Digital Commons Network^™

Taking Science Museums To The Edge: How Science Museums Can Advocate For Social Justice, Education And Inclusivity Through Their Exhibits, Sasha C. Naples

Museum Studies Theses

Science museums have often associated affluent populations and quality education with access to scientific material and content. While these institutions have become more accessible in many ways, they can and should increase their efforts to include BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities and individuals. As the need grows for diversity in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields so does the demand for science museums to include these communities’ needs and wants. This thesis discusses the need for and importance of BIPOC representation in science museums and what museums have already done to include them in their programming and …

Adoption Of A Self-Care Therapy Mobile App: Application Of Uses And Gratification Theory, Self-Efficacy, And Response Efficacy, Sue Lim

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines factors that influence people’s decision to adopt a self-care therapy chatbot utilizing the uses and gratification theory, self-efficacy, and response efficacy frameworks. Existing literature has shown a large gap between supply and demand of mental health services as well as major barriers that prevent people from seeking services. Therapy chatbots offer the potential to address the gap and the barriers. This research used Woebot, a widely used and clinical evaluated therapy bot, and examined the influence of 6 uses and obtained gratification variables, two self-efficacy scales, and response efficacy on intentions of use. Quantitative analysis of the …

A Museum’S Guide To Queer Inclusivity, Ashtin O. Ashbrook

Museum Studies Theses

LGBT+ (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender, also called queer) people have always existed. The history of queer people has been repressed and destroyed. As culture changes and becomes more accepting of these identities, queer people are living more openly, and history is being well recorded. Museums are institutions that are responsible for representing and perpetuating cultural views, and therefore have a responsibility to include a diverse variety of people. One strategy to normalize queerness is to integrate it into museums. This guide will explore queer inclusion, with an emphasis on transgender inclusion, in all different types of museums. The following …

The Zine Union Catalog, Lauren S. Kehoe, Jenna Freedman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Lauren Kehoe and Jenna Freedman have been working on the Zine Union Catalog, aka ZineCat or ZUC, since their Introduction to Digital Humanities course in Spring, 2017: MALS 75500, Digital Humanities Methods and Practices. ZineCat is the home of a union catalog dedicated to zines. A union catalog is a resource where libraries and other cultural institutions that collect materials can share cataloging and holdings information from their individual collections. The most familiar union catalog is probably WorldCat which is used to locate books, journals, CDs, DVDs, and other materials in the world’s libraries. ZineCat facilitates researchers' discovery of zine …

Libraries And Digital Information: How Library Services Impact Digital Equity, Sheila Walton, Cristine Fowler

Educational and Organizational Learning and Leadership Dissertations

This mixed-method study explains how public library services impact patrons’ access to digital technology. Working with a county stakeholder, the research team developed an online questionnaire for distribution to library staff in two public library systems. The King County Library and Seattle Public Library executive administration representatives worked with the research team to determine the sample of participants: those library staff who regularly interface with patrons needing or requesting access and use of digital technology. Participants provided demographic, Likert scale agreement, and narrative responses to 29 questions. Using statistical software and hand-coding processes, responses were categorized to find alignment with …

Issues With Reality: Defining And Exploring The Logics Of Alternate Reality Games, Jay Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Alternate Reality Games (ARGs), a genre of transmedia experiences, are a recent phenomenon, with the first recognized ARG being The Beast (2001), a promotion for the film A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001). This dissertation seeks to more clearly define and investigate contexts of transmedia narratives and games, specifically ARGs. ARGs differ from more popular and well-known contemporary forms of gaming in several ways, perhaps most importantly by intensive use of multiple media. Whereas a player may experience most or all of a conventional video game through a single medium, participants in ARGs must navigate multiple media and technical platforms— networks of …

Measures Of Alienation From Work Process In Academic Libraries In The Information Age, Zorian M. Sasyk

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This thesis examines how alienation from work process, or work alienation, varies among work area specializations in academic libraries. Rooted in Marxist theory, the study utilizes the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire mapped to specific measures of alienation as a survey tool to measure the relative alienation of library workers at Master’s level universities in the United States. Data collected is analyzed utilizing descriptive statistics, including cross-tabulations. Findings of the study indicate that there is some variation in work alienation among library work classifications and work areas, with higher alienation found for paraprofessionals, administrators, and library workers in multiple areas or roles. …

The New Gatekeepers: How Blogs Subverted Mainstream Book Reviews, Rebecca E. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Book reviewing has a fraught history in the United States. Reviewers have long been accused of not being analytical enough. It should be no wonder then with the emergence of social media that online book reviewing has become increasingly popular. Online reviewers, especially book bloggers, are no literary gatekeepers in their own right, shaping the tastes of readers across the world. Book blogs in particular pay special attention to titles which have long been derided by institutions such as libraries, academia, publishers, and bookstores. These literary gatekeepers typically ignore romance, fantasy, mystery, science fiction, young adult fiction, comic books, and …

Watching Storytelling: Visual Information In Oral Narratives, James Ripley

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Oral narratives, though prolific, are increasingly being shared via some form of electronic mediation, and yet they are often glossed over in regard to the study of narrative. This study was designed to address the unique nature of oral narratives focusing on the information channels utilized by participants in their co-creation of stories.

