Comparison of holdings of NLM (CATLINE) with those of resource libraries.

The collection development practices of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), with the goal of comprehensive acquisition of biomedical monographs, are compared with those of the resource libraries of the TALON (Region IX) Regional Medical Library. Holdings of two resource libraries in the TALON region, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and of the TALON Union Catalog of Monographs were compared with the NLM CATLINE data base for four subject classes and selected imprint years. Foreign-language coverage is lacking in Region IX, with English-language coverage is lacking in Region IX, with English-language coverage ranging between 70 and 88% of titles listed in CATLINE. Absent English-language material tends to be ephemeral or otherwise out of scope for the resource libraries. Between 7.1 and 18.8% of monographs acquired in each subject class by the two recource libraries are lacking in CATLINE; this represents between 2 and 8% of the CATLINE titles for each class.     

Evaluation of the TALON Cooperative Acquisitions Program for monographs

The TALON Cooperative Acquisitions Program for monographs (TALON/CAP) was implemented in 1979 by eleven resource libraries in the South Central Regional Medical Library Program. Each participating library acquired books from selected publishers within a profile covering subject and format. The program was evaluated by comparing interlibrary loan requests, surveying participants, and analyzing cataloging records. The results were that ten of the eleven libraries significantly increased their coverage of assigned publishers, and that academic medical libraries are not all buying the same books, even from major medical publishers. The fifty-six publishers in the program accounted for 60% to 83% of the titles with 1977-80 imprints held by participating libraries. The computer-generated collection analysis reports provide a baseline for future collection management studies.     

National Library of Medicine resource grants: application and review.

National Library of Medicine resource grants provide assistance in developing information services or activities, which are then made available to others. The resource grant program was redefined in 1989 to establish information access grants and information systems grants. The preparation of a resource grant proposal is discussed, with examples included for some sections. All applicants must use the PHS 398 application form, which is geared to research grants. The review process and reapplication are described. Problems with National Institutes of Health grant proposals that have been reported in the literature are discussed.     

A survey of information sources used by psychiatrists

To study the information sources of psychiatrists, we sent a questionnaire to 400 randomly selected members of the American Psychiatric Association. Seventy-four percent responded. Journals and books (in that order) were the most important information sources. The average number of journals regularly read was 4.3. An average of 9.1 books had been read during the preceding twelve months. Twenty-eight percent of books were obtained through a library. Sixty-nine percent of the respondents use a medical library at least monthly. Important differences were found by type of practice. For example, academicians reported reading almost 19 books the preceding year; private practitioners, 6.4. We conclude that a major aim in the postgraduate education of psychiatrists should be instruction in the use of all information services. In addition, abstracts and an authoritative annual review should help psychiatrists keep up in areas outside their special interest.     

Surveying gender differences in Canadian school literacy

Student survey results from Canada's first, national, large-scale assessment of school literacy are analysed for explanations of gender differences in reading and writing skills found in this and other recent Canadian large-scale assessments. Using findings from the 1994 Council of Ministers of Education, Canada School Achievement Indicators Programme, we explore English-Canadian adolescents' literacy preferences, attitudes and practices. Five models derived from recent literacy education and related educational research are posited as potential explanations for female superiority in literacy test results: 'division of family labour', 'character-personification', 'classroom interaction', 'assessment bias' and 'identification with genre'. The assumptions underlying these models are examined in light of the Council of Ministers of Education's study.     

Problem-solving in collaborative game design practices: epistemic stance,affect, and engagement

ABSTRACT

This article explores children’s development of problem-solving practices through multimodal engagements in digital activities. The study is based on analyses of a video recorded peer group activity in which two children, within the context of a project on computational thinking using the software Scratch, collaboratively work to solve a coding problem. Drawing on work on epistemics-in-interaction and the cooperative and transformative organization of human action and knowledge, the analyses focus on the interactional strategies that the children use to establish, sustain, and develop knowledge within the peer group and the role of affect in the unfolding organization of actions. By analyzing the multimodal cultural production in children’s interaction with digital technologies, it is shown how children learn creative and artful skills, thus positioning them as consumers as well as producers of media.