Effects of Institutional Factors on the Retention of Graduate Students of Color in Schools of Library and Information Science

The intent of the study was to understand the changes that have occurred over the last 25 years in library programs as far as enrollment and diversity of students, number and ethnicity of the faculty, program income and expenses, cost of attendance, and scholarship and fellowship aid, in an effort to better understand library programs granting the MLIS degree. The study also endeavored to identify institutional factors associated with the retention and productivity rates of White students and students of color in schools of library and information science. During the period studied, the proportional representation of White students decreased. For students of color, proportional representation was stable during the same time period. Results revealed a medium effect size of time with productivity rates for both groups declining over time. Retention rate differed significantly by time, with a small effect size with retention rate that initially increased over time, but is now decreasing. The final analyses were meta-regressions to determine if retention and productivity rates can be predicted by cost of attendance, scholarship and fellow aid, and program size. Results indicated that for students of color, program size in 2000 was significantly predictive of retention, cost of attendance was predictive in 2002, and scholarship and fellowship aid was predictive of retention in 2004. No variables were significantly predictive for retention of White students. The last analysis was to determine if productivity rate can be predicted by cost of attendance, scholarship and fellow aid, and program size. Results indicate that for White students in 2002, the cost of attendance was predictive of productivity rating. In 2003, scholarship and fellowship aid was predictive of productivity rate and in 2004, scholarship and fellowship aid was predictive of productivity rating. For students of color, results indicate that only scholarship and fellowship aid in 2005 was predictive of productivity rate. No other variables in any of the years studied showed any significant prediction of productivity rating for students of color.

Novel Photochemical Methodologies For Diversity Oriented Synthesis And Screening Of Combinatorial Libraries

The main goal of this project was to develop an efficient methodology allowing rapid access to structurally diverse scaffolds decorated with various functional groups. Initially, we discovered and subsequently developed an experimentally straightforward, high-yielding photoinduced conversion of readily accessible diverse starting materials into polycyclic aldehydes and their (hemi)acetals decorated by various pendants. The two step sequence, involving the Diels-Alder addition of heterocyclic chalcones and other benzoyl ethylenes to a variety of dienes, followed by the Paternò-Büchi reaction, was described as an alkene-carbonyl oxametathesis. This methodology offers a rapid increase in molecular complexity and diversity of the target scaffolds. To develop this novel methodology further and explore its generality, we directed our attention to the Diels-Alder adducts based on various chromones. We discovered that the Diels-Alder adducts of chromones are capable of photoinduced alkene-arene [2+2] cycloaddition producing different dienes, which can either dimerize or be introduced into a double-tandem [4π+2π]·[2π+2π]·[4π+2π]·[2π+2π] synthetic sequence, followed by an acid-catalyzed oxametathesis, leading to a rapid expansion of molecular complexity over a few experimentally simple steps. In view of the fact that oxametathesis previously was primarily observed in aromatic oxetanes, we decided to prepare model aliphatic oxetanes with a conformationally unconstrained or "flexible" methyl group based on the Diels-Alder adducts of cyclohexadiene or cyclopentadiene with methyl vinyl ketone. Upon addition of an acid, the expected oxametathesis occurred with results similar to those observed in the aromatic series proving the generality of this approach. Also we synthesized polycyclic oxetanes resulting from the Diels-Alder adducts of cyclic ketones. This not only gave us access to remarkably strained oxetane systems, but also the mechanism for their protolytic ring opening provided a great deal of insight to how the strain affects the reactivity. Additionally, we discovered that although the model Hetero-Diels-Alder adducts did not undergo [2+2] cycloaddition, both exo- and endo-Sulfa-Diels-Alder products, nonetheless, were photochemically active and various products with defined stereochemistry could be produced upon photolysis. In conclusion, we have developed an approach to the encoding and screening of solution phase libraries based on the photorelease of externally sensitized photolabile tags. The encoding tags can be released into solution only when a binding event occurs between the ligand and the receptor, equipped with an electron transfer sensitizer. The released tags are analyzed in solution revealing the identity of the lead ligand or narrowing the range of potential leads.

Adaptive Institutional Transference in the Treatment of Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder.

This paper introduces "adaptive institutional transference" (AIT) and describes how it develops in some clients in response to psychotherapist transfer in psychology training clinics. Individuals with borderline personality disorder are especially likely to develop AIT because of difficulties related to abandonment depression. Directors, supervisors, and student psychotherapists in psychology training clinics should be aware of these dynamics because they have important treatment implications, which are described. Limitations and ideas for future exploratory and qualitative research are also discussed .

Perceptions of Usability and Usefulness in Digital Libraries

This paper provides an overview of a case study research that investigated the use of Digital Library (DL) resources in two undergraduate classes and explored faculty and students’ perceptions of educational digital libraries. This study found that students and faculty use academic DLs primarily for textual resources, but turn to the open Web for visual and multimedia resources. The study participants did not perceive academic libraries as a useful source of digital images and used search engines when searching for visual resources. The limited use of digital library resources for teaching and learning is associated with perceptions of usefulness and ease of use, especially if considered in a broader information landscape, in conjunction with other library information systems, and in the context of Web resources. The limited use of digital libraries is related to the following perceptions: 1) Library systems are not viewed as user-friendly, which in turn discourages potential users from trying DLs provided by academic libraries; 2) Academic libraries are perceived as places of primarily textual resources; perceptions of usefulness, especially in regard to relevance of content, coverage, and currency, seem to have a negative effect on user intention to use DLs, especially when searching for visual materials.

Shared Print Analysis Tool at the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries

The Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries has launched the Alliance Shared Print Trust and is in the process of developing a shared print analysis tool. The system allows libraries to compare themselves with other libraries that have added their MARC records so that they can easily and quickly determine what records are unique or held in common with other libraries. The comparison system is built on open source tools and has been embedded in the Gold Rush framework. The author provides a brief overview of other shared print analysis tools.