Week 1 |
Monday, January 20 |
NO CLASS |
Week 2 |
Monday, January 27 |
Introduction |
Week 3 |
Monday, February 03 |
Cooperating in networks |
Week 4 |
Monday, February 10 |
Digitizing culture |
Week 5 |
Monday, February 17 |
ONLINE TRAINING |
Week 6 |
Monday, February 24 |
Online literacy |
Week 7 |
Monday, March 03 |
IN-PERSON TRAINING |
Week 8 |
Monday, March 10 |
Digital divides |
Week 9 |
Monday, March 17 |
SPRING BREAK |
Week 10 |
Monday, March 24 |
Networked researchers |
Week 11 |
Monday, March 31 |
Collaborative producers |
Week 12 |
Monday, April 07 |
Amateur creators |
Week 13 |
Monday, April 14 |
Data merchants |
Week 14 |
Monday, April 21 |
Virtual publishers |
Week 15 |
Monday, April 28 |
Student presentations |
Week 16 |
Monday, May 05 |
Student presentations |
Finals |
Friday, May 16 |
Technology site due |
Week 1: NO CLASS
Holiday on Monday, January 20
I will send an email out to the class today, pointing students to the syllabus (this site) and next week's readings.
Week 2: Introduction
Meeting on Monday, January 27
To begin our class, we will have a discussion on basic ideas of how information agencies both rely upon and must react to technological change in the wider society.
We will also assign students to a reading summary schedule for the rest of the semester, and we will go over the syllabus and assignments.
Readings to complete before class
Each week, you need to have your readings completed by the time you get to seminar, in order to be able to discuss them with your professors and fellow students. All of the readings are available online here (use your normal UW NetID and password to access) or by clicking the titles below.
- Greg Downey, "The librarian and the UNIVAC: Automation and labor at the 1962 Seattle World's Fair," in Catherine McKercher and Vincent Mosco, eds., Knowledge Workers in the Information Society (Boulder, CO: Lexington Books, 2007), pp. 37-52. 15 pages.
- Brooke Gladstone, "The Influencing Machines," in The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media (New York: W.W. Norton & Co, 2011), pp. 128-144. 16 pages.
- Adam Gopnik, "The Information," The New Yorker (14 Feb. 2011). 9 pages.
- Kyle M.L. Jones and Michael Stephens, "The LIS professional commons and the online networked practitioner," in Bill Crowley, ed., Defending Professionalism (Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited, 2012), pp. 151-161. 10 pages.
- Kathryn Zickuhr et al., "Summary of findings," in Library Services in the Digital Age (Washington, DC: Pew Research Center Internet & American Life Project, 2013). 10 pages.
Homework to complete before class
- Just do the readings for this first week.
- Next week, each student will be responsible for either (a) summarizing one of the week's readings on the blog, or (b) gathering additional resources to supplement the week's readings, and posting those resources on the blog.
Week 3: Cooperating within networks
Meeting on Monday, February 03
Our discussion this week concerns the cooperation between information agencies at different locations and differen scales, through technological infrastructures, communication networks, and shared information standards.
Readings to complete before seminar
- Martin Campbell-Kelley et al., "The Internet," in Computer: A history of the information machine, 3rd. ed. (Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2014), pp. 275-305. 30 pages.
- Lawrence Lessig, "What things regulate," in Code and other Laws of Cyberspace (New York: Basic Books, 1999), pp. 85-99. 14 pages.
- Susan Leigh Star and Geoffrey C. Bowker, "How to infrastructure," in Leah Lievrouw et al., es., Handbook of New Media (London: Sage Publications, 2006), pp. 230-245. 15 pages.
- Gloria J. Leckie et al., "Technologies of social regulation: An examination of library OPACs and web portals," in Gloria J. Leckie et al. eds, Information Technology in Librarianship: New Critical Approaches (Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2008), pp. 221-259. 38 pages.
- Beth Sandore Namachchivaya, "The first 30 years of the internet through the lens of an academic library," Library Hi Tech 30:4 (2012), pp. 623-642. 19 pages.
Homework to complete before seminar
- If you are in this week's discussion leadership group, you need to post your summary and analysis of one of the readings at least 24 hours before seminar. Otherwise, post your supplemental readings at least 1 hour before the seminar.
