Life in the Trenches of Print and Web Publishing: An Interview with Jenna Freedman, Curator of the Barnard Zine Collection

For this issue of “From Picas to Pixels,” incoming co-editor Jessamyn West talks to fellow rogue librarian Jenna Freedman, curator of the Barnard Zine Collection. Are zines serials or monographs? Should they circulate or not? Jenna and Jessamyn discuss the difficulties of getting a zine collection started, the difficulties of keeping them alive, and much more.     

Notes on the Interpretation of Traffic Accident Data and of Risk Homeostasis Theory: A Reply to L. Evans

A quick and summary comment is made on a paper by Evans, who set out to "definitively answer" the question "whether there is any validity" in risk homeostasis theory (RHT), and who arrives at the conclusion that the "theory should be rejected" because the data "provide the clearest evidence refuting the theory." It will be argued here that the seven cases Evans puts forward against RHT do not justify such a rather boldly-worded conclusion. On the contrary, the data presented by Evans can be seen to be either not inconsistent with RHT (Case 1), in error (Case 2), or fail to take account of relevant economic changes (Case 3) and of pertinent exposure variables (Case 5), incomplete or the product of guess-work (Case 4), irrelevant (Case 6), nonrepresentative (Case 7) and in all cases open to alternative interpretations that do not conflict with the theory under debate. Moreover, Evans' reasoning seems to betray not only careless reading of what RHT does in fact say, but also a fundamental misunderstanding of the notion of target risk in particular. Refuting a "refutation" does not, of course, imply that RHT is valid, or valid at least within as yet to be defined limits. Attempts to address the validity question should preferably take the form of well-controlled field experiments, instead of retrospective analyses of multi-interpretable archival data that can be debated ad infinitum.     

Reflections on ‘The Treatment Relationship,Real or Symbolic?’ by Jean Stewart: An examination of the relationship between countertransference,Langs' concept of the “frame” and compensatory treatment technique

Clinical social workers have played a leading role in the development of compensatory treatment technique. In working with clients who are characterologically disturbed we use a variety of maturationally oriented techniques that repair or ameliorate early developmental deficits. Other related techniques are designed to reduce environmental stress. These techniques complicate the therapeutic process because they require modifications in the traditional frame of treatment, thus making the therapist particularly vulnerable to both induced and personal (neurotic) countertransference reactions. This paper explores the relationship between compensatory technique and countertransference in an effort to identify aspects of treatment that are particular to clinical social work practice.     

Community Structure and Voting in the South

This article combines census and survey data to assess the effectsof community characteristics, black concentration and urbanism,on the decision processes of southern white voters. Examiningvoting for Wallace in the 1968 election, the effects of blackconcentration on voting, attitudes, issue salience, and perceptionsof candidates are found to be generally greater in rural thanin urban areas.     

Book Reviews

Modern Business Statistics. George C. Canavos and Don M. Miller. New York: Duxbury Press, 1995. xxiv + 952 pp. + 3.5″ Disk. $58.95. Reviewed by Nancy Jo Delaney

Elementary Statistics Laboratory Manual (MS-DOS Version).: John D. Spurrier, Don Edwards, and Lori A. Thombs. Belmont, CA: Duxbury Press, 1995. $19.95. Reviewed by Bradley A. Hartlaub

Introduction to Probability and Statistics (9th ed.). William Mendenhall and Robert J. Beaver. Belmont, CA: Duxbury Press, 1994. xv + 704 pp. $55.95. Reviewed by Katherine Taylor Halvorsen

Environmental Statistics and Data Analysis. Wayne R. Ott. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, Inc., 1995. xi + 313 pp. $69.95. Reviewed by Virginia M. Lesser

Statistical Data Analysis for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences. H. Jean Thiébaux. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1994. xv + 247 pp. + 3.5″ DOS Diskette. $74.95. Reviewed by Andrew R. Solow     

Mapping Our Way: New Formations in Technical Services: Ohio Valley Group of Technical Services Librarians Annual Conference

The annual meeting of the Ohio Valley Group of Technical Services Librarians (OVGTSL) was held May 16–18, 2007, at the Holiday Inn-University Plaza in Bowling Green, Kentucky. One hundred twenty technical services librarians from Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and points beyond gathered for programming centered around the theme of “Mapping Our Way: New Formations in Technical Services.”     

The moderating effect of political skill on the demographic dissimilarity — Leader–member exchange quality relationship

LMX theorists have long argued that similarity between supervisors and subordinates will lead to the development of higher quality leader–member exchange (LMX) relationships. However, studies that have examined the impact of similarity on these relationships have found mixed results, suggesting the need for examining moderators. The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of subordinates' political skill on the relationship between supervisor–subordinate racial similarity/dissimilarity (RSD) and the quality of LMX relationships. The sample consisted of 189 participants in a retail service organization. The results indicate that political skill is a significant moderator, and plays a substantial role in LMX relationship quality for racially dissimilar supervisor–subordinate dyads. The strengths and limitations of the study, and directions for future research are discussed.