The Effects of Mass Media Use and Social Capital on Civic and Political Participation

More recently, many scholars have lamented the decline of social capital, civic and political participation in American society. This study attempts to clarify the concept of social capital and its major components. We differentiate two dimensions of social capital: trust and social connectedness. In addition, we investigate the differential effects of a full range of media use on civic and political participation.

Analysis of data from a telephone survey in Clarksville, Tennessee in 2002 showed that people's social connectedness enhances both civic and political participation. Time spent in reading newspaper and watching public affairs on television was positively correlated with political participation whereas frequency of Internet use and entertainment TV viewing was not. The results also showed no correlation between media use and civic participation. Implications of the findings for future research on democratic citizenship were discussed.     

NEW TECHNOLOGIES

THE COMMUNITY MEDIUM, edited by Nancy Jesuale with Ralph Lee Smith (182 pages)

A GUIDE FOR LOCAL POLICY, edited by Nancy Jesuale with Richard M. Neustadt and Nicholas P. Miller (131 pages)

Jane Wilson, “New Information Technologies for the Nonprofit Sector,” (The Foundation Center, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, N.Y. 10106---$4.95, paper)

1982 CABLE ADVERTISING DIRECTORY (Nations Cable Television Association, 1724 Massachuse Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036---$30. paper)

THE INTERACTIVE CABLE TV HANDBOOK (Phillips Publishing , 7315 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1200 N, Bethesda, MD 20814---$49.00, paper)

COUNTDOWN: DIRECT-TO-HOME SATELLITE BROADCASTING IN THE EIGHTIES (65 pages---$75.00, paper)

VIDEODISC: BOOM OR BUST? THE STORY OF THE VIDEODISC IN 1981 FROM THE PAGES OF TELEVISION DIGEST (75 pages, $75.00, paper)     

International Media

AMERICA'S OTHER VOICE: THE STORY OF RADIO FREE EUROPE AND RADIO LIBERTY by Sig Mickelson (New York: Praeger, 1983—price not given).

PRESS CONTROL AROUND THE WORLD edited by Jane Leftwich Curry and Joan R. Dassin (New York: Praeger, 1982—price not given).

METHODS FOR INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION RESEARCH edited by William B. Gudykunst and Young Yun Kim (Beverly Hills, California: Sage Publications 1984—S28.00/$14.00).

A STUDY OF FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR THE VOICE OF AMERICA IN THE CHANGING WORLD OF INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING by John E. Ward, et al. (Research Program on Communications Policy, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139—$10.00, paper).     

Reference Works

COMPUTER SCIENCE RESOURCES: A GUIDE TO PROFESSIONAL LITERATURE, compiled and edited by Darlene Myers (White Plains, New York: Knowledge Industry Publications, 1981—$59.50, paper).

LIBRARY AND REFERENCE FACILITIES IN THE AREA OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, edited by Margaret S. Jennings (White Plains, New York: Knowledge Industry Publications, 1983—$39.00, paper).

STATISTICAL SERVICES DIRECTORY: A GUIDE TO THE ORGANIZATIONS, CORPORATIONS, PROFESSIONAL AND TRADE ASSOCIATIONS, RESEARCH CENTERS, UNIVERSITIES, PUBLISHERS, FOUNDATIONS, AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES THAT PROVIDE STATISTICAL SERVICES (Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research Company, 1984—$150).

CAREERS IN INFORMATION, edited by Jane F. Spivack (White Plains, New York: Knowledge Industries Publications, 1982—$34.50/27.50).

VIDEOTEX: A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY, Volume 1, 1979-1982 (Technical and Education Center of the Graphic Arts, Rochester Institute of Technology, P.O. Box 9887, Rochester, New York—price not given, but about $15.00, paper).

TELEMANAGEMENT NEWS SERVICE: THE NEWS SERVICE ON THE TELEPHONE INDUSTRY FOR OFFICE, DP AND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT (SRG Publications, P.O. Box 335, Palmyra, New Jersey 08065—$260.00 per year/weekly).

SPACE ENTERPRISE TODAY: THE NEWSLETTER ON COMMERCIAL SPACE VENTURES (Phillips Publishing Inc., 7315 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1200 N, Bethesda, Maryland 20814—$297.00 per year/monthly).

LINK-UP: COMMUNICATIONS AND THE SMALL COMPUTER (On-Line Communications, Inc., 3938 Meadowbrook Road, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55426-$23.95 per year/monthly).

RESEARCH NOTES (Policy Development and Planning, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 1111 Sixteenth Street, N. W., Washington, D.C. 20036—apparently free on request/irregular).

SCA: RADIO SUBCARRIER REPORT (Waters & Company, Security Mutual Building, Suite 322, Binghampton, New York 13901—$185.00 per year/monthly).     

A TV in the Bedroom: Implications for Viewing Habits and Risk Behaviors During Early Adolescence

This study examined associations between bedroom television, media use, and adolescents' health risk behaviors. A sample of 1,017 12- to 14-year-old adolescents completed computer-assisted interviews at baseline and 2-year follow-up. Among White adolescents, having a bedroom television predicted risk-promoting media use practices and significantly greater odds of initiating health risk behaviors—cigarette smoking and sexual intercourse—over 2 years. Although significantly more Black than White adolescents had a bedroom television, bedroom television was unrelated to Black adolescents' media use practices or health risk behaviors. Research is needed to understand ethnic differences in family media use and consequences for adolescent development.     

Crafting the Apology: Japanese Apologies to South Korea in 1990

This rhetorical study of Japanese government apologies made in 1990 to the President of South Korea considers national apology as part of a process, rather than as standalone and rhetor-driven text. These apologies demonstrate the interactional and intersubjective nature of national discourse, revealing perhaps surprisingly the role of the recipient and audience in the construction— indeed “co-construction”—of the apology. The role of the media is particularly important in this process.     

An Academic Library's Self-Study in Ethics: A Library-Wide Investigation of Ethical Practice

Abstract

In the fall of 2017, the Clark Library at the University of Portland undertook an investigation of ethics in academic libraries to understand ethical practices in the library’s day-to-day work. The self-study was a year-long, library-wide project with directed activities within small groups, individually assigned readings and responses, and discussions at all-staff meetings. The project culminated in three specific deliverables: an annotated bibliography focused on ethical issues by functional area, a Clark Library Statement of Ethics, and a Statement of Ethical Information Use for inclusion in University syllabi.     

Use It or Lose It! Results of a Use Study of the Print Sources in an Academic Library Reference Collection

This article describes a use study of a reference collection, which found that 7.1% of total volumes in the reference collection were used over the course of the fall semester.