The argumentativeness scale: Problems and promise

Previous studies and theoretical analyses have suggested that Infante and Rancer's concept of argumentativeness—and the scale that measures it—suffer from conceptual weaknesses and an inability to explain findings within the original conceptualization of argumentativeness. This essay argues that conceptual weaknesses and operationalization problems have produced questionable findings of argumentativeness differences between the sexes and between those with and without debate experience. The study then compares differently worded versions of the argumentativeness scale in order to provide evidence of the scale's current weaknesses and guidance in how to remedy them in future argumentativeness research.     

Further Validity Tests of the Grandchildren's Received Affection Scale

The purpose of this study was to further validate the newly developed Grandchildren's Received Affection Scale (GRAS). To that end, young adult grandchildren (N = 317) completed the GRAS, along with two previously established measures of affectionate communication and a social desirability scale. The results of a series of Pearson correlational analyses and an exploratory factor analysis provide support for the concurrent, construct, and divergent validity of the GRAS. Thus, the GRAS is an appropriate instrument to assess grandchildren's received affectionate communication from their grandparents.     

St. Louis Public Library Employee Scholarship Program

ABSTRACT

The text of a successful employee scholarship program policy at the St. Louis Public Library is presented in this article. The policy covers rationale, application and renewal procedures, content and degrees covered, levels of financial support, approval and disapproval process, appeal procedure if application denied, work time and monetary repayment options, for single classes and associate's degrees along with Bachelor's and MLS degrees as well.     

Raise Your Profile: Build Your Program

ABSTRACT

To raise the library's profile within the campus community, it is critical to create a strategic plan and align library goals with those of the university. At George Washington University's Gelman Library, the instruction librarians gained internal and external support to hire two new instruction librarians to better support collaboration with the new university writing program. The library then used assessment data to successfully advocate for an additional two positions.     

A Validation of Brief Tests of Collection Strength

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of the brief test methodology developed by Howard White for collection evaluation. Using White's methodology, two brief tests in Soviet history were developed and applied to five different libraries. Then, the results of the two tests were examined and compared with each other, with the results of a previous brief test in Russian/Soviet history, and with self-evaluations by a number of the tested libraries. The conclusions strongly support White's claims for the validity of brief test methodology.     

Academic librarians' support of autistic college students: A quasi-experimental study

The role of academic libraries and librarians in support of autistic students has been studied on a limited basis with no confirmation on how to best convey knowledge of support services most effectively. A quasi-experimental research protocol with three academic library sites and related professional development treatments enabled comparison on the impact of online training alone, online coaching combined with coaching, and existing autism support programs. Academic librarians' knowledge and attitudes, along with measures of the library's physical environment were calculated pre and post training. Results showed that coaching, combined with online instruction, is the most effective professional development strategy for increasing knowledge of academic library patrons on the autism spectrum; librarians are enthusiastic to learn more about services taking place in other academic libraries, and small changes in the library environment can be impactful.     

‘My music,my freedom(?): the troubled pursuit of musical and intellectual independence on the Internet in Indonesia’

In Indonesia, the Internet has reshaped music industry praxis, particularly artist marketing and promotion. It is also a primary resource for artistic inspiration, providing musicians and producers with unprecedented access to recording artists worldwide. Finally, for the nation's top musicians, the Internet can lead to national and even international recognition, by means independent of – and even superior to – the production, distribution, or promotional support Indonesia's major record labels can provide. Answering Lysloff's call that examinations of digital media should consider how and why they are meaningful,this qualitative analysis examines the Internet practices consultants believe have radically reshaped Indonesia's national music industry and advanced its global impact. Particularly among the nation's self-described non-mainstream or independent music professionals, the Internet has revolutionized professional and social communication. Furthermore, through online intellectual critique, individual contributors also debate artistic ideals, as well as broader social and political problems. The Internet, thus, circumscribes a network of musically and socially likeminded individuals who engage in thoughtful debate about the arts and society in a presumably safe and egalitarian environment. There are limits to the Internet's equanimity and its users’ abilities to secure artistic and intellectual independence; however, spatial proximity to the music industry's epicenter in Jakarta, rhetorical dexterity in Internet correspondence, and Internet legislation all pose particular challenges to the democratization of Indonesia's independent music industry network and the professional and social relationships that happen through its channels.     

