Digital Commons Network^™

Jmu Libraries Magazine: Volume 2, Jenne M. Klotz

Libraries

Volume 2 of the biennial JMU Libraries magazine, highlighting services, events, awards of the JMU Libraries.

Batch Cataloging At Jmu: A Framework And Four Projects, Rebecca B. French

Libraries

Many libraries have uncataloged collections or backlogs which could benefit from batch processing, but little guidance exists on how to conceptualize and plan such a project. I will share a framework I developed which categorizes types of batch cataloging projects and outlines the steps involved. I will also describe four projects we've done at JMU to illustrate how the framework can be applied to design a variety of metadata workflows.

Approaches To Comics Stewardship: Making The Case For Academic Library Special Collections, Brian Flota, Kate Morris

Libraries

No abstract provided.

Jmu Libraries Magazine, Jenne M. Klotz, Kristen S. Shuyler, Emily Blake

Libraries

This magazine describes highlights from the JMU Libraries from 2020-2021.

“What If You Don’T Have A Library School?” Ethical Considerations For A Summer Internship At An Academic Library, Mark Lane, Brian Flota, Juhong Christie Liu

Libraries

Enabling professional working experiences for library and information science (LIS) graduate students is always rewarding. With this chapter, the authors will reflect on the operation, collaborative processes, and results of an academic library’s summer internship program. Ethical aspects related to ensuring intern pay, along with individual goal-based learning in a real workplace and the integrity of professional status, will provide insights for others looking to plan or implement similar programs.

Primary Caregivers’ Reports Of Early Literacy Skills And Supporting Children’S Literacy Success Through Home-School Collaboration, Emily A. Smith

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Two kindergarten parents were interviewed about the home literacy environment and effective home-school collaborative practices. Both parents identified as being key contributors to their child’s literacy success through frequently reading to their child, providing access to books within the home, and fostering a sense of learning and reading interest in their child. Both parents gave insights into the communication they have with their child’s teacher and the resources that are provided by the school to support academic or literacy related needs of their kindergarteners. The interest of this study was to obtain the perspectives of kindergarten parents about the current …

Planning Batch Cataloging Projects, Rebecca B. French

Libraries

Many libraries have uncataloged collections or backlogs which could benefit from batch processing, and much professional development for metadata specialists focuses on software tools that can facilitate this work, but it is not always clear how to get started putting those new skills into action. This webinar will introduce the basics of planning a batch cataloging project. Attendees will be led through a series of questions to help them identify appropriate projects for a batch cataloging approach, evaluate available technological and personnel resources, and assess their starting point based on a batch cataloging framework. The webinar will cover designing a …

Embodied Care: Exploring Mental Health Zines As Feminist Health Resources, Liz Chenevey

Libraries

In the traditional health information landscape, patriarchal knowledge practices of expertise, neutrality, objectivity, and ownership are held as the standard. This paper will explore zines as feminist mental health resources that embody radical care and subvert these knowledge practices. There are many personal zines on the topic of mental health, ranging from outlining self care strategies for overall mental wellness to deeper discussions of serious mental illness (trauma, mood disorders, personality disorders, etc). Even when not an explicitly feminist theme, I argue that these health zines are in themselves a feminist act. By utilizing attributes of feminist knowledge production, such …

Challenging "Stereotypes And Fixity": African American Comic Books In The Academic Archive, Brian Flota

Libraries

No abstract provided.

The Superhero Inside: Exploring The Minds Of Ourselves And Our Superheroes, Briana Craig

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The Superhero Inside is a research-based, non-fiction novel that connects elements of psychology to the concept of superheroes. There are seven chapters that explore a range of topics, including why we are fascinated by villainous characters and how superheroes represent (or misrepresent) diverse groups of people.

