DIRECTORY INFORMATION

  PEDAGOGY

Course Goals and Objectives
Students will become proficient as online researchers and evaluators of electronic information. Strategies for the effective use of search engines, subject specific sites, interactive media, Usenet Newsgroups, and Listservs are featured for Internet information resources. Search methods and understanding database design and system delivery are covered for electronic indexes and full-text databases. Methods of organization and dissemination of electronic information are covered in web site design, email and personal software agents/profilers.

The content and usefulness of electronic information will be critically evaluated throughout the course, including the citing of electronic sources. The issues of copyright, privacy, and censorship in an electronic environment will be examined as it relates to each student's area of study.

Course Delivery/Assignments
GED/GSA 579 is structured to deliver online search skills to students through group and individual assignments, class lectures and demonstrations, assigned readings, computer labs, and cooperative learning.  Students will teach components of the course through computer demonstrations.

ALL ASSIGNMENTS AND READINGS ARE ACCESSED UNDER THE CLASS CALENDAR SECTION OF THIS SYLLABUS.

GRADES

1. Major Project - Online Annotated Bibliography (45% of grade)
Students will create a subject specific Web Site based on research of chosen topic. Each site included in the bibliography will include an annotation (with both descriptive and evaluative elements) of the source, and links to the site. (Print sources may also be included in these bibliographies).   Past Class Projects
   DUE : Dec 9

2. Database Demonstration (20% of grade)
Students will demonstrate a database, CD-ROM, or WWW information tool to the class. The demonstration will include written documentation on the use of the information tool and a homework assignment designed to guide your classmates in the use of the tool.
   DUE: Assigned throughout semester

3. Midterm Quiz (10% of grade)
   Take Home: Given out OCT 7 , DUE: OCT 21

4. Participation in Virtual Class Room(5% of grade)
   DUE: See Nov 18 under Class Calendar

5. Class Citizenship (20% of grade)
Students will be given many opportunities to show their participation and networking of research skills in class --  Contributions to class discussions and panels, knowledge of readings, assignments, helping fellow classmates with computer applications and research, and contributions to the GED/GSA 579 Class Internet Recommendations

TEXT

Required Texts:
The Internet Searcher's Guide to Searching and Researching on the Internet and World Wide Web (ISG for short)  By Ernest C. Ackermann & Karen Hartman  2nd Ed.  Second Edition.

Suggested Text:
Microsoft FrontPage 2000 At a Glance  by Stephen L. Nelson

Required Software:
FrontPage 2000.  May be purchased at the SMC Bookstore for a reduced rate.
Click on Link above for more information. 
 Note-FrontPage 2000 is available from all the computer labs on campus.  You may use these computers instead of purchasing the software for home use.  OR  You may host your Online Annotated Bibliography on a school web site using another http editor such as Netscape or DreamWeaver.

Other readings will come from online sources:  Web sites, electronic journals, etc

CALENDAR

Question of the Day: How should one go about finding Newspaper articles in a library?  Find a newspaper article published within the past 12 months by one of the 5 major newspapers that dismisses the notion that everyone should drink eight glasses of water a day.  Answer: 

• Information Literacy definitions and our class use
• Student Profiles
• Off-Campus access to database passwords (handout)
• Remotely access your SMC Email Account @ http://smcmail.smcvt.edu/exchange/logon.asp  
• Definition of Information Literacy
• Tour of Library (start assignment)

Click Assignment: : :
Reading: "Fuzzy Logic" by Martin Gardner from the book, Weird water & fuzzy logic : more notes of a fringe watcher  (hand-out in class)
Read: "Dictionaries" from Introduction to Reference Work by William Katz (hand-out in class) - briefly skim this reading
Read: ISG Textbook Chapter 9 - "Searching Library Catalogs"

Sept 16- Searching Library Catalogs - - Techniques
see Handout - "Class II - Classification Schemes, Searching Online Catalogs"
Question of the Day: Without going to the SMC Library shelves, use the SMC  Online Catalog to determine what books are before and after the following title: Internet Power Searching: the Advanced Manual ?

Question of the Day: SMC Library carries "electronic books" purchased through Net.library.  Go to the SMC Online Catalog and look up the title: "Using Microsoft FrontPage 2000" by Dennis Jones to see an example of a Net.library book.

• Methods of Organization ( Library of Congress,   Dewey Decimal,   SuDoc)

Web site organized by Dewey Decimal Classification 
Bublink http://bubl.ac.uk/link/ddc.html  

• Subject Headings/Descriptors

-Books - Controlled Vocabulary: LCSH - Library of Congress Subject Headings, 
-Indexes - ERIC Thesaurus, Thesaurus of Psycological Index Terms (PsycINO),  MESH - Medical Subject Headings -  Medline, 
(see handout "Class II - Classification Schemes, Searching Online Catalog"  page 5 for over-view of Controlled Vocabulary)

The Scout Report Archives Web site using Library of Congress Subject Heading for Web Sites:  to organize Internet sources.

