Accessing Resources

Course aim

To provide students with the skills to offer customer-centred information services and utilise information retrieval skills for clients in a variety of contexts. 

Course content

• Customer centred reference and research service, including information seeking behaviour needs analysis, interviewing techniques and service design/delivery across the broad information service spectrum with special reference to library, archives and records contexts
• Search strategies: structured searching - including records management and archival thesauri; Boolean logic; Web 2.0 technologies; search engine model semantic web (Web 3.0); metadata and identification and analysis of search failures
• Evidence based research
• Ethics and legal liabilities of information provision; information professional roles and responsibilities
• Service delivery (virtual and ‘face to face’) across the library and information management spectrum, including special groups; indigenous issues; disability issues; schools; family history
• Information literacy
• Identifying and evaluating key types of reference resources (local, national and international) including bibliographic (indexes and abstracts), finding aids; encyclopaedias and dictionaries, biographical, business, geospatial, government, statistical, health; including best web lists, customised current awareness/alert services
• Managing and designing information services, challenges and implications
• Trends in reference and information service and service delivery, local and internationally

Textbook(s)

Cassell, Kay Ann, and Hiremath, Uma 2013, Reference and Information Services for the 21st century: An introduction, Neal Schumann Publishers Inc., Chicago

Prerequisite(s)

Nil

Corequisite(s)

Nil

Teaching method

Component	Duration
INTERNAL, CITY WEST
Lecture	1 hour x 13 weeks
Tutorial	2 hours x 13 weeks
Directed Study (Meetings and activities as agreed with Course Coordinator)	N/A x 13 weeks
EXTERNAL, CITY WEST, ONLINE
External (Online moderated discussion boards, and other activities)	N/A x 13 weeks

Note: These components may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Assessment

Client research project with resource guide, Observation and evaluation assignment, Report on searching activities

Fees

EFTSL*: 0.125
Commonwealth Supported program (Band 1)
To determine the fee for this course as part of a Commonwealth Supported program, go to:
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Fee-paying program for domestic and international students
International students and students undertaking this course as part of a postgraduate fee paying program must refer to the relevant program home page to determine the cost for undertaking this course.

Non-award enrolment
Non-award tuition fees are set by the university. To determine the cost of this course, go to:
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Not all courses are available on all of the above bases, and students must check to ensure that they are permitted to enrol in a particular course.

* Equivalent Full Time Study Load. Please note: all EFTSL values are published and calculated at ten decimal places. Values are displayed to three decimal places for ease of interpretation.