Managing Across: A Magical Method for Providing Leadership and Skill Development

Objective: To provide an opportunity for faculty librarians to lead initiatives that will enhance the Research and Education Department’s knowledge and practice. Methods: Six faculty librarians at an academic health sciences library have been assigned an area of focus based upon their personal interests. The intent is for each of them to be able to work in an area that is of interest to them, but also for them to lead initiatives within the department to educate their peers. The areas are the ACRL Framework, LibGuides, Data and Assessment, Instructional Technology, NIH updates, and Teaching and Education. Each librarian is expected to develop a curriculum, programming, or other ways to educate their peers on their topic so that the peers can incorporate this new knowledge into their own work. The topics overlap in many ways, so the librarians are having to work together to complement each other’s planning, and develop programming and other projects with each other. Results: Early results show that the librarians are thinking outside the box for ways to share their knowledge and expertise with their peers. A monthly “search party” has been established by the Teaching and Education leader, and a complete LibGuide redesign has been handled by another. A research project has come out of the LibGuide redesign as well, which will involve the Data and Assessment leader to help evaluate findings from discoveries made during the redesign. Conclusions: This has been an exciting way to have librarians get leadership experience. They’ve had to think differently about their work and how they plan to incorporate their ideas into the department’s work as a whole

Students with Osteogenesis Imperfecta: A Comparative Intergenerational Study of Inclusive Participation in New Zealand schools.

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a genetic condition commonly known as Brittle Bones. The purpose of this study was to listen to and document the experiences of those with OI to investigate if there were barriers to inclusive education for students with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). Persons with OI are often small in stature, have limited strength and varying degrees of mobility. Adventurous behaviour or everyday activities may result in fractures. Often in the world of disability the focus is on the medical condition rather than the personal experiences of those with the condition. This study provided an opportunity to articulate the personal experiences of the participants. In this study two specific aspects of educational experiences were examined. The first aspect explored was the way students managed physically within the educational setting, while the second aspect examined how students coped emotionally. Five major questions were used to determine if special education policies have affected the quality of inclusiveness for students with OI in New Zealand classrooms over a period of forty years. These questions examined what barriers exist in the past and whether the same barriers still exist within today's educational setting. The questions investigated what or who may be the cause of these barriers and what possible effects these barriers might have on the student The present situation was compared with the past and finally how might these barriers be overcome was investigated. This qualitative study focused on three individuals, each representing a different generation. The participants exemplified a particular phenomenon, specifically the daily school lives in New Zealand of those with OI. The difficulties these students faced were explored through semi-structured interviews to encourage the three participants to voice their individual experiences. All three participants gave freely of their thoughts in an articulate, thoughtful and open manner, sharing both their positive and unpleasant experiences. This study revealed that some New Zealand schools have yet to implement recent inclusive education policies set out by the Ministry of Education. The three participants identified barriers to inclusive education from their own personal perspectives. The physical environment of school presented challenges. Distance between classrooms and assembly halls and accessibility to the playground, ramps and toilet facilities created difficulties for students with OI who did not walk independently. Attitudes of parents, teachers, and the wider school community impacted on the self-attitude of students with OI. Over-protection, fear and anxiety were identified as unintentional attitudes that placed limitations on participation of meaningful activities and added to student feelings of isolation and difference. Lack of knowledge of the medical and psychosocial aspects of students with OI could account for the continued barriers imposed by some teachers. Barriers do still exist in some New Zealand schools for students with osteogenesis imperfecta. Improved access could result in more participation. More participation could allow for an improved quality of social interaction and thus result in greater focus on the person and less focus on the disability. Collaboration between all school staff, parents and students with OI is essential to minimise barriers and maximise academic and social opportunities

Shake, Rattle, And Read: An Analysis Of An Adaptation Of A Multisensory Phonics Program’s Impact On The Reading Achievement Of Kindergarten Students

This paper describes a problem of practice stemming from the disparity in reading achievement that exists among kindergarten students due to varying life and academic experiences. This action research study investigated the impact of a multisensory instructional program that attempts to improve students’ decoding skills, and therefore, overall reading ability by answering the following question: How does an adaptation of the Project Read Primary Phonics program affect the reading level of kindergarten students as measured by the DRA2+? This study employed an action research methodology, specifically Mertler’s (2014) action research cycle: planning, acting, developing, and reflecting. The planning stage was comprised of identifying the problem of practice, research question, related literature, and action research design. The acting stage was comprised of implementing the intervention, collecting related data, and analyzing that data. The developing stage was comprised of using the findings from the data analysis to create an action plan. The reflecting phase was comprised of analyzing the research questions and research design to guide future action research studies, as well as sharing the action research results in an effort to empower other teachers to examine their own instructional practices. Findings indicated that the adaptation of the Project Read Primary Phonics program had a positive effect on student achievement. These results served as the basis for the subsequent action plan

Student Engagement Interest Group: Preparing Students for the Library and Health Information Workforce

