Reading to Learn or Learning to Read? Engaging College Students in Course Readings

Despite instructors' belief that class readings are integral to the learning process, only 20–30% of undergraduate students complete required readings. Failure to complete course reading has been associated with declines in exam and research performance. This article first offers a brief review of the literature on why students do not complete course readings: 1) unpreparedness, 2) lack of motivation, 3) time constraints, and 4) an underestimation of reading importance. We then identify approaches that encourage students to read, enjoy reading, and develop metacognitive knowledge, shown to improve learning.     

Effect of perceived ease of use on librarians' e-skills: Basis for library technology acceptance intention

Despite the widespread application of technology in the 21st century, making informed decisions regarding its acceptance in organisations is a function of several factors, particularly in developing countries, due to factors such as rising cost of the information technology infrastructure and low technological exposure. A model that incorporated perceived ease of use (PEOU) and e-Skills to examine librarians' intention for actual library technology acceptance was tested. The correlational research design, along with a multistage sampling procedure, was applied to select samples to reduce the sample to a manageable proportion. Professional librarians and library officers in four university libraries provided the data for the study. Results showed that e-Skill is the model's strongest determinant of technology acceptance intention among librarians. Also, PEOU will significantly moderate librarians' intention towards library technology acceptance when e-Skills are insufficient. From these outcomes, the understanding of the determinants of behavioural intention captured in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAT) is extended and refined.     

NEW TECHNOLOGIES

THE COMMUNITY MEDIUM, edited by Nancy Jesuale with Ralph Lee Smith (182 pages)

A GUIDE FOR LOCAL POLICY, edited by Nancy Jesuale with Richard M. Neustadt and Nicholas P. Miller (131 pages)

Jane Wilson, “New Information Technologies for the Nonprofit Sector,” (The Foundation Center, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, N.Y. 10106---$4.95, paper)

1982 CABLE ADVERTISING DIRECTORY (Nations Cable Television Association, 1724 Massachuse Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036---$30. paper)

THE INTERACTIVE CABLE TV HANDBOOK (Phillips Publishing , 7315 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1200 N, Bethesda, MD 20814---$49.00, paper)

COUNTDOWN: DIRECT-TO-HOME SATELLITE BROADCASTING IN THE EIGHTIES (65 pages---$75.00, paper)

VIDEODISC: BOOM OR BUST? THE STORY OF THE VIDEODISC IN 1981 FROM THE PAGES OF TELEVISION DIGEST (75 pages, $75.00, paper)     

Fourteen Things to Look for When Hiring New Staff in Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery

As library employees retire or move on to other positions, library managers can take advantage of these opportunities to assess how well the vacant job's duties mesh with current organizational goals and needs. Positions in interlibrary loan and document delivery services (ILL/DDS) are no different. They should be evaluated and reviewed each time a vacancy needs to be filled to ensure that the expectations of the position are in line with the goals of the ILL/DDS department and the library.     

Using the Content of Online Privacy Notices to Inform Public Policy: A Longitudinal Analysis of the 1998-2001 U.S. Web Surveys

In the United States, Congress has had a long-standing interest in consumer privacy and the extent to which company practices are based on fair information practices. Previously, public policy was largely informed by anecdotal evidence about the effectiveness of industry self-regulatory programs. However, the Internet has made it possible to unobtrusively sample web sites and their privacy disclosures in a way that is not feasible in the offline world. Beginning in 1998, the Federal Trade Commission relied upon a series of three surveys of web sites to assess whether organizations post online privacy disclosures and whether these disclosures represent the U.S. definition of fair information practices. While each year's survey has provided an important snapshot of U.S. web-site practices, there has been no longitudinal analysis of the multiyear trends. This study compares a subset of equivalent individual-level web-site data for the 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001 web surveys. Implications for using this type of research to inform public policy are discussed.