Integrating Implementation Fidelity And Learning Improvement To Enhance Students’ Ethical Reasoning Abilities, Kristen L. Smith

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Examples of demonstrable student learning improvement in higher education are rare (Banta, Jones, & Black, 2009; Banta & Blaich, 2011). Perhaps because outcomes assessment practices are disconnected from pedagogy, curriculum, and learning improvement. Through partnership with the Madison Collaborative, the current study aimed to bridge this disconnect. Specifically, researchers applied implementation fidelity methodologies (O’Donnell, 2008) to an academic program, under the guiding framework of the Simple Model for Learning Improvement (Fulcher, Good, Coleman, & Smith, 2014). In doing so, researchers helped faculty create and elucidate an ethical reasoning educational intervention and accompanying fidelity checklist. Both were well-aligned with a University-level …

Their Swords, Our Plowshares: "Peaceful" Nuclear Weapons, Propaganda, And Cold War Memory Expressed In Film: 1959-1989, Michael A. St. Jacques

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

During the Cold War, both the United States and the Soviet Union developed nuclear weapons as tools of warfare and diplomacy. Immediately following the Second World War, American attitudes toward the atomic bomb were overwhelmingly positive. Once the Soviet Union developed their own atomic bomb and the United States lost the atomic monopoly, attitudes started to shift. After the first hydrogen bombs tests, public sentiment, as demonstrated in film, became markedly negative. To counter these negative attitudes and portray their nuclear weapons as peaceful tools instead of weapons of mass destruction, both the United States and the Soviet Union developed …

The Experience Of Reading: What Elementary Children Think Of Reading, Francesca Simpson

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

As students with disabilities prepare to move from high school to vocations or post-secondary schooling it is essential they be able to self-advocate for their needed services. During their public school years, school psychologists, counselors, and other school administrative personnel are responsible for ensuring they are provided with an “appropriate,” barrier-free education under federal law. But upon graduation from high school, that responsibility shifts entirely onto the individual. In order to self-advocate successfully a student with a disability must know about their cognitive strengths and weaknesses. In regards to learning the student must be able to describe them to others …

Padded Assumptions: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Patriarchal Menstruation Discourse, Kathryn M. Lese

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

In 2015, Rupi Kaur’s photography project featuring a menstruating woman was censored on Instagram, a photo sharing social media platform. The menstruation censorship created a surge in public media discourse about what is and is not appropriate to discuss about menstruation. Menstruation communication is often discrete or invisible in dominant discourse and focuses of medicalization rather than the social norms of “performing menstruation”. This thesis explores menstruation communication in public media discourse and examines how it empowers and disempowers the menstruating female body. Themes including the everyday language of menstruation, patriarchal censorship of women’s bodies, shame and stigma in menstruation …

How Does Perfectionism Influence Anxiety In Gifted Middle School Students?, Kelsey Owens

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Research has demonstrated that gifted students tend to experience a higher level of perfectionism when compared to their regular education peers. While perfectionism may aid these students in their academics, it can also contribute to negative consequences in terms of the social and emotional needs of these students, such as anxiety. This research study sought to add to the literature by examining whether perfectionism does influence anxiety in gifted middle school students. Twenty-two middle school students enrolled in a center-based gifted program participated in this study by completing two measures: one examining levels of perfectionism and another examining levels of …

The Evaluation Of A Dual Language Reading Club For English Language Learner Students, Sandra M. Gonzalez

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Reading is a crucial skill in our society that is needed in personal growth and academic achievement; it is a prominent area of concern in our schools and students. Schools in the U.S. are experiencing a substantial increase of students whose first language is not English and/or do not speak fluent English and are known as English Language Learners (ELLs). These students are typically at risk for having problems with reading if they do not receive the proper or adequate support and intervention. Many ELL students struggle in their ability to read at a proficient level, which has multiple negative …

Organizational Use Of Social Media: The Shift In Communication, Collaboration And Decision-Making, Dhruvi A. Naik

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Organizational use of social media: The shift in communication, collaboration and decision-making

Social media has driven organizational communication, collaboration and decision-making in recent times. This thesis focuses first on the popularity and widespread usage of social media like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and how it has provided businesses with platforms to collaborate and communicate virtually. It then explores how organizations can implement social media for the purpose of external marketing and advertising, to connect to consumers and for the purpose of internal communications. For example, how can organizations tap the potential of social media and connect with consumers? Social media …

Mine Risk Education In Uganda, Harriet Akello

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Although Uganda declared itself mine-free in 2012, explosive remnants of war (ERW) still contaminate the country. To prevent resulting deaths and injuries, ERW risk education must be accessible to civilians.

Ebsco Computers And Applied Sciences Complete And Proquest Computer Science Collection, Jody C. Fagan, D. J. Gaines

Libraries

No abstract provided.

