School of Communication, Information, and Library Studies Graduate
Please call 732.932.3491 for more information.

17:610:501 Introduction to Library & Information Professions
Orientation to the M.L.I.S. program, the information professions, basic concepts and vocabulary, and the literature of the field.

17:610:502 Colloquium
A series of lectures with discussions featuring guest speakers that highlight current and recurring issues and introduce students to leaders in the field.

17:610:510:85 Human Information Behavior
Behavior vis-à-vis information as it bears on problems in library and information services and forms a theoretical and professional base for such services. Diverse contexts of information behavior; processes of information seeking, searching, using, and valuing. Assessment of studies of human information behavior in terms of relevance to library and information services.

17:610:512 Interface Design
Basic principles for designing the user interface in information systems, with special reference to computerized systems. Major topics include: relationships between users' models of information systems and the conceptual models presented to them; human cognitive capabilities; evaluation.

17:610:514 Learning Theory, Media and the Curriculum
Focuses on the structure and design of school library media programs by examining learning theories, information literacy, standards, and current trends. Integration of information literacy across the curriculum and inquiry learning emphasized.

17:610:524 Metadata for the Information Professional
Detailed examination of issues and problems relating to the creation and application of metadata in various information environments. Major metadata schemes, encoding standards, and container architecture are examined with emphasis on functions, syntax, semantics, quality, and evaluation. Additional topics for examination include resource identifiers, controlled vocabularies, and metadata project management.

17:610:530 Principles of Searching
Principles and practices associated with searching a variety of information resources, based on services for information users. Structure of resources relevant to searching. Information retrieval (IR) models, including Boolean (exact match), ranking (best match), and interactive models. Web search engines. Web reference sources. Interactive processes in information seeking and searching; mediation and interviewing process to model users. Search strategies and tactics for effective searching. Presentation and evaluation of search results. Laboratory exercises and assignments include database vendors, such as DIALOG and LEXIS/NEXIS, the web, and reference sources.

17:610:540 Reference Sources and Services
Focuses on the full range of information resources studied and used in applied contexts, placing emphasis on access to information through reference tools and the uses of information by learners. Important considerations are an analysis of strategies for searching and evaluating these works and comparisons between printed and electronic media. Emphasis placed on research tools, communication, information services, policy development, and evaluation.

17:610:547 Materials for Children
Examination and evaluation of both print and nonprint materials for children, birth to age twelve. Emphasis on literary and artistic interpretations of picture books and other visual media, including the World Wide Web.

17:610:548 Materials for Young Adults
Evaluation and selection of materials based on literary criteria and the biological, sociocultural, psychological, and developmental characteristics of young adults; guidance in their use. Emphasis on gender-fair and multicultural materials and the attitudes, interests, problems, and opportunities of young adults in contemporary society.

17:610:550:85, 86 Information Technologies for Libraries and Information Agencies
With 17:610:530, an introduction to concepts and techniques essential to information handling in the networked electronic environment. Topics include: operating systems; client server and server-browser systems; the Internet and basics of http, ftp, and telnet; web search engines and basic HTML for web page construction; data structures (files, records, fields); UNIX.

17:610:551 Information Retrieval
Theory, design, use, and evaluation of information retrieval (IR) systems. Design principles for IR systems and their implementation, characteristics of operational and experimental retrieval systems, and evaluation of information retrieval systems.

17:610:553 Digital Libraries
Fundamental issues, problems, and approaches to digital libraries, reflecting differing efforts and thinking in a number of fields and enterprises. Variety of digital library collections; organization, access, and use of digital libraries. Technical infrastructure; socioeconomic issues; integration of information resources; relation to traditional libraries. Current projects and initiatives.

17:610:554 Information Visualization
Design of presentations using texts, graphics, images, and sounds. User interpretation, navigation, and interaction with visualizations. Visualization in information retrieval, and interfaces in library and information processes. Effective display and presentation of information using various formats, both print and electronic.

