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June 2003
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Tools of the TradeHow to Create a BibliographyJanet Webster IntroductionInformation dissemination is fundamental to Extension work, and compiling relevant information is something Extension agents do regularly (Conway, Corcoran, Duncan, & Ketchum, 1997; Kittredge, 1992; Hilderbrand, 2001). Creating a list of useful information sources and sharing it with those needing that information sounds simple, but it takes skill to do well. In a world of information overload, understanding how to compile a bibliography adds another tool to the Extension agent's toolkit. Here are practical tips in three parts:
Why Create a BibliographyThe first question to ask and answer is "Who needs this information?" You might need to know what's been done on a subject to justify a grant application. However, if the intended audience extends beyond your office, spend time finding out about and describing that audience, its needs, and its preferences for access. The following, derived from practical experience and the expertise of librarians (Bates, 1976; Harmon, 1998; Jacsó & Lancaster, 1999) addresses key considerations of a well-crafted bibliography. Consideration 1: Your Audience For some projects, the audience and its needs may be obvious, while for others, describing the audience and deciding what it needs may be a challenge. Assess the potential audience before investing too much time.
Consideration 2: Current State of Information This seems obvious, but it is worth investigating.
Consideration 3: Scope and Coverage Once you have decided that the need and the information exist, consider the scope and coverage of your bibliography. Your expertise is crucial as you ferret out "the valuable in the mass of the mostly worthless or uninteresting" (Wilson, 1968, p.1.)
Consideration 4: Content and Style Finally, you need to make practical decisions on the style of the content.
How to Create a BibliographyOnce you have decided and described why and how you are creating this bibliography, you are ready to start building your masterpiece. Here are the practical steps where you find the information, then document and authenticate it. Identify and Locate Material You can start with your own files or with a simple search in your library's catalog. Keep track of where and how you searched. This is especially important if you are searching across databases and with varied search strategies. Eventually, people who use your bibliography or resource list may want to know where all you looked. Once you identify material, get copies of the items. If it's a Web page, print off the first page, or bookmark for your working file. Document the Material Enter the basic citation information into your database or your list of resources. Bibliographic software packages such as ProCite® and EndNote® will walk you through the fields of information. Be consistent in how you enter dates and names, and complete an entry before moving to the next. Software also allows you to download citations from databases or import lists from your computer files. Be sure to check each downloaded entry for errors and completeness. Describe the Content Your users will want to know more than the basics. Use your expertise and succinctly describe the material using keywords, annotations, or abstracts. If you use keywords, find a thesaurus that provides words that your audience will use. Examples include Water Resources Thesaurus or Pollution Thesaurus. Creating your own terms may make sense to you, but probably will not do so to others. Whether you use keywords, annotations, or abstracts, be consistent in your application. Annotations characterize the material, giving the users a clue about its value. For instance, is it a scientific article or one written for the general public? An abstract summarizes the content. It's useful if people are solely interested in the content and not the level of the writing or how it might relate to other material. Abstracts may be copyrighted, so get permission to use them. Give a Location Users will be frustrated if they cannot actually get the item you describe. So give a location, whether it is a URL, the library, or a contact at the Extension office. Linking to the complete article from the citation is a laudable goal, but copyright restrictions and time may limit how much you can provide in electronic format. How to Distribute a BibliographyThe Web makes distributing your bibliography simpler, yet more complex. In both of my projects, I used an inexpensive software called Reference WebPoster® that provides a very basic Web search engine to any databases compiled in ProCite®, EndNote®, or Reference Manager®. See "Yaquina Bay Bibliography" at <http://osulibrary.orst.edu/guin/yaqbib.htm> for one example, or read "Bibliographies as an Extension Outreach Tool: An Old Method in a New Age," in this issue. Other methods of distribution may be more effective for your audience. Possibilities include:
Final AdviceFrom my experience as a librarian working on Extension-related projects, three parts of the process pose the most problems:
Spending time puzzling over these will save you time later and help you create the best possible resource for your users. ReferencesBates, M. J. (1976). Rigorous systematic bibliography. RQ, 16(1), 7-26. Conway, F. D. L., Corcoran, P., Duncan, A., & Ketchum, L. (1997). A tool for towns in transition. Journal of Extension [On-line], 35(4). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/1997august/tt2.html Harmon, R. B. (1998). Elements of bibliography : A guide to information sources and practical applications. 3rd ed. ed. Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press. Hilderbrand, K. (2001). Seafood waste management bibliography. Newport, OR: Oregon Sea Grant. Available at: http://seagrant.orst.edu/sgpubs/onlinepubs/i01002.pdf Jacsó, P., & Lancaster, F. W. F. W. (1999). Build your own database. Chicago : American Library Association. Kittredge, D. B. Jr. (1992). Regional cooperation in forestry. Journal of Extension [On-line], 30(3). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/1992fall/rb2.html Webster, J. G. (2003) Bibliographies as an Extension Outreach Tool: An Old Method in a New Age. Journal of Extension [On-line], 41(3). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/2003june/a7.shtml Wilson, P. (1968). Two kinds of power: An essay on bibliographical control. Berkeley, University of California Press.