• Material types - books, videos, maps, software, journals, electronic journals, 

• Boolean (Keyword) Searching
  

Click Assignment:  -- Searching the Online Catalog
Reading: ISG Textbook Chapter 8, and pages 145-151
Read: Chapter 6 "Indexing and Abstracting Services: Subject and Newspaper" from Introduction to Reference Work (hand-out in class)

Sept 23 -     Search Library Catalogs/ Subject Indexes to Periodical Literature
Question of the Day: You are trying to develop a calendar for your office.  You want to spice this calendar up with interesting events that fall on certain dates.  Find a source on the Internet that would be useful for finding this information.
----A good print sources is "Chases' Calendar of Annual Events" located at SMC Library REF GT4803 .C48 or "The Book of Days"   Links to Internet Sources.

Boolean (Keyword) Searching
 - In class exercise- Greenhouse Database
 - How To Build A Search Statement
 - Specificity (Relevancy):  There is an inverse relation between how specific a search is versus how comprehensive it is.  Too broad a search has a better chance of making sure all items are found for a subject search, but there may be too many articles that are not relevant.  A highly specific search will eliminate unrelated subject areas, but can miss relevant broader subjects covering your chosen topic.

BOOKS

• Union / National Catalogs: Library of Congress, British Library,

WorldCat M (through OCLC FirstSearch). The world's most comprehensive bibliography, with 42 million bibliographic records representing 400 languages and covering information from 4,000 years of knowledge, and holdings information from the world's libraries.

• VT State Library Catalogs   Includes VT State Colleges, VT Archives,  VT Regional Libraries
  
• Commercial Book catalogs:  Books in Print, Forthcoming Books, Out of Print Books, www.amazon.com 
  

• Computer Books : about RocketBook (hand held device) and Net.library (online books)

• Interlibrary Loan (ILL)  - Obtaining books and/or journal articles not carried by your library

General Indexes to the Periodical Literature (Indexing, Abstracting, Full Text)

• ProQuest, EBSCO, SIRS, InfoTrac, Wilson (Readers Guide)

Assignment: ProQuest Research Libraries
Also, look over the Database Demonstrations link.  Start thinking over which database or search engine you will consider for your demonstration.
Reading: ISG Textbook - Chapters 4, 5, 6
Reading: "Making the System Work" (handout)

Sept 30  SUBJECT INDEXES / FULL TEXT INDEXES / INTERNET

Question of the Day: What is the most popular  "Search Engine?" Answer
Question of the Day: How Big is the Internet? Answer
Question of the Day: How Big is the "Invisible" or "Deep Web?" Answer

Subject Indexes

• What are the Humanities,  Social Sciences, and Sciences?
  

• Evaluating Subject Indexes and Full Text Databases  
  (a review/survey of research resources for all academic subject disciplines )

• Proprietary Online Database/Index Consortiums: Dialog   &  First Search (OCLC) [covered in your ISG Textbook  on page 194-195].

• Scholarly Journals - *Scholarly Journals, also referred to as: Peer Reviewed, Primary Journal, Research Journal

Scholarly Journals - *Scholarly Journals, also referred to as: Peer Reviewed, Primary Journal, Research Journal

Citation Searching

• Arts & Humanities Citation Searching http://www.smcvt.edu/library/resources/databases.htm 

• Science Citation Search (through Dialog) (See handout reading - "The Power of Citation Searching" from Library Journal)
  

LARGE SCALE JOURNAL INDEX 
(see handout - "Big Databases Pose Big Questions"from Online Magazine))

• Ingenta 
  The world's largest website for the search and delivery of research articles, ingenta.com offers you access to article summaries from over 20,000 publications linked to the full text of over 4,500 titles. Full text access is set by each of our 140 publisher partners, but typically individual subscribers, or individuals within institutions that subscribe, can access the full text of their publications for free. Non-subscribers can, for the majority of articles, pay-per-view choosing from electronic, fax or Ariel delivery

INTERNET

Components of the Internet: Surface sites and Separate Databases

Internet Usage: Who is using and what type of activities

URLS - Universal Resource Locators

New Top Level Domain Names

Definition of a Search Engine 

Search Engines Ranked By Size


Search Engine Evaluation: Part I - 

Web Search Engines by Category   By Function or purpose

Assignment: Search Engine Evaluation Part I
Assignment: Subscribe to the email Monthly Newsletter - Search Engine Watch by going to http://searchenginewatch.com/ (look for FREE NEWSLETTER at the bottom of page)
ALSO, Choose database for your Database Demonstrations Give me a general idea what you will research for the Online Annotated Bibliography that you will publish on your web site.

