Developing Leadership Skills for Reference Librarians: The Case for Planning a Local Conference

The planning, development, and organization of a one-day or multiple-day conference is time consuming, challenging, and requires a well-prepared framework. This article discusses the guidelines and strategies developed by the Southeast Florida Library Information Network Reference Committee for the organization of a successful local conference. These guidelines offer a model for any organization that is planning a conference and for incorporating future events into the planning process. They also serve as a collaborative model for what a regional network can achieve toward promoting and providing professional development and leadership opportunities for its libraries, librarians, and library staff.     

Ultra-orthodox Jewish teachers' self-efficacy and willingness for inclusion of pupils with special needs

The main aim of the present study was to investigate the attitudes of boys' teachers (N = 68), and girls' teachers (N = 68), in the independent educational system of the ultra-orthodox (Haredi) community, towards inclusion of pupils with special needs in regular classrooms. Forty of the subjects lived and taught in two major cities in which reside, beside other citizens, the majority of the Haredi community in Israel, and 73 of them lived in a small town in which reside only the Haredi community. Results show that willingness to include pupils with special needs in their class of teachers in the cities is significantly more positive than their counterparts in the small town. In addition, within those cities the willingness to include of the boys' teachers is more positive towards inclusion of mildly disabled children, while the willingness to include of girls' teachers is more positive towards inclusion of severely disabled pupils. Findings indicate also that the Haredi teachers, males and females alike, have a different perception of disability as compared to the common spread of the professional perception of this term. Results indicate the effects of a major change in the state's educational policy on its independent minorities' educators.     

Thin film electro-osmotic pumps for biomicrofluidic applications

Electro-osmotic flow (EOF) pumps are attractive for fluid manipulation in microfluidic channels. Open channel EOF pumps can produce high pressures and flow rates, and are relatively easy to fabricate on-chip or integrate with other microfluidic or electrical components. An EOF pump design that is conducive to on-chip fabrication consists of multiple small channel arms feeding into a larger flow channel. We have fabricated this type of pump design using a thin film deposition process that avoids wafer bonding. We have evaluated pumps fabricated on both silicon and glass substrates. Consistent flow rate versus electric field were obtained. For the range of 40–400 V, flow rates of 0.19–2.30 μL∕min were measured. Theoretical calculations of pump efficiency were made, as well as calculations of the mechanical power generated by various pump shapes, to investigate design parameters that should improve future pumps.     

Reading and writing ability and drop out in the Swedish upper secondary school

A three-year programme in upper secondary school is compulsory in Sweden. In reality, some youngsters refrain from applying to the upper secondary school (8 per cent) or drop out in advance (9 per cent). In Stockholm the Youth Centre has been assigned to arrange individual programmes for these pupils. The aim of this study is to investigate their reading and writing ability and to relate this retrospectively to their school experience. Instruments measuring reading comprehension, vocabulary and dictation were carried out on 286 respondents; in addition, background information concerning school attainment was collected. Ten respondents were selected, five high and five low achievers. An unstructured interview was used to investigate their home background, school and reading experiences. Students attending individual programmes at the Youth Centre had lower than average reading and writing abilities in comparison to students at the vocational programmes in upper secondary school. The whole group is characterized by low marks, immigrant background and partial school attendance. The analyses of interview statements reveal a common category - powerlessness - for those with and without reading disabilities. Separate categories were for high achievers - boredom - and for low achievers - lack of opportunity.     

Higher education students in contemporary France

The number of students entering higher education started to increase significantly in the mid-1960s. This sharp growth has gone together with diversification in the social background of those attending, creation of new tracks (mainly in technology) and, more recently, a number of pedagogical innovations. Consequently, higher education students in the 1990s have little in common with those described by Pierre Bourdieu and Jean-Claude Passeron in Les héritiers, published in 1964: they are not just young bourgeois whose university career confirms ex-post the social position of his or her family. The relative democratization of access to higher education has allowed young people from other social classes to continue their studies after the baccalauréat. However, this democratization has also created new problems for higher education institutions. They must make financial, organizational and pedagogical adaptation to mass schooling. Higher education students also confront new problems in adapting to such demands of university work as autonomy and initiative. Students' living conditions have also changed: while remaining economically dependent on their parents, they enjoy, especially in the provinces, considerable freedom in the running of their personal lives.     

Colorism as a Salient Space for Understanding in Teacher Preparation

In this article, we posit the salience of colorism as an important aspect of race in the knowledge construction and preparation of teachers. Although many more teacher education programs across the United States have begun to infuse aspects of race into their curricula, there is sparse literature about the role of colorism in teacher preparation and its potential impact. This article explicitly focuses on darker-skinned students, who experience trauma differently from lighter-skinned students. This research chronicles the particular experiences of African American female students who endure deep-seated biases and attitudes regarding their skin color, both outside of and within school environments. We argue that teacher education programs should include learning opportunities on construction of race as a phenotype (the physical construction of skin tone, hair texture, facial features, and body physique) as an influence on the thinking, beliefs, and consequent practices of teachers in P–12 classrooms. The article concludes with an explicit recommendation for teacher education programs to prioritize colorism in the preparation of teachers.     

