Preliminary Recommendations for Shareable Metadata Best Practices

A primary goal of the IMLS Digital Collections and Content project has been to encourage sharing of metadata and participation in aggregating projects. Benefits realized through these activities include increased visibility of the collection, an environment of complimentary resources, and enhanced discoverability of individual resources. In order for these benefits to be achieved, metadata from each repository must be interoperable with existing metadata in the aggregation. Although metadata may be quality metadata in the local context, the records must have certain characteristics in order to be relevant in the aggregated environment.IMLS National Leadership Grant LG-02-02-0281unpublishednot peer reviewe

Employers\u27 Garnishment Policies - Do They Engender Racial Discrimination in Violation of Title VII and the Civil Rights Act of 1866?

This note evaluates the hypothesis that employment policies which mandate suspension or discharge for multiple garnishments are racially discriminatory. It considers the methods of challenge such as a claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the lack of consensus between the courts and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and also emerging issues. The note finds that the legality of employment practices imposing disciplinary action against garnished employees is left uncertain. Proof of a disproportionate effect on minorities employees may be adequate, although a satisfactory showing of business necessity may be a defense against a claim of a Title VII violation. What constitutes a satisfactory showing of business necessity varies by jurisdiction but the note concludes that with the trend towards finding such practices racially suspect, employers should reconsider their policies

My many selves are still me: Motivation and multilingualism

Two concepts of multilingualism that relate to the selves aspect of Dörnyei’s (2009) L2 motivational self system (L2MSS) are highlighted in this article: Thompson’s concept of perceived positive language interaction (PPLI) and Henry’s notion of the ideal multilingual self. With the dynamic model of multilingualism informing both concepts (Herdina & Jessner, 2002; Jessner, 2006, 2008), the intangible advantage that multilingual speakers have over monolingual speakers is clearly articulated in the discussion of this topic. The interconnectivity of language systems is an inherent aspect of the DMM; as such, both Thompson with PPLI and Henry with the ideal multilingual self incorporate the DMM as a framework to indicate the fluid nature of these constructs as additional language learning experiences are added to the system over time. This article further explores the dynamicity of multilingual learners’ language systems and the influences that induce change. Specifically, data from Thompson’s (2017b) study on LOTE learners are re-examined to explore this question. Additionally, excerpts from Natasha Lvovich’s (1997) The Multilingual Self, an autobiography of an L1 Russian speaker, are analyzed to present different possible models of incorporating the multilingual self and PPLI. The article ends with a discussion of an inherently multilingual context, as well as thoughts regarding the possibility of different types of future selves

Employers\u27 Garnishment Policies - Do They Engender Racial Discrimination in Violation of Title VII and the Civil Rights Act of 1866?

This note evaluates the hypothesis that employment policies which mandate suspension or discharge for multiple garnishments are racially discriminatory. It considers the methods of challenge such as a claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the lack of consensus between the courts and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and also emerging issues. The note finds that the legality of employment practices imposing disciplinary action against garnished employees is left uncertain. Proof of a disproportionate effect on minorities employees may be adequate, although a satisfactory showing of business necessity may be a defense against a claim of a Title VII violation. What constitutes a satisfactory showing of business necessity varies by jurisdiction but the note concludes that with the trend towards finding such practices racially suspect, employers should reconsider their policies

The Status of Eelgrass, Zostera marina, as Bay Scallop Habitat: Consequences for the Fishery in the Western Atlantic

Zostera marina is a member of a widely distributed genus of seagrasses, all commonly called eelgrass. The reported distribution of eelgrass along the east coast of the United States is from Maine to North Carolina. Eelgrass inhabits a variety of coastal habitats, due in part to its ability to tolerate a wide range of environmental parameters. Eelgrass meadows provide habitat, nurseries, and feeding grounds for a number of commercially and ecologically important species, including the bay scallop, Argopecten irradians. In the early 1930’s, a marine event, termed the “wasting disease,” was responsible for catastrophic declines in eelgrass beds of the coastal waters of North America and Europe, with the virtual elimination of Z. marina meadows in the Atlantic basin. Following eelgrass declines, disastrous losses were documented for bay scallop populations, evidence of the importance of eelgrass in supporting healthy scallop stocks. Today, increased turbidity arising from point and non-point source nutrient loading and sediment runoff are the primary threats to eelgrass along the Atlantic coast and, along with recruitment limitation, are likely reasons for the lack of recovery by eelgrass to pre-1930’s levels. Eelgrass is at a historical low for most of the western Atlantic with uncertain prospects for systematic improvement. However, of all the North American seagrasses, eelgrass has a growth rate and strategy that makes it especially conducive to restoration and several states maintain ongoing mapping, monitoring, and restoration programs to enhance and improve this critical resource. The lack of eelgrass recovery in some areas, coupled with increasing anthropogenic impacts to seagrasses over the last century and heavy fishing pressure on scallops which naturally have erratic annual quantities, all point to a fishery with profound challenges for survival