A comparative case study was undertaken of three groups who employed a variety of synchronous and asynchronous electronic mediation in their storytelling. Viewed through the lenses of Narratology and Social Presence Theory a combination of participant observation and qualitative semi-structured exploratory narrative interviews were undertaken with participants …

Young Adults Reflect On The Experience Of Reading Comics In Contemporary Society: Overcoming The Commonplace And Recognizing Complexity, Lucia Cederia Serantes

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this study was to explore and understand the role of comics as reading material for young people, emphasizing the experience of the readers themselves. The central research problem is concerned with how comics readers construct and understand their reading experience of comics as a reading material and what this says about reader identities and social contexts of reading comics. The focus on readers shifts the perspective from previous research that looked mainly at comics fans and comics as cultural products. Working in the tradition of qualitative inquiry, I adopted an approach informed by hermeneutical phenomenology because it …

Appraising Archivists: Documentation And The Need For Accountability In The Appraisal Process, Samantha N. Cross

WWU Graduate School Collection

Appraisal is one of the first steps in archival processing and arguably the most crucial. Embedded in this process are two concepts fundamental to archives: power of the archivist over the collection and trust, by the public, in the archivist to make decisions regarding the historical record. Justification for decisions regarding appraisal, however, are lacking and archivists have yet to make any headway in establishing a means of accountability. Through the implementation of a formalized appraisal report, archivists can thoroughly document the appraisal process while simultaneously justifying their decisions to the greater archival communities and the public at large. This …

Developing Comic Book And Graphic Novel Collections In Libraries, Sara Dianne Ray

Masters Theses

This research study has several objectives. The first is to research graphic novels and comic books, their history and the issues this visual and literary medium has had with censorship, with preconceived notions that the medium is only meant for a juvenile audience, and with the development of rating standards. The second objective is to study current literature that has been written by scholars and librarians on this medium. This exploration of graphic novels and comic books and the scholarship and collection development efforts related to them provides a foundation for considering the issues and challenges which current and future …

How Do Elementary School Boys Characterize Their Reading Favorites And Behaviors?, Brenda J. Koonce

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a boy crisis in our schools. It also looked at what the boys are interested in and what are they reading. The study investigated the latest research on young boys struggling to read, and their comparison to young girls.

The study provided evidence of their favorite books and authors. It furnished information on the boys' computer and television time. The study showed how the boys selected books and where they located new books. Percentages were presented about their personal libraries.

Overall, the study investigated how to make classrooms and …

Emperor Norton I: The Rise Of A San Francisco Cultural Icon 1859-1880, Dieter Martin

WWU Graduate School Collection

The California Gold Rush had a profound effect on the emerging city of San Francisco. Extreme highs and lows in the economic environment created an atmosphere in which the city's citizens were used to hardship and adversity. These conditions, combined with the importance of the newspaper industry explain the emergence of an eccentric individual such as Emperor Norton. Although he began his career in San Francisco as a prominent businessman, it is his later life as the self declared Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico which is most remembered today. Joshua Norton's career as Emperor mirrored that …

Recreational Reading Program For Sixth Grade Students, Angela M. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to determine how much time was dedicated to recreational reading by sixth grade students and what were the topics and genres that interested them. Questionnaires were administered to 201 out of 257 regular education sixth grade students regardless of gender and reading level. According to the results, there was a direct correlation between the types of books that the students enjoyed reading, their opinions on student choice of recreational reading books versus teacher choice of assigned books, and the types of books that they would like to have more of as required reading for …

The Reading Habits Of Elementary Students And The Potential Role Of The School Library Media Specialist, Elizabeth Reilly-Stern

Theses and Dissertations

A review of current and related literature showed girls were outscoring boys on reading tests in New Jersey, in the nation and in other countries as well. Students see reading as a feminine activity. Understanding the reading habits of students, particularly male students who read less, is crucial to help students become lifelong learners. By studying reading preferences it may be possible to influence students to read more. This study was designed to determine if girls in fact circulate more books than boys, and if girls specifically circulate more fiction books. Through surveying the school library media specialists and examining …

Strategies For Improving Instruction & Services To English Language Learners In The High School Library Media Center, Eileen Ray