- Finish your one-page, single-spaced personal technology inventory and turn it in to the instructor in class.
Special note
Please note that Wednesday during the third week of classes is generally the last day to drop without a "DR" on your transcript. (You can still drop through the ninth week of class but there will be a notation on the transcript.)
Week 4: Digitizing the cultural record
Meeting on Monday, February 10
Both "analog" materials that have been digitized for computerized circulation, and "born digital" materials that were produced through technological tools now comprise a huge portion of the content that information agencies and their publics deal with every day. This week we explore some fundamental concepts in issues dealing with this new set of resources.
Readings to complete before seminar
- Kristin R. Eschenfelder, "Every librarian's nightmare? Digital rights management, use restrictions, and licensed scholarly digital resources," College & Research Libraries (2008), pp. 205-225. 20 pages.
- Lawrence Lessig, "For the love of culture," The New Republic (26 Jan. 2010). 16 pages.
- Paul Conway, "Preservation in the age of Google," Library Quarterly 80:1 (2010), pp. 61-79. 18 pages.
- Peter Johan Lor et al., "An ethical perspective on political-economic issues in the long-term preservation of digital heritage," Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 63:11 (2012), pp. 2153-2164. 11 pages.
- Roy Rosenzweig, "Scarcity or abundance? Preserving the past," American Historical Review 108:3 (2003), 735-762. 27 pages.
Homework to complete before seminar
- If you are in this week's discussion leadership group, you need to post your summary and analysis of one of the readings at least 24 hours before seminar. Otherwise, post your supplemental readings at least 1 hour before the seminar.
- Post your decision about whether you want to learn about data structures (Excel) or interfaces (web design) to the course blog. Note that I need at least ten students for each class!
Week 5: ONLINE TRAINING
NO MEETING on Monday, February 17
This week, instead of meeting in person, each student will be expected to spend an equivalent amount of time as our face-to-face class (roughly two-and-a-half hours) experiencing online education at Lynda.com.
To log on to Lynda.com, follow these instructions. (You will need to login with your normal UW NetID and email password.)
Depending on whether you chose to learn about data structures or interfaces, you should choose an appropriate set of courses that fit these interests. Some suggestions:
- Data structures: Spreadsheets tutorials
- Interfaces: Web foundations tutorials
Week 6: Promoting online literacy
Meeting on Monday, February 24
Not only do many information agencies take an active role in literacy training for their patrons, but also the information professionals who work in these organizations must continually monitor and upgrade their own technological or information literacy. We will consider what these terms mean in a digital environment.
Readings to complete before seminar
- Deborah L. Brandt, "The means of production: Literacy and stratification at the twenty-first century," in Literacy in American Lives (Cambridge University Press, 2001), pp. 169-186. 17 pages.
- Dan Gillmor, Principles for a New Media Literacy(Cambridge, MA: The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, 2008). 9 pages.
- Heidi L.M. Jacobs et al., "Reconnecting information literacy policy with the core values of librarianship," Library Trends 60:2 (2011), pp. 383-394. 11 pages.
- The Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy, "Executive Summary" in Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age (2009). 17 pages.
- S. Craig Watkins, "'May I have your attention?' The consequences of anytime, anywhere technology," in The Young and the Digital (Boston: Beacon Press, 2009), pp. 171-191. 20 pages.
Homework to complete before seminar
- If you are in this week's discussion leadership group, you need to post your summary and analysis of one of the readings at least 24 hours before seminar. Otherwise, post your supplemental readings at least 1 hour before the seminar.
- Make some time for hands-on "play" with your chosen training technology, and email the instructor with the results of that experience.
Week 7: IN-PERSON TRAINING
SPECIAL MEETING on Monday, March 03
This week, instead of meeting in our normal classroom, students will attend a DoIT Software Training for Students (STS) session. Depending on whether you chose to learn about data structures or interfaces, you will need to go to one of two different scheduled training sessions:
- Data structures: Intro to Excel and data visualization: Computer Sciences Lab B203
- Interfaces: Intro to Web and WordPress.com: Computer Sciences Lab B109
These courses will last from 9am-10:30am. Use the extra time to work on your blog post comparing online and in-person training!
