[Review of] Fran Leeper Buss, La Partera: Story of a Midwife

La Partera is the story of Jesusita Aragén, one of the last traditional midwives of northeastern New Mexico, as written from recorded interviews between the author and Jesusita. Before telling Jesusita\u27s account of her own life, the author introduces the reader geographically, historically, and culturally to the area of San Miguel County and its main city of Las Vegas. Buss clearly shows her love and understanding of this region where she and her husband served as United Church of Christ ministers in 1975. She writes, ”the weather is dominated by striking turquoise skies and a brilliant, penetrating sun” (p. 2) and describes the area as a largely rural county which straddles the forested mountains, the foothills and the plains.” (p. 4) She states that the majority of the people in west Las Vegas are Hispanic New Mexican, touching on the Hispanic settlement, religious customs, and health care practices of the region. At the turn of the century, curanderas, médicas, and parteras, a female network, delivered health care to the area until the early 1930s, when Anglo medical personnel, again mostly women, began to take over these services

Employer engagement within 14-19 diploma development

In 2005, the UK government announced the development of a suite of employer-designed diplomas for 14-19 year olds linked to different industrial and commercial sectors. This article will reflect on some of the achievements and challenges of this major employer engagement initiative by drawing on three pieces of research: a review of Diploma development and two employer consultation studies belonging to the latest phase of Diploma development - the Diplomas in Humanities and Social Sciences and Languages and International Communications. The article suggests that meeting the needs of employers in qualification design is problematic as employers are a heterogeneous group bringing a range of different views, ideas and contributions to the process. Furthermore, the article points to a possible mismatch between policymakers' expectations from employers at the macro level, and what in fact happens at the local, micro level owing to personal and economic circumstances, companies' demands and the economic climate

The continuity of social care when moving across regional boundaries

© The Author(s) 2018. Summary: This paper reports the experiences of adults in receipt of social care when relocating to new local authorities, and of family carers. While many matters need to be considered when moving, the study focused specifically on the ‘portability’ of social care. The study draws on data from semi-structured interviews conducted between July and November 2013 with 12 adults who had relocated between English local authorities. Data were collected prior to the implementation of the Care Act 2014; the potential impact of the Act in respect of relocation is considered. Findings: Although some positive experiences were identified, participants primarily reported challenges when moving with social care support. Five themes were identified, these related to the amount of organisation, planning and activity required; the need for a timely approach and the risk of delays and interruptions to care delivery; differences between the practices of local authorities; a lack of control and involvement; a negative impact on emotional and physical well-being. As a result of such difficulties, some experienced delays or interruptions to their care and support; lost all or some of their care package; experienced stress, anxiety and worry. Applications: The paper documents the experiences of people relocating with social care support, which have been little explored to date within the UK or internationally, and contributes to the evidence base in respect of relocation and portability of care. It highlights the importance of smooth transitions for those relocating between local authorities, and the potential for social workers to assist by addressing potential problems

So you didn't get your Hogwarts letter: engaging muggles in the library experience

The poster details the stages of the library's ongoing audio tour projects using the Aurasma augmented reality app.N/

To code or not to code

To code or not to code English language teachers seem unsure about the effectiveness of the feedback they offer their students to help improve their writing. There is debate about whether to identify and correct errors, or use a prompt and encourage the learner to reflect, which may lead to increased learning and retention, but the research is inconclusive. In this presentation we report our findings from a study into the effectiveness of two different types of prompt for student self-correction in writing from English language learners with a range of language competency levels. First the process and reasoning will be explained. Secondly the results within each language level will be reported, both improvement rates within one process task and over the period of the study. Finally, a comparison of the error code effectiveness across the levels will be presented

Twenty Things: Archives and Development in Collaboration

Special collections librarians and archivists are committed to caring for their unique collections and making them accessible to users. Library development staff are equally dedicated to the library and its collections and services. Both may play roles in fostering relationships with donors and bringing in donations—but how and when do they need to really work together, and to do so effectively? Kim Fill, Assistant Director of Development and Donor Relations, and Caroline White, Archives and Manuscript Librarian, both at UMass Amherst Libraries, have been colleagues for nearly seven years, and even they aren’t entirely sure what each other does. With a light touch and a serious intent, each will share five things they want the other to know about what they do and five questions they have for the other department. Such issues as collecting policies and goals, what makes a collection “valuable,” working with “small” donors for big returns, balancing the goals and directives of your library with those of central advancement, taking the long view, and more will be covered, with time for attendees to share their own comments and questions. *NOTE: We are open to partnering with another library team on this session