Researching Oregon Initiatives and Referendums

SUMMARY

Oregon voters are heavy users of the initiative and referendum, and they were pioneers of this form of democracy. This means that there is a good deal of information to be found about past initiatives and referendums, and the government of the State of Oregon and local civic groups have responded by making much of this information available online. This article outlines the sources for finding information on initiatives and referendums in Oregon.     

Managing Health Care in Oregon: The Search for a Civic Bioethics

Managed health care deliberations in Oregon point to a "civic bioethics" model to resolve allocation issues through publicly articulated community values and priorities that influence legislative action. Communication practices in the Oregon experiment provide data to develop an evaluative framework to assess public moral deliberation in value-laden contexts such as health care distribution. The Oregon experience also points to dialogical virtues to heighten citizens' ethical sensibilities and political will, discursive tools to inform ethical communication practices in a civic bioethics model.     

Managing Health Care in Oregon: The Search for a Civic Bioethics

Managed health care deliberations in Oregon point to a "civic bioethics" model to resolve allocation issues through publicly articulated community values and priorities that influence legislative action. Communication practices in the Oregon experiment provide data to develop an evaluative framework to assess public moral deliberation in value-laden contexts such as health care distribution. The Oregon experience also points to dialogical virtues to heighten citizens' ethical sensibilities and political will, discursive tools to inform ethical communication practices in a civic bioethics model.     

Giving the User a Voice: Capturing Impact Through the Interjection of User Impact Surveys into the Information Retrieval Workflow

This article discusses a novel approach being developed at Oregon State University Libraries to move beyond usage statistics as a method to capture the larger impact of a specific set of resources for faculty. Utilizing a custom developed survey application, Oregon State University collection development librarians are able to modify the proxy workflow, inserting a point-of-use survey, allowing data collection to occur at the point of need and only on specific resources of interest.     

Technical Services Within a Team-Based Information Services Environment

Summary

In 1994, the Oregon State University merged the libraries into a new Information Services unit. The process of reorganizing the new IS unit into teams is described, with an evaluation of how the reorganization has affected Technical Services.     

Bibliographical activities of the Arab Countries of North Africa

The kind and size of a library determines the need to collect and the method of controlling government publications. New Zealand libraries tend to handle these publications like any other book with the exception of official records and statistics. As a rule, public, rather than academic libraries, are the designated depositories. In comparing the concept of New Zealand libraries to that of the University of Oregon Library concerning government publications, I found that New Zealand libraries collect and store official and statistical publications and give them partial use; most government publications are integrated into the general collection (use is not known), and few libraries have separate government publication sections with special librarians governing the collection. On the other hand the University of Oregon collects all types of government publications for optimum use; many have been integrated into the general collection (use is not known); and a separate documents section is open to the public with several librarian specialists in attendance. Government publications in the general collection are not, as a rule, recognized as government publications by the public, but those publications are readily accessible. Many government publications at the University of Oregon Library are housed in the general collection, but since 1974 publications of the United States, Canada and many international organizations are shelved in the Documents Section. Use of the various classification schemes has proved successful; however, changes and improvements should be considered frequently to make the government publications collection the best able to serve the public.     

A pilot study on alienation and anxiety during a rumored plant closing

As deliberative forums proliferate, scholars and practitioners need to establish a shared evaluative framework grounded in a theoretical definition of deliberation, applicable across contexts, and capable of yielding results comprehensible to public officials and key stakeholders. We present such a framework and illustrate its utility by evaluating the Oregon Citizens' Initiative Review (CIR), a public event that serves as both a critical case study and an important practical innovation in its own right. Our analysis shows that the CIR met a reasonable standard for democratic deliberation, and we pinpoint CIR features that both aided and detracted from its overall quality. We also show how we summarized these results to communicate our evaluation efficiently to the Oregon State Legislature. We conclude by making recommendations for future applications of our theoretical model and evaluative framework and offer practical suggestions for future deliberative forums.     

