Occupational fatalities amongst farm workers in Ireland, 1992 – 2008

working paperBackground: Whilst occupational fatalities amongst farm workers have been studied internationally little research has been published concerning farm fatalities or the demography farm fatalities in Ireland. Aims 1) To establish the incidence of farm fatalities during the 1992 – 2009 period in Ireland, 2) to explore the changing age profile of those experiencing fatal injuries on farms in Ireland. Methods: An official dataset containing the details of every fatal farm accident during the 1992 – 2009 period is used to evaluate changes in the number and age profile of farm fatalities in Ireland. Results: There were 304 deaths on farms during the 1992 – 2009 period in Ireland. The average number of annual fatalities is declining having fallen by 16% from 18 to 16 per year during this time. The fatality rate has however increased from 15 to 22 per 100,000 workers. This has been driven by a reduction in the number of workers employed on farms and, it is hypothesised, rapid ageing of the farm workforce. The demographic profile of those killed on farms changed significantly over the period. There are fewer deaths amongst younger cohorts. Older farmers, those over 55 years of age, now account for the vast majority of all fatal accidents. Conclusion: These findings highlight the changing nature of fatal farm incidents over the 1993 – 2009 period in Ireland. The increasing number of fatalities amongst older farmers suggests that Ireland’s Farm Safety Partnership needs to place greater emphasis of raising awareness amongst older farmers of fatality risks

Technology in Practice. A Library in Your Pocket

The article discusses the development of library Web pages designed for viewing on mobile devices and cell phones. The use of smartphones and cell phones to access internet content, library services that can be made accessible through the mobile Web, and population assessment options for libraries developing mobile Web sites are examined. Services designed for mobile use including reference services, library instruction, and catalog access are also discussed

Technology in Practice. Click Here to Engage

The article presents discussion of applied librarianship with technology. Particular attention is given to ways in which librarians offering instruction session can utilize communication and presentation technology to best reach as many patrons as possible. Details are given highlighting the interest which patrons exhibit to novel technology tools, ways of using technology to foster communication with different personalities, and using the social media platform Twitter

Technology in Practice. Information Literacy 2.0

In this article the author discusses critical inquiry and information literacy instruction in light of changes in information dissemination due to digital technology and social media. She emphasizes the impact of such changes for libraries and librarians, addressing information searching skills, networking skills, and professional development for librarians

Web Conferencing Software

Web conferencing software -- also known as webinar, videoconferencing, online meeting, and virtual classroom software -- is a web-­based technology that allows groups to synchronously communicate online. Most web conferencing software offers collaboration through text, voice and video chat, screen-­sharing, collaborative whiteboards, and file-­sharing. Tips and Trends, written by Instructional Technologies Committee members, introduces and discusses new, emerging, or even familiar technology which can be applied in the library instruction setting

Technology in Practice. Dipping into the Stream

The article discusses the use of microblogging and social networking Web sites Twitter and FriendFeed by librarians for professional networking. Benefits of social networking for building professional relationships, keeping track of professional trends, and finding help are discussed. Ways of developing networks on Twitter and FriendFeed are provided and suggestions for managing social networking sites are included

Disrupting the Cycle of Self-Objectification

From a young age, women face exposure to fat talk. Though many women tend to assume this normative way of communicating about the body as a helpful means of coping with body shame and dissatisfaction, past literature has created a strong case against this assumption. Fat talk plays a subtle role in the self-objectification process and poses a significant threat to the positive identity development of young women. Development of a feminist identity has demonstrated a capacity to positively disrupt the propensity for women to self-objectify. The current study explored the relationship between feminist identity development, fat talk, and self-objectification. The researcher administered a survey to women living in all-female residence halls at a small, faith-based Midwestern institution. The study found no relationship between feminist identity development, fat talk, and self-objectification, though there emerged a strong relationship between measures of fat talk and self-objectification. Interestingly, despite no positive or negative affect on measures of fat talk and self-objectification, the majority of participants agreed most strongly with items measuring later stages of feminist identity development