Digital Commons Network^™

Nelig Meeting - December 8, 2006, New England Library Instruction Group

New England Library Instruction Group

NELIG quarterly meeting. Primary program at Rennselaer with video feeds to Providence College, Bowdoin College, Springfield College, and Keene State College.

Nelig Meeting - December 8, 2006, New England Library Instruction Group

New England Library Instruction Group

NELIG quarterly meeting

On The Transportation Of Material Goods By Enslaved Africans During The Middle Passage: Preliminary Findings From Documentary Sources, Jerome S. Handler

African Diaspora Archaeology Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Incongruence Between Genetic And Morphological Diversity In Microcebus Griseorufus On Beza Mahafaly, Laurie Godfrey, K. L. Heckman, E. Rasoazanabary, E. Machlin, A. D. Yoder

Laurie R. Godfrey

Background - The past decade has seen a remarkable increase in the number of recognized mouse lemur species (genus Microcebus). As recently as 1994, only two species of mouse lemur were recognized according to the rules of zoological nomenclature. That number has now climbed to as many as fifteen proposed species. Indeed, increases in recognized species diversity have also characterized other nocturnal primates – galagos, sportive lemurs, and tarsiers. Presumably, the movement relates more to a previous lack of information than it does to any recent proclivity for taxonomic splitting. Due to their nocturnal habits, one can hypothesize that mouse …

Enacting Technology In Networked Governance: Developmental Processes Of Cross-Agency Arrangements, Jane E. Fountain

National Center for Digital Government

This paper discusses the technology enactment framework, an analytical framework to guide exploration and examination of information-based change in governments.1 The original technology enactment framework is extended in this paper to delineate the distinctive roles played by key actors in technology enactment. I then examine institutional change in government by drawing from current initiatives in the U.S. federal government to build cross-agency relationships and systems. The U.S. government is one of the first central states to undertake not only back office integration within the government but also integration of systems and processes across agencies. For this reason its experience during …

Marriage: The Good, The Bad, And The Greedy, Naomi R. Gerstel, Natalia Sarkisian

Naomi R. Gerstel

Even good marriages can have some bad side effects, taking people away from other social connections.

Gaining Perspective With Refworks, David Mac Court

David Mac Court

Conference abstract: RefWorks receives rave reviews on the UMass Amherst campus. Reference librarians Madeleine Charney and Dave Mac Court outline the glories and the pitfalls of this online product and how it manages citations and generates bibliographies. Learn about “teaching moments” that occur during a session. The program also describes the various stages of librarians’ involvement and the evolution of RefWorks instruction, and is sponsored by ALS and ACRL/NEC.

Icts And Political Accountability: An Assessment Of The Impact Of Digitization In Government On Political Accountability In Connecticut, Massachusetts And New York State, Albert Meijer

National Center for Digital Government

This report presents a first analysis of the results of empirical research into the impact of digitization on political accountability in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York State. The report focuses on presenting the empirical findings and these data still require further analysis.

Shifting Currents In Media Awareness, Chris Boulton, Erica Scharrer

Communication Graduate Student Publication Series

This longitudinal qualitative research study examines how a group of parents and teachers sought to raise awareness in their community about harmful media effects. Initially condemning the influx of new digital media technologies such as violent video games, the group eventually shifted tactics in an effort to go beyond ‘preaching to the choir’ and bring other parents into the fold. Their experience suggests that we might reconsider media literacy as a form of social work.

Nelig Meeting - September 15, 2006, New England Library Instruction Group

New England Library Instruction Group

NELIG quarterly meeting.

Nelig Meeting - September 15, 2006, New England Library Instruction Group

New England Library Instruction Group

NELIG quarterly meeting.

