Comics and the Modern Library Catalog: New Rules for Breaking the Rules

Scholarly and curricular uses of comics extend to many disciplines in higher education, resulting in increased demand for institutional access to such materials. Despite nearly twenty years of justification in the literature for inclusion of such materials in libraries, there are not widely adopted conventions or models for engaging in the business of a comics collection. At San Diego State University, this presented an opportunity to pioneer new modes of access, from cataloging and organization to storage and retrieval. This article explores the process of making a collection of floppy comics accessible alongside a theoretical discussion of cataloging shortcomings and opportunities.     

On-line Compared with Face-to-face Introductory Food Science Courses: An Assessment

ABSTRACT: This study tracked and compared the performance of traditional classroom and on-line students in 2 introductory level food science classes. Student evaluations were also compared for the 2 groups. All of the Face-to-face (FTF) students were full-time college students. Seventynine percent of on-line students lived over 50 miles from campus. About 21% of the on-line enrollments were of skilled workers from the food industry. Performance on standardized exams was significantly higher for on-line students. Student evaluations were very positive for both forms of instruction. Differences in maturity, academic load, motivation, class standing, and experience/knowledge of the food industry may have all played a role in the observed results. Although our study cannot differentiate between these effects, it is apparent that on-line food science instruction can be an effective alternative for individuals who are unable to attend traditional courses.     

Development and Large-Scale Validation of an Instrument to Assess Arabic-Speaking Students' Attitudes Toward Science

This study is part of a large-scale project focused on ‘Qatari students' Interest in, and Attitudes toward, Science’ (QIAS). QIAS aimed to gauge Qatari student attitudes toward science in grades 3–12, examine factors that impact these attitudes, and assess the relationship between student attitudes and prevailing modes of science teaching in Qatari schools. This report details the development and validation of the ‘Arabic-Speaking Students' Attitudes toward Science Survey’ (ASSASS), which was specifically developed for the purposes of the QIAS project. The theories of reasoned action and planned behavior (TRAPB) [Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (2005). The influence of attitudes on behavior. In D. Albarracín, B. T. Johnson, & M. P. Zanna (Eds.), The handbook of attitudes (pp. 173–221). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum] guided the instrument development. Development and validation of the ASSASS proceeded in 3 phases. First, a 10-member expert panel examined an initial pool of 74 items, which were revised and consolidated into a 60-item version of the instrument. This version was piloted with 369 Qatari students from the target schools and grade levels. Analyses of pilot data resulted in a refined version of the ASSASS, which was administered to a national probability sample of 3027 participants representing all students enrolled in grades 3–12 in the various types of schools in Qatar. Of the latter, 1978 students completed the Arabic version of the instrument. Analyses supported a robust, 5-factor model for the instrument, which is consistent with the TRAPB framework. The factors were: Attitudes toward science and school science, unfavorable outlook on science, control beliefs about ability in science, behavioral beliefs about the consequences of engaging with science, and intentions to pursue science.     

New books in review

BULWER AND MACREADY: A CHRONICLE OF THE EARLY VICTORIAN THEATRE. Edited by Charles H. Shattuck. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1958; pp vii+278. $5.75.

THE KABUKI THEATRE. By Earle Ernst. New York: Grove Press, 1959; pp. xxiii+296. With 58 half‐tone illustrations. Paper $2.45.

JAPANESE THEATRE. By Faubion Bowers. New York: Hill and Wang, 1959; pp. xxi+294. Paper $2.25.

DIRECTING THE PLAY: FROM SELECTION TO OPENING NIGHT. John Wray Young. New York: Harper, 1958; pp. xiv+171. $3.50.

THE ANATOMY OF AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE, 1840–1861. By Carl Bode. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1959; pp. xxii+292. $6.00.

ERNESTINE ROSE AND THE BATTLE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. By Yuri Suhl. New York: Reynal, 1959; pp. x+310. $5.75.

“SUNSET”; COX: IRREPRESSIBLE DEMOCRAT. By David Lindsey. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1959; pp. xx+323. $5.00.

ROAD OF PROPAGANDA: THE SEMANTICS OF BIASED COMMUNICATION. By Karin Dovring. Introduction by Harold D. Lass‐well. New York: Philosophical Library, 1959; pp. 158. $4.75.

PERSONALITY AND PERSUASIBILITY. By Irving L. Janis, Carl I. Hovlund, and others. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1959; xiv+333. $5.00.

FALLACY: THE COUNTERFEIT OF ARGUMENT. By W. Ward Fearnside and William B. Holther. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice‐Hall, 1959; pp. vi+218. Paper $1.95.

TEACHING: A PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS. By C. M. Fleming. New York: John Wiley, 1958; pp. xiii+291. $5.00.

THEORY AND TECHNIQUE OF INTERPRETATION. By Martin Cobin. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice‐Hall, 1959; pp. xii+256. $4.50.

CREATIVE DISCUSSION. By Rupert L. Cort‐right and George L. Hinds. New York: Macmillan, 1959; pp. xii+303. $4.50.

REPRESENTATIVE AMERICAN SPEECHES: 1958–1959. The Reference Shelf, Vol. 31, No. 3. Edited by A. Craig Baird. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1959; pp. 195. $2.50.     

The Four Year Reliability of a Test of Learning Problems

Learning disabled, emotionally disturbed, and unclassified male students (N = 123) originally tested with the Elizur Test of Psycho-Organicity (ETPO) when they were 6 to 11 years of age by Brooks (1) and Jackson (7), were followed-up and reassessed four years later. The test-retest reliability of the total ETPO score was .70, and subtest reliabilities ranged from .47 to .62. The pattern of subtest intercorrelations also remained stable over the four year interval. It was concluded that the ETPO is sufficiently stable for use with school-aged boys, though individual subtest scores should be used with caution.     

The History and Development of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging

Abstract

Libraries, which take seriously the responsibility to facilitate discovery and delivery of information resources for their patrons, have historically found cataloging costly and cumbersome. In the early 1970s, a series of initiatives was undertaken to develop more cooperative and expeditious approaches to reducing the cost of cataloging, while improving its quality. These initiatives culminated in the formation of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging. This article is a brief history of how the Program came to be, its structure, and what might be in store for it in the future.