Collection Development and Censorship in Torah Studies Libraries in Israel

A Torah studies library is a type of Jewish library specializing in biblical and rabbinical literature. One of its characteristics is its process of collection development and censorship. This study primarily aims to discuss the collection development policies in Torah libraries, particularly censorship implemented as part of a policy, with an emphasis on how prohibited books are rejected. A qualitative-narrative research technique was used, allowing the viewpoints of the “selectors” to be examined. To present a broad picture, various types of Torah studies libraries were chosen for the study.     

Books of the Month

Daniel Lerner and Lyle M. Nelson, Communication Research–A Half Century Appraisal (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1977–$16.00).

Les Brown The New York Times Encyclopedia of Television (New York: Times Books, 1977—$20.00)     

Mass Communications

Ted Perry (ed.) Performing Arts Resources: 1974 (New York: Drama Books Specialists/Theater Library Association, 1974—price not known)

George N. Gordon's Communications and Media: Constructing a Cross-Discipline (New York: Hastings House, 1975—$12.50/6.95)

Francisco J. Lewels Jr.'s The Uses of the Media by the Chicano Movement: A Study in Minority Access (New York: Praeger Special Studies, 1974— $15.00)

Lester Asheim and Sara I. Fenwick's Differentiating the Media (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1975—$5.95)

C.A. Schicke's Revolution in Sound: A Biography of the Recording Industry (Boston: Little, Brown, 1974—$6.95)

T. Jan Wiseman and Molly J. Wiseman's Creative Communicati Teaching Mass Media (Minneapolis: National Scholastic Press Association at the University of Minnesota, 1974—price not given, paper)     

Photography and Film History

Gordon Hendricks' Eadweard Muybridge: The Father of the Motion Picture (New York: Grossman Publishers/Viking Press, 1975—$25.00)

Eaton S. Lothrop Jr.'s A Century of Cameras from the Collection of the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.: Morgan and Morgan, 1973—$12.00)

John Stewart's Filmarama Volume I: The Formidable Years 1893-1919 (Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1975— $15.00)

Kenneth W. Leish's Cinema (New York: Newsweek Books ”World of Culture“ series, 1974— cost not known, but available in regular and deluxe editions)

Donald F. Glut's The Dracula Book (Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1975—$12.50)

Richard Schickel's The Men Who Made The Movies (New York: Atheneum, 1975—$12.95)     

Context and Sources in Broadcast Television Coverage of the 2004 Democratic Primary

This study examined context variables (reporter speculation, multiple viewpoints, and story emphasis) and source variables (anonymous sources and source transparency) in broadcast television coverage of the 2004 Democratic presidential primaries. Primary coverage was compared with coverage of other major stories. Primary coverage was no more focused on conflict than were other major stories. Primary coverage was, however, more focused on winners and losers, and primary reporting was more likely to include reporter speculation. Primary stories were just as likely to include anonymous sources as were other major stories, but primary stories also were more likely than other major stories to fully identify sources.     

Outcomes assessment: an examination of the ETS major field test and the comprehensive business exam

This study is the first to examine student performance differences between the major field test in business (MFTB) and the comprehensive business exam (CBE). Results reveal students performed at a statistically significant 50.8 percentile ranking on the CBE compared to a 38.0 percentile ranking on the MFTB. Additionally, this study finds that students transferring business core courses with a grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or lower perform at a statistically significant lower level on both the MFTB and the CBE than those transferring business core courses with GPAs higher than 2.5. These findings have important implications for assessment of learning purposes.