scholarly journals Accessibility Is in the Eye of the Beholder

2021 ◽  
pp. 179-195
Author(s):  
Kenneth Litwak

According to the U.S. National Center for Education Statistics, 19% of undergraduates report having a disability. Many of these students access our libraries in person or online. While theological and academic librarians recognize the need to accommodate people with disabilities, librarians without disabilities might not be aware of ways in which their library places obstacles in the way of those with disabilities, such as computers that cannot have the font color or size changed or steps but no ramps for wheelchairs. This essay describes issues for patrons with disabilities in accessing library services and resources. There are several ways to improve the accessibility of libraries. This essay highlights challenges for those with visual, auditory, and mobility disabilities and describes ways to address these challenges and thus give those with disabilities a more equitable, inclusive library experience.

Mousaion ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yakubu A. Liman ◽  
Priti Jain ◽  
Baluwami Grand ◽  
Athulang Mutshewa

This paper reviews literature on the skills and competencies required by academic librarians in an Internet-driven environment. Content analysis methodology was used to review literature. Purposive sampling was also used for identifying literature on skills and competencies of librarians in the use of Internet services in academic libraries. A total of 118 publications were selected. Findings from the articles reviewed show that librarians from developed countries required skills and competencies in Internet usage to provide effective library services. However, the findings also show that academic librarians from developing countries, especially in Africa, are still lagging behind regarding Internet skills and competencies to provide effective information services in the library. The paper concludes that despite changes brought by the Internet, there are still gaps in the way library services are provided because of poor Internet knowledge, skills and competencies of academic librarians. The paper recommends that academic librarians in African countries acquire Internet skills and competencies to update their knowledge and technological skills for effective library service provision.


1948 ◽  
Vol 1 (01) ◽  
pp. 69-75
Author(s):  
R. B. Michell

At the first International Meeting on Radio-Aids to Marine Navigation held in London in May 1946 some 105 delegates of twenty-three maritime nations met to discuss and witness demonstrations of some of the remarkable advances made in radio-navigation during the war and to consider the progress made in relation to their peacetime uses for marine transport.At the invitation of the U.S. government a second meeting was held a year later, in New York and New London, to show the progress made in America, to illustrate, with demonstrations, the U.S. policy and to pave the way to international standardisation. The U.K. delegation was led by Sir Robert Watson-Watt.


Bibliosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 33-45
Author(s):  
F. Sayre ◽  
A. Riegelman

Over the past decade, evidence from disciplines ranging from biology to economics has suggested that many scientific studies may not be reproducible. This has led to declarations in both the scientific and lay press that science is experiencing a “reproducibility crisis” and that this crisis has consequences for the extent to which students, faculty, and the public at large can trust research. Faculty build on these results with their own research, and students and the public use these results for everything from patient care to public policy. To build a model for how academic libraries can support reproducible research, the authors conducted a review of major guidelines from funders, publishers, and professional societies. Specific recommendations were extracted from guidelines and compared with existing academic library services and librarian expertise. The authors believe this review shows that many of the recommendations for improving reproducibility are core areas of academic librarianship, including data management, scholarly communication, and methodological support for systematic reviews and data-intensive research. By increasing our knowledge of disciplinary, journal, funder, and society perspectives on reproducibility, and reframing existing librarian expertise and services, academic librarians will be well positioned to be leaders in supporting reproducible research. Citation: Sayre F., Riegelman A. Replicable services for reproducible research: a model for academic libraries.


Author(s):  
Caroline Heldman

This chapter examines the contemporary era of consumer activism in the U.S. that started in the mid-2000s with the advent of social media. Contemporary consumer activism is distinct in its ease of use, transnational focus, effectiveness, and popularity. Americans have become more politically active through the marketplace in the past decade, and this has altered the way companies do business. The chapter concludes that the current era of marketplace activism strengthens democracy through higher rates of participation in the marketplace for political ends.


Author(s):  
Philip Gerard

Maj. Gen George E. Pickett’s attack on New Bern in January 1863 results in a fiasco. Having failed utterly to take the city after seven hours of fighting, the 13,000 troops retreat back to Kinston. On the way, they overwhelm a small outpost battery and capture ninety-seven men of the 2nd North Carolina Union Volunteers. Pickett labels a number of them Confederate deserters-a dubious claim-and, following cursory trials, he hangs twenty-two North Carolinians. The atrocity shocks even his own troops and provokes outrage in the U.S. War Department, which pursues Pickett as a war criminal, forcing him to flee to Canada in disguise.


Author(s):  
J. J. Sylvia IV ◽  
Kyle Moody

The issue of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election has been widely debated by scholars and journalists. However, these works have not fully analyzed the ads that have been released by Facebook and the U.S. Congress. This project uses a case study to analyze the ads posted by the Russian-affiliated Internet Research Agency, considering the quantities of ads targeted to particular geographic locations, the frequency of targeting for unique keywords, and the reach and impressions of each of the ads. Further, these results are compared to results from best practices in traditional social media campaigns as a way to better understand the goals and potential impacts of the IRA ads. In conclusion, the project, by analyzing the full set of IRA ads, sheds new light on the way false information narratives were leveraged by the Russian-linked IRA.


Cyberwar ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 131-140
Author(s):  
Kathleen Hall Jamieson

Chapter 7 explores the fourth troll prerequisite for hacked and generated content to influence the U.S. election: was it persuasive, that is, was it convincing, viral, and memorable? Jamieson discusses how the trolls flooded the communication climate in key areas, the way in which liking and sharing amplified the reach of their messages, and the strength of their evocative visual content, which increased both their virality and memorability.


2021 ◽  
pp. 244-248
Author(s):  
Michael J. Rosenfeld

Gay rights and marriage equality have advanced so far in the U.S. in the past decade that it would be all too easy to assume that the struggle is over. The opponents of gay rights, however, remain powerful. Readers can take inspiration from how dramatically attitudes toward gay rights have liberalized in the past two decades and how transformative the liberalization of attitudes has been. We live in a world where political lies often seem to have the upper hand. It is worth remembering that despite the many short term advantages that lies can yield in politics, the truth has some long term advantages as well. The way the marriage equality movement prevailed should be a lesson to anyone who wants to make progressive social change.


Author(s):  
Tom Kwanya ◽  
Christine Stilwell

The emergence of Web 2.0, the read/write social web, has prompted a momentous change in the way library users seek information, communicate, and collaborate. This trend is affecting the usability and relevance of libraries as the epicentres of information and knowledge. It is essential, therefore, that libraries adopt this technology to fit their services and products as closely as possible to the emerging lifestyles of the users. The application of Web 2.0 tools to conceptualise and deliver library services in developed countries is widely documented. In Africa, however, literature on this subject remains scanty. The authors conducted a reality check of the current status of the application of Web 2.0 tools in libraries, assessed the current impact of Web 2.0 on library services, identified the challenges African libraries face while adopting Web 2.0, and proposed ways to use Web 2.0 tools effectively in libraries in Africa.


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