Library Courses

Sign up for Fall 2023 Library Courses!

Classes begin September 25! 

The Library Science Program of SJDC serves the students' needs in academic research skills and information competency development to empower the students to successfully complete their college education and to set a solid information literacy foundation for work and life-long learning. The Library Science faculty is committed to offering high-quality library instruction through the Library Science Program to empower the students to reach their goals.

 

Library Science Courses
Library Information Literacy (LIBRY 1)

This course is designed to help the student develop information literacy skills and to introduce the variety of information resources and information retrieval tools available in academic libraries. The student learns how to develop research strategies and how to utilize library resources and services to effectively retrieve information in this self-paced course. (UC, CSU)

Goals and Objectives:

General Goals

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will demonstrate the ability to utilize information literacy and information retrieval skills to effectively conduct academic research and facilitate lifelong learning.

Specific Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • Demonstrate a familiarity with library services and the arrangement of the library resources.
  • Demonstrate basic information literacy skills and be able to distinguish major types of online searching tools.
  • Search effectively the Online Catalog and interpret the information provided on the catalog.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the Library of Congress classification system and be able to locate library materials.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the functions of reference tools as well as familiarity with some popular reference books.
  • Search effectively online databases and interpret the information provided on the online databases.
  • Demonstrate the ability to analyze online and print periodical citations and retrieve periodical articles.
  • Demonstrate the ability to develop research strategies and retrieve and organize resources for a research paper.

Course Outline

  • An Introduction to Library Resources and Services
  • A Survey of Online Searching Tools
  • The Online Catalog
  • The Library of Congress Classification System
  • Reference Tools
  • Online Databases, Part I
  • Online Databases, Part II
  • Using Research Strategies and Critical Thinking Skills to Retrieve Information for a Research Paper

Course Learning Objectives

  • Given a research assignment, students will identify and utilize citation tools to cite their retrieved sources in one of the major writing styles.
  • Given a research topic, students will identify keywords and develop a research strategy.
  • Given a research topic, students will find, evaluate, analyze, and organize reputable information sources for a research paper.
Advanced Library Information Literacy (LIBRY 2)

This course is designed to further develop the student’s information literacy and critical thinking skills learned in Library Information Literacy. In this self-paced course, special emphasis is given to the Internet as a research tool, online databases, online searching strategies, general and specialized reference books, law reference sources, and career information. (UC, CSU)

General Goals

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will demonstrate the ability to utilize information literacy and critical thinking skills to effectively retrieve and analyze information from the Internet, online databases, and general and specialized print sources for academic research and lifelong learning.

Specific Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • Demonstrate the use of the Internet as a research tool and apply online searching strategies in effectively retrieving and critically analyzing Internet sources.
  • Demonstrate familiarity with specialized online and print bibliographic tools and effectively retrieve bibliographic information.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the functions of reference tools as well as familiarity with some general and special reference books.
  • Demonstrate familiarity with online and print career research tools and effectively retrieve career information.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the law reference tools and effectively retrieve law information.
  • Demonstrate the ability to conduct advanced online periodical database searches, analyze periodical citations, and retrieve periodical articles.
  • Apply information literacy and critical thinking skills so as to effectively retrieve, analyze, and organize online and print information for a Pathfinder, an analytical resource guide for a research paper.

Course Outline:

  • Using the Internet As a Research Tool
  • Specialized Online and Print Bibliographic Tools
  • Reference Tools
  • Online and Print Career Research Tools
  • Law Reference Tools
  • Advanced Online Periodical Database Searching
  • Utilizing Information Literacy and Critical Thinking Skills to Develop a Pathfinder
Information Competency (LIBRY 3)

Information Competency (LIBRY 3) is an online, 3-unit course designed to empower the student with information literacy skills and enable the student to identify the need for information, develop research strategies, and find, evaluate, use, and communicate information in various formats. The course promotes consideration of the ethical and legal use of information as well as the application of both critical thinking and communication skills. The course combines instruction, hands-on learning and applications, forum discussions, analysis and evaluation of information, learning assessments, and a research project. (UC, CSU)

Expected Learning Outcomes

  • Students will be able to understand how to properly cite sources in their research papers.
  • The student will understand what plagiarism is and how to prevent plagiarism.
  • Having selected a research topic, the student will be able to identify appropriate research tools to effectively retrieve and critically evaluate retrieved information.
  • Given a research topic, the student will be able to develop research questions, thesis statement, and a search strategy to retrieve information.
Information Research Skills (LIBRY 10)

This course is designed to help students select and analyze topics for their research papers, develop effective search strategies, and search credible and reliable information for their research papers. Students will learn to use a variety of research and citation tools that will empower them to write quality research papers and cite sources using major writing styles. (UC, CSU). (2.00 Units)

Expected Learning Outcomes:

  • The students will utilize citation tools/guides to cite their retrieved sources in one of the major writing styles.
  • Having identified keywords and developed search strategies for library research, the students will be able to find, evaluate, and organize relevant, credible, reliable, and current information for their research projects or course assignments.
  • Having selected a research topic, the students will be able to identify keywords and develop search strategies for their library research.