Student Death Penalty Attitudes: Does New Information Matter?

This study examines the effects of information about the death penalty on the attitudes of university students. Using an experimental design and a stratified cluster sampling procedure, this study addresses some of the limitations of previous research. Changes in death penalty attitudes at post-test were modest; however, it was also found that the degree of attitude change at post-test did not differ significantly between the experimental and control groups. The results of this study, in conjunction with the findings of previous studies of this nature, indicate that, while students tend to have limited knowledge of the death penalty, exposure to new information about it may not be sufficient to elicit change in their attitudes about the punishment.     

iSchools and archival studies

Whispers and rumors about the iSchool movement lead some to fear that this represents yet another shift away from the valued traditions of library schools, threatening something far different than what library science pioneers ever envisioned. Predating the iSchool movement, however, were other programmatic shifts such as those that led to the formalization of graduate archival education. This essay argues that such evolution is essential to our future, as iSchools tackle the increasingly complex issues confronting a digital society. We consider the mission and history of iSchools and of archival studies, the basic elements and concepts of archival studies that are critical to iSchools, and the relationship between iSchools and the changing nature of personal and institutional archives.