Questions asked at the virtual and physical health sciences reference desk: how do they compare and what do they tell us?

The questions asked at the traditional reference desk are decreasing while questions asked at the virtual reference desk are on the rise. Over a one-month period, the types of reference questions asked at an academic health sciences library were coded. This paper examines and compares the types of questions asked at the current day reference desk versus the virtual reference desk. This paper also reviews past literature examining the types of questions asked via virtual reference and the traditional reference.     

Visibility and order at the Salt Lake City Main Public Library: commonplaces,deviant publics,and the rhetorical criticism of neoliberalism’s geographies

I analyze the Salt Lake City Main Public Library (SLCMPL) through archival work, textual analysis, and field methods. Through attention to the site’s mechanisms of emergence, its relationship to the city’s Public Safety Building, and movements through the building in the present, I argue the SLCMPL materializes a neoliberal orientation to commonplaces through a dual emphasis on order and visibility. The building’s design and meanings invite heterogeneous visitors to become watchful subjects, utilizing the architecture to ensure the production of an orderly public space. In making this argument, I contribute to the study of neoliberal geographies, commonplaces, and rhetorical methods.     

Bundles,Big Deals,and the Copyright Wars: What Can Academic Libraries Learn from the Record Industry Crash?

This article reviews the contention that U.S. laws favor copyright owners over consumers, and pre-existing models over innovation. The relationship of commercial publishers to the Open Access movement is compared to that of the creators/users of file sharers and the Record Industry. The library literature bears out the contention that journal publishers have exhibited some of the behaviors that contributed to the decline of the major record labels. Librarians who support free scholarship will find the music industry plight instructive; just as iTunes fulfilled consumer demand, Open Access and other alternatives will transform publishing.     

The good,the bad,and the unexpected: Violating audience expectations in Clint Eastwood’s speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention

Courses: Communication Theory, Nonverbal Communication, Public Speaking

Objective: At the end of this activity, students should be able to define key components of expectancy violations theory and apply the theory to analyze violations that occurred in Clint Eastwood’s speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention.     

Are we a product of our environment? Assessing culturally congruent Green advertising appeals,novelty, and environmental concern in India and the U.S.A.

In response to rising consumption effects on the environment, green advertisers have employed different tactics to advertise their unique products. Limited research has explored the impact of culturally congruent appeals in green advertising. A total of 118 (N) adults participated online to assess the influence of these appeals in a cross-cultural context. Findings indicate that collectivistic appeals worked best among Indian consumers while individualistic appeals were more effective for Americans. Ad novelty and environmental concern were important covariates. Implications for advertisers are discussed.     

We are the stories we tell about ourselves: child welfare records and the construction of identity among Australians who,as children,experienced out-of-home ‘care’

Since the late 1990s, a significant number of commissions of inquiry have been conducted by the Commonwealth Government of Australia, individual states and territories in Australia, and internationally, into the treatment of children in out-of-home care. This paper traces the most significant of these inquiries and the recommendations arising regarding records, with the purpose of highlighting some of the recurring themes identified by each inquiry. An overview is also given of some of the positive changes to aspects of recordkeeping as a direct consequence of the landmark inquiries. Lastly, this overview hopes to raise some questions surrounding the role of the profession in promoting awareness of recordkeeping issues that have emerged through these inquiries.     

Where's the value? The worth of public libraries: A systematic review of findings,methods and research gaps

Existing research argues that studies of the value of public libraries support libraries by demonstrating their worth to society. Knowledge of research methods, value and research gaps can potentially strengthen the field of value research and support policymaking and development of libraries. Among 16,683 records retrieved from a systematic literature search, 39 studies were selected for systematic review within this topic. Findings indicate that studies focus on examining libraries as valued community assets in several aspects. It is recommended that further research explore how library services enhance democracy, reading and culture. Moreover, further research is needed that systematically reviews how libraries articulate their value to stakeholders. Concluding remarks state that value can be a robust measure for emphasising and developing libraries' worth towards society. By systematically reviewing how value is emphasized in activities, libraries are provided with the means to advocate political empathy and to develop towards community needs.     