Readings: From Search Engine Watch: Numbers, Numbers, -- But What Do They Mean?
Read: " About Web VI" - Choice Special Issue 39 (hand out in class)
Read: Chapter 2 from your ISG textbook

Oct 7 - Internet Directories, Search Engines and "Invisible or "Deep" Web
Question of the Day:  How Big is the Internet?  answer
Question of the Day:  How big is the "Invisible" or "Deep Web?"  answer
Question of the Day:  What is a search engine?  answer
Question of the Day:  How many people online worldwide? answer

• - Internet Protocols (URLs) : Components of an URL

  - ICANN: (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) : Internet domain names, IP address numbers, protocol parameter and port numbers

  - New Top Level Domain Names
  

• Web Search Engines by Category   By Function or purpose
  
• Search Engine Evaluation Part I, - Search Evaluation
  
• Evaluating Search Engine Part II -- Comparing Search Engines by size, ranking, methodology, etc
  
• The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: or, Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources
     http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/eval.html (examples provided)
  
• Top 10 Reasons You Are or Aren't Successful in Searching the WWW?

Assignment: Midterm - DUE OCT 21

Enjoy the holiday

*** OCT 14  - NO CLASS ::  Holiday !!!

Good Sources below on Internet usage

-PEW Internet and American Life Project http://www.pewinternet.org/ 

-Jupitor Media Matrix http://www.comscore.com/ 

-NTIA and the Economics and Statistics Administration have published A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use Of The Internet. This report is based on the September 2001 U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey - a survey of approximately 57,000 households and more than 137,000 individuals across the United States. http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/dn/nationonline_020502.htm 

Introduction to the Internet [Timeline] http://www.isoc.org/guest/zakon/Internet/History/HIT.html

Oct 21 -  Web Design - Online Annotated Bibliography
Question of the Day: Why is "Mickey Mouse" in the news lately?

• Evaluating Internet Information 
  
  - ALA Guidelines http://www.ala.org/acrl/undwebev.html
  
  - The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: or, Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources
     http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/eval.html (examples provided)
  
• Online Annotated Bibliography Project
  
• Design Issues for a Better Web Site
  
• Results from UVMs Focus Group Study
  
• Sample annotations, citations
  
• Introduction to FrontPage
  

Assignment: Annotations & Background Page

Reading: "How Users Read on the Web" @ http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9710a.html
Read:  "From Questions to Problems"  from the book The Craft of Research (hand-out in class)
Read: "The Usable Web: A user-centered approach to Web Site Design", by Sarah Horton, NOTE- A "Useable Design Checklist" at the end of this reading (hand-out) 

FrontPage - Refer to Handout  - "Using FrontPage" 
-Linking (email, to files, within a document, to web sites)
-File Management/naming files
- Tables
- Time Stamp
- Graphics

Locating Public Domain Images @ http://www.ala.org/acrl/resjan98.html 
Great Article with links!!

Assignment:  Keep working on your "Annotated Bibliographies" and Database Demonstrations.  If you have had success with your personalweb acct today- send me the URL of your web page with the background notes.
Reading: Read: 10 Big Myths About Copyright Explained @ http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html
Read: Look over  http://photo.net/philg/nasty-copyright-notice.html    and http://photo.net/philg/copyright/hall-of-shame.html    
Reading: Chapter 12, from ISG textbook - "Email Discussion Group Archives and Usenet Newsgroup Archives"  (NOTE: Deja.com was bought  by www.google.com) 

Nov 4   - FrontPage II / Email Discussion Lists and Newsgroups
Question of the Day: Find out who is the "organization" behind a web site (try to find out when askjeeves.com was first created)    Answer

• Email Discussion Lists: Listserv/subscription

• Usenet Newsgroups::Google Archives of Messages
  
• FAQ's (Frequently Asked Question)
  
• You may start your own email discussion list using Egroups @ http://www.egroups.com/   
  
  
• Images/Tables
   -Scanning
   -File Formats (see chapter 4 and page 80 of "At a Glance")
  Use images sparingly (loading time and distractions) gif vs. jpeg  
  - Position - wrapping text
   -Resizing
   -Auto thumbnail 
   -Alternative Representation (text)
  

Assignment: Subscribe to a Email Discussion List, and "follow" a Newsgroup for a week.  Email me the name of the Email List and the Newgroup you are following with a short description.
Assignment: At this point you should have a well developed Background Page.  If you haven't done so, please send via Email the URL where your Background Page resides.  Or send as text if you don't have a "live" URL.  By next week you should have an organizational scheme for your Web project and some annotated sources.