Providing Knowledge at the Click of a Mouse: Forestry and Natural Resources Desktop Reference LibraryRobert E. Bardon IntroductionCooperative Extension Service county agents serve as the front-line educators and information resources for the citizens of their states. Many of these agents are tasked with multiple areas of responsibilities, often outside their traditional area of education. For example, in North Carolina, Extension agents on average have four areas of responsibility, of which forestry is one. Only one percent of the North Carolina Extension county agents have a degree, BS or MS, in forest management (Bardon, 2001). Juxtaposing the dearth of professional training in forest and natural resource management at the county level with the demands on the field faculty's time underscores the importance of developing an information and continuing education resources that will meet the agents' educational and information needs. North Carolina State University Forestry Extension recognized the potential of the electronic communication medium, primarily Internet delivery, as a possible solution to the county agents' educational and information needs. Forestry Extension has developed the "Forestry and Natural Resources Desktop Reference Library (DRL)" <http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/nreos/desktop/>", a Web-based, distance learning and information resource project to meet the needs of Extension. What Is the Forestry and Natural Resources Desktop Reference Library (DRL)?DRL is a time- and space-independent model for information exchange between the university and Extension county agents. It is the result of collaboration between researchers and Extension faculty based on a needs assessment of the Extension agents (Bardon, 2001). The project is a Web-based resource incorporating synchronized multimedia and the World Wide Web to provide up-to-date research-based information on forestry and natural resources (Figure 1). Figure 1.
DRL's Web site was developed and designed to be simple and user-friendly. Currently, DRL covers eight major categories (modules) in which a wealth of information is provided:
DRL also provides access to Extension specialists for those needing further assistance or information. DRL's Module DesignModule design was kept simple. Each module has a similar page layout (Figure 2), listing presentation topics and their length and links to publications and information resources from North Carolina State University, other universities, state and federal agencies, and private agencies. This allows the user to become familiar with the site, retrieving information in a rapid and efficient manner. Figure 2.
Presentations are developed either as slide presentations or video presentations that can be viewed with RealPlayer. (Visit <http://www.real.com/> to download RealPlayer for free.) Slide presentations were developed by sychronizing audio, captured by computer, and computer generated slide presentations. Slide presentations are limited to no more than 20 minutes in length. Limiting the presentation length requires the presenter to get right to the point and allows users, who may have a limited amount of time, to refresh and enhance their level of knowledge. Presentation design is kept simple so the user focuses on the information presented, not on the slide layout. Video presentations are live presentations captured using RealProducer Plus software. Video presentations, which are not limited in length, can last from 20 mintues to approximately 90 minutes, allowing for more in-depth information than slide presentations afford. Video presentations require more time to down load than slide presentations do and can be saved and viewed at a time more convienent to the user. DRL's BenefitsThe DRL benefits the user in several ways. Benefits include:
The DRL benefits the university in several ways. Benefits include:
SummaryThe DRL is a Web-based, distance learning and information resource project developed out of a need for continuing education of Extension agents. DRL provides an important Internet venue for facilitating the transfer of research-based information on forestry and natural resource management. To visit the Forestry and Natural Resources Desktop Reference Library, just visit <http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/nreos/desktop/>. ReferencesBardon, R. E. (2001). Evaluation of forestry programming: Leading to recommendations for improvement. Journal of Extension [On-line], 39(3). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/2001june/rb3.html
Review of MicroMedium Digital Trainer Professional® as a Tool for Developing Teaching and Extension Training ProgramsY. Martin Lo Lisa N. Sadar Department of Nutrition
and Food Science IntroductionThe interactive multimedia features of the Digital Trainer Professional® software was reviewed as to how it could be used to enhance Extension training. The authors have been using this software for 4 years and have found it effective in teaching Food Safety HACCP training programs. This software provides a ready-to-rock format for incorporating interactive multimedia components into training programs and enables the writer to concentrate more on training and less on computers. A log file holding all the scores and test information allows an administrator at a single desk to oversee use of the software for the entire network. The merit of the program is that, instead of reading a training manual or paper book, trainees interact with an e-book on their computer. Basic FeaturesThis software works in two modes, WRITER and READER. Before creating an e-book, the author must create an E-BOOK PROJECT. Like a paper book, each e-book has a title with chapters and pages and a table of contents. Any page in an e-book may include text, images, video, animation, audio, and interaction through questions with feedback. Users can click words to see their definition, jump to other parts of the e-book, or even run other