“Double Duty”: A Suggested Activity for Meeting the Challenge of Teaching and Performing the Freshman Public Speaking Course

Objective: This article should encourage students to explore various teaching styles and delivery methods in film and in their own lived experiences

Courses: Public Speaking for Freshman and/or Education Majors     

Do You See What I See?: Third-Person Effects on Public Communication Through Self-Esteem,Social Stigma,and Product Use

In this experiment I examined the effect of self-esteem, negative stigma of product in a message, and product use as a form of ego-involvement on the third-person effect in an effort to understand the variables underlying the third-person effect. The findings broaden 1 belief about the third-person effect in relation to public communication and call into question 2 others. This has ramifications in the area of public opinion regarding socially stigmatized messages, particularly in the realm of tobacco and alcohol advertising, suggesting the perception that a publicly communicated message containing a social stigma can influence the level of the third-person effect, indirectly affecting public communication and opinion formation.     

“Transforming” the Conversation: Rethinking Fair Use in Academic Course Reserves

The Association of Research Libraries' 2012 publication, Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries, focuses heavily on the concept of transformative use within the fair use analysis. In some cases, the Association of Research Libraries advocates for using the entire work in an electronic format for course reserves. However, current approaches to electronic course reserves and fair use/transformative use arguments are not conducive to utilizing the Association of Research Libraries' recommendations. This article attempts to reframe the conversation by examining fair use in a broad context and the role of the class in the fair use analysis.     

Project “listening post”: An experiment in education for broadcasting

For almost two decades, researchers have been following in the footsteps of Paul Lazarsfeld in asking members of the public comparative questions about the mass media. However, fewer studies have inquired as to opinions held toward a particular type of program or feature in one particular medium. Recent research indicates that, despite the growth of television, radio news has “held its own” as a valuable source of information to the American people.     

“I Got the Job! Now What Do I Do?”

Abstract

New reference librarians should not expect to be passive participants in their orientations. As evidenced in current literature, few libraries are able to provide the time and resources needed to fully orient and train their staff. Therefore, librarians should take an active role in planning and implementing their own training. This article provides tips for developing a self-training plan for new reference librarians.     

“I Can Air My Feelings Instead of Eating Them”: Blogging as Social Support for the Morbidly Obese

The morbidly obese, defined as people who are 100 pounds or more overweight, are the fastest growing population among the obese. They often live with health risks, face discrimination, and lack traditional social support. This article explores the use of weight loss blogs by the morbidly obese (N = 50) and argues that blogging provides invaluable computer-mediated social support for them in four ways: (a) it allows for empathy; (b) it ensures accountability to others; (c) it provides venting and advice seeking; and (d) it shares validation of the weight loss experience. Additionally, the article argues that social support scholars must move beyond chat rooms and message boards as media and explore more media-rich environments such as blogging and social networks.     

Classifying the Imaginary: An Expansion of Library of Congress’ Subclass G9930 for Local Use

Abstract

Class G provides granular classification for most cartographic materials through a well-established and expanded Cuttering system, maps of imaginary places are classified under G9930 which has no formal expansion. With the creation of a collection of imaginary maps at the Texas A&M University Libraries, the lack of expansion under G9930 created access and filing complications. This case study describes the problem that growing a collection under the unexpanded classification system posed and the solution that was found through the creation of an in-house expansion for G9930.     

“I’m Really Confident I Can Find the Exact IKEA Pillow”: A Qualitative Look at the Search Self-Efficacy of Graduating MLIS Students

Abstract

There is limited qualitative research on the information-seeking self-efficacy (SE) of library and information science (LIS) graduate students. This study examines graduating LIS students’ experiences with information seeking, including experiences in the LIS program that led to increased levels of information-seeking SE and specific recollections of moments when SE increased. Many students identified similar factors as key to developing SE, including education-related assignments, library work experience, LIS internships, and specific LIS coursework. Because of the small sample size, further research would help to identify additional factors that promote LIS students’ information-seeking SE.     

An Entrance for the Uninterested: Who Watches Soft News and How Does It Affect Their Political Participation?

As soft news shows in television present politics in an entertaining format, they are likely to attract and grab the attention of people who do not have a high interest in politics. Consequently, soft news might mobilize these citizens to engage in politics. This study tests this potential by using a 2-wave panel survey among a national sample of voters (N = 2,680) collected in relation to the 2015 National Election in Denmark. The results show that people with lower political interest were indeed more likely to increase their use of soft news during the election campaign and that, as a consequence, these low-motivated people also increased their passive participation, such as seeking additional information about the election. Further, the results show that this type of passive participation is likely to function as a stepping-stone to active forms of participation, such as attending political events or contacting politicians.     

How to Address “I've Already Written My Paper,Now I Just Need to Find Some Sources”: Teaching Personal Voice through Library Instruction

Teaching students how to employ their personal voice has always presented a unique challenge to composition instructors. Although teaching students how to engage in scholarly dialogue lies at the heart of every composition program, many students remain unsure, intimidated, and even skeptical of this mode of communication. As a result, research papers often take the form of unsupported monologues in which citations are merely ornamental, lengthy summaries, or numerous information resources are cited without one voice serving as an arbitrator. Library instructors face the same dilemma as composition instructors do when teaching students how to apply information to their research. Beyond teaching students how to identify an information need and to effectively and efficiently access and critically evaluate information, library instructors must teach students how information and personal voice are incorporated into research. In doing so, library instruction corrects the common misunderstanding that research equates to integrating resources into a prewritten paper, that any opinionated resource is acceptable to use, that the research process is similar to writing book reports, and that mediation between scholarly voices is unnecessary. By learning about personal voice in library instructional sessions, students begin to develop their own scholarly identity, understand the conversation of scholarship, and realize the function that their personal voice serves, as well as the strength and integrity that the research process lends to it.     

“I’m a Library Hugger!”: Public Libraries as Valued Community Assets

Public library value is often ascertained by outlining the economic, social, and cultural benefits public libraries generate for the greater community. While researchers have focused on the concepts of social capital, civic engagement, and the role of libraries in promoting democracy, fewer studies have explored the public’s perceptions of libraries in an effort to determine library value. Furthermore, library nonusers are rarely included in these studies. In Alberta, Canada, 1,201 Albertans from across the province, including both urban and rural areas, were asked a series of questions about their perceptions of public libraries and library use. Findings reveal characteristics of library users and nonusers, what services and resources are used most often at public libraries, what value the public places on public libraries, and the role that libraries play in supporting communities.     

“Is this for real?”: Web literacy for the web-savvy

Objective: Students will enhance their information literacy skills (ability to determine the validity, currency, and appropriateness) relative to web resources.

Courses: Professional Writing, Academic Writing, Introduction to Communication     

“I Am Who I Am”: Black Masculinity and the Interpretation of Individualism in the Film Barbershop

This essay will provide further insight into how Black audiences interpret a popular culture text by focusing upon how a group of young black men construct Black masculinity as depicted in the film Barbershop. Interestingly, a rhetorical community of young Black men discussed the representations of the characters in the film from a perspective of Black individualism rather than reaffirming identity through a collective orientation toward the culture. This reading contrasts with much of the “ghettocentric” film literature by highlighting how a Black audience's interpretation of a text can focus on individualism rather than on cultural representations and stereotypes.