Calling All Academic Music Library Reference Desks: A Follow-Up Study

The East Carolina University Music Library established regularly staffed reference desk service and studied whether the presence of a reference desk increased patron comfort level in seeking assistance even when the reference desk was unstaffed. Reference activity statistics and results from a patron survey indicate that the reference desk strengthened reference service during hours the desk was staffed but did not increase patron comfort level at times the desk was unstaffed. This article presents key components of music library reference service highlighted by the survey and makes recommendations for other music libraries considering implementing or continuing reference desk service

Removing the invisibility cloak: Using space design to influence patron behavior and increase service desk usage

In small branch libraries, patrons seeking assistance from library staff outside of the dedicated single-service desk often results in large staffing inefficiencies. This paper presents a case study in which the authors applied behavioral psychology models to a branch library’s space arrangement to identify possible factors influencing patron service point choices. A subsequent full space rearrangement was instituted which utilized human behavior research, service desk design principles, and low-cost methods to create a space that reduced barriers and influenced patrons back to the main service desk. The paper reports on the 11-month study that followed and the impact the rearrangement had on patron behavior. Results indicate that simple rearrangement of existing furniture and equipment into new configurations have direct influence on service desk usage and can encourage new patron behaviors. Space and human behavior are inherently connected and library managers should establish goals for how they envision their spaces to be used and arrange them in ways that encourage wanted behaviors.Ye

Chronicles of Oklahoma

Article provides a fascinating account of Kate Barnard, a skillful but little-known "woman politician" whose dedication to social causes has not been equaled

A Generalized Combinatorial Technique for Linearity Calibrations Applied to Optical Detectors and Spectrographs

For many quantities, indicating instruments are calibrated only at a limited number of values, and the extension of the calibrations to higher or lower values must rely upon the linearity of the instruments. A method for calibrating or determining the linearity of instruments that exploits the combinatorial properties of a set of different-valued, and mostly uncalibrated, artefacts is described. The presentation describes the underlying principles of the method, its limitations, and examples of the application of the method to very different quantities: mass balances, resistance bridges, optical detectors and spectrographs. The resulting uncertainty due to linearity can be assigned from the residuals of the fitted functional form of the linearity function to the measured signals. The implementation of this combinatorial method with the NIST Beamconjoiner apparatus is described, and calibrations of visible and infrared photodiodes, and spectrographs for internal and external customers are shown. This method is shown to be capable of determining linearities in the visible and infrared wavelength region to uncertainties of 200 ppm or 0.02 % (k=2). Linearities of spectrographs at a set integration time and as a function of integration times can be measured using this approach. Experimental setups to characterize focal plane arrays placed in cryo-vac chambers will be discussed