The Greatest Problem with Which the Library is Confronted: A Survey of Academic Library Outreach to the Freshman Course

The Freshman Year Experience movement has created an excellent opportunity for academic library outreach. Its values, which include collaboration among various campus units charged with supporting student success and a focus on student mastery of key academic skills, correspond well with the objective of many college and university libraries: to become a more central part of the institution\u27s educational mission. This chapter provides a discussion of academic library outreach to one of the movement\u27s most significant components, the freshman course. The aim is to provide an overview of historic and contemporary trends in postsecondary freshman programming and corresponding library outreach efforts. A final section explores research findings related to student outcomes

Weeding the Reference Collection: Adapting Current Spaces to Address User Expectations

Poster presentation at KLA/MPLA Joint Conference 2009, Wichita, KS, April 2, 2009An extensive review of the print Watson Library Reference Collection at the University of Kansas Libraries was conducted over the 2008 spring and fall semesters. As part of a major renovation of the library’s main floor, the administration mandated a 50% reduction to this collection in order to increase public user and collaborative spaces. The planning process, the criteria used for weeding, the implementation of this project, and its outcomes are described in this poster session. Consideration was also given to changes in technologies and formats, and the expectations of today’s library users

Undergraduate search strategies and evaluation criteria: searching for credible sources

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine undergraduate students’ information seeking behavior and their thought processes involved in, criteria applied to, and methods of evaluating the results of their searches, in determining which information to apply to their research. Design/methodology/approach – The authors observed, recorded and analyzed the processes and sources used by undergraduate students when seeking information on a given topic. Findings – Students did not use as many of the criteria necessary for evaluating sources for a research paper as the authors had hoped to observe; therefore, the students identified relatively few scholarly sources. Practical implications – Even though many of the students had had a course-integrated library instruction session before participating in the study, it did not seem to increase their evaluative skills, leading the authors to think that research skills need to be integrated in the curriculum in more meaningful ways by teaching faculty. Originality/value – The paper raises awareness of the search strategies and criteria that undergraduate students use to find information for their research papers

Reference E-Books: The Other Hidden Collection

This presentation was given at the 2010 Brick and Click Libraries Symposium at Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, Missouri, November 5, 2010Traditional print reference collections have been reduced significantly over the past few years, as the preference for and the availability of electronic resources have increased. Librarians at the University of Kansas are concerned that the growing numbers of reference e-books in the collection are underutilized. There is a clear need to promote these resources to both library reference staff and users who are unaware of the numerous reference titles purchased individually or contained in electronic packages, such as Credo Reference. Although records for individual titles, from online reference collections and those purchased separately, are loaded into the online catalog, there is currently no easy way to browse the electronic reference collection

Modelling lymphatic filariasis elimination in American Samoa: GEOFIL predicts need for new targets and six rounds of mass drug administration

Background: As part of the global effort to eliminate the debilitating mosquito-borne disease lymphatic filariasis (LF), seven rounds of two-drug (diethylcarbamazine and albendazole) mass drug administration (MDA) were conducted in American Samoa over 2000–2006. However subsequent surveys demonstrated ongoing transmission prompting further rounds of three-drug (diethylcarbamazine, albendazole, and ivermectin) MDA starting in 2018. Methods: We extend GEOFIL, a spatially-explicit agent-based model of LF transmission to predict the probability and timing of the local elimination or resurgence of LF for different MDA scenarios starting in 2018: two-drug vs. three-drug MDA, two to seven annual rounds, and population coverage rates of 55–75%. We developed an interactive visualisation comparing the effect of MDA strategies on different outcomes. Results: At least six annual rounds of three-drug MDA treating 75% of the population were required to achieve LF elimination in American Samoa by 2035 in > 50% of simulations. In scenarios where MDA did not achieve elimination, prevalence doubled approximately every three years, even if MDA reduced antigen prevalence to <1% (the target recommended by the World Health Organisation). Prevalence in six- and seven-year-old children was approximately one quarter of the prevalence in the general population. Conclusion: The three rounds of three-drug MDA conducted in 2018, 2019, and 2021 may have come close to WHO targets but are unlikely to interrupt LF transmission in American Samoa without further interventions. The recommended post-MDA surveillance strategy of testing primarily six and seven-year-old children will delay detection of resurgence compared to population representative surveys. The recommended elimination targets (reducing antigen prevalence below 0.5%, 1%, or 2%) may not be sufficient to interrupt transmission in countries with LF epidemiology like American Samoa. Alternative surveillance strategies and interventions designed to identify and eliminate spatially localized residual transmission may need to be considered. Interactive visualisations may assist decision-makers to choose locally appropriate strategies