An Erosion Model of Employee Turnover Based on Network Centrality

An Erosion Model (EM) of employee turnover is introduced to explain the previously observed negative relationship between network centrality and employee turnover. The EM hypothesizes that social support moderates the centrality–turnover relation as those more active in the organization's social network experience less job strain due to esteem provided by work peers. Three EM hypotheses were supported using meta-analytic procedures with significant relations identified between centrality and turnover (k=5, r=.29), social support and centrality (k=7, r=.23), and social support and turnover intentions (k=17, r=.35). Future research for EM expansion and practical applications are proposed.     

A parallel computer based on simple DSP modules

This article reports on an engineering project at the TUHH aimed at providing a massively parallel experimental computer system to support a number of research projects. The computer nicknamed the PENTAGON is an MIMD system containing a number of identical processing elements (PE's) linked via interfaces. The network is a 3-D torus, and the nodes are based on off-the-shelf signal processor chips, namely TMS 320C40's from TI. The design adds to these standard ingredients an engineering discipline to keep things as simple as possible, and a corresponding, quite unusual physical setup of the total system. These make up for a very cost effective system showing how simple it may be to build a powerful parallel machine.Although based on a standard architecture, the PENTAGON design takes some special choices, the most important being the complete distribution of I/O capabilities. This provides for an unlimited I/O bandwidth, the support of realtime applications and excellent capabilities of expansion. A graphics interface has been designed to provide direct realtime output from the DSP's. Another recent extension is a set of Power-PC modules on top of the DSP nodes.Besides standard commercial compilers for 'C40 networks, the functional language Fifth of the author has been implemented on the PENTAGON. Fifth provides facilities such as distributed objects and the automatical distribution of parallel programs. For well parallelizable applications such as the calculation of a Mandelbrot set, high efficiencies in the usage of the processors have been obtained.     

Outreach impact study: the case of the Greater Midwest Region

Objectives:

The purpose of the study was to assess the impact that funding from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM), Greater Midwest Region (GMR), has on member institutions'' ability to conduct outreach on behalf of NN/LM.

Methods:

The study employed both content analysis and survey methodologies. The final reports from select GMR-funded outreach projects (n = 20) were analyzed based on a set of evaluation criteria. Project principal investigators (n = 13) were then surveyed using the same evaluation criteria.

Results:

Results indicated that outreach projects supported by GMR funding improved access to biomedical information for professionals and the general public. Barriers to conducting outreach projects included time constraints or commitments, staffing, scheduling and absenteeism, inadequate space, and issues associated with technology (e.g., hardware and software, Internet connectivity and firewall issues, and creation and use of new technologies).

Conclusions:

The majority of project principal investigators indicated that their attempts to conduct outreach were successful. Moreover, most noted that outreach had a positive impact on professionals as well as the general public. In general, it seems that negative outcomes, as with most barriers to conducting outreach, can be mitigated by more thorough planning.

Highlights

• The provision of funding from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM), Greater Midwest Region (GMR), had a positive impact on an institution''s ability to conduct outreach.
• The provision of GMR funding to conduct health information outreach yielded positive outcomes.

Implications

• Regional offices should make efforts to accurately capture and record the impact that funding has on member institutions'' ability to conduct outreach.
• Many barriers to conducting outreach can be mitigated by more thorough planning.

