Unit costs of interlibrary loans and photocopies at a regional medical library. Preliminary report

UNIT COSTS OF PROVIDING INTERLIBRARY LOANS AND PHOTOCOPIES WERE DETERMINED BY A METHOD NOT PREVIOUSLY USED FOR LIBRARY COST STUDIES: random time sampling with self-observation. The working time of all appropriate personnel was sampled using Random Alarm Mechanisms and a structured checklist of tasks. The total lender's unit cost per request received, including direct labor, materials, fringe benefits, and overhead, was $1.526 for originals mailed postpaid by lender, and $1.534 for photocopies mailed. Corresponding unit costs per request filled were: originals, $1.932, and photocopies, $1.763.     

An Aid to Intuitively Understanding Bias and Consistency

Students often find the concepts of bias and consistency hard to understand intuitively. This article presnts means of demonstrating these concepts using a computer so that students, once they have seen them in action, can more readily grasp their meanings and imlications.     

Competency and training issues related to the integration of career counseling and mental health counseling

Summary Career counseling cannot be neatly separated from the counseling that affects the remainder of clients' lives, and mental distress cannot be considered independent of the career which encompasses so much of an individual's world. Life is complex and includes many facets which counselees bring to the counseling relationship. Counselors must be able to deal with the major issues in clients' lives including career issues and issues of mental health. Minimum skill for counselors would include the ability to assist a range of clients and the knowledge to effectively refer others. For too long career counseling and mental health counseling have been viewed as separate entities. This view of career and mental health counseling as separate is inconsistent with the development of counseling as a profession and does not serve potential clients well.Spencer G. Niles, D.Ed. is an Assistant Professor of Counselor Education and Robert H. Pate, Jr., Ph.D. is a Professor of Counselor Education and Chair of the Department of Human Services in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia.     

Age of Uncontrolled Information Flow

We are heading into an era of uncontrolled and uncontrollable information flow. In the past, the tools of information flow required large investments, and the persons controlling them were easily identifiable. Now, effective long-range communication with large numbers of people can be done using tools that are easily affordable to the average citizen. Moreover, it can be done in ways that make monitoring and control virtually impossible. This is not a worrisome future change that can be averted by prompt action; it is a fait accompli and there is no reversing it. However, this is not necessarily clear to those interested in monitoring and control. Unfortunately, the bulk of electronic communication is still relatively exposed to monitoring and control, and is likely to remain so for a while. The danger is that the authorities, trying to retain a grip on a situation that is irretrievably slipping away, will react to the extremes of the problem in ways that leave ordinary users' privacy unprotected. The best approach is to adapt traditional solutions rather than inventing new ones. The safeguards built into the traditional solutions may not be precisely appropriate, but they are far better than nothing.     

Exploring Top Hat’s Impact on Undergraduate Students’ Belongingness,Engagement, and Self-Confidence: A Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

Evidence suggests that the use of educational technologies may promote positive learning environments and contribute to students’ success. The following mixed methods study examined the impact of Top Hat in a blended learning environment on undergraduate students’ sense of belongingness, engagement, and self-confidence in a Canadian post-secondary institution. A survey study measured students’ sense of belongingness, engagement, and self-confidence before and after the course, which used Top Hat. The results show a significant increase in belongingness and self-confidence, but a decrease in engagement. Contrarily, focus groups revealed that using Top Hat may improve the overall learning experience. Limitations and future recommendations are discussed.