The Humane Metropolis: People And Nature In The 21st Century, Rutherford H. Platt

University of Massachusetts Press Books

The Humane Metropolis explores the prospects for a more humane metropolis through a series of essays and case studies that consider why and how urban places can be made greener and more amenable. Its point of departure is the legacy of William H. Whyte (1917-1999), one of America's most admired urban thinkers. From his eyrie high above Manhattan in the offices of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Whyte laid the foundation for today's "smart growth" and "new urbanist" movements with books such as The Last Landscape (1968). His passion for improving the habitability of cities and suburbs is reflected in the …

Community Saves Farm From Jaws Of Development —Feeds Self Instead, Madeleine K. Charney

Madeleine K. Charney

Amherst, Massachusetts community members join forces to form a non-profit landtrust and launch the North Amherst Community Farm.

Umass Amherst Friends Of The Library Newsletter - Spring/Summer 2006 (No. 31), Jay Schafer

Library News for the Friends of the UMass Amherst Libraries

Message from Jay:

When I saw the cover of this newsletter in draft, my initial reaction was that champagne is not an image traditionally associated with research libraries. Where are the books? Where are the computers? Where are the smiling faces of our generous Friends? Then I rattled my chains of “Librarian Past” and realized that as “Librarian Future” champagne is the perfect symbol to celebrate the recent successes of the UMass Amherst Libraries. And success is the word that captures the events of the past several months. In a very short time, the Learning Commons has transformed the image, …

The Office/Industrial Land Dilemma: A Study Of The Blackstone River Corridor In Massachusetts, John Mullin, Zenia Kotval

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Faculty Publication Series

Local planners have often neglected their industrial resources and are therefore jeopardizing their economic base. There is clearly a mismatch between land zoned for industry and that which is suitable for development. Older areas are constrained by issues of compatibility, access, and environmental and flood plain issues. Greenfield sites are constrained by physical site characteristics, such as wetlands and slope, transportation networks, development pressures from other land uses and public perceptions and concerns surrounding industrial uses. Through this case study, this article analyzes the key factors that are influencing industrial land use decisions and provides recommendations that may be of …

Assessing The Impact Of Stricter Food Safety Standards On Trade:Haccp In U.S. Seafood Trade With The Developing World, Julie Caswell

Julie Caswell

Health risks associated with seafood products prompted the introduction of mandatory HACCP in the seafood industry in the United States in 1997. This paper quantifies the trade impact of this introduction by analyzing patterns of seafood imports to the U.S. over the period 1990 to 2004. The results of a gravity model using panel data suggest that HACCP had a negative and significant impact on overall seafood imports from the top 33 developing and developed countries selling into the U.S. For developing countries, the results support the view of “standards-as-barriers” versus ”standards-as-catalysts” as the negative HACCP effect was experienced by …

Traceability Adoption At The Farm Level: Analysis Of The Portuguese Pear Industry, Julie Caswell

Julie Caswell

Traceability is becoming a condition for doing business in European food markets. Retailers are adopting standards that are more stringent than what is mandatory. An example is EurepGAP, a quality standard for good agricultural practices that includes traceability as a main requirement. We analyze EurepGAP implementation in the Portuguese pear industry and find that implementation cannot be distinguished from sales to British supermarkets. Discrete choice models show the odds of traceability adoption increase with farm size and previous compliance with quality assurance schemes, while farm productivity has a negative impact on the probability of adoption.

An Employment-Targeted Economic Programme For South Africa, Robert Pollin, Gerald Epstein, James Heintz, Léonce Ndikumana

Léonce Ndikumana

This is an independent report produced by a team of international and national consultants supported by the international Poverty Centre in Brasilia (IPC). Initial support for this report was provided by the Poverty Group of the United Nations Development Programme in New York. This Report is part of a wider global research programme encompassing several other countires. The views in this report are the authors' and not necessarily IPC's. However, the IPC regards this report as an important contribution to the debate on economic policies and employment programmes in South Africa as well as in other countries in Africa.

Learning From Worcester Union Station: An Istea Success Story, Michael Di Pasquale

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

The passage of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991 represented a major shift in federal transportation policy. ISTEA recognizes the interrelated nature of the country's transportation network, and the benefits of coordinating multiple transportation modes. More importantly, for the first time states could spend their share of federal transportation money (raised from gasoline taxes) on public transportation projects.

