Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

What A User Wants: Redesigning A Library's Web Site Based On A Card-Sort Analysis, Laura Pope Robbins, Lisa Esposito, Christ Kretz, Michael Aloi

Publications

Web site usability concerns anyone with a web site to maintain. Libraries, however, are often the biggest offenders in terms of usability. In our efforts to provide users with everything they need to do research, we often overwhelm them with sites that are confusing in structure, difficult to navigate, and weighed down with jargon. Dowling College Library recently completed a redesign of its web site based upon the concept of usability. For smaller libraries in particular, this can be a challenge. The web site is often maintained by one or two people and finding the time and resources to conduct …

Book Review: Tourists In Space: A Practical Guide, T. D. Oswalt

Publications

This document is Dr. Oswalt’s review of Tourists in Space : a Practical Guide by Erik Seedhouse. Springer/Praxis, 2008 314p, 9780387746432 $34.95

Promoting Teamwork: An Event-Based Approach To Simulation-Based Teamwork Training For Emergency Medicine Residents, Michael A. Rosen, Eduardo Salas, Teresa S. Wu, Salvatore Silvestri, Elizabeth H. Lazzara, Rebecca Lyons, Sally J. Weaver, Heidi B. King

Publications

The growing complexity of patient care requires that emergency physicians (EPs) master not only knowledge and procedural skills, but also the ability to effectively communicate with patients and other care providers and to coordinate patient care activities. EPs must become good team players, and consequently an emergency medicine (EM) residency program must systematically train these skills. However, because teamwork-related competencies are relatively new considerations in health care, there is a gap in the methods available to accomplish this goal. This article outlines how teamwork training for residents can be accomplished by employing simulation-based training (SBT) techniques and contributes tools and …

Phase Ii Florida’S Ocean And Coastal Economies Report, Judith T. Kildow Dr

Publications

Phase II of Florida’s Ocean and Coastal Economics Report was prepared for the Florida Oceans and Coastal Council and funded under contract #RM077 by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The Phase I report of Florida’s Ocean and Coastal Economies provided basic information that the NOEP compiles for all coastal states about employment, wages and output of those activities located geographically along Florida’s shoreline (Coastal Economy) as well as those activities directly dependent upon the oceans (Ocean Economy). That information not only described the status and trends of Florida’s Coastal and Ocean Economy but allowed comparison to economies in other …

California Ocean And Coastal Investment Study Final Report, Kildow

Publications

The National Ocean Economics Program (NOEP), in cooperation with the California Coastal Conservancy and the Ocean Protection Council (OPC), completed this study to provide an inventory of state expenditures for the coast and ocean for fiscal years 2005-06 (FY 2006) and 2006-07 (FY 2007). The purpose of the study is to understand where current public investments are being made and whether further investments need to occur to be consistent with the OPC Strategic Plan as well as those of various state programs.

Put It In Writing, Eric C. Shoaf

Publications

The article offers instructions for authors and contributors on how to send their manuscripts of scholarly research to be published in the Library Administration & Management (LA&M).

Hot Politics: The Politics Behind Global Climate Change - Talking Points, Derek Wilmott

Publications

As the U.S. presidential campaign heats up, so do the issues surrounding global warming. This FRONTLINE film explores the politics behind global warming, from the three previous U.S. presidential administrations to the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

This documentary also examines the well-financed energy industry campaign that challenged the broad scientific consensus on the human causes of climate change in an effort to stall federal regulation.

Testing Our Schools - Talking Points, Derek Wilmott

Publications

The No Child Left Behind Act was officially signed on January 8, 2002, receiving broad bipartisan support in Washington. This documentary explores the debate over whether reliance on standardized tests could do more harm than good for the nation’s students and schools. It specifically looks at developments in Virginia, California, and Massachusetts. Interviews included administrators, educators, students, politicians, and test-designers to discuss their views concerning standardized testing in the public school systems. Prior to the 2002 legislation states had already begun looking at standardized testing as a means of evaluating students and teachers.

