Worth the effort: Why societies should make room for books

Key points

• With increased pressure on longstanding society business models, society journal publishers must pursue more aggressive growth strategies to remain competitive.
• A practitioner‐focused book portfolio that translates research into practice offers an opportunity to establish an alternative revenue stream and an additional path for society member engagement.
• Societies are in a unique position to capitalize on their existing connections to industry via their membership base.
• Brief, easy‐to‐consume content and interactive tools are of the greatest appeal to the practitioner audience.
• Focusing on shorter, template‐driven formats and more frequent updates allows society publishers to develop content more rapidly and at lower cost.
• Challenges include incentivizing society members to author and review the content, identifying individuals who are capable of doing so, and obtaining adequate internal resources.

     

Moral Sensitivity in the Context of Socioscientific Issues in High School Science Students

This study is a part of a larger study that examined using socioscientific issues (SSI) as a form of effective science teaching. The purpose was to investigate how teaching a year‐long curriculum using SSI affects science learning outcomes. In this report, we examine the effects of a SSI‐driven curriculum on the development of students’ moral sensitivity. Our results indicate that development of moral sensitivity can be promoted through science learning experiences embedded in SSI. Results also suggest that moral sensitivity is contextually dependent. Implications for teaching are discussed.     

Commitment Messages Communicated in Families of Origin: Contributions to Relationship Commitment Attitudes

Despite the wealth of research on relationship commitment, surprisingly little has examined the contributions communication in families of origin makes to perceptions of commitment. Data from a survey of 145 individuals revealed three types of individuals based on reports of commitment-related communication in families of origin: optimist, structural-optimist, and cautious. Results revealed that these three types of individuals differed on their beliefs, models, and expectations about commitment and romantic relationships. The study contributes to our understanding of the developmental origins of perceptions of commitment in relationships and the contributions communication in families of origin makes to those perceptions.     

Testing a web information portal for people with learning disabilities

This paper contributes to an incremental base of research exploring usability issues related to information and communication experiences and needs of individuals with learning difficulties. A web portal designed specifically with the intended users in mind (i.e. individuals with learning difficulties) has been developed and piloted through a Rix Centre (UEL (University of East London) ) initiative in collaboration with a number of schools and adult service organisations. Seven individuals aged 14–16 years and identified with mild learning difficulties participated in the study. Assessment of findings includes evidence of participant self-directed interest and initiated use of web technologies, recognition and competent utilisation of basic navigation tools, and simple task completion within the web portal itself. Areas of noted interest warranting further exploration include participant behaviour in regard to limited length, depth, and frequency of individual web site browsing; participant difficulty with advanced navigation skills and eye–hand coordination connected to directed cursor movement and mouse manipulation; and web content readability levels. Additionally, further consideration exploring a user's degree of real information acquisition is necessary better to ensure meaningful and relevant web experiences for individuals with learning difficulties.     

"小人物"在用户参与型DRS模式中的"长尾效应"

文章所谓的"小人物"泛指众多的图书馆用户.在图书馆信息咨询领域中,是指相对于图书馆咨询服务的那些专业咨询馆员、学科馆员而言的那部份群体.文章首先介绍什么是用户型DRS模式,然后论证这种"小人物"参与的数字参考咨询服务模式符合长尾理论的三大法则,并论述了广大的图书馆用户(小人物)参与到数字参考咨询服务中后所带来的"长尾"效应.     

Rethinking Responsible Literature Searching Using LibGuides

Drawing from the Responsible Literature Searching project developed by the Health Sciences Library System–University of Pittsburgh, the Mayo Clinic Libraries utilized Springshare's LibGuides software to create an Effective Database Searching Guide for its diverse set of users. Library databases are organized under broad subject categories with overview information, links to help materials, and news on system updates. Additionally, the guide features a visual site map, searching best practices, a database comparison chart, responsible literature searching guidelines, classic evidence-based practice articles, and recommendations on when to contact a librarian for assistance. The self-guided tool is both easy to use and maintain.