Western Libraries OJS
Not a member yet
7960 research outputs found
Sort by
Attitudes of Abu Dhabi Educators Toward Gifted Education and Twice-Exceptional Students
The purpose of the study was to explore attitudes of educators in the United Arab Emirates toward gifted education and twice-exceptional students. One thousand and seventy-five educators (81% general education teachers and 19% teachers of the gifted) participated in this study. Data were collected using an online dual-language survey instrument, which was distributed using the Qualtrics system. Findings of this study indicated that Abu Dhabi teachers have positive attitudes toward gifted education and twice-exceptional students. No significant differences were found in scores for general educators as compared to those for teachers of the gifted. The findings also indicated that Abu Dhabi educators who had no experience of teaching gifted children had a more positive attitude toward them than those who had experience
The Aesthetic Construction of Utopia: the Proletkult Movement and the Soviet Avant-Garde
The Shortcomings of Bibliographic Description in Service of Indigenous Peoples in Canada
The marginalization of Indigenous Peoples in library catalogues and cataloguing standards is well documented. This article looks beyond Library of Congress Classification to analyze how the marginalization of Indigenous Peoples manifests in Machine Readable Cataloguing (MARC) and online public access catalogs (OPACs) to the detriment of Indigenous users. The rules that govern bibliographic description either obscure the presence of materials in a collection that represent Indigenous worldviews, or do not have the capacity to accurately record demographic terms related to Indigenous Peoples. This leads to inaccurate access points and culturally inappropriate metadata. Examples of projects and institutions innovating in this domain are examined. The harms cataloguers enact through adherence to bibliographic standards deserve critical and ethical analysis. These analyses and innovative projects are first steps towards better serving Indigenous users and reconciliation in libraries in Canada
Contextualizing Disability: A Century of Library of Congress Subject Headings
The interconnection of language and societal context is demonstrated through the Library of Congress Subject Headings surrounding disability. This study examines and compares how language encapsulates contemporary understandings of disability in the second edition (1919) and eighth edition (1975). Created and published during the so-called “Progressive Era,” the second edition emphasizes Victorian beliefs in the correspondence of morality with participation in the labour force and genetic fitness (i.e., conformity to physical and psychological norms). The language of this context further marginalized persons with disabilities. In contrast, the eighth edition marks the growing respect for and autonomy of people with disabilities, with language related to the civil rights movement, medical advances, and the replacement of ableist terms such as “Deaf and dumb” with neutral terms or self-definitions, such as “Deaf.” This evolution demonstrates the positive effects when we as librarians accept our social responsibility to eschew marginalizing language and instead use language that affirms minority identities
Delivering Access: The Role of Course Reserves in Academic Libraries During the COVID-19 Pandemic
An interview transcript with Sophie Grande-Lawlor and Lauren Bourdages (Copyright and Reserves Supervisor, Wilfrid Laurier University)
Dark Archives: A Librarian's Investigation into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin, written by M. Rosenbloom
Review of Rosenbloom, M. (2020). Dark Archives: A Librarian’s Investigation into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Secondary Qualities as Dispositions
In this paper I will defend the view that, according to Locke, secondary qualities are dispositions to produce sensations in us. Although this view is widely attributed to Locke, this interpretation needs defending for two reasons. First, commentators often assume that secondary qualities are dispositional properties because Locke calls them “powers” to produce sensations. However, primary qualities are also powers, so the powers locution is insufficient grounds for justifying the dispositionalist interpretation. Second, if secondary qualities are dispositional properties, then objects would retain secondary qualities while not being observed, but Locke says that colors “vanish” in the dark. Some commentators use this as evidence that Locke rejects the dispositionalist view of secondary qualities, and even those that are sympathetic to the traditional interpretation find these comments to be problematic. By contrast, I argue that even in these supposedly damning passages Locke shows an unwavering commitment to the view that the powers to produce sensations in us, i.e., the secondary qualities, remain in objects even when they are not being perceived. Thus, the arguments against the traditional interpretation are unpersuasive, and we should conclude that Locke does indeed hold that secondary qualities are dispositions to cause sensations in us
Addendum to "Recent Publications," Locke Studies 20 (2020): Japanese Language Publications
This is an addendum to the 2020 bibliographic article "Recent Publications," Locke Studies 20 (2020): 1-16. It contains 14 items of interest to Lockeans published in Japanese between 2018-2020 and not yet included in the John Locke Bibliography
The case for and against selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in rapid cycling bipolar disorder
Patients affected by the rapid cycling variant of bipolar disorder often experience significant functional difficulties. Physicians caring for affected patients face many challenges managing the turbulent course of this disorder, complicated at times by psychiatric comorbidities (including substance use disorders), polypharmacy, risk management (of suicidality and aggression), and difficulties with community functioning. There is some controversy about the use of selective serotonin receptor inhibitors (SSRIs) in managing bipolar depression, particularly in the rapid cycling variant. The potential benefit of SSRIs in reducing depressive symptoms must be balanced against the risks of mood phase switching and overall worsening of the rapid cycling course. This case report highlights challenges inherent in the application of SSRIs in a case of treatment-refractory rapid cycling bipolar disorder, and discusses the controversy of their use
Revolution to Reticence, Halsted and The History of Mastectomy
The mastectomy techniques used to treat breast cancer patients today are a product of thousands of years of discovery. Early mentions of breast excision and cauterization can be found in Ancient Egyptian and Indian texts dating back to 3000 B.C. Formally developed by Halsted in 1894, the radical mastectomy marked an important innovation in breast cancer therapy. Employment of the technique nearly doubled the patient survival rate. Since Halsted’s time, the uses for this technique have also changed. Less invasive surgeries such as lumpectomies are often preferred by patients, with radical mastectomy surgeries now commonly used for prophylaxis. This article explores the significance of Halsted’s innovation, while providing contextual evidence that examines the noteworthy events that both precede and follow it. It also examines how Halsted’s innovation rose and later fell from public favour