Which candidates do the public discuss online in an election campaign?: The use of social media by 2012 presidential candidates and its impact on candidate salience

The effects of new communication technologies on election campaigns, and the effectiveness of media-centered campaign strategies more broadly, remain ongoing subjects for debate in political science. This study provides some of the first empirical evidence about the potential impact of social media on the 2012 U.S. presidential elections, by testing the association between “candidate salience” and the candidates' level of engagement in online social media sphere. We define “candidate salience” as the extent to which candidates are discussed online by the public in an election campaign, and have selected the number of mentions presidential candidates receive on the social media site, Twitter, as means of quantifying their salience. This strategy allows us to examine whether social media, which is widely recognized as disruptive in the broader economic and social domains, has the potential to change the traditional dynamics of U.S. election campaigns. We find that while social media does substantially expand the possible modes and methods of election campaigning, high levels of social media activity on the part of presidential candidates have, as of yet, resulted in minimal effects on the amount of public attention they receive online.     

The changing role of school/media resource libraries in secondary schools in Singapore and the need to implement mandatory standards, 1946–2010: Issues,challenges and opportunities

The aim of this paper is to study the development and evolution of secondary school libraries into Media Resource Libraries (MRLs) in Singapore after the Second World War and the rationale to have mandatory school library standards. It is an historical survey analysing published data about the linkages of libraries and librarianship, school library standards, education and school reforms in Singapore. It analyses historical and current documents on the roles played by stakeholders like the Library Association of Singapore (LAS) and the Ministry of Education (MOE) in the introduction and development of school library standards. The need for school libraries standards was first discussed when the Malayan Library Group (MLG) organised the first course on librarianship for school teachers in 1955, but, with no follow through. The need for school libraries standards was also mentioned by the LAS in 1962 in a memorandum to the Commission of Enquiry into Education to train teacher librarians and adopt school library standards. However, this was left out in the final report of the Commission published in 1964. The need for school library standards was discussed in a school library seminar for 150 teacher librarians in 1970. The first Recommended Minimum Standards for Secondary School Libraries was published two years later by the Standing Committee on Libraries set up by the MOE, but it was not mandatory for schools to adopt the standards. In 1997 the MOE launched its “Thinking School Learning Nation” vision to teach thinking skills. Students were expected to do multidisciplinary project work and be independent users of information. The MOE began to convert school libraries into Media Resource Libraries (MRLs) with print and non-print materials. However, a survey conducted in 2001 on the roles and competencies of 112 Library Coordinators (LCs) or teacher librarians revealed that they lack the skills and knowledge to manage MRLs effectively. This is because subsequent school library standards published in 1983 and 2002 did not require trained and full-time teacher librarians to manage the MRLs. Furthermore, it is essential for the standards to be periodically updated with regards to professional staff, collection development, facilities, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure and school library programs. Otherwise, MRLs risk being “hollow shells still considered on the periphery of core educational requirements, and are run by teachers not professionally prepared to do the work” (Hart, 2001, p. 25). The national standards published in the United States from 1918 to 2008 are well researched and provide substantive guidelines to develop school libraries. Therefore, it is essential for the MOE to formulate MRL standards by doing comparative studies of school library standards in other countries. These standards have to be mandatory and fully adopted by the schools. It provides opportunities for stakeholders like the LAS, National Library Board (NLB), the National Institute of Education (NIE), and the Singapore Teachers’ Union, to collaborate in the formulation of these standards and take collective ownership to implement them.     

The conservation of artworks and hot air heating systems in churches: are they compatible? the case of rocca pietore,italian alps

Abstract

Most artworks require a stable microclimate and a field study has been undertaken to understand the environmental risks in a mountain church that is heated once a week. The church was selected on the basis of the artworks present and the existing heating system: a hot-air system which is popular due to its low cost and rapid response. The heating system is switched on only during the liturgical services and generates rapid temperature and humidity changes which, in the long run, are very damaging. The temperature stratification leaves people with their feet in cold air, whereas the air in the upper levels is too hot and dry. Moisture condenses on the cold walls. Deliquescent salts in masonry and frescoes undergo dangerous crystallization cycles. Wooden artifacts contract and expand in line with humidity cycles. Deposition of candle and incense smoke is increased, darkening the artworks. The paper discusses these problems, some common errors, and possible methods to mitigate the risk factors.