Banned Books Week and the Freedom of the Press: Using a research collection for campus outreach

A report of the Banned Books Week events sponsored by the Morris Library Special Collections Research Center in 2008

Hal W. Trovillion\u27s Role in Preserving the History of Bloody Williamson

This article examines the efforts of Hal W. Trovillion, newspaper editor and private printer, to document the controversial history of his southern Illinois coal mining town in the early twentieth century. As a historical case study, it explores some of the challenges inherent in preserving original documents and cultural knowledge without institutional support, and with active interference from community members who worked to suppress information. Trovillion used his printing presses and contacts in the historical community to ensure that the turbulent events occurring in his town in the 1920s would be preserved in the archival record

Bringing Rare Books to Light: The State of the Profession

This article considers changing approaches to rare book cataloging in response to the recent focus on “hidden collections” in special collections departments of academic libraries. The authors analyze the results of a survey of rare book cataloging professionals regarding reactions to the hidden collections discourse, with a particular emphasis on changing policies and practices. A case study of backlog reduction efforts in the rare book unit of Morris Library, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, is also presented

An Analysis of the Holdings of Certain Lady Gregory Monographs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Rare Book Collection

This paper analyzes Lady Gregory monographs related to her work as a playwright and theater director. It includes biographical information about Lady Gregory and a description of how her materials relate to other Rare Book Collection holdings. The focus of the paper is an annotated bibliography of these titles, with detailed notes about the condition of the items held in the Rare Book Collection. The paper concludes with a desiderata and recommendations for continued development of the Lady Gregory collection

Degrees of Change: Is There Room for the Foreign LIS Degree in Today\u27s Academic Library?

The American Library Association (ALA) accredited Masters in Library Science (MLS) has long been considered the standard terminal degree for most academic librarians. However, there are many relevant degrees offered in foreign countries that are not evaluated by the American Library Association. At Southern Illinois University Carbondale, a task force was formed to investigate whether the library faculty should revise their Operating Paper to allow for foreign library science degrees. Members of the task force researched the nature and quality of foreign library and information science education. They also investigated how other academic libraries handle this question by compiling data on the degree requirements listed in position advertisements for academic libraries posted between October 1 and November 5, 2008. The data suggests that many academic libraries allow individuals with non-ALA accredited library science degrees to apply for professional positions. This presentation examines the results of the task force’s investigation. The poster contains visual elements that will engage the viewer with the topic and encourage questions about the implications of this research

Foreign LIS Degrees in Contemporary US Academic Libraries

Purpose – The purpose of this case study is to summarize a task force\u27s efforts to change the educational degree requirements for open librarian positions at a large university in the Midwestern USA. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the literature on degree requirements in academic libraries and the nature of LIS degrees from countries outside the USA. It analyzes 136 position advertisements for academic librarians by required terminal degree and the type and Association of Research Libraries (ARL) status of the institution. Findings – The paper concludes that, while most position advertisements do not specifically address foreign Library and Information Science (LIS) degrees, many advertisements, especially those at ARL libraries, contain flexible language that allows for degrees that are “equivalent” to the American Library Association (ALA) accredited LIS degree. Research limitations/implications – The data collected from the relatively small sample of 136 job advertisements for academic librarians posted on the ALA Joblist and Chronicle of Higher Education web sites were largely meant to be anecdotal. Practical implications – The paper provides useful information for academic libraries in the USA, receiving applications for professional positions from applicants with foreign LIS degrees. Originality/value – Although the literature on the ALA-accredited Master\u27s of Library and Information Science (MLS) degree is extensive, no study considers the availability of positions to those with MLS degrees from other countries

Reward-Sensitive Basal Ganglia Stabilize the Maintenance of Goal-Relevant Neural Patterns in Adolescents

