Virtual and non‐virtual realities: the changing roles of libraries and librarians

What is the future for libraries and their librarians? In trying to give an answer to this pressing question we do not deal with utopian libraries of the next century, but with the library and the librarian of the next decade. The emphasis is on libraries within educational and research institutions, especially university libraries. We examine the changes confronting the library of the future and identify four key aspects of the library of the future. It will be (i) a gateway to information, whatever format this information comes in and wherever it is located; (ii) an expertise centre; (iii) a physical entity, not only in the sense of being a social meeting place and place of scholarly interaction, but also as a place where students and other users are provided with modern study facilities and adequate user support; and (iv) a collection centre of printed material. Such libraries can only take on an appropriate shape and will only survive if the institutions that librarians serve in meet the four criteria outlined above. We look at the demands that will be made on professional library knowledge and skills and the new job responsibilities and job attitudes required.     

差异的世界:大学排名的全球调查

本文研究了全球19个大学排行榜,描述了排行榜作为质量评价手段是如何运作的,详细讨论了现有排名系统使用的质量指标并归纳出在排名上存在的不同地域模式。本文发现,世界上的主要排行榜之间没有多少联系,它们采用差别很大的指标和权重来评估大学。但是,有一些大学,无论是用何种的指标和权重,都会居于排行榜的前列。本文还探讨了与目前流行的严格按分数高低排名的“排行榜”不同的做法,并得出了结论。     

Power,Perceptions, and Relationships: A Model of Co-Teaching in Higher Education

Co-teaching has historically been used in K–12 education to provide students with disabilities access to general curriculum; therefore, much of the co-teaching literature has focused on the K–12 population. Research on collegiate co-teaching has been more limited and largely focused on the advantages and disadvantages of co-teaching, omitting important factors that affect relationships between partners. This qualitative study involved seven interviews of co-teachers of graduate and undergraduate classes in order to better understand interactions between college-level co-teaching dyads. Data analysis revealed themes of power and authority structures, dynamics of co-teaching relationships, and co-teachers' perceptions related to advantages of co-teaching, disadvantages of co-teaching, and student experiences. The researchers developed the Circular Model of Collegiate Co-Teaching, an original model to explain how these themes and subthemes are interrelated and affect each other. Specific best practices and new insights for collegiate co-teaching practice are discussed.     

Parameters in television captioning for deaf and hard-of-hearing adults: effects of caption rate versus text reduction on comprehension

Caption rate and text reduction are factors that appear to affect the comprehension of captions by people who are deaf or hard of hearing. These 2 factors are confounded in everyday captioning; rate (in words per minute) is slowed by text reduction. In this study, caption rate and text reduction were manipulated independently in 2 experiments to assess any differential effects and possible benefits for comprehension by deaf and hard-of-hearing adults. Volunteers for the study included adults with a range of reading levels, self-reported hearing status, and different communication and language preferences. Results indicate that caption rate (at 130, 180, 230 words per minute) and text reduction (at 84%, 92%, and 100% original text) have different effects for different adult users, depending on hearing status, age, and reading level. In particular, reading level emerges as a dominant factor: more proficient readers show better comprehension than poor readers and are better able to benefit from caption rate and, to some extent, text reduction modifications.     

Reciprocal Versus Nonreciprocal Assessment of Knee Flexors and Extensors in Concentric Actions Using the CON-TREX Multijoint Isokinetic Dynamometer: A Reliability Study

Knee flexor and extensor muscular assessment via isokinetic dynamometry is common practice and established in the research literature. However, reporting assessment methodology regarding reciprocal and nonreciprocal movements is often vague or absent. Such methodological issues are crucial for accurate assessments. Therefore, knee extensor and flexor peak moment using either reciprocal movement or nonreciprocal modalities was assessed. Fifteen participants performed three blocks of five concentric muscle actions at three angular velocities [1: nonreciprocal (maximal active flexion followed by passive extension); B2: reciprocal (maximal active extension followed by maximal active flexion); B3 nonreciprocal (maximal active extension followed by passive flexion)]. ANOVA revealed statistically significant within-subject modality effects for peak knee extensor moment and flexor velocity and modality differences (p < .05). Reciprocal and nonreciprocal assessments give significantly different results, with nonreciprocal giving higher peak moments. Reporting which modality is used is crucial to allow for greater clarity for the reader and practitioner.