Open Access, Privacy, and Ethics

Open access is generally touted as a beneficial good. It enables communities, especially those with the least resources, to access literature that they often would otherwise not be able to afford. It brings publicly funded studies and ensuing publications out from behind a paywall for the public good. Open data sets allow for the aggregation of studies, leading to higher statistical power and generalizability. Open data sets can also be utilized to address replication concerns. Despite these tremendous benefits, there are existing and valid concerns about open access in a networked world. As increased quantities of materials are digitized, especially when the contents mention and refer to individuals still alive, open access and institutional repository professionals will need to address privacy concerns and interrogate their moral and ethical values. San Jose State University (SJSU) Library recently uploaded over 80 years of the Spartan Daily, the student campus newspaper, to its campus institutional repository (IR). Former SJSU students have contacted the IR managers to request that whole issues be taken down or redacted because of unflattering news reports on their activities as SJSU undergraduates. These concerns of privacy and managing one’s online identity are generally not seen favorably by the IR managers; their perspective is that the Spartan Daily is an official University publication. To modify the content is tantamount to censorship. This session will grapple with privacy and ethical concerns that intersect with open access

Privacy and Anonymity in a Reference Librarianship Digital Archive

This poster will discuss the ethical concerns with the processing, digitizing, and organizing of the Pacific Library Partnership’s System Reference Center (SRC) reference question archive, which contains material artifacts of complex reference questions from 1972-2004. Reference services, a core librarian responsibility, centers on connecting users with answers, materials, and the information that will satisfy their research needs. With the proliferation of online materials and ubiquity of search engines, the nature of reference services has changed dramatically over the last decades. The archive is comprised of questions submitted for reference librarian review by other reference librarians who had exhausted local resources and capabilities. Thus, these questions offer a unique perspective on the nature of the questions that required expert searchers with extensive resources. Included in this collection’s documentation are the originating librarian-patron consultation and SRC librarian answer, providing a detailed view of the intellectual approach and type(s) and quantity of resources consulted. This poster will consider the privacy concerns for this particular archive, reference services, and librarians

From fear of death to management of life : inspirations from the life and death education

Talking about death has always been a taboo for most traditionally-minded Chinese. Even though people understand that nobody could escape from death, they rather want to have a discussion on one\u27s life instead. However, does not bringing death up the table mean that this topic is unimportant and hence negligible

Vaginal Birth after Cesarean Section: Provider Perspectives and Maternal Decision Making

Although evidence suggests vaginal birth after cesarean section (VBAC) leads to fewer complications in subsequent pregnancies, lower risk of maternal morbidity, and fewer cesarean sections overall, VBAC rates in Florida are at 5.5%, notably lower than the U.S. average of 8.0%. This exploratory study examines the factors contributing to these low VBAC rates through a qualitative investigation using grounded theory. Semi-structured interviews with women and maternity care providers were conducted to explore attitudes, motivations, and experiences regarding VBAC. Findings reveal a distinction between providers\u27 and women\u27s attitudes toward and experiences with VBAC and identify factors involved in decision-making. Three themes emerged: (1) patient-provider interactions; (2) perceptions of risks; and (3) rejection/adoption of biomedical authority. Women weighed the risks and benefits of VBAC through their perceptions and experiences of physical and emotional consequences, whereas providers relied on their experiences with medical practice, legal outcomes, policy, and evidence-based medicine. This exploratory research identifies a critical need for further attention to the disconnects between providers’ and women’s perspectives on and experiences with VBAC to address the tensions between biomedical and alternative forms of birth knowledge better and develop comprehensive VBAC guidelines that integrate the needs and concerns of women and providers

Lifelong learning to help both you and me : Ms. Tong Kit-ha\u27s sharing for awarded Outstanding Third Age Citizen

23 April 2015 is a particularly exciting and memorable day for eleven retired people, as they were selected by HK Electric and Kong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) to be the Outstanding Third Age Citizens 2015 for their positive and optimistic life attitudes. Having a passion for volunteerism and lifelong learning, Ms. Tong Kit-ha, a toy-packaging worker who pursued tertiary studies after retirement and graduated with merits, better than many younger students , was elected as one of the Outstanding Third Age Citizens. We are honorable to have Ms. Tong sharing with our readers her third-age life experience as well as her feelings as an awardee

Do you know what I want? : Revisiting women development needs

Population Ageing continues to intensify in Hong Kong while the Feminisation of elderly population has become a prominent trend. Since an elderly\u27s quality of life is closely related to his/her life-course experience, Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies of Lingnan University (APIAS) accepted the Hong Kong Women Development Association\u27s commission to develop the Women Development Index, so as to enable earlier intervention to improve women\u27s later lives