All Graduate Projects

One of the biggest challenges facing librarians in schools today is working with students who are just learning the English language. An extensive body of literature and research related to school library media centers and English Language Learners was reviewed to address this challenge. On the basis of this research, a handbook was created to help fill the gap between the instruction librarians receive in library methodology courses and the reality in which librarians work every day. The handbook includes eight strategies addressing four areas of need: information literacy instruction, the promotion ofliteracy, the development of technological skills and the …

Using Pop Culture And Media Together With Effective Literacy Instruction: A Teacher's Tool Kit For Selah H.S. Read Write Class, Stephanie Marie Sevigny

All Graduate Projects

A toolkit has been created to assist secondary teachers in using popular culture and the media in conjunction with explicit comprehension strategy instruction in the classroom in an effort to improve struggling students' comprehension. The toolkit consists of an introduction, examples and suggestions for using popular culture and media in the classroom, examples and guidelines for strategic comprehension instruction. CutTent literature and research regarding the use of popular culture and media in the classroom and effective comprehension strategy instruction were reviewed.

Reaching Out @ Your Library™: Communication Practices Of New Jersey High School Library Media Specialists, Lisa B. Mutter

Theses and Dissertations

This paper presents the methodology and results from surveys of New Jersey school library media specialists at 88 public secondary schools. The study examined how LMS reached out administratively to their learning community. Specifically, it addressed the following research questions: 1. HOW did the library media specialists promote the importance of the media center and its resources and services? 2. WHAT did library media specialists communicate to the learning community? 3. WHO did library media specialists communicate with in their learning community? 4. Were the library media specialists taking advantage of the American Library Association advocacy tools to help them …

The Past In The Future: A Content Analysis Applying S. R. Ranganathan's Five Laws Of Library Science To Libraries And Information Services In Young Adult Science Fiction, Bruce Duboff

Theses and Dissertations

S. R. Ranganathan's Five Laws of Library Science are considered the basis of modem library philosophy. They have remained after over seventy years as the seminal concepts by which other library science guidelines are judged. However, the world has changed dramatically since 1931, and these laws, along with Ranganathan's philosophy, may be in jeopardy of obsolescence.

What has science fiction written about future libraries? Speculative library and information trends and issues like those discussed in science fiction literature are relevant not only for librarians, but for society as well as it wrestles with the issue of information overload.

This study …

Gender Preferences In The Recreational Reading Of Sixth Grade Students, Dorothy H. Holmes

Theses and Dissertations

This study compared what sixth graders like to read for pleasure by gender with the collection of the Voorhees New Jersey Middle School media center. An interest survey was given to 105 sixth-grade students. A sample of the Voorhees Middle School library was done. A comparison of the two analyzed what is available in the library with what the students like to read. The influence of the Harry Potter books on recreational reading was also studied. This study showed that males and females have favorable attitudes towards recreational reading and enjoy both fiction and nonfiction as well as a variety …

Leisure Reading Among Fourth And Sixth Grade Boys, Linda Kissling

Theses and Dissertations

This study attempted to determine whether middle school boys read less for leisure than elementary school boys. Forty-eight boys and 45 girls in fourth grade and 48 boys and 52 girls in sixth grade maintained a log for one week to determine how their time outside school was spent and responded to a survey to describe their attitudes toward leisure reading. Time outside school was divided into three categories; personal, including sleeping, eating, and hygiene; structured or demand time, including homework, chores, and sports and music practice; and leisure, including television, reading, time with friends, etc. The survey asked respondents …

A Study Of Good Practices In Classroom Libraries, Kindergarten Through Second Grade, Michele Boniscavage

Theses and Dissertations

A study of six classrooms was made, two kindergarten, two first grade and two second grade. The purpose of the study, conducted by a school librarian, was to identify and share good practices in classroom libraries. Teachers in an urban district and a suburban district were interviewed about their acquisition methods. Methods of acquisition included book fairs, participation in professional activities, discarded library books, donations, yard sales and school purchases. Students were interviewed about their usage habits, borrowing books, and their favorite books. A description of each library is given including arrangement, displays, furnishing and shelving. The number and type …

Reading Interests Of Fifth And Sixth Grade Boys, Judith E. Sheridan

Theses and Dissertations

Fifth and sixth grade boys were studied to determine their reading interests for the purpose of developing a bibliography of books that the boys had read and enjoyed to use for collection development for the school library. One class of fifth grade students and one class of sixth grade students were surveyed to determine their reading attitudes, habits, and interests. Reading logs were kept during a three month period recording books that the students read during that time and enjoyed. Both boys and girls participated in the data collection portion of the study.

Major findings reinforced the author's perceptions that …