Description, Analysis, & Reflection

Description 

LIS 5033: Information and Society’s catalog description states 

Acquaints students with the nature of knowledge and information; national and global organizational information infrastructure; the role of information and knowledge professionals in the knowledge society; information policy; economics of information; information industries; legal and ethical considerations in information and knowledge systems.  

The learning objectives covered the basic concepts of data, information, and knowledge (including their differences and similarities), the role information plays in various environments, examine the definitions of the terms “knowledge society” and “information society,” explore the roles and functions of information institutions (and how they’ve changed), study the importance and effects of information policies, and to identify and assess aspects of and issues related to the information profession.  

My artifact for LIS 5033: Information & Society is the course’s Final Essay.  My essay, The History and Future of Intellectual Freedom, examined the history and looked towards the freedom of intellectual freedom (I’m not the most original when it comes to naming things).  For the paper I interviewed Leanne Cheek, the Readers’ Services Coordinator of the Pioneer Library System about a situation regarding six books Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced they were going to stop publishing (Chappell, 2021) and PLS’ response.  Cheek explained how they examined those specific books against the PLS collection development policy and examined current research on related matters.  Comparing this real-world example of an intellectual freedom issue enhanced the concepts from this course, adding to my personal learning goals.    

Analysis 

This course was my first look at ideas like concepts of data, information, knowledge, and intellectual freedom through an academic and theoretical lens.  While a challenge, especially for a new graduate student, this course laid a solid foundation for the rest of the program.  In many ways, I am a practical thinker.  As plans or changes are discussed, I will think about how it will affect customers, staff, branch workflows, etc.  This class challenged me to examine library and information issues through a more theoretical lens while also introducing me to the history of libraries and the industry's core values and ethics.    

Reflection 

Information & Society was the other course I took in my first semester of the program.  Coming into the class I was familiar with intellectual freedom thanks to my work at and training provided by the Pioneer Library System.  I also felt like I had a basic idea of the industry’s values and ethics.  By the end of the course, I had a stronger grasp on these concepts which I have taken with me into my work as a Library Associate. 

Personal Learning Goals 

The work and concepts in this course were a great first step towards my first goal in the program, Goal 1: To learn and understand the core values and principles of the library and information professions by laying the foundational understanding of the core concepts and idea of the information profession. 

MLIS Program-level Student Learning Outcomes 

This course started me towards SLO 1 Core Knowledge by covering the basics of data, information, and knowledge; SLO 2 Intellectual Skill through the Final Essay; and SLO 3 Professional and Scholarly Communication from the discussion posts and course assignments. 

ALA Competencies 

This course helped towards competencies 1. Foundations of the Profession and 3. Organization of Recorded Knowledge and Information through the introduction to the ideas of data, information, and knowledge. 

Martens, B. V. D. V. (2021). LIS 5033: Information & knowledge society [Syllabus]. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma. 

Chappell, B. (2021, March 2). Dr. Seuss Enterprises will shelve 6 books, citing 'hurtful' portrayals. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2021/03/02/972777841/dr-seuss-enterprises-will-shelve-6-books-citing-hurtful-portrayals