Strategic CRM: Improving the Business of Academic Libraries

An argument can be made that libraries are businesses, with users as their customers. Given the increasing scarcity of funding and pressure for proving value, academic libraries could benefit from leveraging certain business practices to increase user satisfaction. Creating a comprehensive strategy for building long-term user relationships can solidify support for libraries by engaging with all stakeholders to improve their library experiences. The Customer Relationship Management philosophy described here provides an opportunity for institutions to show their total value to all users and stakeholders and in doing so, improve the business of academic libraries.     

A Gendered Look at Educational Reform

This article looks at women teachers' involvement in educational reform from a gendered perspective. Using qualitative data collected in interviews with secondary level educators, the authors show how women teachers' beliefs and actions towards reform efforts were influenced by their gender identity. Socialization of women as nurturers and caretakers created in many women particular notions regarding the appropriate role they should play as teachers. When an educational reform effort 'fitted' with these conceptions, women teachers became advocates for and participated in the reforms. The support and commitment by women teachers in turn facilitated the success of the reforms. However, it was also found that the overrepresentation of women in a reform effort had the potential of creating negative political ramifications. When the character or profile of the reform took on a gendered identity, it ran the risk of facing resistance by men teachers in the school, ultimately thwarting implementation.     

Alternatives to the Traditional Sixth Form: a Preliminary Report

Recent years have seen the emergence of new types of provision for the 16‐19 age group in both the schools and further education sectors. This paper briefly outlines the various institutions now in operation and the rationale behind each type. A four‐year research project aims to survey and then evaluate the alternative arrangements for this age group. The project's first phase, which concentrated on the collection of background information and the definition of evaluation criteria, is described. Some preliminary findings are presented, together with the major issues arising from meetings and questionnaires.     

Realisation of strategic leadership in leadership teams' work as experienced by the leadership team members of basic education schools

This article introduces a quantitative research into how the leadership team members of 49 basic education schools in the city of Vantaa, Finland, experienced the realisation of strategic leadership in their leadership teams' work. The data were collected by a survey of 24 statements, rated on a five-point Likert scale, and analysed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The only variant explaining the differences in experiencing the realisation of strategic leadership in the leadership teams' work statistically, almost significantly, was the leadership team membership.     

Hitching Your Wagon to the Right Star: A Case Study in Collaboration

In tough economic times, librarians are challenged to increase their instruction and outreach efforts despite shrinking budgets. This article discusses creating a mutually beneficial partnership with existing, successful campus programs to increase outreach efforts with minimal financial risk. Ten steps for creating a meaningful partnership are discussed. The author uses lessons learned from her own experience creating a collaboration with a first-year orientation program to illustrate the challenges and suggest best practices to help readers implement the model on their own campuses.     

AGE‐RELATED DIFFERENCES IN ACADEMIC BURNOUT OF KOREAN ADOLESCENTS

Korean adolescents experience considerable stress because of an educational system that focuses primarily on college entrance examinations, pressure for academic achievement, and a competitive atmosphere in school. The main purpose of this study was to explore age differences in the construct of Korean adolescents’ academic burnout. Once assumptions of configural, factor loading, and intercept invariance were satisfied, we compared means of latent variables (four components of academic burnout in the present study). Results of the latent mean analysis showed that all four subscales (exhaustion, antipathy, cynicism, and inefficacy) of academic burnout increased gradually as age increased. Moving from elementary to middle and middle to high school appears to be stressful for students. Implications for school professionals and recommendations for future research are discussed.     

Remedial Testing and Placement in Community Colleges

Almost half of students who enter college require some sort of remedial coursework. Further, states are increasingly moving the responsibility of postsecondary remediation away from four-year campuses to two-year institutions. Scholars and policymakers have grappled with best practice for successfully filling in academic gaps and moving students forward, and there is variation both within and between states as to the ways in which remediation is defined, determined, and administered (Perin, 2006 Perin , D. ( 2006 ). Can community colleges protect both access and standards? The problem of remediation . Teachers College Record 108 ( 3 ), 339 – 373 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Using a regression discontinuity design, this study seeks to answer the following question on one community college campus: How does placement into remedial services affect student outcomes, in particular, successful completion of an introductory college-level English course? Although this study focuses on a single community college system, the findings have bearing on a wider sector as the developmental placement practices of Harper Community College District are not unlike those implemented by two- and four-year campuses across the country.     

Dietary supplements

For the athlete training hard, nutritional supplements are often seen as promoting adaptations to training, allowing more consistent and intensive training by promoting recovery between training sessions, reducing interruptions to training because of illness or injury, and enhancing competitive performance. Surveys show that the prevalence of supplement use is widespread among sportsmen and women, but the use of few of these products is supported by a sound research base and some may even be harmful to the athlete. Special sports foods, including energy bars and sports drinks, have a real role to play, and some protein supplements and meal replacements may also be useful in some circumstances. Where there is a demonstrated deficiency of an essential nutrient, an increased intake from food or from supplementation may help, but many athletes ignore the need for caution in supplement use and take supplements in doses that are not necessary or may even be harmful. Some supplements do offer the prospect of improved performance; these include creatine, caffeine, bicarbonate and, perhaps, a very few others. There is no evidence that prohormones such as androstenedione are effective in enhancing muscle mass or strength, and these prohormones may result in negative health consequences, as well as positive drug tests. Contamination of supplements that may cause an athlete to fail a doping test is widespread.     

International Trends in Health Science Librarianship Part 19: The Balkan States (Bulgaria and Croatia)

This is the 19th in a series of articles exploring international trends in health science librarianship in the 21st century. The focus of the present issue is the Balkan Region (Bulgaria and Croatia). The next regular feature column will investigate two other Balkan states ‐ Serbia and Slovenia. JM