One “Nation,” Under Stephen? The Effects of The Colbert Report on American Youth

This study examines the effect of The Colbert Report, Comedy Central's mock conservative talk show, on young adults. By fashioning his character as a hyperbolic ideologue, Colbert is mocking personalities such as Bill O'Reilly. However, this study finds that when young adults are exposed to The Colbert Report's humor, they are not led to be more critical of the far right. Instead, the opposite happens, and there is an increased affinity for President Bush, Republicans in Congress, and Republican policies. Ironically, Colbert's attempts to poke fun at conservative commentators may be helping those same commentators spread their message.     

The Future of the Library: What Is a Public Library For?

The author suggests that libraries have been transformed a third time. Originally, libraries were the only place that valuable, handwritten, rare books could be found. As mass production kicked in post-Gutenberg, the library became an efficient way for the community to access knowledge. Today, though, in a post-paper world, the library must adopt a new role, a place where the community finds ideas, inspiration and others on a similar journey. The librarian is no longer a guardian of valuable books, but a curator of curiosity, passion and interest.     

Why do evaluation?

This paper examines why library staff involved in the acquisitions process undertake vendor surveys and what they hope to get out of them. Briefly addressed are personal and professional issues involved in the survey process, as well as the resulting personal and organizational benefits.     

The Google Art Project: A New Generation of Museums on the Web?

Abstract On February 1, 2011, Google launched its much‐heralded Art Project in partnership with 17 museums from Europe and the U.S. Despite the limited content and a long wish‐list of enhancements, the Google Art Project offers a glimpse of innovative new ways for museums to use and be used on the Web, collaboratively.     

Why bother with evaluation?

This paper puts supplier evaluation into the context of the changing environment in which library acquisitions are carried out. A number of “forces of change” are identified, and the relevance of supplier evaluation to these forces is reinforced throughout the article. Some practical suggestions for making time for evaluation and making evaluation work for your institution conclude the article.     

XML: Why Bother?

An XML-first workflow provides a framework that will empower publishers to move from a print-centric to a content-centric creation process, freeing them to find new and creative ways to present content to the world, to connect with readers in new ways. XML is far more than a production workflow—it is the medium that will allow publishers to deliver their message most effectively, and will enable a rapid and necessary evolution in the way publishers manage and disseminate an author’s content.     

The Prince’s Dream: A Future For Academic Libraries

This article discusses the role of values in providing principles for the academic library. It examines the role of libraries in relation to the human record and the wider question of cultural heritage. The roles of technology and scientific management as tools rather than ends in themselves are explored alongside the nature of research. Co-operation and (when possible) integration of libraries with other cultural institutions is advocated.     

Why is medical software so hard?

Medical software is regarded as both a success and a risk factor for quality and efficiency of medical care. First, reasons are given in what respects the medical industry is special: it is highly complex and variable, exposed to risks of privacy/confidentiality but also of denied access to authorized personnel, and medical users are a highly qualified and demanding population. Then some software technology and engineering approaches are presented that partially master these challenges. They include various divide and conquer strategies, process and change management approaches and quality assurance approaches. Benchmark institutions and comprehensive solutions are also presented. Finally, some challenges are presented that call for approaches other than technical to achieve user “buy in”, handle the outer limits of complexity, variability and change. Here, methods from psychology, economics and game theory complement domain knowledge and exploratory experimentation with new technologies.

---

Zusammenfassung  Medizinische Software wird sowohl als Erfolgs- als auch als Risikofaktor für die Qualit?t und Effizienz medizinischer Versorgung gesehen. In diesem Artikel werden zun?chst Gründe aufgeführt, inwiefern der medizinische Sektor sich von anderen abhebt: Er ist hoch komplex und variantenreich und den Risiken stark ausgesetzt, die sich aus Vertraulichkeit und Schutzbedürftigkeit der Daten einerseits und andereseits aus deren Nicht-Verfügbarkeit für autorisiertes Personal ergeben. Auch sind medizinische Nutzer hoch und vielf?ltig qualifiziert und entsprechend anspruchsvoll. Es werden dann Verfahren aus Software-Technologie und -Engineering vorgestellt, welche diese Herausforderungen z.T. meistern. Darunter befinden sich „Teile-und-Herrsche“-artige Partitionierungsverfahren, Prozess- und ?nderungsmanagement- sowie Qualit?tssicherungsmethoden. Einige richtungweisend erfolgreiche Institutionen und L?sungen werden erl?utert. Schlie?lich wird auf Herausforderungen hingewiesen, bei denen andere als technische Zug?nge naheliegen, damit anspruchsvolle Nutzer „einsteigen“ und grenzwertig schwierige Anforderungen an Komplexit?t, Variabilit?t und ?nderungsintensit?t handhabbar werden. Dabei erg?nzen Methoden aus Psychologie, Wirtschaftswissenschaften und Spieltheorie ein vertieftes Wissen über den medizinischen Gegenstandsbereich und das Experimentieren mit neuen Technologien.

CR subject classification  D.2.1; D.2.2; D.2.7; D.2.8; D.2.9; D.2.11; D.2.12; D.4.6; H.1.2; H.2.7; H.4.1; H.5.3; J.3; K.1; K.4.1; K.4.3; K.5.2     

Why Didn't They Teach Us That?

No abstract available for this article.