Mindscape Commons

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-34
Author(s):  
Kevin McDonough

Developed by Coherent Digital, Mindscape Commons provides a platform for VR content relating to the health sciences, counseling, psychology, and social work. Content is either commercial, Open Access, research based, or exclusively developed by Coherent Digital. The VR experiences are available as 180/360 videos or animations, visible within a browser screen, through dedicated head mounted displays (HMD) from Oculus, and smartphones in conjunction with Google Cardboard. Experiences can be searched, browsed, and accessed from Mindscape Commons’ website and there are abundant filters to refine your results. The most valuable content is related to counseling simulations and was developed by Coherent Digital in conjunction with Mercer University and Penn State University. Being able to view content within HMDs is somewhat tricky, but the feeling of immersion and realism is greater. Pricing is reasonable considering the marketplace for educational VR content, and the number of experiences is expected to grow.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mihoko Hosoi

In the face of budget challenges, organizational strategy changes, and the new open access (OA) policy, the Pennsylvania State University Libraries (PSUL) are reevaluating negotiations and collections of ‘big deal’ journal packages. While a growing number of libraries are considering cancelling subscriptions to ‘big deals’, PSUL has been taking a careful approach in containing cost and making sure that faculty and students have access to resources that they need. Current efforts include: renegotiating ‘big deals’; cancelling low value titles in title-by-title agreements; obtaining single agreements for the entire Penn State; promoting green OA for future subscription negotiation purposes; and renegotiating OA related licensing terms. To achieve greater efficiency of acquisitions workflows and increase university-wide purchasing power, reallocation of the collection budget will be discussed in the near future. Auto deposit of accepted manuscripts from any Penn State author into ScholarSphere, Penn State’s institutional repository, as well as exploration of other OA models are also under consideration.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-52
Author(s):  
David Brennan

In the fall of 2013, the George T. Harrell Health Sciences Library (HHSL) undertook a collection assessment and development project to determine journal and monograph holdings across the Penn State University Libraries in subject areas related to librarian liaison assignments in the health sciences at Penn State Hershey. This project had several aims: a) to assist in collection development activities by showing current journal and monograph holdings in relation to liaison areas in a way related to the strategic plans of the HHSL, the medical center, and University Libraries; b) to inform library users of holdings and improve access; and c) to assist liaison librarians in acquiring a more complete understanding of core resources in their liaison areas. This article presents the process involved in the assessment and development project, connections with relevant areas of the strategic plans, and areas for further improvement.


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (Especial) ◽  
pp. 76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Rubilar Donoso

This article reviews the scope and potential of research done using a biographical approach and the role that this approach adopts in giving voice to experiences lived by the subjects. Special emphasis is placed on the use of narratives to construct life stories, histories and testimonies, incorporating elements for a discussion about their use and enhancement as an approach for research and intervention. This article is written from an interdisciplinary perspective, recognizing the strengths of this approach that can be applied to diverse disciplines within social sciences, humanities and health sciences. This paper analyzes the trends that have influenced in studies from a biographical approach, considering historical and epistemological aspects. This is particularly relevant for disciplines related to human care, such as Nursing or Social Work that deal with narratives of participants who have faced situations of pain or illness. The narrative-biographical approach allows us to retrieve these histories and to contribute to the memories of people willing to narrate their experiences. The article concludes by examining the contemporary uses of this approach both in research and in social interventions. Current challenges related to this approach are discussed and also the possibility of combining it with multimedia devices and the use of information technology.


Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 612
Author(s):  
Waleed Y. Sami ◽  
John Mitchell Waters ◽  
Amelia Liadis ◽  
Aliza Lambert ◽  
Abigail H. Conley

The various mental health disciplines (e.g., counseling, psychology, social work) all mandate competence in working with clients from diverse religious and spiritual backgrounds. However, there is growing evidence that practitioners feel ill-equipped to meet the needs of their religiously- and spiritually-diverse clients. Furthermore, formal education on religion and spirituality remains optional within coursework. Research on religion and spirituality is also noted for its reductionism to observable outcomes, leaving much of its nuance uncovered. This paper will utilize philosophies of secularism and explore the concepts of disenchantment, buffering, and coercion, to help illuminate why our contemporary society and our disciplines struggle with this incongruence between stated values and implementation. Case vignettes and recommendations will be provided to help practitioners and educators.


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