questions/Answers using the above as your guide, and does not have to be presented as a formal narrative (research paper). Regardless of your format, limit your sector study to no more than eight (8) pages. Please provide a list of all sources consulted, which does not have to be counted in your eight pages. Follow the guidelines of a recognized citation format.
Students will present their industry reports on July 3rd during the class and submit their reports on their student page of the wiki by July 21.
Leadership Profile/Style Analysis (10%)
This is a two-part assignment. (Part One is worth 80% of your grade for the assignment; Part Two is more speculative and difficult).
Identify a business or government leader (living or dead) who is or has been associated with your specific industry sector or a closely related sector. Research their own writings, writings by others about them, interviews, discussions/information you might gather from people that worked for them, and any other sources.
From your research, collect information about their personal backgrounds, career paths, work philosophy, leadership style, and events or other people that may have had an influence (positive or negative) upon them. Write a brief composite (2 to 3 pages) of the person incorporating these factors.
Next, try to “intelligently” imagine what it would be like working as an information professional at an organization that this person heads. Would he/she generally value the CLIC? What kinds of services would be offered to be in sync with his/her leadership style and values? Write a one to two page analysis that ties these questions back to what you have written in the first half of the assignment.
Students will present their leadership profiles on July 5th during the class and submit their reports on their student page of the wiki by July 21.
My CLIC Presentation (15%)
Building upon your industry sector knowledge, describe a “typical” corporate library and information center for that sector. Include the following in your report:
- reporting lines within the company (in what unit is the CLIC placed/to whom in corporate management structure does the CLIC staff report);
- key products and services provided by the CLIC;
- a CLIC organization chart with staff job titles;
- the clientele(s) or customers of the CLIC;
- an approximate operating budget;
- any unique attributes of the CLIC (like a secured vault or other special storage accommodations);
- technology requirements beyond those that are available to the entire enterprise;
- a general description of the CLIC’s collections and research materials;
- a brief “physical” description of the CLIC (please indicate here if ALL the services, collections and staff are virtual);
- any specific CLIC allies (IT department?) and competitors (IT department?) within the parent company or even external (contractors/outsourced/off-shored service providers?) to it;
- how the CLIC contributes to the corporate mission AND bottom line;
- how the CLIC “markets” itself
Your report, which should be posted on the class wiki, may be presented in outline format or presented as Questions/Answers using the above as your guide. It does not have to be presented as a formal narrative (research paper). Regardless of your format, please limit your report to no more than six (6) pages. Please provide a list of all sources consulted (including people), which does not have to be counted in your six. Follow the guidelines of a recognized citation format.
Students will present their CLIC reports on July 8th during the class and submit their reports on their student page of the wiki by July 21.
Cover Letter/Resume (10%)
Find a position description (PD) or vacancy announcement (VA) for job that you would like to have upon graduation from SIRLS. Do not worry if this job is not in a CLIC. Write a cover letter and create a resume that will get you an interview!
Please submit a copy of the PD or VA with your assignment.
Students will submit their letters/resumes on their student page of the wiki by July 21.
Research Paper OR Final Exam (20%)
Students have the option of choosing between a project or an exam. However, students are encouraged to take the project option since it might then be "usable" in the student’s employment portfolio, along with the sector study and the "My CLIC" assignment.
The final project will be a specific product or service that might be offered in a CLIC of any kind. Students are not limited to the industry sector that they have been working on for the course. Students may draw upon the sector studies, leadership profiles and "My CLICs" of their classmates.
The student shall assume the role of an information professional working in the CLIC and will develop the idea for the product or service from its inception to rollout, and should also include a description of how the ultimate success of the product or service will be measured.
The final project is essentially a project plan that starts with a narrative description. This includes the intended audience, the need the product or service will fill, etc. Then, the project plan shows all milestones. Milestones may be communicated on a timeline with a brief description for each milestone or any other format of the student’s choosing.
The final project should not exceed ten (10) pages in length and must include citations to any sources consulted using a recognized citation format.
Questions for the Final Exam will be posted on the course wiki on or before July 1st. It will be a five-question essay exam.
The Final Project or the Final Exam are both due to the instructor on Friday, July 21st. At the same time, students should post this assignment to the class wiki.
Class Participation/Student Page (10%)
Students are expected to participate actively in the class by posting their work on the wiki; responding to comments presented on the wiki by the instructor or classmates; by making thoughtful and well-considered comments during our face to face meetings; by asking questions when things are not clear or the students would like more information; by listening with an open mind to the ideas of others; by staying alert and engaged in the class; and by attending all face to face class unless a personal emergency arises for which the instructor is given immediate notice.
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