Southern Utah University

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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

School Library Organization and Access (Online)

LIS 6400-70I

Course: LIS 6400-70I
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: LIB
CRN: 11385

Course Description

The course examines descriptive cataloging, classification, and subject analysis. This includes the selection and processing of print and non-print materials. Particular emphasis will be placed on the organization and access of information in a school library environment. The course examines financial and selection evaluation criteria to develop, curate, organize, and manage a library collection based on data, budget, and student needs. (Spring, As Needed) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Registration Restriction(s): School Library Program students only

Required Texts

There is no textbook for this course. All reading and visual materials will be provided as links in the modules.
In the fifth module, there will be links to optional but helpful readings from cataloging texts that are available online in the SUU eBook collection. These resources do have limited concurrent users (determined by the eBook publisher) meaning that there may be times when all copies of the book are being read online by other users and may be shown as "In Use." When you see this, please wait a few minutes and try again.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:
  • 1. Facilitate and advocate for flexible, open access to library resources and services according to the ethical codes of the profession. Design and develop strategic solutions for addressing physical, social, virtual, economic, geographic, and intellectual barriers to access to resources and services.
  • 2. Use evaluation criteria and selection tools to develop, curate, organize, and manage a collection designed to meet the diverse curricular and personal needs of the learning community. Evaluate and select information resources in a variety of formats.
  • 3. Make effective use of data and information to assess how practice and policy impact groups and individuals in their diverse learning communities.
  • 4. Understand the basics of Dewey classification and the essentials of subject analysis and the formation of subject headings.

Course Requirements

Course Assessments | Course Outcomes Alignment
Discussions (4) | 1, 2, 3, 4
Assignment Module 1: Develop a School Library Policy | 1, 2, 3
Assignment Module 2: Develop a Collection Evaluation Plan | 1, 2, 3
Assignment Module 3: Evaluate Library Policies | 1, 2, 3
Assignment Module 4: Conduct a Needs Analysis | 1, 2, 3
Final Project: Evidence-Based Collection Development | 1, 2, 4
ePortfolio | 1, 2, 3, 4

Assignment Outline

Discussions

You will have 4 collaborative discussions in this course. They vary slightly from one another, so be sure to read the directions carefully and make all necessary postings by their deadlines. Each discussion will consist of your original posting related to the discussion topic and two responses to your classmate’s posts.
Topics:
  • Introductions
  • Physical Facility Accessibility
  • Diversity Audit of a Collection
  • Course Readings Reflection
LIS 6400: Comment on four or more of your classmate’s posts.

Assignments

Develop a School Library Policy with a Focus on Equitable Access
Create a school library policy that addresses physical, social, virtual, economic, geographic, and intellectual barriers to equitable access to resources and services. In your paper, address how you would design and develop strategic solutions for those barriers in your library.
Develop a Collection Evaluation Plan
Create a collection development plan for a library collection. You should consider having a plan that allows you to evaluate:
  • The capacity of a collection to meet the school's needs
  • The implementation of educational policies and curriculum priorities
  • The needs of the school's educational programs and individual users
  • Identification of resources that are no longer relevant to the school's needs (this is similar to weeding, but would instead consist of a preliminary stage of identifying potential items to weed)
  • The age and condition of the resources in the collection
  • The need to ensure that resources encompass a variety of formats
  • Technological developments
  • Library staffing, space, and funding levels (we do not expect you to provide specific numbers here, but to at least address this in a general manner)
Compare and Evaluate Library Policies
Evaluate two school library policies that you compare and contrast in terms of content, usefulness, and suggestions for improvement.
You will evaluate two school library policies to analyze their strengths and weaknesses.
Conduct a Needs Analysis of Diverse Curricular and Personal Needs of the Learning Community
Conduct a needs assessment:
  • Talk with your mentor at your practicum school library to help you with this assessment.
  • Describe the school audience (i.e. children, teachers, demographic information).
  • Identify a goal or purpose for the survey.
  • Describe the target audience for the survey.
  • Develop a one-page survey for a particular audience. Or you can create an online survey.
  • Try out the survey on at least 5 people.
  • Tabulate the results.
  • Write a report analyzing/interpreting the data results.
Final Project: Evidence Based Collection Development
For your final artifact for your ePortfolio, you will now create a new artifact using the needs assessment from Module 4. For your practicum school, create a list of 13 recommendations and priorities based on the information/evidence you gathered during your needs assessment. This should be focused on material selection that will be added to your school library's collection, based on financial, diverse, and personal needs of the learning community. Provide a brief evaluation on the information resource and add justification for the purchase based on data and any gaps/needs in the current collection.
LIS 6400: In addition to the LIS 4400 assignment described above, find a basic MARC record for each item you have chosen from any of the bibliographic sources from the MARC, RDA, & CIP, Oh My! page (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/728946/pages/marc-rda-and-cip-oh-my-2) , identify the Dewey Decimal Classification number, and include it with your evaluation. Lastly, organize the list in Dewey Decimal System order as it would be shelved in the school library.
ePortfolio
Develop a portion of your ePortfolio. Have an artifact that represents evidence of your learning and a reflective essay for each of the following three standards: access, information resources, and evidence-based decision making. You must include a minimum of one piece of evidence for each section of ALA/AASL/CAEP School Librarian Preparation (https://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aasleducation/ALA_AASL_CAEP_School_Libraria Standard 4: Organization and Access. In general, consider the following as an example of a standard statement organization:
  • Start with what you understand the standard to mean – define the standard. Be careful to thoroughly address each part of the standard. Explain why it is important to the profession as a whole.
  • Discuss what coursework/work experience prepared you for understanding and being able to perform the standard.
  • Now present and discuss each piece of evidence you selected – say why you selected this evidence and how it demonstrates your standard and the skills and knowledge you learned.
  • Close by discussing how you are able (know how to, or can) apply or transfer your skills and knowledge in the future to different [work] situations or environments.

Course Outline

Module 1: Getting Started - Introductions, Practicum Hours, & ePortfolio
  • Discussion 1: Introductions
  • Module 1: Getting Started with the Practicum
  • Module 1: Creating and Checking Your ePortfolio
Module 2: Access
  • Discussion 2: Evaluate a School Library Facility Addressing Barriers to Equitable Access
  • Assignment 1: Develop a School Library Policy with a Focus on Equitable Access
  • Module 2: Planning Your Practicum
Module 3: Information Resources
  • Discussion 3: Conduct a Diversity Audit of the Collection
  • Assignment 2: Develop a Collection Evaluation Plan
  • Module 3: Practicum Hours Check In
Module 4: Evidence-Based Decision Making
  • Assignment 3: Compare School Library Policies
  • Assignment 4: Conduct a Needs Analysis of Diverse Curricular and Personal Needs of the Learning Community
  • Module 4: ePortfolio Check In
Module 5: Library Organization: MARC, Subject Headings & Dewey Decimal Classification
  • Discussion 4: Readings Reflection
  • Module 5: ePortfolio Share Settings
  • Optional Extra Credit Opportunity: FISO a MARC Record From LC
  • Optional Extra Credit Opportunity: Subject Headings (MARC fields 6XX) & Dewey Decimal Classification Numbers (MARC field 082)
Module 6: Final Project - Evidence-Based Collection Development
  • Start Working on Final Project: Evidence-Based Collection Development
Module 7: Final Project, Practicum Hours, & ePortfolio
  • Final Project: Evidence-Based Collection Development & Completed ePortfolio

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

It is important to do your best to keep up with the work in this class. Assignments build on the readings and/or videos provided in this course. Missing or being late with an assignment will put you at a disadvantage for the next modules, readings, and assignments. Therefore, I am not likely to give you credit for late work. A '0' grade is automatically applied to missing submissions. A 10% deduction per day is automatically applied to late submissions.
  • You can't participate and contribute to a discussion after the due date and the rest of the class is done, so discussions must be done by the deadline.
  • This is a short 7-week course and the time will go quickly, as we all have lives outside of work and school. With that said, life happens. My concern will always be for your progress and ability to participate in the course. I cannot do for one student what I would not do for all students. That would not be fair. However, stuff really does happen. If you have something coming up or something bad happens that will or did affect your ability to get work done on time, please let me know, contact me, talk to me, and we can work something out.
  • Unfortunately, I cannot be flexible with the last assignment. I need the time to get the grading done and turned in to the Registrar's office.
Extra Credit
There should be no need for extra credit assignments in the class. If you did worse than you expected on an assignment, there are two extra credit opportunities in the module about library organization, MARC records, subject headings, and Dewey Decimal Classification.

Attendance Policy

Attendance
An online course requires regular and consistent participation to be successful. This means you should log into our course multiple times throughout the week. Participate in discussions beyond the minimum requirements.
As you have questions throughout the course, utilize the Bulletin Board Discussion (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/728946/discussion_topics/5820223) to ask questions, get clarification, and share resources you are utilizing.
Participation
We are all responsible for creating an environment where we can learn from each other. I expect everyone to participate in the class discussion so that we can all benefit from the insights and experiences that we all bring to class.
Participation in discussions is mandatory and is essential to enhancing the learning of all in the class.

Course Fees

Program and Course Fees
You can view all of Southern Utah University's Program and Course Fees (https://www.suu.edu/registrar/course-fees.html) .

Additional Course Information

Registration Restrictions

Registration Restriction(s): None

Delivery Method

Online and asynchronous

Next Steps

Familiarize yourself with the due dates for work in this course by using the calendar icon in Canvas, and create a schedule to keep yourself on track.

Go to Module 1 (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/728946/modules/3077874) and begin the class!

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.