scholarly journals Survey Confirms Strong Support for Intellectual Freedom in Public Collection Development Librarians

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 135-137
Author(s):  
Laura Costello
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Master's Degree ◽  
Library Science ◽  
Intellectual Freedom ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Collection Development ◽  
Personal Beliefs ◽  
Electronic Survey ◽  
Widespread Agreement ◽  
Master’S Degree

A Review of: Oltmann, S. M. (2019). Important Factors in Midwestern Public Librarians’ Views on Intellectual Freedom and Collection Development: Part 1. The Library Quarterly, 89(1), 2-15. https://doi.org/10.1086/700659 Abstract Objective – The article sought to explore whether librarian attitudes regarding intellectual freedom conform to the stance of the American Library Association (ALA). Design – Electronic survey. Setting – Public libraries in the Midwestern United States. Subjects – Subjects were 645 collection development library professionals employed in public libraries. Methods – An electronic survey was distributed to public library directors in nine Midwestern states and was completed by the library professional primarily responsible for collection development. The survey focused on community information and probed the participants for their stances on several intellectual freedom topics.  Main Results – The survey was sent to 3,018 participants via each state’s librarian and had a response rate of 21.37%. The first section of the survey focused on broad strokes statements representing the ALA’s stance on intellectual freedom for public libraries. The results revealed widespread agreement on these issues. More than 88% of participants agreed with statements like “public libraries should provide their clients with access to information from a variety of sources.” Despite strong agreement among participants, particular demographic characteristics were more likely to lead to disagreement with all statements including working in rural communities and not holding a master’s degree in library science. The next section of the survey focused on how strongly participants’ personal beliefs conformed to the intellectual freedom statements in the ALA’s Library Code of Ethics. Again, there was widespread agreement, with 94.9% of participants indicating that they agreed with the statement “we uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library materials.” Only one participant disagreed with the statement “it is the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction.” When asked whether the ALA’s stance on intellectual freedom ever conflicted with their personal beliefs, 39.8% of participants indicated that it did, 22% were unsure, and 40% had never experienced conflict. Participants holding a master's degree in library science and librarians in large cities were less likely to experience conflict between their personal beliefs and the ALA’s stance on intellectual freedom. In the free text comments, several participants indicated that they experienced conflict when the ALA’s stance did not reflect their personal beliefs or community values. Conclusion – While the overwhelming majority of respondents indicated that they agreed with the ALA’s stance on intellectual freedom, a minority of participants experienced some conflict. Respondents indicated that personal belief could create conflict when librarians committed to intellectual freedom were required to make choices in their professional work that conflicted with their own views. Conflict could also arise when collection choices made to support intellectual freedom were not supported by patrons in the community.

Law Librarianship in Bermuda; or Even If You're On an Island, No Man Is an Island

2004 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-12
Author(s):  
Karen Skiffington
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Master's Degree ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
The State ◽  
Library Science ◽  
State University ◽  
Master’S Degree

So there I am, late summer of 1986, in Toronto with a still-damp Master's Degree in Information and Library Science from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and I'm looking for a job. Not just any job. Nope, a job in Bermuda. Why? Well, it happens to be home and I've got this five year plan that says do five years in Canada with the new husband and get finished with education for both of us and find a job in Bermuda. So it's time to do just that. I've had quite enough, thank you, of the Frozen North, slipping and sliding on the roads and the sidewalks and winter is fast approaching yet again. Now where's that job?

scholarly journals Survey Applies Public Collection Development Librarians' Support for Intellectual Freedom to Collection Process

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 245-247
Author(s):  
Laura Costello
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
External Pressure ◽  
Intellectual Freedom ◽  
Collection Development ◽  
Professional Beliefs ◽  
Policy Practice ◽  
Library Funding

A Review of: Oltmann, S. M. (2019). Important factors in Midwestern public librarians’ views on intellectual freedom and collection development: Part 2. The Library Quarterly, 89(2), 156-172. https://doi.org/10.1086/702203 Abstract Objective – To explore how librarian attitudes regarding intellectual freedom and demographic factors influence collection development decisions.  Design – Online survey. Setting – Public libraries in the Midwestern United States. Subjects – 645 collection development library professionals employed in public libraries. Methods – An electronic survey was distributed to 3,018 public library directors in nine Midwestern states and completed by the library professional primarily responsible for collection development (Oltmann, 2019, p. 6). The survey had a 21.37% response rate. The survey focused on intellectual freedom in the management of collections and probed the participants for their experiences and influences in making collection development decisions. The survey also asked participants to make hypothetical purchasing and holdings decisions for library materials based on a short description of the material. Main Results – Participants indicated that they used a variety of different tools for the selection of materials including patron requests. Of the participants, 45.7% indicated that their library had a policy, practice, or metric to assess the balance of their collections, while 54.3% indicated that their libraries did not have policy or method in place for ensuring that their collection was balanced. Of the respondents, 73.4% felt that local community values should be considered in collection development decision, but 62.3% said that this should not be the most important factor in decisions. Overall, the political leaning of the community did not have an impact on participants’ alignment with the ALA's stances on intellectual freedom. Most respondents (73.4%) felt that government library funding bodies should have an influence over collection development decisions. Some respondents indicated they felt internal pressure from other library staff or the library board to purchase particular materials (28.1%) or relocate materials (14.1%). Respondents also indicated that they felt external pressure from their communities to purchase (32%) or restrict or withdraw (19.1%) materials. In the hypothetical purchasing scenario, most librarians indicated that they would purchase the majority of items. Some participants (39.8%) felt tension between their personal and professional views on intellectual freedom. Conclusion – The first part of this article found that holding an MLS degree had a significant impact on participants' stance on intellectual freedom and alignment with the American Library Association (ALA) principles. This part indicated that they also felt greater pressure to withdraw, acquire, and manage particular materials in their collections and felt more tension between their personal and professional stances on intellectual freedom. Age, gender, duration of work, and community political affiliations significantly impacted only some of the participants' responses. Overall, there was general support for intellectual freedom and alignment with the ALA principles; however, 40% of respondents indicated tension between their personal and professional beliefs about intellectual freedom. 