The ISTEA legislation gave priority to transportation projects that could spur economic development. In Massachusetts and across the country intermodal transportation centers were planned to facilitate efficient transit connections and to help revitalize cities and towns. Intermodal transportation centers …

Course Management Systems, Libraries And Teaching: Exploring Relationships For Learning, Christine N. Turner

Christine Turner

With a literature review and four case studies this article presents current trends and practices in CMS use in higher educations. CMS influence on teaching, learning, academic library services and information literacy instruction in Australia and the United States is explored. CMSs have not yet fulfilled their potential.

Great Expectations? The Changing Role Of “Europe” In Romani Activism In Hungary, Krista Harper, Peter Vermeersch

Krista M. Harper

Contemporary political action for ethnic and national minorities in Europe appears to be increasingly directed towards supra- and transnational structures. This development seems indicative of the growth of a European space for minority activism – a public space that is less state-centered, that allows claims to be framed in terms of European standards and therefore facilitates the emergence of an active European citizenship. In theory, this “Europeanization” of minority politics may offer minority activists additional avenues for raising demands about cultural recognition and economic equalization. This article seeks to identify the possible implications of the Europeanization of minority politics by …

Land Of Opportunity: Immigrant Farmers Put Down Roots In Holyoke, Massachusetts, Madeleine K. Charney

Madeleine K. Charney

Author is Madeleine Charney. Correction published in following issue.

Valley Free Radio Program Takes Things ‘Farm To Fork’, Madeleine K. Charney

Madeleine K. Charney

Written by Amanda Cather, this article describes the radio show "Farm to Fork: The Pioneer Valley's Local Food and Agriculture" which airs every other Tuesday from 6:30-7:30pm EST on WXOJ-LP, 103.3fm, Valley Free Radio. Hosted by: Madeleine Charney, Kelly Coleman, Leslie Cox and Don Persons. Listen via live audiostream: www.valleyfreeradio.org

Conference Keynoter Defends Practices Buried In New England’S Agricultural History, Plans For Future, Madeleine K. Charney

Madeleine K. Charney

Brian Donahue, environmental historian, debunks the myths of early New England farming practices.

Conference Keynoter Defends Practices Buried In New England’S Agricultural History, Plans For Future, Madeleine K. Charney

University Libraries Publication Series

Brian Donahue, environmental historian, debunks the myths of early New England farming practices.

Valley Free Radio Program Takes Things ‘Farm To Fork’, Madeleine K. Charney

University Libraries Publication Series

Written by Amanda Cather, this article describes the radio show "Farm to Fork: The Pioneer Valley's Local Food and Agriculture" which airs every other Tuesday from 6:30-7:30pm EST on WXOJ-LP, 103.3fm, Valley Free Radio. Hosted by: Madeleine Charney, Kelly Coleman, Leslie Cox and Don Persons. Listen via live audiostream: www.valleyfreeradio.org

Nelig Meeting - March 17, 2006, New England Library Instruction Group

New England Library Instruction Group

NELIG quarterly meeting, co-sponsored with ITIG, Using Google Technologies for Information Sharing and Library Instruction.

Proposal To The Ethics Education In Science And Engineering Program, National Science Foundation: Role-Play Scenarios For Teaching Responsible Conduct Of Research, Michael C. Loui, C. K. Gunsalus

Ethics in Science and Engineering National Clearinghouse

We propose to develop and assess role-play scenarios to teach central topics in the responsible conduct of research (RCR) to graduate students in science and engineering. Together the scenarios will cover plagiarism, authorship, conflict of interest, interpersonal conflicts in mentoring, and concerns about compliance with research regulations on human participants in research, animal subjects, or hazardous substances. Two scenarios will present potential whistleblowing situations.

Intellectual merit: Few previous studies have carefully assessed the effectiveness of role-play in teaching ethics. We will conduct a rigorous, systematic assessment of role-play, using multiple methods, with a diverse group of graduate students. We will …

University Libraries Annual Report 2006, Jay Schafer

University Libraries Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Gender And Resistance At North Bend Plantation: The Beginnings Of An Interdisciplinary Study Of An Enslaved Community, Kelley Deetz

African Diaspora Archaeology Newsletter

No abstract provided.