Remote Reference in U.S. Public Library Practice and LIS Education

This article submitted to IUPUI ScholarWorks as part of the OASIS Project. Article reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Permission granted through posted policies on copyright owner’s website or through direct contact with copyright owner.The state of remote reference services in the United States was assessed by surveying remote reference availability at 100 U.S. public libraries, examining remote reference in the syllabi of American Library Association (ALA)-accredited library and information science (LIS) courses in the U.S., and analyzing national competencies and guidelines. Findings indicated that the telephone was the most common medium in use for remote reference services at public libraries, followed by e-mail and chat. In teaching, however, syllabi at LIS programs addressed digital remote reference media far more often than the telephone. Reference standards and guidelines primarily focused on general practices applicable to both remote and face-to-face reference work, rather than on specifics relevant to differing remote reference media types. Included in this study are recommendations to address this apparent disconnect among reference practices, teaching, and professional guidelines

Global Conservation Priorities for Marine Turtles

Where conservation resources are limited and conservation targets are diverse, robust yet flexible priority-setting frameworks are vital. Priority-setting is especially important for geographically widespread species with distinct populations subject to multiple threats that operate on different spatial and temporal scales. Marine turtles are widely distributed and exhibit intra-specific variations in population sizes and trends, as well as reproduction and morphology. However, current global extinction risk assessment frameworks do not assess conservation status of spatially and biologically distinct marine turtle Regional Management Units (RMUs), and thus do not capture variations in population trends, impacts of threats, or necessary conservation actions across individual populations. To address this issue, we developed a new assessment framework that allowed us to evaluate, compare and organize marine turtle RMUs according to status and threats criteria. Because conservation priorities can vary widely (i.e. from avoiding imminent extinction to maintaining long-term monitoring efforts) we developed a “conservation priorities portfolio” system using categories of paired risk and threats scores for all RMUs (n = 58). We performed these assessments and rankings globally, by species, by ocean basin, and by recognized geopolitical bodies to identify patterns in risk, threats, and data gaps at different scales. This process resulted in characterization of risk and threats to all marine turtle RMUs, including identification of the world's 11 most endangered marine turtle RMUs based on highest risk and threats scores. This system also highlighted important gaps in available information that is crucial for accurate conservation assessments. Overall, this priority-setting framework can provide guidance for research and conservation priorities at multiple relevant scales, and should serve as a model for conservation status assessments and priority-setting for widespread, long-lived taxa

Regional Management Units for Marine Turtles: A Novel Framework for Prioritizing Conservation and Research across Multiple Scales

Background: Resolving threats to widely distributed marine megafauna requires definition of the geographic distributions of both the threats as well as the population unit(s) of interest. In turn, because individual threats can operate on varying spatial scales, their impacts can affect different segments of a population of the same species. Therefore, integration of multiple tools and techniques - including site-based monitoring, genetic analyses, mark-recapture studies and telemetry - can facilitate robust definitions of population segments at multiple biological and spatial scales to address different management and research challenges. Methodology/Principal Findings: To address these issues for marine turtles, we collated all available studies on marine turtle biogeography, including nesting sites, population abundances and trends, population genetics, and satellite telemetry. We georeferenced this information to generate separate layers for nesting sites, genetic stocks, and core distributions of population segments of all marine turtle species. We then spatially integrated this information from fine-to coarse-spatial scales to develop nested envelope models, or Regional Management Units (RMUs), for marine turtles globally. Conclusions/Significance: The RMU framework is a solution to the challenge of how to organize marine turtles into units of protection above the level of nesting populations, but below the level of species, within regional entities that might be on independent evolutionary trajectories. Among many potential applications, RMUs provide a framework for identifying data gaps, assessing high diversity areas for multiple species and genetic stocks, and evaluating conservation status of marine turtles. Furthermore, RMUs allow for identification of geographic barriers to gene flow, and can provide valuable guidance to marine spatial planning initiatives that integrate spatial distributions of protected species and human activities. In addition, the RMU framework - including maps and supporting metadata - will be an iterative, user-driven tool made publicly available in an online application for comments, improvements, download and analysis

Honors Service-Learning: San Pedro, Belize

2014 video by Julia Hamann, Zach Petzel, Lauren Bach, and Slade Baumann on their service-learning experiences in Belize

