OJS at Oregondigital.org (Oregon State University / University of Oregon)
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Digital Humanities and Italian Studies: Research Outcomes
Get PDFThis short paper serves as an introduction to the Projects section of this issue of Humanist Studies & the Digital Age, since the contributions are connected by the authors' participation in a roundtable (either as panelists or attendees) at the Modern Language Association Annual Conference in 2017. The papers explore the research outcomes from developing and deploying different Digital Humanities projects with Italian Studies materials. The introduction outlines the different methodologies, critiques of digital approaches, and implications for the field offered by the four contributions. The essay ultimately argues that through their humanistic engagement with the technology that drive the projects, the scholars connect their approaches to timely concerns facing all consumers and critics of digital and computational products
Design Thinking in Action: Changing the Public Service Model
Get PDFWhile the concept of design thinking is not new, in the past several years, it has emerged as a concept of interest for libraries, placed firmly in our sights through a high-profile collaboration between the Chicago Public Library and DOKK1 in Aarhus, Denmark, supported by the Gates Foundation.
Design thinking—or human-centered design, as it is also known—is most closely associated with design consultancy firm IDEO, and is simply a method of creative problem solving that starts with reaching a goal, rather than a solving a problem, in mind.
For the Hillsboro Public Library, our intention was to use this process to develop a new collaborative and patron-focused service model. In Hillsboro, we knew we wanted to reduce service points and make it easier for patrons to get the help they needed in whatever form they preferred. We also knew that we needed to be clearer about the roles of our Library Assistants and our Librarians, and to find ways for the staff to work together, rather than be siloed. Rather than thinking about our current service model as a problem that needed to be fixed, we wanted to explore ways to improve the patron experience and bring more value to staff
Collection Diversity Has No Borders: A Librarian’s Experience at FIL, CILELIJ and FILIJ
Get PDFMany public libraries in communities where Spanish is a language preferred by a significant percentage of the population have dedicated Spanish language collections and bilingual/ bicultural staff that provides library services and programs. In Oregon, the Latino population is growing faster than the national average, and nearly half of Oregon Latinos are bilingual (Oregon Community Foundation, 2016). In alignment with best practices, and upholding the core values of our profession, libraries dedicate funds and shelving space to Spanish language materials to serve the informational, educational, and recreational needs of Spanish-speaking communities. Libraries that are dedicated to developing and maintaining rich and diverse collections that support thriving and empowered communities demonstrate this commitment through a holistic effort encompassing community engagement, strong relationships with vendors, as well as active participation in professional associations both locally and internationally.
In my work as a bilingual/bicultural librarian, previously in California and currently in Oregon, I contribute to selecting and promoting rich and diverse Spanish language collections. As part of this work, I have been able to expand my knowledge of Spanish language materials while connecting with and learning from professionals locally and internationally. In this article, I will share my experience at three professional development events held in Mexico between 2012 and 2016: FIL (Guadalajara International Book Fair), CILELIJ (Iberoamerican Congress of Language and Literature for Children and Youth) and FILIJ (International Book Fair for Children and Youth). Lastly, I will highlight the benefits of being an active member of a professional organization like REFORMA, and working to develop and promote library resources and services within the Latino/Spanish-speaking community
But How Do We Do Critical Librarianship?
Get PDFCritical librarianship asks us to look more closely at the sociopolitical world both inside and out of our libraries. Indeed, a lot has happened in the world since I first saw the call for this special issue of OLA Quarterly. First, there was the exposure of an internal memo from a Google employee that denied that women were capable tech workers. Last week, there were escalating threats between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un about possible nuclear detonations. I finished writing in the wake of white supremacist demonstrations and violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, and as an unprecedented storm geared up to hit Houston. On Twitter and Facebook, I’m seeing fierce debate about whether to let Nazis use library space … and how you would even be able to identify Nazis to kick them out.
In short, this is an urgent time to reflect on what critical librarianship is and what its aims are. As the #critlib chats on Twitter have gained interest over the past few years, I have seen the “critical” of critical librarianship interpreted in several overlapping and competing ways. First, critical librarianship is associated, for good reason, with critical theory, or what Kenny Garcia calls a “critical theorist framework that is epistemological, self-reflective, and activist in nature” (2016). Critical theory encompasses the work of many scholars who reflect on and critique social structures. The call for this issue noted that critical librarianship has been criticized for being overly philosophical or theory-heavy. In the case of the #critlib chats, we wanted a place for librarians to talk about how they use critical pedagogy in particular, inspired by the work of Paulo Freire, bell hooks, and other scholars, as well as our own experiences as learners and teachers. Our emphasis, however, was on doing and how practice informed thinking, and in turn, how this new mode of thinking could influence new forms of practice. This spiraling transformative dialog between theory and practice can be described as praxis, and it requires an openness both to learning about new ideas and to try new things
Calibration of the Highway Safety ManualGiven Safety Performance Functions for RuralMultilane Segments and Intersections in Kansas
Get PDFThe Highway Safety Manual (HSM) provides models and methodologies for safety evaluation and prediction of safety performance of various types of roadways. However, predictive methods in the HSM are of limited use if they are not calibrated for local conditions. In this study, calibration procedures given in the HSM were followed for rural segments and intersections in Kansas. Results indicated that HSM overpredicts fatal and injury crashes and underpredicts total crashes on rural multilane roadway segments in Kansas. Therefore, existing safety performance functions (SPFs) must be adjusted for Kansas conditions, in order to increase accuracy of crash prediction. This study examined a way to adjust HSM calibration procedures by development of new regression coefficients for existing HSM-given SPF. Final calibration factors obtained through modified SPFs indicated significant improvement in crash prediction for rural multilane segments in Kansas. Additionally, obtained calibration factors indicated that the HSM is capable of predicting crashes at intersections at satisfactory level
Indian Vehicle Ownership: Insights from Literature Review, Expert Interviews, and State-Level Model
Get PDFThis study reviews existing vehicle ownership models for India and describes the results of nine experts’ interviews to gather insights about Indians’ travel patterns and vehicle choices. According to the experts, vehicle price, fuel economy, and brand (in declining importance) are the most decisive factors in Indians’ car purchase choices. This study also estimated household vehicle ownership levels across India’s 35 states using Census 2011 data. The results suggest that states with a higher proportion of computer-owning households and higher share of households living in rural areas with larger household size, ceteris paribus, are likely to have higher car ownership
Guns and America and the Library and Us: What We Learned from the Worst Library Program … Ever!
Get PDFOn a dark and stormy night in Prineville, fifty members of the community gathered in Crook County Library’s meeting room. The program facilitator walked in the door five minutes before go-time. The Assistant Director introduced him to the room. And then all hell broke loose. The program topic? Guns and America.
Guns and America was offered as part of the Conversation Project series of community discussion programs given by Oregon Humanities. Conversation Project programs are intended to be open-ended discussions run by a trained facilitator who is an expert in the topic at hand. The facilitator creates a neutral space, but political conversations that occur within the boundaries of civil, productive conversation often arise and are not discouraged. In general, these programs are extremely well-run and well-received. Both of our current libraries have done and continue to do Conversation Projects. We would recommend these programs for any library.
While programs centering on contentious topics can be intimidating, they fill a necessary role in public library services. In order for such programs to be successful, however, library staff members have to do some additional legwork when selecting a topic and preparing to host a program