Reading: "The Economy of Ideas: A Framework for rethinking patents and copyrights in the Digital Age" by John Perry Barlow
@  http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.03/economy.ideas.html

Nov 11 -  Citation Styles
Question of the Day - I'd like to use an "expert" to answer my question on Astronomy.  Where can I find a site to pose my question?
Answer: see http://www.vrd.org/locator/subject.shtml 

Database Demo - Virtual Library (Marilyn)

• Citing Electronic Sources / 
  -Different citation styles explained: APA, MLA, AMA, Turabian, Chicago
  
  - Steve's Citation Guide to Citing Internet and Electronic Sources
  
  - APA Style Guide to Electronic Citations

- NoodleBib: MLA Menu Driven Citation Guide

- Citation Programs - Endnotes (expensive)

-  List of other citation guides 

-  Plagiarism and the Web

-  Anti-Plagiarism Strategies for Research Papers

In class assignment: Citing electronic journals, encyclopedias, newsgroups/email

Reading: Atlantic Monthly article on copyright, "Who Will Own Your Next Good Idea?" @  http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/98sep/copy.htm (Parts 1, 2, 3)
Read:  Catch up on your reading.  Go back to the readings covering copyright that you might have missed.  You need to understand these reading for the online discussion part of the virtual classroom.

Nov 18 - Introduction to Copyright
Question of the Day - Under what circumstances might it be a violation of copyright to link to a web site?  Answer - see http://www.templetons.com/brad/linkright.html 

Database Demo: John - Askjeeves
Database Demo: Rattiya and Joyce - ERIC

• Cover next weeks Virtual Class Room
• Copyright Basics -  PowerPoint slides

Assignment & Readings: Go to the Virtual Class Room below.  Make sure you have read the posted Readings, Copyright Basics / Tutorial, and the Online Discussion topics

NEXT WEEK - I will be available next week for FrontPage help from 6 to 10 pm.  Please let me know if anyone wants to take advantage of this.  Once I get a head count--I'll let you know where we will meet.

NOV 25 VIRTUAL CLASS ROOM 

Dec 2- Internet Filters / Encryption / Statistical Sources

Question of the Day: What's a Shmoo?  

• Statistical Sources
  
• Internet Filters / Encryptions
  
• - List of filter software courtesy of Joyce
  

Assignment: 
Keep working on your web projects - Offline at this point.  If necessary we will have to have our web sites on a disc.  You will each have a chance to show your Web site and discuss its attributes in a relaxed setting.
   Reminders
- Does your web site have a copyright notice? Answer
- Does your web site have a time stamp of last update?
- Look over the checklist from the handout "The Usable Web: A user-centered approach to Web Site Design", by Sarah Horton, NOTE- A "Useable Design Checklist" at the end of this reading (hand-out) 
- Go into some detail in your Background page #7 - Very Important -- An Overview of your research:  What journal indexes did you use?  Is there an abundance of material on your subject?   What are the best strategies for researching your topic?  Does your research lead to other areas of related or new research?  
see http://academics.smcvt.edu/sburks/online_annotated_bibliography.htm 

Dec 9 - Your Online Annotated Bibliographies are DUE next week DEC 16
Question of the Day: Where does one go to have their web site evaluated/checked for - live links, loading time etc?    Click Answer

Question of the Day:  How much does it cost to submit your web page to Yahoo (annually) if you are a commercial web site?  Click Answer

Question of the Day: What is the Open Directory Project (ODP)?  Click Answer

Database Demo: Nicole - Google
Database Demo: Alicia - Invisible Web -"Complete Planet"

• PUSH technology - information that comes to your email, web page, desktop software, or intelligent agents.
  
• Web Page Promotion
  
  * Meta-Tags
  
  * Registering a Web page  to a Search Engine or Directory 

*Good article on the basics of Web promotion

Next Week
Discuss/Display your Online Annotated Bibliographies
[Please give me the URL of your web page and how I can reach you for your final grade and evaluation]

Dec 16 -Online Annotated Bibliography Due Today

  Last Class - Discuss/Display Web projects
Question of the Day: How do I find the "archive" of defunct web pages?  answer

• Discuss/Display Web projects
• Class Evaluations
• New Statewide Journal Index initiative Gale - Vermont Online Library
  - allows access for public, school, and colleges at very low prices. Equivalent of ProQuest and many other sources including health encyclopedias.  Contact VT State Library for more information

OTHER LINKS

Link to Class Projects - Fall 2001

Link to Class Projects - SPRING 2001

LINK to Past Class Annotated Bibliographies  - Fall 2000

LINK to Past Class Annotated Bibliographies - Spring 2000

LINK to Past Class Annotated Bibliographies - Fall 1999

* Class Favorites (URLs) - Spring 2001

Class Favorites (URLs) - Fall 2000

Class Favorites (URLs) - Spring 2000

• Check out this guide I recently made for Research Orientation for BU331: Essentials of Investments
  access to Value Line, Hoover's Online, Projected Earnings, etc.