Selected roles of information goods and services in the U.S. national economy

The study examines selected roles of the information sector in the national economy. Among the findings are the following: (1) the information sector conducts relatively little international trade, in comparison to its domestic activity. Roughly 12% of U.S. exports are attributable to the information sector; over 97% of the sector's output is sold within the U.S.; and the sector's exports account for only a small fraction of 1% of GNP. (2) The historical pattern of employment shows that the portion of information workers has risen from 8% of the U.S. work force in 1870 to 41% in 1970. Relatively little of this growth is the result of new technological innovations such as telephones, radio, television and, more recently, computers. Rather, the growth of public and private bureaucracies, which now total 26% of our total work force, largely explains the growth of the sector. (3) Unemployment within the information sector has consistently been lower than in either the manufacturing or agricultural sectors of the national economy. (4) Since 1967, the high technology elements of the information sector, such as electronic components, computers and telecommunications equipment have experienced appreciably less price rise than has the economy as a whole. However, over the same time period, the service elements of the sector, including finance and insurance, education and medical care, have experienced greater rates of inflation than has the economy as a whole.     

The evolution of higher education in law enforcement: Preliminary findings from a national study

The preliminary results are reported in a national study of police education. All state police agencies, all municipal agencies serving populations greater than 50,000, and all sheriff's departments with more than 100 sworn officers were surveyed to obtain data on the level of higher education in the departments, policies in support of college education, and the effect of higher education on policing. The survey was followed by indepth site visits to San Diego, San Jose, and Sacramento, California; Kansas City, Missouri; New York City; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Largo, Florida. Significant findings showed that the average educational level of police officers has risen steadily over the past two decades; that only a small proportion of police departments formally require college for employment of promotion; that the great majority, however, have educational support policies and an “informal” criterion of college for selection and promotion or officers. The data also show that minorities are being recruited effectively and hired with educational levels competitive with those of whites; that women are being recruited effectively with mean educational levels nearly a year higher than those of males; and that employment of minorities in law enforcement in the study population is proportionately comparable to the proportions of minorities in the general population.     

Blogging in Support of Health Information Outreach

Social media technologies are transforming the way librarians are collaborating, creating, and disseminating information. This article discusses how librarians at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio created a blog to support their health information outreach activities. Launched in 2007, the Staying Well Connected blog was established with the goal of promoting access to biomedical and health information for consumers and health professionals in the South Texas region. Postings highlight relevant health news, conferences, funding opportunities, and outreach events.     

Validation of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth edition with exceptional black male students

Standard Age Scores on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth Edition (SBIV) and WISC-R IQs of 51 urban black males receiving special education services were compared. Correlations between the SBIV Composite scores and WISC-R Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs were 0.803, 0.826, and 0.87 respectively. Correlations between all combinations of scales ranged from 0.612 to 0.888, median r=.723. SBIV Composite mean scores did not differ significantly from the mean WISC-R Full Scale, Verbal, and Performance IQs. Regression analysis of the three subgroups (BD. LD, and EMR) indicated that the SBIV possesses differential validity for each group. Tabular comparison of precision of classification between the SBIV and the WISC-R yielded a 78% agreement. These data suggest that the SBIV possesses utility for assessing the intelligence of black students classified as BD and EMR. However, the use of the scale with LD students is unsupported.     

Understanding the Power of Words in Multicultural Education

Historically, words are powerful! In many cases, they are used appropriately when we value people and used inappropriately when we hate them. As a result, they have become powerful tools in multicultural education and interactions. In today's changing world with demographic shifts in power and paradigm, the society is bombarded with words that hate and words that love. As it appears, words are used to satisfy jaundiced and myopic views, and they are constructs that frequently lead to labels, stereotypes, and illusory generalizations. While we do not advocate policing or legislating words, we advocate words that can help individuals to maximize their fullest potential in our multicultural society. In this article, we advance this premise and suggest ways to increase multicultural education in schools and communities.     

Connecting the Libraries and Athletics through Instruction and Outreach

This column describes the approaches taken by librarians and staff at James Madison University (JMU) Libraries & Educational Technologies (LET) to extend library support to university athletics. The model resembles that used for outreach to academic programs and was first adapted to the semi-clinical, nonacademic Strength & Conditioning Department, then to JMU Athletics as a whole. Librarians offered targeted instructional sessions, orientations, and asynchronous learning modules embedded in the learning management system. This new relationship has provided an opportunity for broader collaboration, increasing LET’s presence across campus.