Course Descriptions

Seminar for entering students focused on the development and articulation of a reflective professional philosophy, in preparation for the culminating portfolio or thesis. Peer mentoring, faculty and student presentations. MLISc degree required course. Non-credited.

Philosophy, principles, and practice of reference services in libraries, information centers and information literacy. Bibliographic control, reference research, reference interview, online searching, evaluation of bibliographic and webliographic material. Field component.

Techniques and strategies for search and discovery of information resources from professional online databases and the internet. Query formulation and use of advanced functions to match retrieved resources with user needs for research and reference work.

Theory and practice of metadata creation for organization of information resources, cataloging code for resource description and access, Library of Congress and Dewey Decimal Classification schemes, use of OCLC. Emphasis is on practical rather than philosophical topics, and on practice at the level common at academic or large public libraries.

Lecture/discussion course on role of libraries, their social utility in information societies. History and future of libraries in changing technological world. Information professions, information ethics, intellectual freedom, intellectual property, information access, national/international library developments.

Seminar course surveying the core philosophical principles of intellectual freedom with special application to librarianship and information science. Covers key areas of controversy, patron rights, and ALA resources.

History of the recording, preservation and transmission of knowledge. Development of libraries and other information organizations as instruments of cultural transmission.

Principles of effective management of information organizations, with emphasis on organizational information flows, team skills and communication, planning, resource allocation, assessment, outreach and advocacy.

Principles and issues of collection management and care. Criteria and tools for selecting and deselecting materials. Relationships with publishers/producers.

Introduction to preservation management. Focuses on management strategies for preservation of materials in libraries and archives. Covers preservation planning, condition surveys, disaster planning, grantsmanship, and basic issues relating to deterioration.

Explores how information professionals in libraries and other settings collaborate with community members and organizations. Provides an overview of theory and practice emphasizing critical analysis of policies, services and trends.

Overview of resources and issues concerning librarianship in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands. Course will cover reference strategies and materials to answer common research questions, collection development and management issues.

Development and delivery of information services with and for indigenous communities. Issues include cultural protocols, traditional knowledge organization and ethics of access.

Examines resources and materials targeted for diverse user groups in libraries and community organizations, locally and globally. Surveys issues and trends related to diversity initiatives affecting the publishing industry, libraries, and cultural institutions worldwide.

Analysis of traditional literature including Asian and Pacific Island resources. Selection and evaluation of traditional literature emphasizing cultural values. Introduction to oral tradition, history and techniques of storytelling.

This course explores reader response theory as a foundational understanding of the reading process in library contexts and settings. Consideration of ways in which responsive reading effects various literary formats available in libraries. Critical examination of ways in which library services impacts reading engagement and interests of library users. This course is particularly useful for those interested in public, school, and academic librarianship.

Lecture with demonstrations to introduce the essential types of digital resources and the software tools for finding high quality and relevant information efficiently from digital journal archives and reference databases.

Literature of Asia in Western and Asian languages; bibliography, reference tools, research methods, sources, published and archival repositories.

Survey of government documents at the federal, state/local and international levels in all formats. Covers methods of acquisition and organization, including depository arrangements. Current issues of government information dissemination policies and practices discussed.

Basic theories and principles of administration for effective management of public, academic, and special libraries and information centers, with emphasis on planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and control. Administrative aspects of public and technical services, facilities, planning, evaluation, public relations, interagency cooperation, and the management of change in bureaucratic organizations.

Introduction to records, archives, and memory including the global history and nature of records, archives, and the archival profession. Topics include cultural memory, ethics and values, tribal and indigenous records, archival theory, practice and perspectives.

The role of technology in archival theory and practice. Topics include digital preservation, authenticity assessment, arrangement, description and access.

Principles and technologies of processing, preservation, and accessibility of archival audiovisual materials in moving image archives. Topics include moving image repositories, critical analysis of archival footage, format identification, digitization strategies, equipment and vendor considerations.

Management of records in all media formats. Selection of media format based on government and internal records requirements. Problems associated with electronic media such as legality and shelf life

Management of archives, manuscript collections and special collections using approaches and best practices from archival studies. Topics include management theory, appraisal theory, facilities issues, privacy, intellectual property, records management, advocacy, fundraising, reference and educational outreach.

Principles and techniques for arrangement and description of archival materials. Topics include basic metadata standards, authority sources, record context, series identification, scope and content.

Sociotechnical concepts and processes underlying information systems, services and use.

Combined online lecture and discussion on information communication technologies that have transformed East Asia in various ways, including media, mobile phone, social media, publishing, e-government and e-commerce.

Study and application of principles and practices that influence digital instruction related to information literacy in libraries and other information environments. Focus on application of instructional design and standards-based outcome assessment. Field research component.

Survey of theories, concepts, methods and practices relating to the application of information technology to support the administration and use of information resources. Includes digital, printed and audiovisual materials.

Designing and creating textual and/or directory databases from the viewpoint of information specialists and content providers. Needs analysis, file design, record content and structuring, software choices. Students implement a prototype database.

Principles, techniques and technologies supporting the creation of user-centered digital libraries. Selection, organization, maintenance, access and retrieval of digital collections.

Lecture/discussion course on human element in information systems, including physical, cognitive and affective behavior in interaction with information systems. Information retrieval, human computer instruction and cognitive science research, quantitative and qualitative research methods. Research component.

History and criticism of children’s literature; contemporary books and media; trends in book publishing and media production; developmental needs and interests of children; selection and evaluation, and research studies.

History and criticism of literature for young adults. Contemporary books and media. Trends in media for young adults. Developmental needs and interests of adolescents. Selection and evaluation. Research studies.

Planning and implementing services and programming in public and school libraries. Trends, issues, networking, public relations, outreach, competencies, services for the disabled and other special groups.

Process approach to teaching information retrieval, analysis, and use. Emphasizes concepts, practices in effective instructional design, selection of resources that meets learning needs.

Field experience in library or information agency settings with supervision of professional librarians or information specialists. Available to classified students only. Selection based on academic advisor approval, application form, interview and possession of required competencies. Students must apply and be accepted before registration. Selection is by agency. Grade options for this course are CR/NC. Repeatable up to 6 credits.

Seminar for graduating students focused on the refinement and completion of the culminating portfolio. Peer mentoring, faculty and student presentations. MLISc degree Plan B required course. 3 credits. CR/NC only.

Includes issues of topical interest in the profession. Each course concentrates on one major topic of current interest, such as library service to the aged, reprography, medical librarianship, knowledge management, art librarianship, cartography, etc. Repeatable.

Includes issues of topical interest in information technology. Each course concentrates on one major topic of current interest, such as information transfer, networks, library information systems, artificial intelligence applications. Repeatable three times, up to nine credits.

Skill development and application of academic study through observation and practice in a fieldwork setting under the supervision of a cooperating professional librarian. Seminar sessions are required. Grade options for this course are CR/NC.

Individualized program of directed reading and/or research outside the scope of regularly titled courses. Enrollment requires approval before end of previous semester, with specification of goals, work requirements, number of credits, rationale.

Research for master’s thesis.