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The library literature addressing the role of bias in collection development emphasizes a philosophical approach. It is based on the notion that bias can be controlled by the conscious act of believing in certain values and adhering to a code of ethics. It largely ignores the psychological research on bias, which suggests that bias is a more complex and subtle phenomenon. Bias is not always conscious and cannot always be consciously controlled. Countering bias requires an understanding of both its conscious and unconscious influences on selectors and the selection process. This article examines the psychological research that has been conducted on bias and shows how it applies to selectors and the selection process in collection development.

Investigates how psychotherapists define, cope with, and treat difficult patients. Explains the psychology of difficult clients, techniques psychologists use in working with them, and how these might be utilized by librarians, and emphasizes the importance of seeing difficult clients as a means of personal growth. (Author/LRW)

Identifies and evaluates principle psychology resources available on the Internet and Bitnet networks. Sources include discussions of cutting-edge research and notices of seminars, conferences, employment, reviews, abstracts, and bibliographies; categories include electronic journals, electronic newsgroups, and electronic conferences. (Author/AEF)

The application of advances in biomedical computing to medical imaging research is enabling scientists to conduct quantitative clinical imaging studies using data collected across multiple sites to test new hypotheses on larger cohorts, increasing the power to detect subtle effects. Given that many research groups have valuable existing (legacy) data, one goal of the Morphometry Biomedical Informatics Research Network (BIRN) Testbed is to assess the feasibility of pooled analyses of legacy structural neuroimaging data in normal aging and Alzheimer's disease. The present study examined whether such data could be meaningfully reanalyzed as a larger combined data set by using rigorous data curation, image analysis, and statistical modeling methods; in this case, to test the hypothesis that hippocampal volume decreases with age and to investigate findings of hippocampal asymmetry. This report describes our work with legacy T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) and demographic data related to normal aging that have been shared through the BIRN by three research sites. Results suggest that, in the present application, legacy MR data from multiple sites can be pooled to investigate questions of scientific interest. In particular, statistical analyses suggested that a mixed-effects model employing site as a random effect best fits the data, accounting for site-specific effects while taking advantage of expected comparability of age-related effects. In the combined sample from three sites, significant age-related decline of hippocampal volume and right-dominant hippocampal asymmetry were detected in healthy elderly controls. These expected findings support the feasibility of combining legacy data to investigate novel scientific questions.

Due to the increasing need for subject privacy, the ability to deidentify structural MR images so that they do not provide full facial detail is desirable. A program was developed that uses models of nonbrain structures for removing potentially identifying facial features. When a novel image is presented, the optimal linear transform is computed for the input volume (Fischl et al. [2002]: Neuron 33:341-355; Fischl et al. [2004]: Neuroimage 23 (Suppl 1):S69-S84). A brain mask is constructed by forming the union of all voxels with nonzero probability of being brain and then morphologically dilated. All voxels outside the mask with a nonzero probability of being a facial feature are set to 0. The algorithm was applied to 342 datasets that included two different T1-weighted pulse sequences and four different diagnoses (depressed, Alzheimer's, and elderly and young control groups). Visual inspection showed none had brain tissue removed. In a detailed analysis of the impact of defacing on skull-stripping, 16 datasets were bias corrected with N3 (Sled et al. [1998]: IEEE Trans Med Imaging 17:87-97), defaced, and then skull-stripped using either a hybrid watershed algorithm (Ségonne et al. [2004]: Neuroimage 22:1060-1075, in FreeSurfer) or Brain Surface Extractor (Sandor and Leahy [1997]: IEEE Trans Med Imaging 16:41-54; Shattuck et al. [2001]: Neuroimage 13:856-876); defacing did not appreciably influence the outcome of skull-stripping. Results suggested that the automatic defacing algorithm is robust, efficiently removes nonbrain tissue, and does not unduly influence the outcome of the processing methods utilized; in some cases, skull-stripping was improved. Analyses support this algorithm as a viable method to allow data sharing with minimal data alteration within large-scale multisite projects.

Positive psychology is an important new trend in the field of psychology that may have significant implications for academic libraries. Like the field of psychology, academic librarianship has traditionally focused a substantial amount of attention on problems within the field and on how to solve them. Positive psychology offers a viable alternative by focusing on the strengths and potential of librarians rather than weaknesses. Taking a positive approach to librarianship and fostering a positive culture within academic libraries may result in a variety of benefits to the organization including improved attendance, productivity, and retention of staff. KEYWORDS. Psychology, academic libraries, culture, human resources, attendance, productivity, retention

The potential value of digital repositories is dependent on the cooperation of scholars to deposit their work. Although many researchers have been resistant to submitting their work, the literature on digital repositories contains very little research on the psychology of resistance. This article looks at the psychological literature on resistance and explores what its implications might be for reducing the resistance of scholars to submitting their work to digital repositories. Psychologists have devised many potentially useful strategies for reducing resistance that might be used to address the problem; this article examines these strategies and how they might be applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant collection development decisions are increasingly made in a group context. Despite this trend, surprisingly little research can be found in the library literature that addresses the psychological and psychosocial aspects of group interaction and their relation to the decision making process. In contrast, the field of psychology contains numerous studies of the role of group interaction in the decision making process. This article examines the psychological research on group decision making and explores how group psychology influences decision making and what the implications might be for collection development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

With the growth of the World Wide Web has conic a proliferation of online reference sources. Some of these are electronic versions of already existing paper sources, while others have no paper counterpart. Many of the best reference resources found of the Web are subscription-based, but a surprising number of quality resources are available free. The vastness of the Web makes it difficult to provide a comprehensive and exhaustive survey of all the resources that are currently available. This article attempts to identify sonic of the most significant resources across the social sciences. it includes six disciplines: anthropology, communications, history, political science, and sociology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suggests ways in which reference librarians can help alleviate feelings of discomfort around computers or technostress common among adult learners who grew up in pre-computer era. Signs and symptoms of technostress; Interventions to alleviate technostress.