BACKGROUND The purpose of the Network of the National Library of Medicine’s (NNLM) Student Engagement Interest Group (SEIG) is to advance the mission of NNLM by sharing participating regional offices and center\u27s (ROCs) student engagement-related activities and prioritizing those appropriate for national coordination. Additionally, the SEIG prioritizes students, high school age and older, from traditionally marginalized communities and those underrepresented in biomedical research when conducting student engagement activities. Since the creation of the SEIG, the group has explored how NNLM can support students in acquiring experience in a professional setting, gaining access to mentors who can guide them in preparation to enter the library and information workforce and develop knowledge and skills to become better versed in health information resources. DESCRIPTION The SEIG consists of 10 members that meet once a month to identify and develop NNLM-wide strategies and metrics to advance student engagement, implement and evaluate strategies in increasing student engagement across the country, including those from underrepresented populations in biomedical research, and guide the development of programs that enhance skills of students in NLM resources and interest within the health professions, including health sciences librarianship. Some examples the SEIG has discussed for promoting student engagement are sharing project ideas that would benefit the intern or practicum student’s overall experience and support their areas of interest, methods to engage with LIS and iSchool programs to recruit potential students for practicums and internships, and providing opportunities to acquire knowledge and tools for students that may not be able to obtain in their program. CONCLUSIONS The SEIG made great progress in supporting LIS/iSchool students in acquiring knowledge and experiences to better prepare them for the library and information field. This progress led to hosting practicums and internships across several ROCs. For instance, the group collaborated with Region 1 to create a plan on how NNLM can support the University of Kentucky students participating in the Alternative Spring Break. The committee also produced a draft of the student engagement handbook that NNLM ROCs can use as a guide to effectively recruit, host, and provide quality mentorship experiences for students choosing to spend their practicum or internship time with the NNLM program. The handbook is anticipated to be finalized and implemented in the coming year

The emerging use of magnetic resonance imaging to study river bed dynamics

The characterization of surface and sub-surface sedimentology has long been of interest to gravel-bed river researchers. The determination of surface structure is important as it exerts control over bed roughness, near-bed hydraulics and particle entrainment for transport1. Similarly, interpretation of the sub-surface structure and flow is critical in the analysis of bed permeability, the fate of pollutants and maintaining healthy hyporheic ecology 2.For example, many invertebrates (e.g. mayfly, caddis) and fish (e.g. salmon) lay their eggs below the river bed surface, and rely on sub-surface flows to supply the necessary oxygen and nutrients. Whilst turbulent surface flows drive these small sub-surface flows, they can also convey sand and silts that clogs the surface and sub-surface pore spaces. Reduction in sub-surface flows can starve eggs of oxygen such that larvae or juveniles do not emerge. This is particularly critical in Scottish gravel-bed rivers as the rising supply and deposition of fine sediment (silts and sands) is contributing to the dramatic decline in wild salmon. In order to gain a better understanding of such flow-sediment-ecology interactions in river systems, laboratory experiments are conducted using long rectangular flow tanks called “flumes”, see figure 1a,1b. Here, traditional techniques for analysing sediment structure are typically constrained to 1D or 2D approaches, such as coring, photography etc. Even where more advanced techniques are available (e.g. laser displacement scanning), these tend to be restricted to imaging the surface of the sediment bed. Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) overcomes these limitations, providing researchers with a non-invasive technique with which to provide novel 3D spatio-temporal data on the internal pore structure. In addition the important sub-surface flows can be investigated by adding MRI contrast agents to the flowing surface water

Shaping the Future of Education for the Medical Library Association

Objective: Inform health sciences information professionals about the newly developed structure for educational programming for the Medical Library Association (MLA) based on MLA’s Professional Competencies. Methods: MLA appointed the Education Steering Committee and six Education Curriculum Committees to develop education content based on the Association’s revised Professional Competencies. The Competencies provide the framework that define the skills to be gained as a result of educational offerings. The Education Curriculum Committees are charged with: 1. Designing and planning curriculum and educational offerings and resources; 2. Providing direction, expertise, and knowledge to creators and instructors of educational offerings with respect to content and instructional design; 3. Reviewing and assessing offerings to ensure they are high quality and current, meet learning outcomes, and have a succession plan. The work of the Curriculum Committees is shaped by the curriculum priorities document set forth by the Education Steering Committee, beginning with a “Bootcamp” that incorporates foundational offerings across the Competencies. Results: The Education Curriculum Committees suggest topics and speakers for MLA’s monthly webinars and for Continuing Education courses offered at the Association’s Annual Meetings. In the past year, Education Curriculum Committees have engaged with subject matter experts and with professional instructional designers to create online self-paced courses. A middle management symposium, sponsored by the Leadership & Management Education Curriculum Committee, was offered at the MLA 2019 Annual Meeting. Curriculum Committees are exploring other modes for providing educational content, such as podcasts, journal clubs or discussion groups. Existing courses and webinars are tagged with Professional Competencies in MEDLIB-ED, MLA’s continuing education portal. Conclusions: MLA’s Professional Competencies provide a meaningful framework for planning and organizing educational offerings. Education Curriculum Committees follow the curriculum priorities to plan their work, but also have flexibility to be innovative in suggesting other possible content and methods to support professional development and education for information professionals