Multimedia Science Kits: A Museum Project on Women Scientists and Their Research

The University of Nebraska State Museum (UNSM) is creating multimedia outreach kits on the research of women scientists. The collaborative effort has included Nebraska Educational Telecommunications, curricula developers, biographers, graphic designers, and evaluators. The goal of the project is to increase the number of girls interested in pursuing careers in science, and to this end, women scientists are presented as role models. Wonderwise kits target students in grades four through six through student-centered, inquiry-based activities, specimens and tools, videos of the scientists working in the field, resource-based CD-ROMs, and short biographies of the scientists. This project presents a model of how museums can collaborate with schools to improve science education on a statewide basis.     

Public Perception and Expectations of Biomimetics Technology: Empirical Survey of Museum Visitors in Japan

Biomimetic is proposed as an existing or potential future technology that motivates conservation of biodiversity and environment in existing literature. However, empirical analysis is absent. To identify the public perception and expectations of biomimetics technology, questionnaire survey of museum visitors was conducted in the National Museum of Nature and Science in Japan, where the exhibition of biomimetics was held. This research identified that expectations of biomimetics were high generally for the medical applications. The expectation varies with age groups and the age over thirties tended to expect higher in the field related to environmental protection. The expectations of biomimetics were higher for all the age groups after visiting the exhibitions for both commercial use and drivers for life style changes. The results of this study provide basis of expectations and trends with different age groups which will serve as basis to understand and explore implementation of biomimetic related technology for sustainable society.     

Communicating Science to the Public:

This paper is based on a speech given by the author to the Library Information Exchange Forum of St. Johns University. The talk, given to staff librarians, described problems involved in the complex process of scientific communication, causes of science illiteracy, and possible remedies of the problem. The author encouraged the audience to become science literate by reading popular science literature, watching science programs on television and visiting science museums but to be aware of factors contributing to science illiteracy in the various media.     

Technical Note: Using Latent Class Analysis versus K‐means or Hierarchical Clustering to Understand Museum Visitors

This paper discusses the benefits of using Latent Class Analysis (LCA) versus K‐means Cluster Analysis or Hierarchical Clustering as a way to understand differences among visitors in museums, and is part of a larger research program directed toward improving the museum‐visit experience. For our comparison of LCA and K‐means Clustering, we use data collected from 190 visitors leaving the exhibition Against All Odds; Rescue at the Chilean Mine in the National Museum of Natural History in January 2012. For the comparison of LCA and Hierarchical Clustering, we use data from 312 visitors leaving the exhibition Elvis at 21 in the National Portrait Gallery in January 2011.     

情报学家对科学的关注与解读(Ⅱ)--情报学家解读科学的方法

运用WordSmith软件,本项研究对56位国际著名情报学家的2869篇(部)论著题目做了词频分析,将情报学家的研究对象和研究方法加以梳理、定位、比较,和分类,凸显出研究热点,勾勒出研究趋势,展现出情报学家对科学的全方位关注和重视计量的研究传统.论文分为两部分,其一,情报学家关注科学的视角;其二,情报学家解读科学的方法.     

湖南省公共图书馆科技兴农工作存在的问题及对策

本文从分析我省公共图书馆科技兴农工作中存在的问题及作出的成绩出发，阐述我省公共图书馆进行科技兴农的必要性，并提出相应的对策，以求进一步搞好我省图书馆的科技兴农工作     

Situated Knowledge and the Virtual Science and Industry Museum: Problems in the Social-Technical Interface

The Museum is a perspicuous site for analysing the complex interplay between social, organisational, cultural and political factors which have relevance to the design and use of virtual technologies. Specifically, the introduction of virtual technologies in museums runs up against the issue of the situated character of information use. Across a number of disciplines (anthropology, sociology, psychology, cognitive science) there is growing recognition of the situatedness of knowledge and its importance for the design and use of technology. This awareness is fostered by the fact that technological developments are often associated with disappointing gains for users. The effective use of technology relies on the degree to which it can be embedded in or congruent with the local practices of museum users. Drawing upon field research in two museums of science and technology, both of which are in the process of introducing virtual technologies and exploring the possibilities of on-line access, findings are presented which suggest that the success of such developments will depend on the extent to which they are informed by detailed understanding of practice-practices that are essentially socially constituted in the activities of museum visitors and the daily work of museum professionals.     

对我国情报学学科发展现状的几点思考与建议

我国情报学一直存在着学科定位模糊的问题，目前其学科发展又呈现出泛技术化、泛信息化的趋势。这些现象加剧了情报学建设的尴尬局面。本文通过分析情报学学科发展的现状，试图从中找到引发这些现象的原因，旨在为情报学走出学科困境提出几条思路与建议。     

Collaborating with Information Technology: Implementing Web Search at the University of New Mexico

The University of New Mexico (UNM) has used the Google Search Appliance (GSA) to provide search for the University's Web content. When the GSA license expired, the campus Information Technologies (IT) department and the University Libraries (UL) took the opportunity to collaborate on a re-launch of the service as a joint project. By collaborating closely with IT, the UL personnel gained insight and first-hand information on how to optimize the Libraries’ Web presence. Outcomes were positive, both in the resulting product and in building bridges between the work cultures.     

Bridging Needs and Resources: Collaborating with the Library of Congress to Support the East Asian Studies Program at Dickinson College

ABSTRACT

East Asian Studies has become a fast growing field among U.S. higher education institutions, including primarily undergraduate liberal arts colleges. Yet, for lack of resources, it has been a challenge for college libraries to provide adequate support to the relatively new academic program. This article describes a successful collaborative program at Dickinson College to address the issue of how to bridge the gap between limited library resources and the growing need of East Asian Studies faculty and students. The same idea can also be applied to library support for other area studies or relatively limited interdisciplinary programs.     

How Television Viewers Use Social Media to Engage with Programming: The Social Engagement Scale Development and Validation

This study investigated social television viewing behavior by introducing the social engagement construct and validating its measurement scale. A total of 655 social media users in 2 online consumer panels were sampled to complete the 3-stage research strategy. Through conceptualization and operationalization of social engagement, this study identified 4 underlying dimensions in social engagement, i.e., vertical involvement, diagonal interaction, horizontal intimacy, and horizontal influence. These 4 dimensions represent a continuum in which audiences’ social engagement behaviors range from a lower level (vertical involvement) to a higher level (horizontal influence). The theoretical and practical implications of the social engagement construct were also discussed.     

A Final Organizational Communication Project: Using the Television Series The Office to Engage College Students

Objective: To allow students to demonstrate what they have learned in an Organizational Communication class through an engaging and enjoyable final project

Course: Organizational Communication