17:610:555 Multimedia Production
A laboratory course in the design and production of multimedia resources for libraries, media centers, and information systems and other informational applications. Examines and critiques current uses of new media and provides skills in user-centered multimedia design.

17:610:558 Digital Library Technology
Organizational, technical, and logistical issues concerning the design and implementation of electronic collections, documents, and services. Students learn in the context of building their own prototype digital library.

17:610:575 Management of School Library Media Program
Students conduct a case study of a school library media center, with emphasis on how it responds to the nature of the community and the mission of the district and the school. The facility, the collection, staffing, and funding are analyzed. A long-range improvement plan is produced.

17:610:592 Field Experience
Requires a minimum of 150 hours of supervised professional work in a library or other information organization; attendance at meetings with the faculty adviser and other students; keeping a journal; and a brief summary paper. Placement is based on the student's background and career objectives.

17:611:510 Coordination of School Library/Media Programs and Services

17:611:511 Integrating Your Library Media Program and Your School Curriculum
Librarians and teachers are often called upon to select and recommend websites, CD-ROMs, and other electronic information resources for young people, a task that can be very difficult without an understanding of what aspects of these resources appeal to and repel young users. This course is intended to facilitate that evaluation and recommendation process by helping you to understand how young people interact with and evaluate digital information. This is largely a reading course, requiring you to read the foundational works and core research in youth electronic information behaviors and preferences, including works from library science, information science, and gender studies. Major assignments will include a related research project and a Web-based annotated bibliography of recommended websites for young people.

17:611:520:85, 86 Theory and Foundations of Education for the School Library Media Specialist

17:611:522:90, 91 Student Learning Development and Behavior Management for the School Library Media Specialist
An introduction to the characteristics and learning styles of learners, techniques for classroom management, and rules and expectations in the school library and classroom. Prerequisites: permission to enroll in this course will be granted to students who are seeking certification as a school library media specialist or associate school library media specialist, as evidenced by current or previous enrollment in appropriate coursework; experience using email and basic World Wide Web searching techniques, your own reliable Internet account, and the hardware and software required for an online course.

17:611:531 Information Sources and Services for Youth
This course is an introduction to standard print and electronic reference resources, placing emphasis on access to information through reference tools and the uses of information by students in K-12 schools and libraries. Course content focuses on how school library media specialists can develop information-literate students by teaching information processing skills and by building an excellent reference collection in their school media centers.

17:611:540 The Fact of the Matter: Informational Literature for Middle and High School

17:611:541 In Search of Cupid and Psyche: Myth and Legend in Children's Literature
In Search of Cupid and Psyche uses the celebrated story of love and sacrifice as the starting point for examining the function of myth in creating and enhancing meaning in children's and young adult literature. In this course you will learn to analyze children's books that borrow heavily from myths and archaic legend, and to recognize and describe mythological elements within a broad range of books for children and young adults. You will learn to recognize mythic elements in text and illustrations, discover commonalities among culturally diverse literatures, and explore how contemporary myths operate in specific literary works.

17:611:547 An Educator's Survey of Children's Literature
Biographies, autobiographies, diaries, and personal narratives are all ways of telling the narrative of a life. In this course, we will examine how writers take a life lived and turn it into a story. We will read picture books, chapter books, collective biographies, autobiographies, and biographical narratives for young people of all ages. Most titles will be recent (within the past five years). The focus will be on reading widely, and on intense engagement with the texts. Students will have the opportunity to create book lists, booktalks, and/or Web pages to explore their interpretations of biography materials for young people.

17:611:589 Special Topics
New courses developed in response to emerging areas of interest, and courses in traditional areas given occasionally as student demand dictates.

17:611:591 Independent Study
New courses developed in response to emerging areas of interest, and courses in traditional areas given occasionally as student demand dictates.

17:611:592 Field Experience