Week 8: Addressing digital divides
Meeting on Monday, March 10
Public-service information agencies are meant to address gaps in access to information that might result from market factors, social discrimination and isolation, or barriers of language and skill. In the early days of the Web these were talked about as "digital divides". Does this term still have meaning?
Readings to complete before seminar
- American Library Association, "Executive Summary," Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2011-2012 (2012). 5 pages.
- Joanna Goode, "The digital identity divide: How technology knowledge impacts college students," New Media & Society 12:3 (2010), pp. 497-513. 16 pages.
- John B. Horrigan, "What are the consequences of being disconnected in a broadband-connected world?" Daedalus 140:4 (2011), pp. 17-31. 16 pages.
- Lee Rainie et al., Just-in-time information through mobile connections (Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project, 2012). 13 pages.
- S. Craig Watkins, "Digital gates: How race and class distinctions are shaping the digital world," in The Young and the Digital (Boston: Beacon Press, 2009), pp. 75-101. 26 pages.
Homework to complete before seminar
- If you are in this week's discussion leadership group, you need to post your summary and analysis of one of the readings at least 24 hours before seminar. Otherwise, post your supplemental readings at least 1 hour before the seminar.
- Post your 250-word analysis of the effectiveness of the two modes of training you experienced to the course blog.
Week 9: SPRING BREAK
Holiday on Monday, March 17
Please work on your technology analysis assignment if you have any spare time!
Special note
Please note that the Friday of the ninth week of classes is generally the last date a student may drop a course.
Week 10: The networked researchers
Meeting on Monday, March 24
How have digital information infrastructures affected the expert production of knowledge by academic and industry researchers?
Readings before seminar
- Bo-Christer Björk et al., "Anatomy of green open access," Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology 65:2 (2014), 237-250. 13 pages.
- John Carey, "Scientific communication before and after networked science," Information & Culture 48:3 (2013), pp. 344-367. 23 pages.
- Paul N. Edwards et al., "Science friction: Data, metadata, and collaboration," Social Studies of Science 41:5 (2011), pp. 667-690. 33 pages.
- Richard Van Noorden, "The true cost of science publishing," Nature (28 Mar. 2013), pp. 426-429. 4 pages.
- Roy Rosenzweig, "Should historical scholarship be free?" Perspectives on History 43 (2005). 6 pages.
Homework to complete before seminar
- If you are in this week's discussion leadership group, you need to post your summary and analysis of one of the readings at least 24 hours before seminar. Otherwise, post your supplemental readings at least 1 hour before the seminar.
- Post your idea about what kind of technology, in what context, and for what audience you want to explore for your final project, to the course blog.
Week 11: The collaborative content producers
Meeting on Monday, March 31
How have digital information infrastructures affected the collaborative assembly and scrutiny of content by distributed and often volunteer teams of both amateurs and experts?
Readings before seminar
- Roy Rosenzweig, "Can history be open source? Wikipedia and the future of the past," Journal of American History (2006). 49 pages.
- Clay Shirky, "Personal motivation meets collaborative production," in Here Comes Everybody: The power of organizing without organizations (2008), pp. 109-142. 33 pages.
- Sabine Niederer et al., "Wisdom of the crowd or technicity of content? Wikipedia as a sociotechnical system," New Media and Society 12:8 (2010), 1368-1387. 19 pages.
- Brendan Luyt et al., "Improving Wikipedia's credibility: References and citations in a sample of history articles," Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 61:4 (2010), 715-722. 7 pages.
- Daniel Kreiss et al., "The limits of peer production: Some reminders from Max Weber for the network society," New Media & Society 13:2 (2011), 243-259. 16 pages.
Homework to complete before seminar
- If you are in this week's discussion leadership group, you need to post your summary and analysis of one of the readings at least 24 hours before seminar. Otherwise, post your supplemental readings at least 1 hour before the seminar.
- Complete your annotated bibliography of sources on your final technology analysis, and post the top three sources (annotated) to the weblog.
Week 12: The amateur content creators
Meeting on Monday, April 07
How have digital information infrastructures affected the production, aggregation, and "curation" of content among enthusiasts, fans, amateurs, and audiences? How does this relate to questions of accuracy, verification, responsibility, and truth?