Preparing adolescents attending progressive and no-excuses urban charter schools to analyze, navigate, and challenge race and class inequality

Background/Context: Sociopolitical development (SPD) refers to the processes by which an individual acquires the knowledge, skills, emotional faculties, and commitment to recognize and resist oppressive social forces. A growing body of scholarship has found that such sociopolitical capabilities are predictive in marginalized adolescents of a number of key outcomes, including resilience, academic achievement, and civic engagement. Many scholars have long argued that schools and educators have a central role to play in fostering the sociopolitical development of marginalized adolescents around issues of race and class inequality. Other scholars have investigated school-based practices for highlighting race and class inequality that include youth participatory-action research, critical literacy, and critical service-learning. Objective of Study: The present study sought to add to the existing scholarship on schools as opportunity structures for sociopolitical development. Specifically, this study considered the role of two different schooling models in fostering adolescents' ability to analyze, navigate, and challenge the social forces and institutions contributing to race and class inequality. Setting: The six high schools participating in the present study were all urban charter public high schools located in five northeastern cities. All six schools served primarily low-income youth of color and articulated explicit goals around fostering students' sociopolitical development. Three of these high schools were guided by progressive pedagogy and principles, and three were guided by no-excuses pedagogy and principles. Research Design: The present study compared the sociopolitical development of adolescents attending progressive and no-excuses charter high schools through a mixed methods research design involving pre-post surveys, qualitative interviews with participating adolescents and teachers, and ethnographic field notes collected during observations at participating schools. Results: On average, adolescents attending progressive high schools demonstrated more significant shifts in their ability to analyze the causes of racial inequality, but adolescents attending no-excuses high schools demonstrated more significant shifts in their sense of efficacy around navigating settings in which race and class inequality are prominent. Neither set of adolescents demonstrated significant shifts in their commitment to challenging the social forces or institutions contributing to race and class inequality. Conclusions: Both progressive and no-excuses schools sought to foster adolescents' commitment to challenging race and class inequality, but focused on different building blocks to do so. Further research is necessary to understand the pedagogy and practices that show promise in catalyzing adolescents' analytic and navigational abilities into a powerful commitment to collective social action-the ultimate goal of sociopolitical development

GEOFIL: a spatially-explicit agent-based modelling framework for predicting the long-term transmission dynamics of lymphatic filariasis in American Samoa

In this study, a spatially-explicit agent-based modelling framework GEOFIL was developed to predict lymphatic filariasis (LF) transmission dynamics in American Samoa. GEOFIL included individual-level information on age, gender, disease status, household location, household members, workplace/school location and colleagues/schoolmates at each time step during the simulation. In American Samoa, annual mass drug administration from 2000 to 2006 successfully reduced LF prevalence dramatically. However, GEOFIL predicted continual increase in microfilaraemia prevalence in the absence of further intervention. Evidence from seroprevalence and transmission assessment surveys conducted from 2010 to 2016 indicated a resurgence of LF in American Samoa, corroborating GEOFIL’s predictions. The microfilaraemia and antigenaemia prevalence in 6-7-yo children were much lower than in the overall population. Mosquito biting rates were found to be a critical determinant of infection risk. Transmission hotspots are likely to disappear with lower biting rates. GEOFIL highlights current knowledge gaps, such as data on mosquito abundance, biting rates and within-host parasite dynamics, which are important for improving the accuracy of model predictions