scholarly journals Public Librarians Reflect Belief in Intellectual Freedom through Collection Development Activities

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 82
Author(s):  
Melissa Goertzen
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
The State ◽  
Intellectual Freedom ◽  
Collection Development ◽  
Online Data ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Public Librarians ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Political Variables

A Review of: Oltmann, S. M. (2016). Public Librarians' Views on Collection Development and Censorship. Collection Management, 41(1), 23-44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01462679.2015.1117998 Objective – To examine public librarians’ perspectives on censorship and intellectual freedom in relation to collection development activities. Design – Survey combining questions from previous studies by Moody (2004) and Harkovitch, Hirst and Loomis (2003) with additional questions regarding intellectual freedom and demographics. Setting – Public libraries in the State of Ohio. Subjects – 251 directors and librarians responsible for collection development. Methods – The researcher created a survey in Qualtrics, a software that supports online data collection and analysis. It contained thirty-two structured and open-ended questions and took approximately 15-25 minutes to complete. To recruit participants, an explanatory letter and survey link were sent to every public library director in the State of Ohio. Directors were also asked to share the survey with librarians under their leadership who were responsible for collection development. To analyze the data set, cross-tabulations were run to identify statistically significant correlations between demographic and community variables. Main Results – The response rate was 43% (108 out of 251). Participants agreed with the American Library Association’s (ALA) definition of intellectual freedom, and to build collections that neither promote nor suppress specific ideas or beliefs. Only 3.7% of respondents reported decisions not to purchase materials due to fear of negative feedback from the community. Nearly 40% of participants reported conflict between personal and professional values at some time. All said that this dilemma had no bearing on professional collection development decisions. Contrary to anecdotal evidence that suggests librarians in rural or conservative communities are less likely to purchase controversial materials, the researcher found that community and political variables were not statistically significant; across the board, participants were most concerned with building balanced, well-developed collections. Gender, however, was statistically significant in terms of pressures felt to restrict access to materials; male librarians reported a higher number of instances where they felt internal or external pressures of this nature. However, as the number of male respondents was relatively low (15 out of 108 participants), the researcher did not draw concrete conclusions as to why this discrepancy exists. Conclusion – Study findings demonstrate a strong professional allegiance to intellectual freedom as defined by the ALA. In a practical sense, the participant group applied the principles of intellectual freedom to collection development activities regardless of demographic, community, or political variables.

scholarly journals How to Become a Biostatistician: A study guide of Master's Degree in BioStatistics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Shahsavari ◽  
F Keshmiri ◽  
S Jambarsang
Keyword(s):  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Content Validity ◽  
Master's Degree ◽  
National Level ◽  
Study Guide ◽  
Electronic Survey ◽  
Learning Path ◽  
Unified Study ◽  
The Face ◽  
Master’S Degree

Introduction: The aim of this study was to design of the study guide for the Master of BioStatistics program.  Methods: In order to develop the study guide, the literature was reviewed and the first draft of the study guide was compiled using the opinions of experts. Then the face and content validity of the index was assessed from the perspective of the faculty members of Biostatistics across the country through electronic survey. Result: The present study guide includes a review of course titles, learning objectives and outcomes, educational prerequisites, a schedule of learning strategies, learning opportunities, assessment, and more resources for study. These titles are summarized in the present text. The face and content validity index were reported to be 87% and 92%, respectively. Conclusion: It seems that access to the study guide at the beginning of a master's degree in Biostatistics can put the learner on a better learning path, and the need to develop a unified study guide at the national level can be beneficial for the learners.

Student Experience Applying to Graduate School for Speech-Language Pathology

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 192-205
Author(s):  
Lesley Sylvan ◽  
Andrea Perkins ◽  
Carly Truglio
Keyword(s):  
Graduate School ◽  
Master's Degree ◽  
Graduate Programs ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Degree Programs ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Application Process ◽  
Master's Degree Programs ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
Master’S Degree

Purpose The purpose of this study is to better understand the experiences faced by students during the application process for master's degree programs in speech-language pathology. Method Data were collected through administering an online survey to 365 volunteers who had applied to master's degree programs in speech-language pathology. Survey questions were designed to gain the student perspective of the application process through exploration of students' deciding factors for top choices of graduate programs, emotional involvement in the application process, biases/rumors heard, student challenges, advice to future applicants, and what students would change about the application process. Results Factors that influenced participants' reasoning for selecting their “top choice” programs were largely consistent with previous studies. Issues that shaped the student experience applying to graduate school for speech-language pathology included financial constraints, concern regarding the prominence of metrics such as Graduate Record Examinations scores in the admissions process, a perceived lack of guidance and advising from faculty, and confusion regarding variation among graduate program requirements. Conclusion Gaining insight into the student experience with the application process for graduate programs in speech-language pathology yields useful information from a perspective not frequently explored in prior literature. While the data presented in this study suggest the process is confusing and challenging to many applicants, the discussion highlights practical solutions and sheds light on key issues that should be considered carefully by individual graduate programs as well as the field as a whole.

Master's Degree in Psychology

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Kohout ◽  
William E. Pate
Keyword(s):  
Master's Degree ◽  
Master’S Degree
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