The mission of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) is to advance the progress of medicine and improve the public health by providing all US health professionals with equal access to biomedical information and improving the public''s access to information to enable them to make informed decisions about their health [1]. The National Library of Medicine''s (NLM''s) vision statement emphasizes the elimination of health disparities. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and NLM both attempt to understand and eliminate health disparities between minority and majority populations [2]. One of NLM''s goals in trying to achieve elimination of health disparities is to improve access to affordable and easy-to-use health-related information [3]. It is thought that such a dissemination of knowledge will help solve health disparities [4]. Ultimately, NLM believes that improved access to health information will result in higher quality health care. This effort is served through research and community outreach. NLM supports some outreach directly through the NLM Division of Specialized Information Services (SIS), Office of Health Information Program Development (OHIPD), and extramural programs. In addition, NN/LM, which NLM administers, provides and supports outreach as part of NLM''s overall mission [5]. NN/LM places a primary emphasis on rural, minority, and other underserved populations [6].NLM was interested in evaluating NN/LM programs, and one of the key programs of the Greater Midwest Region (GMR) is its funding to support outreach in the region. NLM was also interested in promoting awareness among library school students about NLM and NN/LM and about the value of libraries doing outreach to underserved populations with the community. In September 2009, NN/LM GMR announced the availability of funds for a subcontract to a library school located in the region to assist with evaluating network programs. The GMR operates under a contract from NLM, providing network services to approximately 1,100 libraries and information centers in a 10-state region (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin). One of 8 regions in the NN/LM, the GMR conducts much of its outreach by offering subcontracts and awards to network members.Funding was offered to engage a group of students, under faculty guidance, to plan and implement a study that would determine the impact that GMR funding has on the ability of network members to perform outreach on behalf of NN/LM. The study was intended to be conducted in two phases: a planning phase, in which students were to develop an impact study proposal, and an implementation phase, in which students were to implement the study outlined in the proposal. The desired outcomes of the impact study included:

• What did the institutions accomplish with the NN/LM funding?
• What outcomes did the institutions report from their NN/LM-funded outreach projects?
• What changes have been made in their institutional programs as a result of the funding they received?
• What lessons did the institutions learn through implementation of their NN/LM-funded outreach projects
• What changes would the institutions recommend to NN/LM about their funding programs?

The School of Library and Information Science (LIS) at the University of Kentucky received an outreach impact study award from NN/LM GMR in the fall of 2009 for its project, “Learning By Doing: Engaging LIS Students in an Outreach Impact Study.” Project funds were used to provide scholarships to support student participation.     

Measuring social capital through network analysis and its influence on individual performance

Studies of social networks highlight the importance of network structure or structural properties of a given network and its impact on performance outcome. One of the important properties of this network structure is referred to as social capital, which is the network of contacts and the associated values attached to these networks of contacts. This study provides empirical evidence of the influence of social capital and performance within the context of academic collaboration (coauthorship) and suggests that the collaborative process involves social capital embedded within relationships and network structures among direct coauthors. Association between scholars' social capital and their citation-based performance measures is examined. To overcome the limitations of traditional social network metrics for measuring the influence of scholars' social capital within coauthorship networks, the traditional social network metrics is extended by proposing two new measures, of which one is non-weighted (the power–diversity index) and the other (power–tie–diversity index) is weighted by the number of collaboration instances. The Spearman's correlation rank test is used to examine the association between scholars' social capital measures and their citation-based performance. Results suggest that research performance of authors is positively correlated with their social capital measures. The power–diversity index and power–tie–diversity index serve as indicators of power and influence of an individual's ability to control communication and information.     

Advances in academic video game collections

As mass media and entertainment industries continue to undergo rapid change to keep ahead of trends and consumer demands, libraries must evolve and change along with them to manage these collections. This article will include a look at the UNT Media Library's earlier predictions about their video game and console collection; how practices have changed and will continue to change to support the next ten years of growth; the evolution of outreach to support the growing interest in video games; and the transformation of space to support games on a large university campus.     

The profile of station personality

One of the most outstanding examples of support for worth‐while cultural events by a commercial broadcasting network is the NBC Opera Theater, which was supported largely by NBC for fifteen years. Many people can take opera or leave it alone, and many others set out to avoid it. On the other hand, those who love opera love it with a passion rarely seen in non‐teenagers. However, it was not only for the fans that the NBC Opera Theater was founded, for there is little doubt that there were more opera lovers in the nation in the middle 1960's than there were in the late 1940's—and much of the credit for such an increase must go to this one institution.     

A network-based and multi-parameter model for finding influential authors

This study proposes a network-based model with two parameters to find influential authors based on the idea that the prestige of a whole network changes when a node is removed. We apply the Katz–Bonacich centrality to define network prestige, which agrees with the idea behind the PageRank algorithm. We further deduce a concise mathematical formula to calculate each author's influence score to find the influential ones. Furthermore, the functions of two parameters are revealed by the analysis of simulation and the test on the real-world data. Parameter α provides useful information exogenous to the established network, and parameter β measures the robustness of the result for cases in which the incompleteness of the network is considered. On the basis of the coauthor network of Paul Erdös, a comprehensive application of this new model is also provided.     

Dropped in Without a Parachute: Library Managers' Supervision Experiences

A survey of U.S. library managers explored the relationship between their social identities, experiences supervising others, support from others, and their overall satisfaction in their professional role. The literature provides evidence that demographic differences give rise to challenges in the workplace. Though no statistically significant differences were found between minority and nonminority managers related to supervisees' microaggressive behaviors, written commentary provided evidence of these and other supervision challenges. A regression analysis found that supervisees' behaviors, along with a manager's age, were significant predictors of their satisfaction as a supervisor. Recommendations for further research and implications for libraries emerge from these findings.     

The Effect of Emotionally Arousing Negative Images on Judgments About News Stories

Two experiments investigated the influence effects of negative photographs on people's attitudes after reading a news story. Experiment 1 presented an online news emulation to participants showing a story and images (high-emotion/low-emotion/no image) about African famine relief efforts. Experiment 2 replicated the design with a story and images about U.S. involvement in the Afghanistan War. As anticipated, using the predictions of the Affect Heuristic model of judgment formation, the addition of pictures with strong emotional activation had a diminishing effect on people's support for the war in Afghanistan and their support for famine aid. Additionally, decreasing effects were observed in broader attitudes concerning participants' support of a militaristic national policy in Experiment 2. These results are discussed regarding their implications for theories of judgment formation and journalistic practice.     

Project Math-Muse: Interactive Mathematics Exhibits for Young Children

This paper describes the goals and preliminary work of Project Math-Muse, an interdisciplinary team of university and public school educators working with children's museums to design and evaluate interactive mathematics exhibits for young children. Authors discuss the rationale for the development of small, interactive mathematics exhibits for young children, based on the goal of matching (a) reform-based views of mathematics, which emphasize children's active, hands-on engagement in meaningful activities, with (b) the principles that guide children's museums. Observations of children and adults interacting with two exhibit prototypes developed at a local children's museum are presented along with discussions of some of the issues that have arisen in this work so far. The paper concludes with directions for continued work.     

Neighborhood storytelling networks,Internet connectedness,and civic participation after the Great East Japan Earthquake

This study examines how the neighborhood storytelling network, which is conceptualized in communication infrastructure theory and includes interpersonal, organizational and community media connectedness, and an individual's Internet connectedness affected participation in civic activities in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred on 11 March 2011. Responses from 544 randomly selected people residing in Tokyo reveal that connectedness to a neighborhood storytelling network and one's Internet connectedness have positive effects on participation in civic activities in response to the earthquake. However, the two independent factors (neighborhood storytelling and Internet connectedness) do not exhibit a significant relationship with each other. The result suggests the existence of two different conduits for civic engagement in disaster situations – neighborhood storytelling networks and Internet connectedness – mainly distinguished by age.     

Mothers' child abuse potential as a predictor of maternal and child behaviors during play‐time interactions

This paper explores the effect of mothers' child abuse potential on maternal and child behaviors during play‐time interactions. Forty‐two mothers participated in a 10‐min play period followed by a clean‐up task along with one of their children (range=3–8 years old), after which they completed Milner's () Child Abuse Potential (CAP) Inventory. Mothers' behaviors were coded using a 21‐category scheme, which was collapsed into five behavioral clusters: describing, directing, criticizing, soliciting/affirming, and silent play. Children were rated for levels of involvement (activity) and cooperation. Mothers' child abuse potential scores were inversely associated with their own rate of soliciting/affirming behaviors during the play period. Children of higher‐risk mothers displayed higher levels of involvement combined with lower levels of cooperation compared children of lower‐risk mothers. Implications for understanding and responding to child physical abuse are discussed.     

Graduate Students' Perceptions of Library Support Services for Distance Learners

Abstract

A survey was conducted in Spring 1999 to assess the library support services for distance learning within the Texas A&M University System. Graduate students actively enrolled at remote sites in one or more courses taught on the system's interactive video network were surveyed. Results of this survey provide insight for improving library services.

“People want what they want when they want it. They don't want something else, they don't want less than they want, and they certainly don't want it at some other time” (Forsha, 1992).