Natural Course of Solar and Laser-Associated Retinal and Macular Injuries at a Primary Care Hospital in Switzerland

Background: Solar and laser-associated retinopathies are rare occurrences. The two retinopathies are both photo-induced but differ in the involved intensity and duration of exposure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical features and natural course of these two entities, with a focus on the changes in the outer retina over time. Patients and Methods: This retrospective analysis assessed patients with solar or laser maculopathy seen at the Department of Ophthalmology of the University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland over the last 10 years. Visual acuity (VA; Snellen) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings were reviewed and analyzed at baseline and last follow-up visit. Areas of damaged outer retina, identified on en face OCT images as hyporeflective areas, were tagged and compared between visits. Descriptive analysis was performed by calculating mean values ± standard deviation (SD). Statistical evaluation was done using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. A p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Five patients with solar retinopathy and six patients with laser-associated retinopathy were identified. In the solar retinopathy group, mean VA at baseline was 0.80 (SD ± 0.37) and improved to 0.90 (SD ± 0.36). This was not statistically significant (p = 0.066). In the laser-associated retinopathy group, mean VA at baseline was 0.89 (SD ± 0.18) and improved to 1.03 (SD ± 0.09), which was not statistically significant either (p = 0.063). At baseline, in OCT cross-sections, initial changes were observed in the interdigitation, myoid, and ellipsoid zone, as well as the outer nuclear layer and the Henle fiber layer. At follow-up, most cases presented an alteration in the residual ellipsoid zone, with the degree of the aforementioned alterations depending on the size of the initial defect. A decrease of the hyporeflective alterations measured in en face OCT scans was observed in both groups but was only statistically significant in the laser-associated retinopathy group (p = 0.018 versus p = 0.172). Conclusions: OCT can help to detect and monitor solar and laser-associated retinal injuries. Most injuries are minor, with good functional restitution. Minor changes in the ellipsoid zone often persist, even in cases with full visual recovery. // Hintergrund: Solare und laserassoziierte Retinopathien sind seltene Vorkommnisse. Beide Retinopathien sind fotoinduziert, mit aber sehr unterschiedlicher Expositionsdauer und Intensität. Ziel dieser Studie ist den natürlichen Verlauf dieser zwei Krankheitsbilder zu evaluieren mit speziellem Fokus auf die Alterationen in der äußeren Netzhaut. Patienten und Methoden: Es handelt sich um eine retrospektive Studie, welche Patienten mit solarer oder laserassoziierter Retinopathie an der Augenklinik des Unversitätsspitals Zürich über die letzten zehn Jahre einschließt. Visus (Snellen) und optische Kohärenztomografie-(OCT-)Aufnahmen bei erster und letzter Konsultation wurden überprüft und analysiert. Ergebnisse: Fünf Patienten mit solarer Retinopathie und sechs Patienten mit laserassoziierter Retinopathie konnten eingeschlossen werden. Bei der Gruppe der solaren Retinopathie stieg der Visus von 0,8 (SD ± 0,37) auf 0,90 (SD ± 0,36) an. Dies war nicht statistisch signifikant (p = 0,066). Bei der Gruppe der laserassoziierten Retinopathie stieg der Visus von 0,89 (SD ± 0,18) auf 1,03 (SD ± 0,09) an, ebenfalls nicht statistisch signifikant (p = 0,063). In der OCT konnten Alterationen in der Interdigitationszone, der ellipsoiden Zone und der äußeren Körnerzellschicht/Henle-Faser-Schicht gesehen werden. Fast alle Fälle zeigten einen persistierenden Defekt in der ellipsoiden Zone und teilweise auch eine Atrophie des retinalen Pigmentepithels. Beide Gruppen zeigten eine Abnahme der Fläche des hyporeflektiven Areals auf Niveau der ellipsoiden Zone in der En-face-OCT, dies war jedoch nur bei der Gruppe der laserassoziierten Retinopathien signifikant (p = 0,018 versus p = 0,172). Schlussfolgerungen: OCT unterstützt die Diagnostik bei solarer und laserassoziierter Retinopathie, insbesondere bei sehr milden Verletzungen. Bei beiden Krankheitsbilder handelt es sich meist um geringgradige Befunde mit guter Prognose. Auch in Fällen mit kompletter visueller Erholung kann häufig noch eine kleine Alteration in der ellipsoiden Zone persistieren