This evaluative research represents the first report in the literature to date in which a group mentoring programme has been evaluated using a quasi‐experimental research design…
Abstract
This evaluative research represents the first report in the literature to date in which a group mentoring programme has been evaluated using a quasi‐experimental research design. Results indicated that the programme was effective in one domain of professionalism, the main outcome variable; and that career‐development outcomes were significantly higher in programme participants. In addition to the previously established functions of mentoring (career and psychosocial development), the research suggests that the conceptual basis of mentoring should be expanded to include the function of professionalism. This has implications for both the practical aspects of mentoring programme development and for future evaluative research. Data were collected by means of pre‐ and post‐test questionnaires and analysed by multiple regression analysis.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore the evolving balance between the use of print and electronic sources for answering reference questions.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the evolving balance between the use of print and electronic sources for answering reference questions.
Design/methodology/approach
A review of the international literature from the mid‐1990s is conducted. A case study of reference questions received at the Northern Territory Library is undertaken, by auditing data held in the online reference information management system, RefTracker. Over 620 questions are categorised according to the sources used in responding to those questions.
Findings
Results indicate that print and electronic sources are both important to the reference service at the Northern Territory Library.
Research limitations/implications
There is great difficulty in assessing what constitutes a “correct” balance between print and electronic sources for responding to reference questions, and the current practice is likely to differ significantly between libraries. The results of the study are discussed in terms of their implications for the future of reference services and the education and training needs of reference librarians.
Originality/value
From the results of this study, coupled with data gathered from the review of international literature, it is possible to identify trends and issues influencing reference services and collections.
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Gillian Hallam and Carol Newton‐Smith
To present the findings of the comparative evaluation of two transitional mentoring programs developed for new library and information professionals in Australia, one as a group…
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Purpose
To present the findings of the comparative evaluation of two transitional mentoring programs developed for new library and information professionals in Australia, one as a group program and the other with pairs of mentors/mentees.
Design/methodology/approach
The research project involved an initial review of the literature. A comparative study was undertaken, with a survey approach to collect data from the participants in the transitional mentoring programs. The study obtained data about three key areas: career‐related, learning‐related, and professional development.
Findings
It was found that participants had a high level of satisfaction with both the programs and both mentor and mentee reported positive career, learning and personal development outcomes.
Research limitations/implications
The study was limited to one year of transitional mentoring activity for one professional field in Australia. It would be beneficial to continue the study over a longer period of time to collect further data from other participants.
Practical implications
The research project highlights evaluation of mentoring programs. The project has helped develop an initial understanding of benefits to be gained through mentoring relationships to support new professionals. The study is likely to have wider application across other professional disciplines and may encourage professionals to consider mentoring as a valuable part of career development.
Originality/value
The paper provides information about two different models of transitional mentoring programs, together with one possible approach for the evaluation of mentoring programs. The paper offers support and encouragement to any professional group planning to establish and manage a mentoring program.
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Kevin G. Karpiak, Sameena Mulla and Ramona L. Pérez
The purpose of this article is to describe an innovative research methods framework designed to address some of the persistent challenges to a social scientific understanding of…
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Purpose
The purpose of this article is to describe an innovative research methods framework designed to address some of the persistent challenges to a social scientific understanding of civilian-led police oversight commissions.
Design/methodology/approach
The project design begins by acknowledging that oversight commissions take multiple and varied forms, which are contingent on local histories, institutional dynamics and discursive strategies for indexing racial inequality. The authors find such variation not to be an impediment to insightful research design. Rather, the methodological frame makes use of multi-sited ethnographic methods, organized at the county level across three research clusters (in this example, Milwaukee Co, WI; San Diego Co., CA; and Washtenaw Co, MI), to draw attention to the effects of such multiplicity to complicate, localize and render visible the specific practices of policing and its critique through civilian oversight.
Findings
Amongst an increasing national concern with the racialized nature of police violence, one evolving strategy for police reform among municipalities is to establish civilian oversight boards that can monitor, make recommendations for, and potentially direct police policy. However, there is very little research on such commissions, leaving many unanswered questions for proponents of evidence-based criminal justice policy. One reason for this lack is that the tremendous variability of such commissions has led some researchers to abandon hope for a comparative analysis which might offer generalizable conclusions beyond individual case studies. Lessons learned from previous reform efforts suggest that without a solid evidentiary basis, such reform efforts can easily succumb to institutional inertia or even failure. This danger is especially present when policy and practice recommendations are not based on research designs particularly attuned to making audible the experiences and concerns of the most marginalized targets of police attention.
Originality/value
The value of this method rests in its ability to provide comparative insights into the ways in which oversight commissions operate within a broader pluralized security landscape that both makes possible and constrains democratic participation along racial lines. The method contextualizes and renders audible ways of understanding, evaluating, and practicing democratic community as it is articulated through the issue of police and its oversight.
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Discusses the papers presented at the Fifth World Conference on Continuing Professional Development for the Library and Information Professions organised by the Round Table on…
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Discusses the papers presented at the Fifth World Conference on Continuing Professional Development for the Library and Information Professions organised by the Round Table on Continuing Professional Development of IFLA held August 2002. They included theoretical discussions, research reports, descriptions of best practice, case studies, project evaluations and state‐of‐the‐art reviews presented by library and information professionals.