SJSU SLIS LIBR287 Updated 01/23/2005

IA Information Architecture
 Syllabus  / Schedule /  1st assignment / Study Modules  /  Projects  / Blackboard
course logistics  / Texts & Readings / site outline  

Here are the core readings for this class.  Some are online, some are not. Medium matters.  
You are encouraged to read each resource in its medium of delivery, and to pay attention to how the medium affects you. 
Additional weekly readings are provided on the schedule. 
Library Database passwords are posted in Blackboard.

How to read for this class /  the art of online discussions

 

Articles: (Required Reading)

Dervin, B., & Nilan, M. (1986) Information Needs and Uses. Annual Review of Information Science and Technology 21(3-33). Knowledge Industry Publications.

Siatri, R. (1999) The Evolution of User Studies. Libri 49(132-141).

Westbrook, L. (1993) User Needs: A synthesis and analysis of current theories for the practitioner. RQ 32 (4)541-549.

White, H. S. (1985) Use and Misuse of Library User Studies. Library Journal, 110(20) 70-71.

Wells, H.G. 1937.  World Brain: The idea of a permanent world encyclopedia.  Contribution to the New Encyclopedie Francaise.  http://sherlock.berkeley.edu/wells/world_brain.html

Bush, Vannevar.  1945. As We May Think.  The Atlantic Monthly.  July. Volume 176, No. 1; pages 101-108. http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/flashbks/computer/bushf.htm

Lesk, Michael. 1995.  The Seven Ages of Information Retrieval, conference for the 50th anniversary of As We May Think, 12-14 October. MIT, Cambridge, Mass. http://www.lesk.com/mlesk/ages/ages.html 

Books: (Required)

  1. Rosenfeld, Louis and Peter Norville.  2nd edition. 2002.  Information Architecture for the World Wide Web.  O'Reilly & Associates. 
    Free Online preview     and opportunity to purchase paper or access online edition via publisher
    e-version available through SJSU library databases (Safari Tech Books Online) http://libaccess.sjsu.edu:2104/0596000359 

This is the "polar bear" book, a classic. Earlier editions are not acceptable.   

  1. Info.Design. 2002.  Information Architecture for the World Wide Web: Workbook. 
    FREE .pdf download of workbook (with honor system payment for printing)
    http://www.infodn.com/download/student/

This is our "IA Workbook"  You will use this workbook to guide the development  of your project.  Most of the documents provided in the workbook are good examples of the various "deliverables" expected of IA.  Not all documents will apply to all projects. Participants are expected to evaluate and choose documents and deliverables relevant to their project.  

Since every IA project is different, participants are nevertheless expected to contemplate and practice all the exercises in the workbook relative to their individual project, and as we are studying our six online study modules. YOU WILL NOT "TURN IN" THE WORKBOOK EXERCISES FOR GRADING, but will post relevant "deliverables" in your blackboard project space.  This workbook is a "field guide"  to help participants create appropriate documentation to support project prototyping.  Additional resources (including examples, exercises, tools, and notes) that support this workbook are at http://www.infodn.com/class/ia/index.htm.  

We will also explore other prototyping tools and IA models as the semester progresses.

  1. Covey, Denise Troll. 2002. Usage and Usability Assessment: Library Practices and Concerns. 
    Washington, DC: Digital Library Federation, Council on Library and Information Resources. ISBN 1-887334-89-0. (FREE) 
    html: http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub105/contents.html 
    pdf: http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub105/pub105.pdf

  2. Choose at least one other "book," perhaps from Adaptive Path's Recommended Reading List http://www.adaptivepath.com/readinglist/ or another, relevant book of your choice. 

When relevant to our discussions, participants will provide bibliographic info (and access info) for their book, along with their reason for choosing it, and synopsis of key points relate in our discussions in the Blackboard->Readings forum.

Required Browsing:

  1. IA Personalities
      - to provide you a glimpse of the major players in the IA profession

  2. Netiquette http://www.albion.com/netiquette/ 
    - to to be sure you understand how to behave online

  3. Nitecki, J.Z. 1993.  Metalibrarianship: A Model for Intellectual Foundations
    Of Library Information Science. http://www7.twu.edu/library/Nitecki/ 
    - whose model provides the intellectual architecture for this class.

For web-based projects (suggested):

xHTML Manual:

Griffin, Jefferey, et.al. 2003. web design and development using xhtml. Wilsonville, OR: Franklin, Beedle & Associates (suggested; similar manual is OK)  

IT&Society, Special Issue on Web Design http://www.stanford.edu/group/siqss/itandsociety/v01i03/ 

e-books (free) for web developers http://www.sitepronews.com/eweb.html 


HOW TO "READ" FOR THIS CLASS

There are several ways to "read." To learn about them, and save yourself lots of time, if you haven't already, first read  Adler, Mortimer and Charles van Doren. 1972. How to Read a Book. Simon & Schuster, Inc. 

Visit http://www.doyletics.com/art/htrabart.htm for a nice synopsis of the book's concepts. 

For this class, you will read synoptically, analytically, and inspectionally.  

Read the required texts (Rosenfeld, Covey, and your "choice" book) and the required scholarly articles simultaneously, and in light of each other....(synoptically)...as a body... NOT linearly, sequentially, or each one at a time, and only one time.  Don't be afraid to jump around and exercise the indices.  You are expected to discuss the readings in light of each other, AND in light of all the other resources we'll be using.  Readings will be discussed all semester in the class Blackboard, in the "Readings" forum.  

Other resources, such as websites linked to in our study modules, and the IA Workbook, require you read analytically and/or inspectionally...this doesn't mean word-by-word, page-by-page, front to back...every single click.  Reading is a discipline.  If you are "overloaded" you are not disciplined.

Your postings in the "readings" forum in our Blackboard should reflect considerable thought and contribute beyond the cursory level. You can assume we've ALL read the required books and articles, and thought about them...and that we are interested in what YOU think about what they say, not necessarily just what they actually say.  

You are also expected to read all of, and, where appropriate, comment on other students' Blackboard "Readings" postings regularly throughout our study together.  Our readings forum will form the heart of our interactive online community. the art of online discussions

Ok?...next on our agenda is the  site outline  

IA Information Architecture
 Syllabus  / Schedule /  1st assignment  /  Study Modules  /  Projects  / Blackboard

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