Concept:  The student will demonstrate mastery of content material. included creating a personal web site.

Through this course, I was acquainted with library terminology and software used in the field of information science.  This information was used in developing the topic for the Special Project and in consulting resources within the field.

ILS 503-70 Foundations of Librarianship

Concept 1:  Cite trends in the field and describe implications for the profession.

Concept 2:  Analyze problems and propose alternative solutions where appropriate.

These concepts helped in developing the hypothesis for the Special Project.  Once the topic was developed, it was necessary to look at literature related to other libraries and determine a perceived problem.  Observing how other libraries handled the issue was important in developing policies in my own library.  The problem could then be analyzed and solutions proposed for remedying the problem.  In this case, the problem concerned whether students were aware of copyright date when borrowing books.  It was perceived from the first study that completing the weeding and the recon cataloging programs and strengthening bibliographic instruction might influence the number and types of materials borrowed from the library.

ILS 504-70 Reference and Information Resources

Concept 1:  Answer reference and information questions using electronic resources.

Concept 2:  Answer reference and information questions using print resources.

Concept 3:  Be familiar with reference sources on the Internet.

These concepts aided in finding bibliographical resources to support the Special Project.  Both print and Internet resources were used, and the course taught the value of advanced search procedures in locating these resources.  In this case, I proposed the reference questions to myself, but this skill is a basic one used in the reference interview on a day-to-day basis.

ILS 506 70 Information Analysis and Organization

Concept 1:  Understand the fundamental principles of descriptive cataloging and the importance of description in the provision of information services.

Concept 2:  Understand the importance of subject analysis and classification in information retrieval, both in manual and in electronic environments.

These concepts were vital in understanding the call number ranges in the Library of Congress classification system.  Through this course, I learned the various MARC record fields and was able to add information to the record to encourage better use of the electronic catalog.  With the introduction of URLs (856 field) and Tables of Contents (500 field), it was hoped that students would select materials based on information found in the resource rather than by book cover.  Also, the concepts aided in completing the recon cataloging program (which I did myself), making many more resources available to the students as noted in the second part of the Special Project.

ILS 565-70 College Library Management

Concept 1:  Apply management activities to the library organization (planning, organizing, staffing, leading/directing, controlling).

Concept 2:  Identify problems and issues in library management and recommend solutions when appropriate.

These concepts helped in preparing and directing the survey for the Special Project.  The problem had to be analyzed; then a survey had to be developed that would ask appropriate questions to encourage the input of helpful information.  The project was completed with the hope that its information will be valuable in continuing to collect appropriate materials for the needs of our students.  As stated in one of the supporting letters, one of the values of the project is the discovery not only of what students are checking out but why they are selecting these materials.

ILS 680-70 Evaluation and Research

Concept 1:  Learn basic research skills for conducting competent research.

Concept 2:  Have an opportunity to make a contribution to the field based on knowledge gained in the master's program.

These concepts were valuable in evaluating and presenting the research information.  While many materials were found, it was necessary to limit the information and present that part that was pertinent to the research topic.  While this topic has not been presented for publication, I have published five articles (two in genealogical society journals and two in nationally read journals) during the timeframe of this degree program.  The course continued to hone research and writing skills.