Creating Connective Library Spaces: A librarian-student collaboration model

The new academic library is a dynamic space where users and unique resources come together to produce new ideas. Libraries have struggled to be relevant spaces that attract students yet are more than simple study halls. The library as a connective space is one solution. This idea is not just about providing study space or collections space or even their juxtaposition, but about coming up with innovative ways to harness their proximity. The library wanted to develop spaces that foster both intentional and informal learning and are grounded in strong disciplinary identities for the sciences and the arts. At the University of Colorado Boulder we used service learning in a student collaboration model to generate novel approaches to library spaces. Two parallel areas of the library, the Science Commons and the Arts Commons, were reinvented to showcase the digital and analog library resources that inform their respective subjects. In this project, the library particularly hoped to harness the synergy between science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), and art and design (which, when combined with STEM is known as STEAM) to develop spaces that promote an atmosphere of creativity. The Science Commons highlights the digital collections and the research and innovation they support; while the Arts Commons exposes the aesthetics of the library\u27s print collection and the artwork it inspires. Both rely on student involvement and a commitment to the new library as a connective space that by connecting users to the library’s resources will facilitate informal learning activities: discovery, exploration, and self-directed research

Participation in the Court of Protection: A search for purpose

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (‘the Act’) (UK) and associated rules and guidance aim to support the person with impaired decision-making to participate in decisions about their life. More than a decade after the Act came into force, there is uncertainty about what it means for the person (‘P’) who is the subject of proceedings in the Court of Protection (‘CoP’) to participate in court hearings. This paper reviews the law and guidance on participation of P as well as the limited published research on P’s participation. The authors identify gaps in the current legal framework and conclude that research which captures the views of judges, practitioners, and not least, P and their families and carers, is a necessary step towards improved CoP guidance and practice promoting the participation of P

From Studio Space and Makerspace to Workplace: Adapting Instruction and Outreach to Fit the Needs of Practitioners from Art to Engineering

This paper discusses the specialized instructional needs of creative practitioner communities and consequent tensions students of applied fields face related to their place in the academy. By drawing on the literature of workplace information behavior and exploring the multiple communities of practice that creative practitioners navigate, we suggest information literacy approaches that acknowledge and accommodate their unique needs. If librarians acknowledge an inherent multidisciplinarity, wide ranging use of sources, tacit knowledge, and information use in specialized creation spaces, they can teach information literacy skills that are transferable and meet workplace affordances and needs. This leads to information literacy instruction that resonates with students in these fields and positions them to better succeed in their chosen fields

Communicating corporate social responsibility in the digital era

Businesses are increasingly embracing the dynamics of new digital technologies, as they communicate their policies and responsible initiatives through corporate websites, social media platforms and other interactive channels. The Web2.0 is also considered as a vehicle for the marketing communications of laudable practices, including non-financial reporting. In this light, the methodology integrates measures from technological innovation and corporate social responsibility (CSR) to understand the rationale for using digital media to communicate about environmental, social and governance issues. A quantitative study amongst 202 ownermanagers in the retail industry indicated that there is a positive and significant relationship between the perceived the ease of use and perceived usefulness of online media (for CSR disclosures) and stakeholder engagement. In addition, the findings revealed that the younger respondents were increasingly engaging in ubiquitous technologies. In conclusion, this contribution suggests that CSR communication is more effective when it is readily available online. It implies that there are opportunities for businesses to enhance their reputation and image as they engage with different stakeholders through digital media.peer-reviewe

Digital collections and digital collection practices

Reference is increasingly made to ‘digital collections’, yet this term encompasses accumulated digital objects of varying form, purpose and value. We review social science literature on mate-rial collections and draw from in-depth interviews with 20 peo-ple in the UK in order to offer a clearer understanding of what constitutes a digital collection and what does not. We develop a taxonomy that presents three distinct types of digital collection and demonstrate ways in which the affordances of digital envi-ronments may facilitate or impede meaningful practices of ac-quisition, curation and exhibition in each case. Through doing so, we present a framework for design in support of collecting prac-tices and the development of more meaningful and valued digital collections

Students as Wikipedia Teachers Creating an Authentic Peer Learning Experience with a Wikipedia Edit-a-thon

Wikipedia has become a core part of the information landscape, and many librarians have added Wikipedia-related discussions and activities to their teaching. At the same time, gaps in Wikipedia coverage due to its largely White and male editorship has spawned a proliferation of edit-a-thons designed to add representative content to Wikipedia, notably the Art + Feminism editing community and events.1 This chapter explores a first-year seminar course centered on Wikipedia where students not only authored an article, but also organized an edit-a-thon they publicized, managed, themed, and created training materials for.</p

