School of Information
 Previously School of Library & Information Studies

 296a-1 Seminar: Information Access.
 3 units. CCN#18985. Fridays 3-5.

 Instructors: Clifford Lynch and Michael Buckland.
Schedule.   Summaries of presentations.   Weekly mailing list.
The seminar explores selected advanced topics relating to information in society, especially issues relating to providing and restricting access to data and records of any kind. These issues include traditional topics of search, discovery and analysis; stewardship and the role of memory institutions (archives, libraries and other repositories); the implications and potential of emerging technology; the design of systems; and the infrastructure that enables a networked environment.
    We address conceptual, historical, and policy analyses as well as attention to economic, political, cultural, and other social pressures.
    More generally, the seminar is intended to provide a forum for advanced students in the School. Anyone interested in these topics is welcome to join in -- and to talk about their own work.
    Registration on a Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory basis is recommended. Prerequisite for course credit: Consent of instructor for students not enrolled in the School of Information.
    Students' Past Topics. History of the Seminar.
    Anyone interested in these topics is welcome to attend whether a student or not. To receive weekly email announcement see mailing list.
This is a continuation of the previous semesters' Lynch and Buckland seminars.

Taking the Seminar for Credit.
    Students wishing to receive credit for the Seminar ordinarily do so for 3 units. This means that they must undertake an additional seven hours of work per week as well as participating in the seminar meetings. In the past students have undertaken preliminary designs for dissertations or Master's degree Final Projects, but other options are possible. It could be an investigation of some topic relevant to the Seminar but not easily available elsewhere, or an opportunity to conduct some other small project separate from the intended dissertation of Final Project.
    The advantage to doing work within the Seminar instead of as 299 Individual Study is that there is a supportive group of seminar participants who usually have helpful suggestions.
    Students wishing to register for credit must submit a brief proposal to both instructors review and approval. At the end of the Semester they are be scheduled for each student to present what they have done or found. Some kind of written summary as evidence their work will be required. During the semester they will be called upon at intervals to give brief progress reports. Students are encouraged to register for a Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory grade. May be repeated with change of topic.
    Topics have varied widely. To see what kind of projects students have undertaken in the past, look at the Students' Topics in Previous Semesters.