Information on the Go: Perspective of Academic Librarians on Use of Social Media in Reference Services

Librarians have different perceptions on the employment of social media in library services. This research focused on investigating the perceptions that academic librarians in Ghana hold about the employment of social media in providing reference and user services. A quantitative research approach employing a Likert-type questionnaire was used in soliciting the views of 99 librarians from six top public and private universities in Ghana on their perspective on the use of social media in providing reference and user services. The findings of the study indicate mixed perceptions on the application of social media in reference and user services. These are variously attributed to lack of skills on the part of librarians to use social media, low bandwidth and poor internet connectivity, and inadequate support/motivation from parent institutions among others. As a result, librarians found the traditional mode of service delivery more comfortable, though they knew the importance of social media in their services. The study recommended, among others, development of skills and sensitization workshops to whip up interest in librarians to use social media in reference and user services.     

The Influence of Experimental Design on the Detection of Performance Differences

We demonstrate the effect of sample and trial size on statistical outcomes for single-subject analyses (SSA) and group analyses (GA) for a frequently studied performance activity and common intervention. Fifty strides of walking data collected in two blocks of 25 trials for two shoe conditions were analyzed for samples of five, eight, 10, and 12 subjects and five, 10, 25, and 50 trials. SSA revealed a greater number of differences (p < .05) than GA for all sample and trial sizes. Increasing sample size resulted in consistent increases in the number of differences for GA; differences for SSA were independent of sample size. Increasing trial size from five to 50 resulted in increased differences for SSA; GA were independent of trial size. Detecting significant differences in group designs is more dependent on the number of subjects, while SSA are more dependent on the number of trials.     

Special Issue Introduction: Career and Life Planning Key Feature Within Comprehensive Guidance Programs

Career and life planning is viewed as a process that starts early in the elementary school through adult life and it should be at the heart of any guidance program. This journal discusses the value and process ideas at each of the school and grade levels. The authors also discuss how parents, employers, and teachers enhance the career planning process by expanding student options, encouragement, motivation, mentoring, and providing career life experiences. Career planning is viewed as a structured and expected series of events and activities a student would go through as a part of their school experience. It forwards the idea that to assure all youth have a plan for life transition and success takes state department of education policy and support, local district expectations, time, and resources, and students who see the value in participating. The counselor is viewed as the key agent in such a program and needs to demonstrate that early, continuous and high quality life planning improves not only academic achievement, but life and employment success.     

Thomas Kuhn's Influence on Astronomers

An e-mail survey of two samples of the world's astronomers was conducted in order to determine the familiarity of the astronomical community with the work of Thomas Kuhn. As anticipated, only a minority of a representative sample of the astronomical community had more than a vague familiarity with Kuhn and his work. An unanticipated result of this investigation was the extent and type of influence of Kuhn on the research and teaching lives of the minority of astronomers who were familiar with his work. The depth and thoughtfulness of the responses indicated that for some astronomers at least, Kuhn's thought resonated well with their picture of how science is done and provided some useful perspectives on their scientific careers. These responses may be of value in encouraging scientists to become more familiar with the history and philosophy of science.