Reviews

Abstract

Michelle DeMars reviews The Indispensable Academic Librarian: Teaching and Collaborating for Change; Norma Durian reviews The Library Outreach Casebook; Trina Boykin Nolen reviews Licensing Digital Content: A Practical Guide for Librarians, Third Edition.     

STTEPping in the right direction? Western classical music in an orchestral programme for disadvantaged African youth

This article looks at STTEP, an outreach project currently housed at the University of Pretoria, which concentrates on the teaching of western orchestral instruments, plus background areas such as music theory, to disadvantaged children and youth from a variety of townships around Pretoria, South Africa. STTEP’s direction can well be described as ‘right’ – pupils are already surrounded by all kinds of global phenomena, and their formal music studies in western classical music are not making them forget their roots. In fact, the contrary has been found to be the case and some interesting cultural fusions are already seen – always a sign of a living culture.     

Utilizing social media for social work: insights from clients in online youth services

ABSTRACT

This study explored and conceptualised service users’ experiences in online outreach projects supported by the Hong Kong SAR government. Fifteen active users were interviewed. The study used thematic analysis to explore service users’ experiences that might not have been possible without technology. Participant utterances were non-mutually-exclusively tagged with a specific theme. Each utterance reflected an aspect of user experience which combined a technical component with a service-need component. Six themes were identified, including: (i) Personalised newsfeeds help identify service information and news, (ii) Online status indicators improve service accessibility, (iii) Online communications enable a disinhibition effect, (iv) Asynchronous communications facilitate continual feedback loops, (v) Incomplete communicative modalities may cause misunderstanding and (vi) Asynchronous communication may disrupt conversations. The findings reveal that there are middle-level concepts between broad social work concepts and ever-changing technology. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Quality of Life Enhancement Research Program: Lessons Learned

The attempted Quality of Life Enhancement program appeared to be a novel method for creating a symbiotic and sustainable relationship between a large Southeastern university and local nursing home and assisted living facilities (ALF), through which ALF residents would attend university arts and sporting events. During implementation, it was discovered that this project was unsustainable, undesired, unneeded by many care centers, difficult to implement, and required a dedicated and specialized staff. After attempting to enroll 14 local care facilities, only 2 were interested in becoming involved and produced 5 eligible participants. During the program itself, coordination with facilities and residents was difficult to maintain and unique transportation and accommodation needs were challenging to overcome. Finally, data collection was time consuming and generally unfruitful. Ultimately the project was discontinued after a year of attempted recruitment and implementation of inclusive changes to protocol. While creating an ongoing relationship with local care facilities and local universities may enhance opportunities for residents and research into important areas, such relationships take time, effort, and specialized staff to maintain.     

An E-learning outreach program for public schools: Findings and lessons learned based on a pilot program in Makati City and Cabuyao City,Laguna, Philippines

The E-Learning Outreach Program (ELOP) is a multisectoral, collaborative, and commitment-driven action research that focuses on providing relevant and useful computer and Internet literacy short courses for public elementary students. This study presents the critical action plans of setting up a pilot e-Learning station in Hen. Pio del Pilar Elementary School in Makati City and in Pulo Elementary School in Cabuyao City, Laguna, Philippines. The school’s computer laboratory was converted to an E-Learning station with additional devices and technical support from De La Salle University (DLSU). The study aims to account for a process-based heuristic approach in laying down the different phases of the program, specifically to: (1) coordinate and orient parents, pupils, teachers and school administrators, (2) set-up an e-Learning environment (3) design and write course modules (4) assess learning skills and experience of pupils, and (5) evaluate the program based on research team’s observation and results of the focus group discussion (FGD) with teachers and student-participants. In Pulo Elementary School, a pretest and posttests were conducted with results showing that the program has improved participants’ e-Learning knowledge and skills except for advance skills in hardware utilization. The participants also showed a strong positive attitude towards the ELOP.     

Sustainability and depth of outreach: Evidence from microfinance institutions in sub‐Saharan Africa

The feasibility of microfinance institutions (MFIs) to expand outreach to the poorest while remaining financially sustainable has long been debated. Using data from 206 MFIs in 33 African countries, we adopt the three‐stage least square technique to assess whether a trade‐off exists between sustainability and outreach depth. Our results confirm the existence of a trade‐off. The evidence also supports ongoing subsidies for MFIs with the aim of encouraging outreach. In addition, we examine whether there is an inflection point beyond which higher interest rates reduce profitability for MFIs. We find no evidence of a threshold beyond which profitability is reduced.     

Geriatric Hospitals in India,Today and in the Future

Summary

In a country that shuns hospitalization of the elderly, regarding it as disrespect of those who helped youngsters evolve, Heritage Hospital (HH)is a welcome change, a model and pioneer stand-alone geriatric hospital. With its non-ambulatory services looking after sick elderly, HH is like an extended family of seniors. HH's love and fresh air complement its Meals-on-Wheels program, guided by the nutritionist's healthy food. HH's Volunteer Guild; its Diabetes Club, ever growing with India's dramatic rise in the number of diabetics; its Senior Net Club's Click@50, making elders computer savvy; and Grandparent-Grandchild and Golden and Silver Couple contests celebrated on October 1st, are all widely appreciated, enforcing strong values Indians still share on marriage and family. Heritage brings together 10,000 seniors in Hyderabad, strengthening its motto of Eastern philosophy with its strong emphasis on care for the elderly.     

The Illusions and Juxtapositions of Commercial Sexual Exploitation among Youth: Identifying Effective Street-Outreach Strategies

To explore sexually exploited youths' perspectives of how street outreach workers can effectively provide outreach and connections to services, we conducted qualitative interviews with 13 female participants, ages 14 to 22, in a Midwest U.S. city. Participants reported multiple types of exploitation, most first exploited by age 13, plus substance use and recurrent homelessness. Nearly all had a pimp, and all used the internet as a venue for sexual exploitation. Participants wanted outreach workers to use “soft words” to refer to exploitation. They expressed contradictory images of their “boyfriend” pimps and their exploitation. They wanted outreach workers to “provide resources,” “be nonjudgmental,” “listen,” and “care.” Street outreach can be one way to support sexually exploited youth but should occur in multiple settings.     

微型金融绩效研究述评

中国商业性小额贷款公司大范围试点提出了如何对这些小额贷款公司进行绩效评价的现实问题,对已有微型金融绩效研究的回顾有助于回应这一问题。微型金融绩效具有双重标准,社会绩效和财务绩效缺一不可,但两者之间可能存在权衡关系。社会绩效可进一步区分为覆盖面与福利影响两个维度。覆盖面与财务绩效的直接衡量指标具有多样性,绩效测度时既可利用指标直接衡量,也可以通过因子分析法、DEA等方法来综合测度,两类方法各有优劣。福利影响评价研究的核心难题在于存在样本偏差,不同的评价方法因其对样本偏差的控制差异会带来不同的评价结论。     

The Museum of Amor:

No abstract available for this article.