software programs. For images, this software provides markers such as numbers, lines, circles, rectangles, and arrows, as well as hot spots that are used to identify a particular section of an image, which could be used to provide feedback to the user. It also offers a spell checker. The spell checker works closely with a custom dictionary that allows the author to add words or create a number of different custom dictionaries to suit different needs. The final project is produced as an e-book and saved as a single executable file. Creating Training MaterialsThe most impressive feature of this software is that it offers two powerful planning tools: task definition and book outlines. Each page in an e-book may contain text, an image, a video clip, up to two audio clips, a hot spot question, and either a true-or-false, multiple-choice, or fill-in-the-blank question. The writer may type in or import existing text, add images, audio, video, animation, and questions--all with a few button clicksãand then prepare the e-books to distribute. When the program starts, the Toolbar will show up on the left-hand side. Each page in an e-book has a template. It is very straightforward to change the way a page in a book looks and what type of question it has on it by selecting a template style. The writer can easily edit the text font style, size, color, type, as well as paragraph settings and the background color of the text area. This allows a person to use existing files and the familiar word processor format to create the text and vice versa. It also provides a review function for the writer to see the program as a trainee would. Training in ActionWhen users read the e-book, they can go to any page in a book by clicking on a page name in the table of contents. They can search for words; place bookmarks; make notes; play audio, video, and animation; answer questions; and take tests. Books can be read from floppy disks, CD-ROM, or over a network. Trainees can download e-books from the Internet and send and receive them by email. A built-in tutorial helps ensure that users will feel comfortable reading the e-books. If an e-book is a test, it will ask the user to log in with their name and predefined ID number. When a person opens a test, he or she will also be given a time limit for the test. It has an AUTO PLAYBACK section that tells the e-book what to play back automatically or to loop the entire book like endless videotape. In the test, there is a Manual/User Page Advance option that allows the user to navigate the test book. Questions can be left unanswered, and the user may skip around by clicking on the PAGES button and then clicking on a page name to go to that page. Evaluation and DistributionWhen a user finishes a test, a performance page will be displayed, and the user can print this information. This program offers the weight points attributed by default to any question, whether answered correctly or incorrectly. Each question's weight may be set separately. This information is recorded to a log file. This log file holds all the scores and test information. This allows an administrator at a single desk to oversee use of the programs for an entire network. The e-books can be sent out on floppy disks, CD-ROMs, or other storage media. However, the e-book Reader software Digital Trainer Reader runtime is necessary to read e-books. It can install and read books from floppy disk, CD-ROM, or even over the Internet. The e-book Reader is compatible with browsers such as Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer. Using a network server as an e-book library is recommended so that the e-books are available to the entire organization. Issues and ConclusionDigital Trainer Professional® provides straightforward wizards that are user-friendly and requires minimum knowledge of multimedia production. The need for users to copy a reader program is the only drawback for this program when compared with other popular software, such as Microsoft® products. It requires Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 3.1x, or Windows NT v3.51 or higher, 8 MB of RAM, 12MB of free disk space, and CD-ROM. Value: $270.
Voices from College Student Mentors: Implications for Extension Programming with Latino YouthByron L. Zamboanga Lisa Knoche Department of Psychology Statement of NeedUnderstanding and addressing the needs of the Latino population is becoming increasingly important as the demographics of many communities in the United States are changing. Specifically, between 1990 and 2000, the Latino population grew 57.9%, while the total U.S. population climbed 13.2% (Census Scope, 2000). In Nebraska, the Latino population rose 155% during this same period. Furthermore, reports suggest that many Latinos undergo unique educational and language challenges (Carlo, Carranza, & Zamboanga, 2002). For example, compared to non-Hispanic Whites, Latinos are less likely to complete high school and obtain a college degree (Therrien & Ramirez, 2000). Changing demographics and distinct cultural factors relevant to Latinos have prompted the necessity for culture-specific programming. To address the needs of Latino youth in the Lincoln community, the Latino Research Initiative (LRI) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) developed the Latino Achievement Mentoring Program (LAMP). The LRI works collaboratively with the Lincoln Hispanic Community Center and Lincoln Public Schools to implement LAMP. (See Gonzalez-Kruger et al., 2000, for information on the LRI.) Brief Program Description of LAMPLAMP is a culture-specific mentoring program designed to promote school success and post-secondary opportunities. College student mentors serve as positive role models and provide information and guidance about academic life. Mentor-mentee pairs meet weekly and engage in activities such as doing homework, going to museums, and spending time with family. LAMP also aims to develop future community leaders. Community professionals (including LAMP staff and academic faculty) provide weekly training in general developmental and culturally relevant issues that confront Latino youth (e.g., acculturation, school retention, and success). A unique element of LAMP is the inclusion of the mentees' family. For example, program staff and mentors plan family activities and provide information to mentees' families about educational opportunities and community resources. Program evaluation personnel utilize qualitative and quantitative methods to assess mentors' and mentees' experiences in LAMP (Zamboanga, Roy, Knoche, & Snyder, 2001). Overview of StudyWe conducted a qualitative study to better understand the mentoring relationship from the mentors' perspective, using participants' voices to illuminate their experiences. Individual interviews were conducted with six mentors (M age = 22 years, four women) involved in the program for 18 to 24 months. Interviews included open-ended questions designed to uncover their understanding of the mentoring relationship. Responses were audiotaped and transcribed. In-depth analysis of the transcripts revealed key statements that described the mentoring relationship, and themes were derived from them. Themes were coded independently, and discrepancies were resolved by discussion (Knoche & Zamboanga, 2003). Three main clusters of themes emerged that best depicted the meaningfulness of the mentoring relationship:
Results and Implications for Extension and Programming StaffWe carefully analyzed transcripts from each cluster to uncover implications for future programming. Mentors' comments are presented below, followed by recommended practices for Extension staff and/or youth program developers. Mentor-Mentee Relationship
Themes Mentors indicated challenges in establishing and maintaining rapport with their mentee. Once rapport developed, mentors felt successful, and the relationship progressed. Another issue that emerged entailed appropriate mentor-mentee expectations for communication. In some cases, the mentors' expectations for mentee-initiated contact was too high, considering the developmental level of the mentee. Recommendations Establishing clear mentor-mentee expectations could help reduce mentors' relationship frustrations and therefore facilitate the initial rapport-building process. Extension staff can address these issues in the following ways:
Mentor-Family Relationship
Themes Mentors encountered some obstacles in the mentor-family relationship due to language differences. Many of the mentees' families spoke primarily Spanish, while the majority of mentors spoke primarily English. The rapport-building process between mentors and families was often more challenging when language differences existed. However, in most cases, this did not preclude mentor-family communication and trust from developing. Recommendations Extension staff need to be mindful of these potential obstacles and can intervene by considering the following:
Mentor Development
Themes Mentors reported that LAMP enabled them to develop constructive relationships with other mentors. These relationships provided an element of social support that mentors found helpful. Recommendations Hire a skilled-moderator to provide mentors constructive and supportive workshops. Workshops should facilitate problem solving and address issues related to mentoring, as well as promote mentor cohesiveness. Programmers should consider utilizing community professionals (including university faculty) to assist mentors in problem solving and provide social gatherings outside of formal trainings to help facilitate rapport among mentors. Acknowledgements The authors and the Latino Research Initiative would like to thank the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Human Resources and Family Sciences, Cooper Foundation, Foundation for Educational Funding, staff and volunteers of the Lincoln Hispanic Community Center, Lincoln Credit Association, Sowers Club of Nebraska, University of Nebraska Layman Fund, University of Nebraska Research Council, and Woods Charitable Fund, Inc. for their valuable support of our work. We are grateful to Gustavo Carlo and Marcela Raffaelli for thoughtful comments on an earlier version of this article. ReferencesCarlo, G., Carranza, M, & Zamboanga, B. L. (2002). Culture and ecology of Latinos on the Great Plains: An introduction. Great Plains Research: A Journal of the Natural and Social Sciences, 12, 3-12. CensusScope (2000). Your Portal to Census 2000 Data [Data file]. Social Science Data Analysis Network. Available at: http://www.censusscope.org/ Gonzalez-Kruger, G. E., Zamboanga, B. L., Carlo, G., Raffaelli, M., Carranza, M., Hansen, D. J., et al. (2000). The Latino Research Initiative: A multidisciplinary and collaborative community-university outreach and scholarship model. Great Plains Research: A Journal of the Natural and Social Sciences, 10, 359-385. Knoche, L., & Zamboanga, B. L. (2003). The meaning of the mentoring relationship from the mentors' perspectives: A phenomenological investigation. Manuscript submitted for publication. Therrien, M., & Ramirez, R. R. (2000). The Hispanic population in the United States: March 2000, current population reports, P20-535. U.S. Census Bureau: Washington DC. Zamboanga, B. L., Roy, L. A., Knoche, L., & Snyder, A. (2001). LAMP: The Latino achievement mentoring program. Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, 11, 18-21. Copyright © by Extension Journal, Inc. ISSN 1077-5315. Articles appearing in the Journal become the property of the Journal. Single copies of articles may be reproduced in electronic or print form for use in educational or training activities. Inclusion of articles in other publications, electronic sources, or systematic large-scale distribution may be done only with prior electronic or written permission of the Journal Editorial Office, joe-ed@joe.org. If you have difficulties viewing or printing this page, please contact JOE Technical Support. |
