Are Women Worth as Much as Men?: Employment Inequities, Gender Roles, and Public Policy

Gender inequities in employment are apparent in many different contexts and have numerous components. The most quantifiable measure is a comparison between the relative earnings of men and women. A related measure is the distribution by gender across occupational lines and the average relative salaries of jobs that tend to be predominantly occupied by workers of one gender. All available statistics show that men earn significantly more than women. 1 This remains true no matter what year the figures are from, or whether they are weighted according to age, labor force status, or educational attainment. 2 If financial compensation for work is any indicator, women are worth significantly less than men in the United States. Women are not worth as much as men in the labor market because notions of traditional gender roles continue to result in the prescriptive assignment of responsibility for children and home to women. Although it may be true that more women than men would prefer to care for home and family, even in the absence of cultural pressure, not all women desire such a role. It is equally true that not all men would eschew primary caretaking roles. In a fundamentally fair society, the talents and desires of each individual, instead of the biological accident of gender, will decide their appropriate role. Although it is currently possible for an individual to rise above cultural pressures and claim a role different from that encouraged for their gender, the mere fact that a hurdle ..

Embedded librarianship at Purdue University

Tucked in the northwest farmlands of Indiana in West Lafayette, Purdue University is recognized as one of the nation’s leading science and mathematics research universities. Spring rainstorms and a packed agenda greeted the 2008–2010 ARL Diversity Scholars when we visited the libraries April 20–21, 2009. Purdue University staff, librarians, and Library Dean James Mullins planned an exceptional program of guided discussions, presentations, and tours of the campus libraries. The team also offered an inside view of the institution’s libraries and a fresh vision for how librarians can place themselves in the daily workings of campus communities

Television: Peer-To-Peer’s Next Challenger

The entertainment industry has obsessed over the threat of peer-to-peer file sharing since the introduction of Napster in 1999. The sharing of television content may present a compelling case for fair use under the long-standing Betamax decision. Some argue that television sharing is fundamentally different than the distribution of music or movies since television is often distributed for free over public airwaves. However, a determination of fair use is unlikely because of the fundamental differences between recording a program and downloading it, recent regulation to suppress unauthorized content distribution and shifts in the television market brought on by new technology

OaklandTeenZone: Humming its own new tune

On January 17, 2009, after years of planning, fundraising, and construction delays, the Oakland Public Library (OPL) finally overcame all obstacles and opened its much-anticipated, newly remodeled TeenZone Department. Planning began in 2001 with the vision that OPL TeenZone would accommodate, educate, and celebrate the city\u27s youth; eight years later this teen space is fulfilling that mission

Taking what we have and making what we need: Utilizing Natural Helping Support Networks to decrease self directed violence among Adolescents of Color.

Previous research has linked family and community connectedness with decreased risk of self-directed violence among adolescents. Despite the strong correlation between social connectedness and lowered risk of self-directed violence, very few interventions use social connections as mediators. This article identifies the risk and protective factors associated with self-directed violence among adolescents of color. In alignment with Healthy People 2020, this paper highlights the social determinants of self-directed violence including factors associated with individual’s social and physical environments. The authors provide an interdisciplinary review of current trends and historical data on self-directed violence in adolescents of color. The researchers suggest, the lack of culturally appropriate interventions, mental illness and the complex nature of social constructs in communities of color, makes solving the problem of self-directed violence difficult. This article examines how informal helpers can be utilized as an intervention to decrease health disparities experienced by adolescents of Color in the area of self-directed violence. The authors conclude that adolescents of Color are more likely to attempt to access support for mental/emotional concerns from members of their informal helping network before interacting with formal services. This paper offers a theoretical framework for creating culturally tailored strategies that utilizes informal helping networks. The proposed framework focuses on empowering and increasing education and knowledge about self-directed violence within the informal helping network while providing social and emotional support to adolescents of color

Return on Instruction: Methods for Assessing the Impact of Information Literacy Instruction on the Use of Electronic Resources

Moving from simplistic, open web search strategies sufficient for high school level work to independently navigating the complex system of information sources available on college campuses is a developmental milestone for undergraduate students. One of the aims of library instruction is to play a critical role in this transition to college-level research, which necessitates the use of specialized databases and other information sources. Instruction librarians raise awareness of library e-resources and provide in-depth guidance in selecting and effectively using online sources. Santa Clara University librarians were interested in investigating the immediate impact of instruction on the use of the library’s e-resources. Do students regularly use library resources after instruction or do they revert to open web sources when searching independently? To study this question, Santa Clara University librarians examined LibGuides statistics, usage data, and instruction data to determine how frequently students access library databases post-instruction. The investigators examined LibGuides associated with course instruction from a selection of classes and explored the potential impact of instructional techniques, timing of instruction, and assignment integration on sustained use of electronic resources. The investigators also examined use of resources by level of course to explore whether independent use of library resources increased as students progress through their college years. This poster will share methodologies for assessing use of library e-resources after instruction using LibGuides statistics combined with usage and instruction data. The poster will also explore opportunities for implementing this method to assess instruction, access, and use of e-resources on college campuses. Speaker

Exploring the Changing Teaching Practices and Needs of Business Faculty at Santa Clara University

This report will present the findings and recommendations of a study designed to explore Santa Clara University (SCU) business faculty’s current and emerging undergraduate teaching practices. The study was led locally by researchers in the SCU Library, with parallel studies conducted at fourteen other institutions of higher education in the United States during the 2018-19 academic year. These studies were coordinated at the national level by Ithaka S&R, a not-for-profit research and consulting service that helps academic and cultural communities serve the public good and navigate economic, technological, and demographic change. Ithaka will publish a capstone report of major themes across all fourteen institutions in Winter 2020 and will include recommendations that libraries, universities, and business schools can use to support the changing teaching practices of their business faculty

Detailed Spectral Analysis of the Type Ib Supernova 1999dn. Paper I: Hydrogen-free Models

We present spectral fits to five epochs of the typical Type Ib supernova 1999dn using the generalized, non-LTE, stellar atmospheres code PHOENIX. Our goal is threefold: to determine basic physical properties of the supernova ejecta, such as velocity, temperature, and density gradients; to reproduce He I absorption lines by invoking non-thermal excitation; and, to investigate possible spectral signatures of hydrogen, especially a feature around 6200 Angstrom, which has been attributed to high velocity $H_\alpha$. Our models assume an atmosphere with uniform composition devoid of any hydrogen. Our model spectra fit the observed spectra well, successfully reproducing most of the features, including the prominent He I absorptions. The most plausible alternative to $H_\alpha$ as the source of the 6200 Angstrom feature is a blend of Fe II and Si II lines, which can be made stronger to fit the observed feature better by increasing the metallicity of the ejecta. High-metallicity models fit well at early epochs, but not as well as solar-metallicity models after maximum light. While this blend of metal lines is a reasonable explanation of the source of the 6200 Angstrom feature, it is still important to investigate hydrogen as the source; therefore, a second paper will present models that include a thin shell of hydrogen around the main composition structure.Comment: 24 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables, submitted to Ap