Sex chromosome complement contributes to sex differences in coxsackievirus B3 but not influenza A virus pathogenesis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Both coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) and influenza A virus (IAV; H1N1) produce sexually dimorphic infections in C57BL/6 mice. Gonadal steroids can modulate sex differences in response to both viruses. Here, the effect of sex chromosomal complement in response to viral infection was evaluated using four core genotypes (FCG) mice, where the <it>Sry </it>gene is deleted from the Y chromosome, and in some mice is inserted into an autosomal chromosome. This results in four genotypes: XX or XY gonadal females (XXF and XYF), and XX or XY gonadal males (XXM and XYM). The FCG model permits evaluation of the impact of the sex chromosome complement independent of the gonadal phenotype.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Wild-type (WT) male and female C57BL/6 mice were assigned to remain intact or be gonadectomized (Gdx) and all FCG mice on a C57BL/6 background were Gdx. Mice were infected with either CVB3 or mouse-adapted IAV, A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 (PR8), and monitored for changes in immunity, virus titers, morbidity, or mortality.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In CVB3 infection, mortality was increased in WT males compared to females and males developed more severe cardiac inflammation. Gonadectomy suppressed male, but increased female, susceptibility to CVB3. Infection with IAV resulted in greater morbidity and mortality in WT females compared with males and this sex difference was significantly reduced by gonadectomy of male and female mice. In Gdx FCG mice infected with CVB3, XY mice were less susceptible than XX mice. Protection correlated with increased CD4+ forkhead box P3 (FoxP3)+ T regulatory (Treg) cell activation in these animals. Neither CD4+ interferon (IFN)γ (T helper 1 (Th1)) nor CD4+ interleukin (IL)-4+ (Th2) responses differed among the FCG mice during CVB3 infection. Infection of Gdx FCG mice revealed no effect of sex chromosome complement on morbidity or mortality following IAV infection.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These studies indicate that sex chromosome complement can influence pathogenicity of some, but not all, viruses.</p

Justifying and practising effective participation in the court of protection: an empirical study

Under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in England and Wales (MCA), the participation of persons in making decisions that affect their lives is embedded within the legislation and has also been addressed directly in Court of Protection (CoP) rules and guidelines. Nonetheless, various studies and reports have indicated a potential gap between practice on the ground and the participatory aspirations of the MCA. This article presents an analysis of semi‐structured interviews with 56 legal professionals (lawyers and retired judges) specializing in mental capacity law to examine how they envisage the substantive meaning and function of the effective participation of individuals who are found to lack decision‐making capacity (P). The study reveals deeper legal and ethical justifications behind why P's participation matters and also suggests that interpersonal barriers, relating to communicating and engaging with P, can hinder its realization in practice

Natural growth rates in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba): II. Predictive models based on food, temperature, body length, sex, and maturity stage

We used the instantaneous growth rate method to determine the effects of food, temperature, krill length, sex, and maturity stage on in situ summer growth of krill across the southwest Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. The main aims were to examine the separate effects of each variable and to generate a predictive model of growth based on satellite-derivable environmental data. Both growth increments in length on moulting (GIs) and daily growth rates (DGRs, mm d-1) ranged greatly among the 59 swarms, from 0.58–15% and 0.013–0.32 mm d-1. However, all swarms maintained positive mean growth, even those in the low chlorophyll a (Chl a) zone of the central Scotia Sea. Among a suite of indices of food quantity and quality, large-scale monthly Chl a values from SeaWiFS predicted krill growth the best. Across our study area, the great contrast between bloom and nonbloom regions was a major factor driving variation in growth rates, obscuring more subtle effects of food quality. GIs and DGRs decreased with increasing krill length and decreased above a temperature optimum of 0.5°C. This probably reflects the onset of thermal stress at the northern limit of krill’s range. Thus, growth rates were fastest in the ice edge blooms of the southern Scotia Sea and not at South Georgia as previously suggested. This reflects both the smaller size of the krill and the colder water in the south being optimum for growth. Males tended to have higher GIs than females but longer intermoult periods, leading to similar DGRs between sexes. DGRs of equivalent-size krill tended to decrease with maturity stage, suggesting the progressive allocation of energy toward reproduction rather than somatic growth. Our maximum DGRs are higher than most literature values, equating to a 5.7% increase in mass per day. This value fits within a realistic energy budget, suggesting a maximum carbon ration of ~20% d-1. Over the whole Scotia Sea/South Georgia area, the gross turnover of krill biomass was ~1% d-1

The ‘human element’ in the social space of the courtroom: framing and shaping the deliberative process in mental capacity law

The context- and person-specific nature of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) in England and Wales means inherent indeterminacy characterises decision-making in the Court of Protection (CoP), not least regarding conflicting values and the weight that should be accorded to competing factors. This paper explores how legal professionals frame and influence the MCA’s deliberative and adjudicative processes in the social space of the courtroom through a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with legal practitioners specialising in mental capacity law and retired judges from the CoP and the Courts of Appeal with specific experience of adjudicating mental capacity disputes. The concept of the ‘human element’ offers important new insight into how legal professionals perform their roles and justify their activities in the conduct of legal proceedings. The ‘human element’ takes effect in two ways: first, it operates as an overarching normative prism that accounts for what good practice demands of legal professionals in mental capacity law; second, it explains how these professionals orientate these norms in the day-to-day conduct of their work. The ‘human element’ further presents challenges that demand practical negotiation in relation to countervailing normative commitments to objectivity and socio-institutional expectations around professional hierarchies, expertise, and evidential thresholds