To ensure efficient access to and integrated searching capabilities for their institution's new digital library projects, the authors studied web sites of the Association of Research Libraries' (ARL) 111 academic, English-language libraries. Data was gathered on 1,117 digital projects, noting library web site and project access, metadata and project types.
Do librarians with different characteristics, such as type of work responsibilities or age, have different learning styles? The authors analyzed results from over 1,500 responses to a version of the Index of Learning Styles (ILS) questionnaire based on the Felder-Silverman Learning Styles model. This model consists of eight dimensions paired on four scales: Active/Reflective; Sensing/Intuitive; Visual/Verbal; and Sequential/ Global. In addition to their scores on the ILS questionnaire, respondents were also asked about demographic and professional characteristics. Statistically significant differences in learning style scores were found to exist between librarians with different types of position responsibilities. In particular, for three out of four scales, catalogers have statistically different learning styles than other librarian groups. Recognition of different learning styles and thoughtful integration of appropriate teaching styles may improve workplace interpersonal communication, enhance professional development and staff training, and strengthen teaching.he study and assessment of learning styles have been significant components of educational theory and practice for decades. Contemporary research of how the cognitive differences of students affect their ability to learn and retain new knowledge gained prominence in the late 1970s and became a major focus within many academic disciplines in the 1980s as several major theories and schools of thought were established.1 Although theories about learning styles are not without controversy, some key studies have shown learning styles do have a place within learning environments when tested in a valid way and used in conjunction with other established pedagogical theories and practices. In light of continued interest and study of learning styles, a group of academic librarians developed a research project to explore the learning styles of academic librarians. The key question of the project was: Do librarians of different professional groups, such as type of work responsibilities, have different learning styles? The instrument used for this research was the Index of Learning Styles (ILS) questionnaire created by
We present a statistical model that predicts the force size of United Nations peacekeeping operations, relying on experiences from thirty-nine peacekeeping operations over the period 1945-1994. As we expected, the type of mission performed by the peacekeeping operation was a major factor in determining force size. Although the second-generation mission category includes a panoply of different mission types, these new peacekeeping operations still on average require almost 12,000 more personnel than observer operations. Our results indicate, however, that the size of a peacekeeping operation is not solely a function of mission type; the context of the conflict situation matters as well. Specifically, the severity of the violence in the crisis precipitating UN intervention has a significant effect, as does the addition of more actors to the conflict. In general, the geographic characteristics of the area (except the size of the deployment area), the type of conflict (civil or interstate), and superpower involvement had no statistically significant effects.
The area of human rights has had significant attention both nationally and internationally in the press and in the political arena. While there is a renewed commitment to human rights advocacy, there is also an upward trend in popular culture of depictions of torture. This article provides critical annotations of English-language reference sources, published since 1990, and available both in print and online, in an effort to aid librarians collecting and weeding materials for human rights research.
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