We're Listening: Using Patron Feedback to Assess and Enhance Purchase on Demand

Oregon State University Libraries piloted a one-year interlibrary loan purchase on demand service beginning in February 2009. An online survey was used to measure patron satisfaction and determine future borrowing and recommendation behavior. These results, along with patron comments, were used to explore future success of the service and ways to enhance the permanent service. Results provide context for the success of purchase-on-demand programs and support the development of innovative tools that increase the efficiency of purchase-on-demand workflow. Oregon State University Libraries permanently adopted the successful service and is working to incorporate patron input on purchase decisions.     

Services for Graduate Students: A Review of Academic Library Web Sites

A library's Web site is well recognized as the gateway to the library for the vast majority of users. Choosing the most user-friendly Web architecture to reflect the many services libraries offer is a complex process, and librarians are still experimenting to find what works best for their users. As part of a redesign of the Oregon State University Libraries’ Web site, entry points for specific user groups were created. One of these user groups was graduate students. The purpose of this study was to explore the ways other academic libraries design their Web sites for particular user groups, specifically graduate students, in order to determine how the Oregon State University Libraries Web site compared to peer institutions. This study analyzed 112 Association of Research Libraries’ Web sites and 26 Oregon academic libraries’ Web sites to determine the availability of resources and services specifically promoted to graduate students. Since graduate students may view the library Web site through the lens of new student, researcher, or instructor, Web sites were also examined to see if sites were created with any or all of these roles in mind. Nearly a quarter of Association of Research Libraries' Web sites that were examined contained a link on the homepage for graduate students, and another 20 percent provided graduate-student information at a lower level in their site hierarchy. A majority of sites had events, subject guides, or course guides for graduate students. Information for graduate students was typically framed in the context of graduate students as researchers. Ideas and examples are given for ways to improve Web site design to better serve this user group. In order to provide improved services to these students, future studies will explore what graduate students need from academic libraries and the ways these students conduct themselves in their various roles of researchers, instructors, and new students.     

Staying Tuned: TV News Audiences in the Netherlands 1988–2010

The “prestige factor” has been known to social scientists for many‐years. It shows up in the “over‐reporting” that occurs whenever people are asked, to tell an interviewer their income, or the amount of schooling they have had—or the amount of viewing of an educational television station they do. The management of ETV stations is well aware that their audience often isn't as large as reported, and that the same “prestige factor” prevents them from receiving sufficient data from their audience as to the reason why they do or do not view ETV. In the present study, an experimental approach was made. Three different kinds of appeal were used in a promotional campaign designed to cause people to watch an ETV station more often. The results, of each appeal were compared to a group of ETV viewers and non‐viewers who were not exposed to the promotional material.

These data were derived from the Oregon Educational Television Project, which was financed in part by a grant from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. John Shepherd received his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California, and is presently Associate Professor of Speech and Director of the Division of Broadcast Services and Televised Instruction at the University of Oregon.     

Step by Step through the Scholarly Conversation: A Collaborative Library/Writing Faculty Project to Embed Information Literacy and Promote Critical Thinking in First Year Composition at Oregon State University

ABSTRACT

At Oregon State University, writing instructors and librarians collaboratively teach research writing and information literacy in first year composition courses. A four-week unit focuses on the connections between critical thinking, writing and learning, and information literacy. This article describes the process of developing, implementing, and refining this collaborative curriculum. By using assignments and texts that model a recursive critical research and writing process for students, librarians and writing instructors help students think more deeply and critically about their topics.     

The After-Five Syndrome: Library Hours and Services for the Adult Learner

Summary

“Communication” is the key to providing appropriate library hours and services for adult learners, students twenty-four years of age and older. This report of a survey at Western Oregon University shows that while there are some differences, the needs of both adult learners and traditional students may be similar. Both groups have a need for a variety of library hours, especially evening and weekend hours, and for remote access to both library collections and services.     

Point-of-Use Instruction:

Attempts to teach higher level critical thinking skills in library instruction classes are often undermined by students' difficulty in physically locating materials at the library. A User's Survey conducted by a Stack Maintenance Total Quality Management (TQM) Team at Oregon State University's Kerr Library provided further evidence of this difficulty. Consequently, Stack Maintenance support staff and student assistants are now trained to provide point-of-use assistance and instruction. Thus, they have become adjuncts to the Library's information and instruction services.     

“But,We Don't Have a Library”: Exploring Approaches to Addressing Branch Campuses’ Library Needs

Librarians at Central Oregon Community College's Barber Library explored how to best serve the needs of three satellite campuses across a large geographic region. While initially intending to start an embedded librarianship program, a pair of surveys showed the relationships and awareness necessary for the foundation of such a program were lacking. Using the information gathered in the surveys, the authors attempted to identify and implement methods for building better relationships and greater library awareness across all campuses.     

Building a New Paradigm: Analysis of a Case Study in Organizational Change in Collection Management Using Bolman's and Deal's Four-Frame Model

In 2010, the Oregon State University Libraries implemented changes to its organizational structure to align itself better with the university and respond to the ongoing fiscal crisis. The Collections & Resource Sharing Department was created at that time. This case study describes and analyzes changes in collection management using the four frames in Bolman's and Deal's model: structural, human resources, political, and symbolic. The article concludes with a discussion of ongoing challenges that are likely to require greater use of the political and symbolic frames for planning and implementing further changes.     

Developing a Marketing Orientation in Hospital Library Services: A Case Report

When the four Providence Health & Services libraries in Oregon regionalized services and resources, the transition, which was originally met with apprehension from some library users, turned out to be a resounding success. Despite a loss of two-thirds of the professional staff and a decreased budget, the new regionalized library experienced an increase in business and recognition. While many factors contributed to the success, a creative marketing and outreach campaign was a key component. This column describes the steps taken to promote regionalized library reference services and online resources.     

Problems in finding qualified employees: A report from the APBE‐NAB employment study

The following report is one of a series based on People in Broadcasting, the initial report of a research study by the Association for Professional Broadcasting Education and the National Association of Broadcasters. An introductory article appeared in the Spring 1962 issue, and one on “Broadcasting Management” was published in the Summer 1962 issue of the Journal of Broadcasting. Glenn Starlin, Professor of Speech at the University of Oregon, is coordinating suggestions for additional analysis of the data collected in this study, and volunteers for conducting such additional analyses are urged to write Dr. Starlin.     

It Takes a Village to Manage the 21st Century Reference Department

Abstract

Reference services at Oregon State University's Valley Library have undergone several reorganizations in response to institutional changes, shifting service needs and patron demands. Part of this history includes training for and functioning in team-based management. We have now evolved to a management model that utilizes workgroups and an advisory and coordinating council to assist in running the department. We find this model provides flexibility, sharing of the workload and professional development opportunities, all of which are essential in today's tumultuous reference environment. We will describe the functioning, potential hazards and multiple advantages of this model.     

The Technology Vendor's Conference

Abstract

This ease study describes the Lise of an information technology vendor conference to assure the smooth opening of the remodeled Central Library of the Multnomah County (Portland. Oregon) Lihrary. Collaborative meetings with vendors provided the opportunity tor hardware, telecommunications, integrated library system, and network vendors to meet with library staff to troubleshoot problems, share information, und anticipate situations. The meetings also provided library administration with the opportunity to underscore the importance of the opening. The article discusses the elements necessary to make this approach a success and reports on events before, during, and after the opening of the new facility.     

Instruction Boot Camp: Better Instruction Through Collaborative Course Design

ABSTRACT

This case study details Oregon State University Libraries and Press’ Instruction Boot Camp, a professional development event inspired by several different instructional improvement models, where librarians have a chance to work collaboratively in small groups of four to six to redesign a library instruction session. Librarians from six different departments participated in two Instruction Boot Camp sessions in 2012. The benefits of such collaboration include drawing upon the collective wisdom of the group to design a course and having a dedicated time to work on instruction. Although our assessment did not include student-learning outcomes, participating librarians found this a useful and valuable experience.