Two-dimensional spatial manipulation of microparticles in continuous flows in acoustofluidic systems

We report a modeling and experimental study of techniques to acoustically focus particles flowing through a microfluidic channel. Our theoretical model differs from prior works in that we solve an approximate 2-D wave transmission model that accounts for wave propagation in both the solid and fluid phases. Our simulations indicate that particles can be effectively focused at driving frequencies as high as 10% off of the resonant condition. This conclusion is supported by experiments on the acoustic focusing of particles in nearly square microchannels, which are studied for different flow rates, driving frequencies and placements of the lead zirconate titanate transducer, either underneath the microchannel or underneath a parallel trough. The relative acoustic potential energy and the resultant velocity fields for particles with positive acoustic contrast coefficients are estimated in the 2-D limit. Confocal microscopy was used to observe the spatial distribution of the flowing microparticles in three dimensions. Through these studies, we show that a single driving frequency from a single piezoelectric actuator can induce the 2-D concentration of particles in a microchannel with a nearly square cross section, and we correlate these behaviors with theoretical predictions. We also show that it is possible to control the extent of focusing of the microparticles, and that it is possible to decouple the focusing of microparticles in the vertical direction from the lateral direction in rectangular channels with anisotropic cross sections. This study provides guidelines to design and operate microchip-based acoustofluidic devices for precise control over the spatial arrangement of microparticles for applications such as flow cytometry and cellular sorting.     

Reading from print,laptop computer,and e-reader: Differences and similarities for college students’ learning

Abstract

Digital and print readings differ in their affordances. Past research supports a print advantage, but few studies have used within-subjects approaches or compared handheld devices and multiple reading genres. We compared college students’ reading of several excerpts on paper, a laptop, and an e-reader. Students read on all platforms, completed comprehension tasks, and answered questions on their perceptions and preferences. Results indicated that students’ learning experience with print was superior, with the laptop a close second. In contrast, students’ learning from and perceptions of the e-reader were lower. There was no interaction with reading genre. This research suggests that students’ preference for print remains strong. When digital materials are used, e-readers appear to be a less viable option for academics relative to laptops.     

Journal reviewers acknowledged

Mediated Political Realities, Dan Nimmo and James E. Combs (New York: Longman, 1983), 240 pp., $10.95.

The Political Uses of Symbols, Charles D. Elder and Roger W. Cobb (New York: Longman, 1983), 173 pp., $22.50/$9.95.

Keeping a Finger on the Public Pulse: Private Polling in Presidential Elections, Bruce E. Altschuler (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1982), 197 pp., $25.00.

"For Immediate Release”;: Candidate Press Releases in American Political Campaigns, Jan Pons Vermeer (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1982), 189 pp., $27.50.

Introduction to Mass Communications, 7th ed., Warren K. Agee, Philip H. Ault and Edwin Emery (New York: Harper and Row, 1982), 498 pp., $16.50.

Discovering Mass Communication, Samuel L. Becker (Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1983), 492 pp., $15.95.

Mass Communication an Introduction, 3d ed., John R. Bittner (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice‐Hall, 1983), 508 pp., $17.95.

The Dynamics of Mass Communication, Joseph R. Dominick (Reading, MA: Addison‐Wesley, 1983), 552 pp., $16.95.

Broadcasting in the Arab World, Douglas A. Boyd (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1982), 306 pp., $29.50.

The Age of Television, Martin Esslin (San Francisco: Freeman, 1982), 138 pp., $7.95.

The Early Window: Effects of Television on Children and Youth, 2d ed., Robert M. Liebert, Joyce N. Sprafkin and Emily S. Davidson (New York: Pergamon, 1982), 255 pp., $25.00/$9.95.

The Interplay of Influence: Mass Media &; Their Publics in News, Advertising, Politics, Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Karlyn Kohrs Campbell (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1983), 287 pp., $11.95.

Television and Radio Announcing, 4th ed., Stuart W. Hyde (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1983), 522 pp., $22.50.

Humanistic Radio Production, Harold L. Drake (Washington, DC: University Press of America, 1982), 116 pp., $19.50/$8.25.     

Electroosmotic flow in vapor deposited silicon dioxide and nitride microchannels

Electroosmotic flow was studied in thin film microchannels with silicon dioxide and silicon nitride sidewalls formed using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). A sacrificial etching process was employed for channel fabrication allowing for cross-sections with heights of 3 μm, ranging from 2 μm to 50 μm in width. Flow rates were measured for single channels and multichannel electroosmotic pump structures for pH levels ranging from 2.6 to 8.3, and zeta potentials were calculated for both silicon dioxide and silicon nitride surfaces. Flow rates as high as 0.086 μL∕min were measured for nitride multichannel pumps at applied electric fields of 300 V∕mm. The surface characteristics of PECVD nitride were analyzed and compared to more well-known oxide surfaces to determine the density of amine sites compared to silanol sites.