Readings before seminar
- I. Basen, "Age of the algorithm," Maisonneuve (09 May 2011). 13 pages.
- Bill Kovach et al., "What we need from the 'next journalism,'" in Blur: How to konw what's true in an age of information overload (New York: Bloomsbury, 2010), pp. 170-197. 27 pages.
- Paul Levinson, "Blogging," in New New Media (Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2009), pp. 17-57. 40 pages.
- Lori Kido Lopez, "The radical act of 'mommy blogging': Redefining motherhood through the blogosphere," New Media & Society 11:5 (2009), pp. 729-747. 18 pages.
- Clay Shirky, "Publish then filter," in Here Comes Everybody: The power of organizing without organizations (2008), pp. 81-108. 27 pages.
Homework to complete before seminar
- If you are in this week's discussion leadership group, you need to post your summary and analysis of one of the readings at least 24 hours before seminar. Otherwise, post your supplemental readings at least 1 hour before the seminar.
- Complete your personal interview with an expert on your technology, your context, or your audience, and post a brief summary of that interview to the weblog.
Week 13: The data merchants
Meeting on Monday, April 14
How have digital information infrastructures affected the way that persuasive messages are targeted to audiences and individuals, as part of the profit-based revenue stream that supports seemingly "free" user applications and experiences?
Readings before seminar
- Helen Nissenbaum, "A contextual approach to privacy online," Daedalus (2011), pp. 32-48. 16 pages.
- Eli Pariser, "The You Loop," in The Filter Bubble: What the Internet is hiding from you (New York: Penguin Press, 2011), pp. 109-135. 26 pages.
- Jeffrey Rosen, "Who do online advertisers think you are?" New York Times (30 Nov. 2012). 10 pages.
- Siva Vaidhyanathan, "Google's ways and means," in The Googlization of Everything (Berkeley: Univ. of California Press, 2011), pp. 51-81. 30 pages.
- José van Dijck, "Facebook as a tool for producing sociality and connectivity," Television & New Media 13:2 (2012), pp. 160-176. 16 pages.
Homework to complete before seminar
- If you are in this week's discussion leadership group, you need to post your summary and analysis of one of the readings at least 24 hours before seminar. Otherwise, post your supplemental readings at least 1 hour before the seminar.
- Post your report on your hands-on "play" with your chosen technology to the blog
Week 14: The virtual publishers
Meeting on Monday, April 21
How have digital information infrastructures affected publishing, reading, and bookselling — even the meaning of "the book" itself?
Readings before discussion
- David Finkelstein et al., "The future of the book," in An Introduction to Book History (New York: Routledge, 2005), pp. 118-132. 14 pages.
- David Reinking, "Valuing reading, writing, and books in a post-typographic world," in David Paul Nord et al., eds., A History of the Book in America, vol. 5 (2009), pp. 485-501. 16 pages.
- Ted Striphas, "E-books and the digital future," in The Late Age of Print (New York: Columbia University Press, 2009), pp. 19-46. 27 pages.
- John B. Thompson, "The Digital Revolution," in Merchants of Culture (Polity Press, 2010), pp. 312-368. 56 pages.
- Kathryn Zickuhr et al., "Summary," in Libraries, patrons, and e-books (Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project, 2012). 7 pages.
Homework to complete before seminar
- If you are in this week's discussion leadership group, you need to post your summary and analysis of one of the readings at least 24 hours before seminar. Otherwise, post your supplemental readings at least 1 hour before the seminar.
- Post the outline of your final learning presentation to the course blog.
Week 15: Student presentations
Meeting on Monday, April 28
We will begin to hold four-minute student presentations, with up to five minutes of Q&A after each one.
Homework to complete before seminar
- Students should make time to practice their presentations.
Week 16: Student presentations
Meeting on Monday, May 05
We will continue to hold four-minute student presentations, with up to five minutes of Q&A after each one.
Homework to complete before seminar
- Students should make time to practice their presentations.
Final Exam Week
There is no final exam for this course.
Your final online technology analysis project is due on the last weekday of finals week: Friday, May 16, by 5pm. Email the URL (or the whole project) to Professor Greg Downey at gdowney@wisc.edu
Have a good summer!