Is “Good Enough” OK? Undergraduate Search Behavior in Google and in a Library Database

Based on our experience as reference librarians and a review of the literature, it is clear that students are choosing to use Google over library databases when beginning their search for information. Reasons such as ease of access and navigation, convenience, and the use of natural language without having to apply rules of searching are mentioned by library users. And while the search results may not be the most relevant, they are often “good enough” for the novice searcher. For our study at the University of Kansas Libraries, we observed and compared how undergraduate students searched for information using Google and an academic library database on specific topics. In particular, we were interested in knowing: • which interface was preferred by students (Google or licensed database; basic or advanced)? • were the students satisfied with the results of their searches? • which features did they use, if any? We identified a small group of undergraduate students and used a pre-observation survey to collect demographics and gauge prior searching experience. The students were asked to search for information on specific topics, using Academic Search Premier (an EBSCO product) and Google. Data were collected through observation, interviews, and use of Morae software installed on the computer. Before they began searching, we encouraged the students to verbalize the steps they were taking throughout their search process. This enabled us to gain additional insights into their techniques or strategies. After the searches were completed, a post-observation “de-briefing” session was conducted with the students to allow us to gather additional comments or questions about their experiences or preferences. Observations from the survey will be shared with reference and instruction staff to provide a better understanding of undergraduate search behavior and possibly to modify pre-conceived notions of how students search. The survey can provide a basis for discussions on meeting expectations of information seekers who have grown up with the Internet and how to do a better job in marketing the library’s licensed resources to undergraduate students. Database vendors could be encouraged to develop interfaces that are more familiar and user friendly or Google-like in its searching mechanisms.Brick and Click Library Symposium 200

Two Sample Tests for High Dimensional Covariance Matrices

We propose two tests for the equality of covariance matrices between two high-dimensional populations. One test is on the whole variance-covariance matrices, and the other is on offdiagonal sub-matrices which define the covariance between two non-overlapping segments of the high-dimensional random vectors. The tests are applicable (i) when the data dimension is much larger than the sample sizes, namely the “large p, small n” situations and (ii) without assuming parametric distributions for the two populations. These two aspects surpass the capability of the conventional likelihood ratio test. The proposed tests can be used to test on covariances associated with gene ontology terms

Pulmonary metastasectomy in colorectal cancer: health utility scores by EQ-5D-3L in a randomized controlled trial show no benefit from lung metastasectomy.

AIM: The aim was to assess the health utility of lung metastasectomy in the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) using the EQ-5D-3L questionnaire. METHODS: Multidisciplinary CRC teams at 14 sites recruited patients to a two-arm randomized controlled trial-Pulmonary Metastasectomy in Colorectal Cancer (PulMiCC). Remote randomization was used, stratified by site and with minimization for seven known confounders. Participants completed the EQ-5D-3L questionnaire together with other patient reported outcome measures at randomization and then again at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months. These were returned by post to the coordinating centre. RESULTS: Between December 2010 and December 2016, 93 participants were randomized, 91 of whom returned questionnaires. Survival and patient reported quality of life have been published previously, revealing no significant differences between the trial arms. Described here are patient reported data from the five dimensions of the EQ-5D-3L and the visual analogue scale (VAS) health state. No significant difference was seen at any time point. The estimated difference between control and metastasectomy patients was -0.23 (95% CI -0.113, 0.066) for the composite 0 to 1 index scale based on the descriptive system and 0.123 (95% CI -7.24, 7.49) for the 0 to 100 VAS scale. CONCLUSIONS: Following lung metastasectomy for CRC, no benefit was demonstrated for health utility, which alongside a lack of a survival or quality of life benefit calls into question the widespread use of the procedure