Evaluating Continuing Resources: Perspectives and Methods from Science Librarians

Five science librarians share their experiences with the evaluation of continuing resources at an academic university and discuss implications caused by the evaluation process. Four of the authors were new to collection evaluations at the time of the Serial Evaluation Project. These new librarians faced many challenges, both personally and professionally, in dealing with the cancellation process. Although the differences in approaches to collection analysis are discussed somewhat, they are not a focus of the article.     

Urban Youth's Perspectives on Flash Mobs

Flash mobs are new, emerging, and evolving social phenomena that have recently been associated with youth violence in the US cities. The current study explores how youth understand flash mobs through focus groups conducted in Kansas City, Missouri (a site of violent youth flash mobs). Results indicate that youth have varying familiarity with flash mobs and define them in different ways; that youth perceive youth boredom to be the most frequent cause of problems with flash mobs; that youth connect ongoing social disorder with the violence associated with flash mobs; and that while social media are facilitators of flash mobs, flash mobs have their roots in youth activities that have been going on for generations (e.g., hanging out in groups and cruising). Results illustrate the importance of conducting formative research with youth, particularly about emergent phenomena, when developing interventions and communication campaigns aimed at reducing youth violence.     

Librarians and Undergraduate Thesis Support: An Annotated Bibliography

This article surveys the available literature to explore the assistance librarians can provide to undergraduate thesis writers. The article begins with a discussion of undergraduate thesis requirements, then presents an annotated bibliography of scholarship on librarians'; work with thesis writers, and concludes with issues to consider for librarians planning to provide instruction and support to undergraduate thesis writers.     

Breaking silence: educating citizens for love,care and solidarity

An indifference to the affective domain and an allegiance to the education of the rational autonomous subject and public citizen are at the heart of formal education. The impact of Cartesian rationalism is intensifying with the glorification of performativity measured by league tables and rankings. The citizen carer and the care recipient citizen are only recognised in the educational arena when professionals are being trained to manage those in need of care. Education for informal care labour, solidarity work and love labour is generally not part of the formal educational trajectory. Because the scholarly understanding of work has been equated with economic self preservation and self‐actualisation through interaction with nature, education is seen as preparation for this type of work. Education is indifferent to other‐centred work arising from our interdependencies and dependencies as affective, relational beings. In particular it has ignored the centrality of nurturing for the preservation and self‐actualisation of the human species. In this article the authors argue that sociologists need to engage with the extensive feminist scholarship on care if they are to challenge the deeply care‐less view of the citizen that is implicitly accepted in new and older forms of liberal thinking. The rational economic actor model of the citizen is contrasted with the care‐full view of the citizen and the implications of both for education are explored.     

Stress in international work: Stressors and coping strategies of RNGO international directors

This study examines how international directors in religiously-affiliated nongovernmental organizations (RNGOs) cope with workplace stress. Interviews were conducted with directors from eight RNGOs who oversee programs in seven international regions. Findings reveal they experience three major stressors: difficulties communicating with others abroad, lack of funds, and dealing with constant travel. Overall, directors encounter these unique stressors due to the international demands of RNGO work, including international travel, fundraising for international programs, and intercultural communication. Moreover, they cope with stressors by striving for physical/mental health, pursuing/providing education, putting family first, seeking support, facilitating stakeholder communication, and planning ahead. Directors rely on problem-centered and emotion-centered coping, but they also describe the beneficial outcomes of avoidance-centered coping. Since only a few directors use prayer as a coping strategy, RNGOs must recognize that employees rely on secular and spiritual coping when developing organizational practices and programs related to stress management.