Signified Honkey: Stories In The Key Of White, William Ryan Blosser

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

The following project feels like a risk. From the opening line of my paper to the final section, the reader will notice that I have chosen to stray from the traditional counseling research project and instead opted for an approach both personal and interdisciplinary as a means of exploring the topic of White privilege. My approach can best be summed up as auto ethnographic and in using this approach have tried to discover and remain true to my own voice throughout the narrative. The reader may find this voice to be sharp at times, including profanity and a degree of …

The Military In Mine Action: An Interview With Ltc Bob Crowley, U.S. Southcom, Nicole Kreger

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Military in Mine Action: An Interview With LTC Bob Crowley, U.S. SOUTHCOM

Unicef: A Leader In Mine Awareness, Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

As the United Nation’s lead agency on mine awareness/mine risk education (MRE), the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has done work in about 30 countries that suffer from the effects of landmines. Their programs help affected populations cope with the problems of landmines and give them the means to carry out their daily lives as safely as possible until their land can be cleared and returned to productive use.

U.S. Humanitarian Demining In Latin America, Stacy L. Smith

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The United States coordinates aid across Latin America through mine awareness and clearance operations. Channeled mainly through the OAS, U.S. funds support comprehensive mine action programs as needed in Central America.

Mine Action – A Model For Other Global Challenges?, Dennis Barlow

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

A few short years ago, the humanitarian demining task seemed insurmountable. Not only was the prospect of eliminating landmines as a global threat deemed unachievable, but the political and organizational landscape was new, diverse and uncharted.

U.S. Office Of Global Humanitarian Demining Works Toward Demining 2010 Goals, Elizabeth A. Cramer

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Since 1994, the United States has committed approximately $400 million to worldwide humanitarian demining efforts. With its sights set on 2010, the U.S. Office of Global Humanitarian Demining is working to establish partnerships in the private sector.

Superman To The Rescue, But Can He Teach Mine Awareness?, Margaret S. Busé

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

When Wonder Woman and Superman joined forces to promote mine awareness for children through the efforts of the U.S. Department of Defense, DC Comics and UNICEF, the landmine community was divided as to the usefulness, and ultimately, the success of the effort. Originally released in Bosnia in 1996, a second comic book in Spanish was released for children in Latin America in 1998. A third comic book was developed for children of Mozambique but a release date for the book is not scheduled. Currently, the Kosovo version of the comic book is being released in the school system through UNICEF …

Superman - "To Be Or Not To Be...", Dennis Barlow

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

There is a saying in the operational world that "Victory has a thousand fathers, while defeat is an orphan." The checkered path of the U.S. government-sponsored DC Comics venture in mine awareness has given that old saw new relevance. It seems that at various times during the past five years the Superman and Superwoman comic books have been described variously as being the ultimate tool in influencing appropriate behavior or as totally dysfunctional.

Conferences: Who Needs Them?, Dennis Barlow

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The global mine action process seems to spawn conferences. During the past three years there have been at least 13 major gatherings which contained in their agendas major activities dedicated to improving demining operations. What have the three years of meetings, issue development, and projects produced? Have the conferences and attempts to frame operators' needs been a wasted effort, characterized by travel boondoggles of innumerable representatives to venues far and wide? Or have they driven real development and positive achievement?

Reclaiming The Land: A Veteran Revisits Vietnam, J.S. Chadwck

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

When is a war really over? When the peace treaties are signed and the armies withdrawn? Or, when ordnance left over from the fighting is no longer killing people? If the answer to the last question is yes, then the Vietnam War is still going on. In Vietnam today people are being killed, or wounded on a daily basis by ordnance left behind by a conflict that should have ended 24 years ago. Most of those people are children. Throughout the Vietnamese countryside there are tens of thousands of pieces of unexploded ordnance (UXO). These UXO run the gamut from …

To Walk The Earth In Safety 1st Edition (Fy1998), Us Dos Pm/Wra

Global CWD Repository

To Walk the Earth in Safety. The United States Commitment to Humanitarian Demining informs the reader about the U.S. commitment to rid the world by the year 2010 of anti-personnel landmines (APL) which pose a threat to civilians. The most recent U.S. Government survey identified 93 countries affected with either an APL, or an unexploded ordnance (UXO) problem, or both. Although the estimates regarding the number of mines implanted in each country vary widely among sources, the U.S. estimate of APL infestation is approximately 60-70 million worldwide. This report covers FY1998.