State Rural Development Policy: The Role Of The Community Development Block Grant Program, Robert Blair, Jerry Deichert, David J. Drozd

Publications

A partnership of the federal government and the states implement rural community development policy today, yet researchers rarely examine the nature and efficacy of this extensive intergovernmental collaboration. The authors collected data on Community Development Block Grant awards made by one state to small and rural communities for a variety of development projects over a period of more than ten years, and using a modified rural classification system detected patterns and trends in allocation. This study seeks to determine if a federally funded program assists states address the development needs of a diverse mix of rural communities. Do federal block …

Simulation-Based Training For Patient Safety: 10 Principles That Matter, Eduardo Salas, Katherine A. Wilson, Elizabeth Lazzara, Heidi B. King, Jeffery S. Augenstein

Publications

Simulation-based training can improve patient care when factors influencing its design, delivery, evaluation, and transfer are taken into consideration. In this paper, we provide a number of principles and practical tips that organizations in health care can use to begin implementing effective simulation-based training as a way to enhance patient safety. We commend the health care community for their efforts thus far. We hope that the information provided in this paper will encourage thinking beyond the "bells and whistles" of the simulation and bring to light full potential of simulation-based training in health care and patient safety.

America's Health Insurance Crisis - Talking Points, Derek Wilmott

Publications

This last documentary by Peter Jennings aims the lens on the country’s health insurance system. Why is there a growing number of uninsured in this country? Why do people, who can afford the ever-increasing prices, cannot get insurance? Peter Jennings finds that spiraling costs and the growing number of uninsured are all part of a health insurance system in a state of crisis.

The U.S. Intra-Industry Trade With Caribbean Countries, E. M. Ekanayake, John R. Ledgerwood

Publications

This paper aims to measure the level of intra-industry trade with special focus on vertical and horizontal intra-industry trade (IIT) in United State's foreign trade with Caribbean countries. One of the main findings is that the observed increase in intra-industry trade between the United States and Caribbean is almost entirely due to two-way trade in vertical differentiation. The second important finding is that the level of per capita income, trade intensity, product differentiation, industry size, and product quality differences are found to affect the shares of all three types of IIT positively.

Globalization: Winners And Losers - Talking Points, Derek Wilmott

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Supporters of free trade argue that globalization increases economic prosperity as well as opportunity, especially among developing nations. Critics argue that globalization has led to the exploitation of both workers and the environment, while contributing to the destabilization of undeveloped nations. Can free trade enhance civil liberties, lead more efficient allocation of resources, and increase prosperity through globalization? Or are the critics right?

Can Good Muslims Be Good Americans?, James Shoopman

Publications

Because I am a former pastor who teaches a world religions course, my former church members frequently send emails and articles that they suspect might be of interest to me. The most disturbing trend I've seen among such emails, in the wake of 9/11, has been the explosion of virulent anti-Muslim hatred circulating as Christian sentiment within and beyond the Christian community. Middle Eastern Muslims have been demonized in western culture since the time of the crusades, but reaction to the horrible events of 9/11 truly brought hatred of the Arab to a new level, and people began to broadly …

How Does A Pre-Assessment Of Off-Campus Students' Information Literacy Affect The Effectiveness Of Library Instruction?, Lana Ivanitskaya, Susan Duford, Monica Craig, Anne Marie Casey

Publications

This study investigates the impact that pre-tests have on the effectiveness of library instruction when students are given feedback on their pre-test performance. Librarians and academic faculty partnered to measure library instruction outcomes in two Master's degree classes. The Research Readiness Self-Assessment (RRSA) was used as a pre-test (before instruction) and a post-test (after instruction) in Class 1 and as a post-test only in Class 2. Students who completed both tests performed significantly better on a post-test, earning higher scores on obtaining information and overall information literacy. They reported greater library/research experience and less reliance on browsing. Compared to …

Do Off-Campus Students Use E-Books?, Pamela Grudzien, Anne Marie Casey

Publications

The number of electronic books (e-books) that are available is increasing rapidly. Libraries are acquiring them individually, in large groups, and as part of collections. Off-campus librarians perceive them to be the best solution to the problems and expenses related to loaning and shipping print books to off-campus students. This study looks at the usage of e-books by off-campus students at Central Michigan University (CMU) to see if usage patterns can assist librarians with e-book collection development to support off-campus programs.

Testing A Servant Leadership Theory Among United States Military Members, Matthew P. Earnhardt

Publications

Servant leadership, first proposed by Greenleaf (1970), is an emergent leadership theory postulating a leader must serve first. Patterson (2003), building on transformational and previous servant leadership research, developed a model of servant leading based on the following: (a) agapao love, (b) humility, (c) altruism, (d) vision, (e) trust, (f) empowerment, and (g) service. This study tests Patterson’s theory of servant leadership in a military context by investigating the relationship between the seven constructs in Patterson’s servant leadership model. Multi-rank and service military members’ perception of servant leaders was assessed using the servant leadership instrument developed by Dennis and Bocarnea …

New Executive Director Joins Lama, Eric C. Shoaf

Publications

The article announces that Kerry Ward was appointed executive director of the Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA).