Public Libraries and the Opioid Crisis,Part 2: Community-Centered Responses

This article functions as a research critique of a short, recent IMLS report that tied early childhood success to library card holding. The authors invite a more comprehensive and evidence-based examination of the ties between library card holding, the successes of poor children in school, and the significance of sustained library services to keep kids interested in their own educational success. The article also suggests how youth use of libraries is tied to the realities of local politics, gangs, and crime.     

BOOK REVIEWS

TO FREE THE MIND: LIBRARIES, TECHNOLOGY, AND INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM. Oboler, Eli M. Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1983, (137 pp.,) $15.00.

THE ELECTRONIC LIBRARY: THE PROMISE AND THE PROCESS. Dowlin, Kenneth E. New York: Neal‐Schuman Publishers, (Applications in Information Management and Technology Series.), 1984, 212 pp., $24.95.

A READER ON CHOOSING AN AUTOMATED LIBRARY SYSTEM. Joseph R. Matthews, Editor. Chicago: American Library Association, 1983, 390 pp., $35.00.

ONLINE INFORMATION SYSTEMS; USE AND OPERATING CHARACTERISTICS, LIMITATIONS, AND DESIGN ALTERNATIVES. Gerri, Brenda. Arlington, VA.: Information Resources Press, 1983, 230 pp., $24.50.

REFERENCE SOURCES IN LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES: A GUIDE TO THE LITERATURE. Purcell, Gary R. and Schlachter, Gail Ann. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC‐Clio Information Services, 1984, 359 pp., $45.00.

PERSUASIVE PUBLIC RELATIONS FOR LIBRARIES. Kathleen Kelly Rummel and Esther Perica, Editors. 1983, 199 pp., $20 paper.

DICTIONARY OF LIBRARY AND EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY. 2nd ED. REVISED AND EXPANDED. Kenyon C. Rosenberg. Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, Inc., 1983, 197 pp., $24.50.

FICTION, 1876–1983: A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF UNITED STATES EDITIONS, 2 VOLS. New York: R. R. Bowker Co., 1983, 1053 &; 2328 pp., $99.50.

BOOKS OUT OF PRINT, 1980–1983. 2 VOLS. New York: R. R. Bowker 1983, $59.00.

READING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA. Dorsett, Cora Matheny, Regional Editor. Chicago, IL: American Library Association, 1983, vii, 150 pp., $15.00.

INTERNATIONAL BOOK COLLECTORS ALMANAC/ NEWSLETTER. J. H. Raymond, Editor. Vol. 1, Issue 1, February, 1984. Vashon Island, WA: Pegasus Publishers, Inc. 10 issues/yr., 24 pp., $36.00.

USING COPYRIGHTED VIDEOCASSETTES IN CLASSROOMS AND LIBRARIES. Miller, Jerome K. Champaign, IL: Copyright Information Services, 1984, 92 pp., $10.00.     

An interdisciplinary and application-oriented approach to teach microfluidics

Microfluidics is a relatively novel interdisciplinary research area with broad applications in chemistry, physics, material science, and biology. Despite the rapid growth of the field, students'' exposure to microfluidic technologies is still limited and often insufficient to appreciate the advantages over other commonly used technologies. To this end, we designed a five-day course, “Microfluidics for microbial ecology,” in which students with very different backgrounds learn the basics of microfluidic technologies and sample a range of applications in microbial ecology. The course was created for Master and Ph.D. students interested in applying microfluidics to their research and, therefore, followed an application-oriented approach. The presentation of critical aspects of fluid flow phenomena at the microscale and an outline of the advantages and constraints of the technology provide students with the background to design and perform microfluidics-based experiments. In order to improve the effectiveness of learning in a class with diverse interests and backgrounds, two active learning exercises were implemented. The first comprised the design of an individualized microfluidics experiment in parallel with the lectures: students were guided to apply each module to their personalized application and discuss it in groups. The second was a group experimental activity, in which students jointly set up, performed, analyzed, and presented a microfluidics-based experiment. Given the multidisciplinary teaching context, the course was able to foster common conceptual ground and promote discussion among students. This application-oriented approach built upon experimental activities and in-class discussion is well suited to promote learning in a technology-related subject such as microfluidics.