Maturation of basal ganglia (BG) and frontoparietal circuitry parallels developmental gains in working memory (WM). Neurobiological models posit that adult WM performance is enhanced by communication between reward-sensitive BG and frontoparietal regions, via increased stability in the maintenance of goal-relevant neural patterns. It is not known whether this reward-driven pattern stability mechanism may have a role in WM development. In 34 young adolescents (12.16–14.72 years old) undergoing fMRI, reward-sensitive BG regions were localized using an incentive processing task. WM-sensitive regions were localized using a delayed-response WM task. Functional connectivity analyses were used to examine the stability of goal-relevant functional connectivity patterns during WM delay periods between and within reward-sensitive BG and WM-sensitive frontoparietal regions. Analyses revealed that more stable goal-relevant connectivity patterns between reward-sensitive BG and WM-sensitive frontoparietal regions were associated with both greater adolescent age and WM ability. Computational lesion models also revealed that functional connections to WM-sensitive frontoparietal regions from reward-sensitive BG uniquely increased the stability of goal-relevant functional connectivity patterns within frontoparietal regions. Findings suggested (1) the extent to which goal-relevant communication patterns within reward-frontoparietal circuitry are maintained increases with adolescent development and WM ability and (2) communication from reward-sensitive BG to frontoparietal regions enhances the maintenance of goal-relevant neural patterns in adolescents’ WM. The maturation of reward-driven stability of goal-relevant neural patterns may provide a putative mechanism for understanding the developmental enhancement of WM

Mobility Disability in Older Adults: At the Intersection of People and Places

Mobility disability is associated with poor lower body function among older adults. This study examines whether specific types of neighborhood characteristics moderate that association

Validation of a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method to detect cannabinoids in whole blood and breath.

Background The widespread availability of cannabis raises concerns regarding its effect on driving performance and operation of complex equipment. Currently, there are no established safe driving limits regarding ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentrations in blood or breath. Daily cannabis users build up a large body burden of THC with residual excretion for days or weeks after the start of abstinence. Therefore, it is critical to have a sensitive and specific analytical assay that quantifies THC, the main psychoactive component of cannabis, and multiple metabolites to improve interpretation of cannabinoids in blood; some analytes may indicate recent use. Methods A liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed to quantify THC, cannabinol (CBN), cannabidiol (CBD), 11-hydroxy-THC (11-OH-THC), (±)-11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-THC (THCCOOH), (+)-11-nor-Δ9-THC-9-carboxylic acid glucuronide (THCCOOH-gluc), cannabigerol (CBG), and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) in whole blood (WB). WB samples were prepared by solid-phase extraction (SPE) and quantified by LC-MS/MS. A rapid and simple method involving methanol elution of THC in breath collected in SensAbues® devices was optimized. Results Lower limits of quantification ranged from 0.5 to 2 μg/L in WB. An LLOQ of 80 pg/pad was achieved for THC concentrations in breath. Calibration curves were linear (R2>0.995) with calibrator concentrations within ±15% of their target and quality control (QC) bias and imprecision ≤15%. No major matrix effects or drug interferences were observed. Conclusions The methods were robust and adequately quantified cannabinoids in biological blood and breath samples. These methods will be used to identify cannabinoid concentrations in an upcoming study of the effects of cannabis on driving

Driving Under the Influence of Cannabis: Impact of Combining Toxicology Testing with Field Sobriety Tests

BACKGROUND: Cannabis is increasingly used both medically and recreationally. With widespread use, there is growing concern about how to identify cannabis-impaired drivers. METHODS: A placebo-controlled randomized double-blinded protocol was conducted to study the effects of cannabis on driving performance. One hundred ninety-one participants were randomized to smoke ad libitum a cannabis cigarette containing placebo or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (5.9% or 13.4%). Blood, oral fluid (OF), and breath samples were collected along with longitudinal driving performance on a simulator (standard deviation of lateral position [SDLP] and car following [coherence]) over a 5-hour period. Law enforcement officers performed field sobriety tests (FSTs) to determine if participants were impaired. RESULTS: There was no relationship between THC concentrations measured in blood, OF, or breath and SDLP or coherence at any of the timepoints studied (P \u3e 0.05). FSTs were significant (P \u3c 0.05) for classifying participants into the THC group vs the placebo group up to 188 minutes after smoking. Seventy-one minutes after smoking, FSTs classified 81% of the participants who received active drug as being impaired. However, 49% of participants who smoked placebo (controls) were also deemed impaired at this same timepoint. Combining a 2 ng/mL THC cutoff in OF with positive findings on FSTs reduced the number of controls classified as impaired to zero, 86 minutes after smoking the placebo. CONCLUSIONS: Requiring a positive toxicology result in addition to the FST observations substantially improved the classification accuracy regarding possible driving under the influence of THC by decreasing the percentage of controls classified as impaired