Library Study Behaviors in the Age of Ubiquitous Mobile Devices: An Observational Study in Four Academic Libraries

In this study, researchers observed student study behaviors in the libraries of four post-secondary institutions. In all, 2,773 observations were made. This research replicates and expands an earlier study and addresses its limitations. The results of a logistic regression test indicate whether students had a mobile device readily available and where students chose to study in the library best predicted whether they demonstrated a study, as opposed to a non-study, behavior. Specifically, if students were found in quiet study or computer areas, they were more likely to be performing study behaviors. This research has implications for library stakeholders making decisions about the use of library space. Most importantly, this research demonstrates that library spaces are widely used for diverse purposes.     

Improving Distance Education for Students with Special Needs: A Qualitative Study of Students’ Experiences with an Online Library Research Course

This article describes a study in which seven students with diverse disabilities participated in a one-credit online library research course which had been adapted to be accessible using the best practices literature on distance education for students with special needs. Students provided feedback on the design of the course and participated in in-depth interviews. Results of this study suggest any given class may have students with different types of disabilities, with different paths toward learning. Using the principles of universal design for learning can improve distance education not only for students with special needs, but for all types of learners.     

Pharmacist perception and use of UpToDate?

A cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample of 1,199 pharmacists was conducted to describe pharmacists'' use and perception of UpToDate®. Of 472 (39%) respondents, 217 (46%) reported using UpToDate. Most respondents who used or had heard of UpToDate indicated willingness to change a treatment plan based on UpToDate recommendations (77%). Many believed that UpToDate is updated weekly (31%) or monthly (49%) and that all articles undergo external peer review (51%). In conclusion, the majority of respondents reported that they would adjust drug therapy based on UpToDate recommendations; however, many pharmacists may hold misconceptions regarding the updating and peer-review processes.     

Perceptions of Support Systems for Tenure-Track Librarians

Hiring and retaining talent in academic libraries marks a significant investment of time and capital for colleges and universities. This is particularly true for tenure-track academic librarians. Successful attainment of tenure is in the interests of both librarians and administrators, and many institutions offer tenure support systems to assist librarians in this regard. A forty-four question survey assessed tenure-track librarians' perceptions and satisfaction of whether tenure requirements are adequately supported in their critical partnership with library administrators. While most respondents expressed somewhat moderate satisfaction with provided support measures, support type and quantity varied significantly. A recommendation for creating a comprehensive program of support is discussed.     

Research Goes Digital: Some Methods,Frameworks, and Issues

Traditionally, librarians take a role in connecting researchers with resources. With the advent of the digital age, the nature of research is expanding; there are more, and different, sources of data, ways of collecting data, and methods of analyzing and interacting with data. If librarians are to remain relevant and able to serve their patrons, then they must engage in research as guides or even as partners in the research process. To do this, it is critical that librarians gain an understanding of the nature of research in the digital age and of the frameworks, methodologies, and issues related to digital research. The purpose of this article is to contribute to literature on digital research as it relates to librarianship.     

An Intercultural Partnership for Social Justice in the Rio Grande Valley TX Colonias

This article details how an intercultural partnership between a grassroots nonprofit organization and a critical cultural communication scholar was forged and maintained via complementary epistemic stances of engagement. The NPO members’ stance was grounded in la consciencia broadly defined and border logics linked to the use of emotive narratives and strategic Spanish, while for myself an ethic of speaking with was comprised of self-reflexivity, self-examination of positionalities, dialogic relationship building, and an enactment of care in representing community members. Ultimately, tuning into the importance of decoloniality via an ethic of speaking with and the necessary strategy of delinking allowed for two intercultural partners to work together toward social justice in the borderlands.     

An Experimental Study of Scheduling and Duration of "Tier 2" First-Grade Reading Intervention

This study compared the effects on reading outcomes of delivering supplemental, small-group intervention to first-grade students at risk for reading difficulties randomly assigned to one of three different treatment schedules: extended (4 sessions per week, 16 weeks; n = 66), concentrated (4 sessions per week, 8 weeks; n = 64), or distributed (2 sessions per week, 16 weeks; n = 62) schedules. All at-risk readers, identified through screening followed by 8 weeks of oral reading fluency (ORF) progress monitoring, received the same Tier 2 reading intervention in groups of 2 to 4 beginning in January of Grade 1. Group means were higher in word reading and ORF at the final time point relative to pretest; however, the groups did not differ significantly on any reading outcome or on rates of adequate intervention response. Of potential covariates, site, age, free lunch status, program coverage rate, and tutor were significantly related to student outcomes; however, the addition of these variables in multivariate models did not substantially change results. Rates of adequate intervention response were lower than have been reported for some first-grade interventions of longer duration.     

Memories of structured input become increasingly distorted across development

Trajectories of cognitive and neural development suggest that, despite early emergence, the ability to extract environmental patterns changes across childhood. Here, 5- to 9-year-olds and adults (N = 211, 110 females, in a large Canadian city) completed a memory test assessing what they remembered after watching a stream of shape triplets: the particular sequence in which the shapes occurred and/or their group-level structure. After accounting for developmental improvements in overall memory, all ages remembered specific transitions, while memory for group membership was only observed in older children and adults (age by test-type interaction η² = .05). Thus, while young children form memories for specifics of structured experience, memory for derived associations is refined later—underscoring that adults and young children form different memories despite identical experience.