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49, no. 4

Islam in Europe: A Research Guide

Jun 23rd, 2010
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Neal Wyatt, Editor
Jessica Adamick, Guest Columnist

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The firestorm of controversy over the recent vote in Switzerland to ban the building of minarets on mosques highlights the perilous and contentious state of Islamic community, culture, and religion in Europe. Finding reliable and current research and resources on the many threads that informs the debate surrounding the European Islamic community, Western perceptions, and the tensions between factions can be difficult. (more…)

Reflections of a Reference Librarian

Jun 23rd, 2010
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Susan J. Beck

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In this, my final column as RUSA President, I am taking some time to reflect on my career as a reference librarian. I guess you could say that I am probably in the declining years of my career. I am over fifty and have been a reference librarian since 1980—you do the math. (more…)

Engaging Auditory Modalities through the Use of Music in Information Literacy Instruction

Jun 23rd, 2010
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Lisa O’ Connor, Editor
Katherine Kimball and Lisa O’Connor, Columnists

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The human body is composed of multiple sensory modalities, and each of them engages a different part of the brain when stimulated. A common assumption of learning theory is that individuals prefer some sensory paths over others for learning, hence the distinction between kinesthetic, verbal, visual, and aural learners. (more…)

Notable Books: The 2010 Selection of Titles

Jun 23rd, 2010
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RUSA Notable Books Council

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Since 1944, the Notable Books Council has annually selected a list of 25 very good, very readable and at times very important fiction, nonfiction and poetry books for the adult reader. (more…)

Outstanding Reference Sources: The 2010 Selection of Titles

Jun 23rd, 2010
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RUSA CODES Reference Sources Committee

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The 2010 list of Outstanding Reference Sources for small and medium-sized libraries has been announced by RUSA. (more…)

Students and Federated Searching: A Survey of Use and Satisfaction

Jun 23rd, 2010
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Abe Korah and Erin Dorris Cassidy

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This study assessed student use of and satisfaction with the WebFeat federated search tool, which was implemented by the library at Sam Houston State University. Students voluntarily responded to an electronic survey, providing feedback on how often they conducted class research using the federated search tool, individual databases, and online search engines and how well each search tool satisfied their class research needs. (more…)

Reference Desk Consultation Assignment An Exploratory Study of Students’ Perceptions of Reference Service

Jun 23rd, 2010
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Pamela N. Martin and Lezlie Park

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This paper describes the experience of three sophomore English composition classes that were required to visit the reference desk for class credit. Student perceptions of reference consultations are analyzed to gain a clearer understanding of the students’ attitudes toward reference services. (more…)

Graduate Students and the Library: A Survey of Research Practices and Library Use at the University of Notre Dame

Jun 23rd, 2010
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Jessica Kayongo and Clarence Helm

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This study sought to determine the extent to which the Hesburgh Libraries of the University of Notre Dame meets the needs of its graduate students. It focused on how Notre Dame graduate students found research materials and how useful the Hesburgh Libraries’ collections were in their research and studies. (more…)

Promoting Consumer Health Literacy: Creation of a Health Information Librarian Fellowship

Jun 23rd, 2010
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Nancy D. Zionts, Jan Apter, Julianna Kuchta, and Pamela K. Greenhouse

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According to a market survey showing that the public library is the first place many turn when seeking health information, librarians are the front-line workers in consumer health literacy. A consumer health literacy initiative has been undertaken throughout the Pittsburgh public library system to help librarians assure meaningful access to consumers seeking health information. (more…)

An International Comparison of Virtual Reference Services

Jun 23rd, 2010
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Lawrence Olszewski and Paula Rumbaugh

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In an attempt to determine and compare the nature of virtual reference services in both academic and public libraries outside the United States, we analyzed data compiled from webform transactions e-mailed to and from libraries via the Question-Point virtual reference service. (more…)

Instructional Strategies for Digital Reference: Methods to Facilitate Student Learning

Jun 23rd, 2010
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Megan Oakleaf and Amy vanScoy

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In today’s climate of accountability in higher education, most colleges and universities—and therefore academic libraries—consider student learning the cornerstone of their missions. Reference service is one area in which libraries can demonstrate their commitment to support student learning. (more…)

Social Tolerance and Racist Materials in Public Libraries

Jun 23rd, 2010
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Susan K. Burke

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When asked about a hypothetical book containing racist beliefs, do people support removing the book from their public library or not? The study examined responses to this question from surveys conducted from 1976 to 2006. (more…)

The Reading List 2010

Jun 23rd, 2010
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The RUSA CODES Reading List Council

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The Reading List annually recognizes the best books in eight genres: adrenaline (which includes suspense, thriller, and adventure), fantasy, historical fiction, horror, mystery, romance, science fiction, and women’s fiction. (more…)

Special Thanks in a Year Like No Other

Jun 23rd, 2010
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Diane Zabel

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This past year was a stressful one for several individuals associated with RUSQ as they took on additional responsibilities at work (myself included), dealt with budget cutbacks in their libraries, and in some cases took salary reductions themselves as a result of pay cuts and furloughs. (more…)