Communicating with deaf people:deaf awareness for librarians

Recent legislation in Britain and elsewhere has implications for librarians and othersserving people with disabilities. This paper considers one type of disability: the communicationand information needs of deaf people. A review of the literature indicates that the professionaldevelopment of both health professionals and librarians is not preparing them forcommunication with deaf people. A growing recognition of the need for deaf awarenesstraining among library staff is discussed. A number of training resources are mentioned with achecklist of good communication skills.     

More than a shelter: Public libraries and the information needs of people experiencing homelessness

How public library policies, practices and services support the information needs of people experiencing homelessness was investigated using a qualitative-phenomenological design. Data were collected through semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with four homeless participants and seven librarians from four public library networks from a particular New Zealand region. The findings revealed that while none of the participating libraries had policies or services that were targeted at homelessness individuals, the libraries were perceived as providing services that largely met the information needs of their homeless patrons even if there were areas for improvement. It was noted that libraries could provide services that contribute to the strengthening of cultural identity and that policies and services should take relevant socio-cultural contexts into consideration. The findings inform public library policies and practices so that services could be developed and improved in order to enable equitable and effective use by homeless individuals, without unnecessarily segregating this user group.     

Supporting e-learning: an overview of the needs of users

It has become banal to refer to the growth in the use of the Internet in Higher Education (HE). It is now time to regard ‘e-learning’ as an integral part of academic activity, which needs to be routinely supported. This article provides an overview of what is happening and makes some suggestions for organising support services for e-learning.     

不同地区老年人的日常生活信息需求

对我国不同地区老年人日常生活信息需求的分析发现,他们最关注的是新闻资讯信息、健康信息、娱乐信息、福利信息以及科普知识。     

Meeting health information needs of people with HIV/AIDS: sources and means of collaboration

Background: Internet‐based applications, in particular those that allow communication, have great potential to meet information needs. Limited research has indicated that people with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS; PHAs) use these technologies, but it has not yet been examined how resources are used collaboratively and in conjunction with offline sources. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine in what ways PHAs collaborate to meet treatment information needs and what role Internet‐based computer‐mediated communication (CMC) played in meeting this goal. Methods: This exploratory study was implemented using surveys and focus groups with 23 participants in Toronto, Canada. The purposive sample included men and women. Results: A variety of both off‐ and online resources were used to learn about HIV/AIDS treatment information, including web‐based and print. All participants were communicating with others, primarily in person, and most desired anecdotal treatment information. However, few reported using CMC to accomplish this goal. Harris and Dewdney's Principles of Information Seeking was used to frame the findings. Conclusions: Despite technical proficiency with CMC, few participants in this study reported use of this communication tool. Information professionals need to ensure access to HIV health information including those in remote areas who have fewer resources.     

Communication anxiety and signing effectiveness: Testing an interference model among deaf communicators

Couples coping with cancer are often told to talk about feelings, yet there is limited theoretical, empirical, or intervention research to justify this advice. We interviewed 19 patients and 16 partners about their communication. In a mixed methods analysis, we found talk about feelings was associated with distress and functioning, even after controlling for marital satisfaction, perceived constraint from discussing cancer, or physical functioning; however, patients and partners who focused on feelings and personal issues had worse outcomes than those who focused on facts and medical issues. Through qualitative analysis, we found multiple ways to cope that did not require talking about feelings as well as ways that higher levels of distress affected talk about feelings. Our findings suggest we should reconsider advice to couples, encouraging multiple ways of communicating, and considering contextual factors that influence the timing and desirability of talk about feelings.     

Clinical effectiveness and allied health professionals: an information needs assessment

OBJECTIVE: To determine the information needs and support required by AHPs whilst building services based on clinical effectiveness. METHODS: A qualitative approach using action research in co-operation with a Rehabilitation Department Clinical Effectiveness group, leading to interviews with eight therapists. The sampling strategy was purposive. RESULTS: Therapists have well-developed professional networks, but are unsure how to access traditional library areas. Library training can stop AHPs in asking for help or services, whilst the library is thought to be very different to their everyday work, but confidence in using the library service can be acquired by getting to know a librarian. A departmental-based service was thought to provide better access to, and understanding of, information through mentorship, whilst also providing up-to-date evidence so that clinicians can concentrate on their clinical work whilst being more clinically effective. CONCLUSIONS: When seeking information, AHPs are more likely to use professional networks than libraries. However, when working alongside an AHP, a librarian can upgrade information-seeking skills through mentorship, whilst named library contacts can make it easier to access the library for help.     

Addressing the health information needs of rural Missouri health care providers: an IAIMS assistant experience

A one-year internship at the University of Missouri-Columbia offered an opportunity for a health sciences librarian to contribute to Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems (IAIMS) activities and take information management ideas back home. The IAIMS Assistant addressed information access issues. The Assistant helped to develop and administer a "Rural Provider Questionnaire" to assess the information needs of rural Missouri health care providers. The Health Sciences Library developed a Web page to bring together services and information resources in response to the perceived needs of health care providers associated with the Health Sciences Center. The article discusses the librarians' role in IAIMS initiatives.     

Towards an understanding of the use of an institutional repository with integrated social networking tools: A case study of PocketKnowledge

Transaction log analysis (TLA), content analysis, and grounded theory procedures were used to explore the use of an institutional digital repository and social networking website by the academic community of a graduate school of education in the northeastern United States. Three successive years of usage records were gathered and analyzed to determine: (a) the numbers and categories of persons signing up to use the repository during each school semester, (b) the type of content being archived and its rate of growth, and (c) the possible influence of the repository on collaborative, online and open access scholarship within the institution. Findings show a steady increase in the usage of the repository for archiving and sharing digital resources, and an item-tagging scheme that suggests user preference of the resource as a platform for enhancing professional rather than personal interests. User interactivity by way of textual scholarly discussions on the repository platform is however almost nonexistent.     

论科技期刊编辑的科学素养

从科技知识和技能的掌握、科学精神的领悟和把握、科学实践能力的培养等方面论述科技期刊编辑人员所应具备的科学素养.     

面向MOOC环境的高校图书馆建设——以国家开放大学图书馆为例

文章通过对MOOC其关联支撑环境的综合分析,研究其带来的图书馆服务转变.试从资源建设、平台建设、服务提供三个层面,对国家开放大学图书馆面向MOOC环境进行的实践探索和思考进行系统梳理,以期给高校图书馆提供参考和借鉴.