Fueling Up: Gasoline Consumption in the Pacific Northwest

In "Fueling Up," Sightline Institute analyzes the Northwest's gasoline use over the past decade, finding that different regions have radically different patterns of gas use. What's the critical factor? The report cites sprawl -- and efforts against it--as the main driver of differences, and provides ideas for innovative reforms to help us ease off the gas

Learning as We Go: Communicating with Library Staff In the Digital Age

Recognizing that our library’s internal communication practices haven’t kept pace with changes in the world around us, Multnomah County Library created an internal communications specialist position to understand and address these issues. Since last fall, that person has been busy gathering input, listening to staff describe challenges and constraints, and looking for ways to help our library do a better job communicating to and with staff. We’re still early in this process, but what we’ve learned is valuable. We can address some issues immediately, and others will take longer than we’d like. At Multnomah County Library, we’re at the beginning of the learning process when it comes to structured internal communications. But we know the benefits are worth the journey. So as you write that next project plan or staff e-mail, I hope you’ll find value in the ideas presented here, build on them, create better ones and share them. We’re still learning too

Leveraging University-School District Research Partnerships: Exploring the Longitudinal Effects of an Early Kindergarten Transition Program

With increasingly tight budgets, many public school districts lack research personnel to evaluate program efficacy or investigate best practices that raise student achievement. We highlight an example of a successful university-district partnership that offers district-driven research support while providing opportunities for practitioner-scholars to learn first-hand how to perform rigorous evaluation work. This article details the Early Kindergarten Transition program evaluation study conducted by a university-district partnership as well as testimony from district leadership on the utility of the research deliverables and long-term benefits of the research collaboration

Public Spaces and Information: How Oregon Libraries Are Helping the Homeless

This project is an in-depth feature article that investigates how public libraries in Oregon provide a public place and vital services for homeless people, especially in poorer communities with higher rates of homelessness. This is the kind of article that might be published in a publication like The Oregonian or The Atlantic. The article is 3,000 words and includes audio and photos. I plan to submit it to The Oregonian and The Atlantic for publication. I am presenting my work through Atavist – a multimedia publishing website. Through on-site observations and interviews with library directors and homeless people who use their libraries, this article illustrates how libraries provide shelter as well as access to restrooms, the Internet and other resources homeless people use. This article also addresses how libraries are part of the solution in fighting homelessness in Oregon. The project focuses on four libraries in rural and urban areas in Oregon, specifically, Clatsop, Yamhill, Multnomah, and Lane Counties. This project also takes an in-depth look at the kinds of funding libraries in those counties receive, how those funds are used, and whether they are adequate for the population each library serves