Prospectus

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The Library: Knowledge Centre of the Past, Present and Future

Course
2013-2014

Admission requirements

None.

Description

This multi-faceted course will survey the full range of the library’s tasks today. Through its historical transformations the library has always remained a crucial centre for the collection, storage and dissemination of knowledge. Topics will be treated by experts in the field and include the theory and practice of collection development, storage, access and (financial) management; information services; the history of libraries; library materials (from manuscripts to printed and electronic documents); the digital back office; research and development; digitisation and copyright and licensing issues. The course is facilitated by the National Library of the Netherlands (Koninklijke Bibliotheek).

Course objectives

Students:

  • Gain a broad understanding of the position of libraries in the information age;

  • Gain a broad understanding of the development of libraries and their tasks and materials in the past, present and future;

  • Gain an understanding of the four main tasks of a library: acquisition, cataloguing, preservation and providing access;

  • Getting familiar with the digital back office;

  • Gain a broad understanding of current issues: digitisation, library finances, copyright, licensing principles.

Timetable

The timetable will be available by June 1st on the website.

Mode of instruction

Two-hour seminar per week.

Course Load

The course load of this course is 140 hours.

  • hours spent on attending lectures and seminars: 26

  • time for studying the compulsory literature: 52

  • time to prepare for the exam and/or write a paper (including reading / research): 62

Participation in all sessions of this course is compulsory. Upon prior consultation, the lecturer can permit absence at one session for compelling reasons. Students who are absent twice in a half-semester course (7 weeks) will be excluded from further participation and will have to re-take the course. Students who are absent twice in a semester course (13 weeks) will be given an complementary assignment by the lecturer. Absence on three sessions in such a course will lead to exclusion from it.

Assessment method

Review assignment (25%) and final paper (75%).

Blackboard

This course is supported by Blackboard.

Reading list

To be announced.

Registration

Students should register through uSis. If you have any questions, please contact the departmental office, tel. 071 5272144 or mail: ma-mediastudies@hum.leidenuniv.nl.

Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs

Not available

Contact

MA Media Studies departmental office, P.N. van Eyckhof 4, room 102C. Tel. 071 5272144; mail: ma-mediastudies@hum.leidenuniv.nl.

Remarks

“Participation in all sessions of this course is compulsory. Upon prior consultation, the lecturer can permit absence at one session for compelling reasons. Students who are absent twice in a half-semester course (7 weeks) will be excluded from further participation and will have to re-take the course. Students who are absent twice in a semester course (13 weeks) will be given an complementary assignment by the lecturer. Absence on three sessions in such a course will lead to exclusion from it.”