The Weber Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act of 1988 requires companies with 100 or more workers to provide 60 days' notice of plant closings and mass layoffs. What enforcing and even strengthening this law might mean is discussed. WARN might actually result in lower wages and more temporary workers. (SLD)

Examined how working-class fathers' job experiences affected their self-esteem and parenting styles. Conducted home interviews with 59 working-class fathers in dual-earner families and their target child, who was aged 8 to 12 years. Found that more positive fathers' work experiences, higher their self-esteem, which predicted more accepting…

Surveyed student affairs professionals at Catholic colleges/universities to determine whether fact that staff member is not Catholic affects treatment received from others. Findings revealed that between 9% and 30% of the 116 non-Catholic student affairs professionals surveyed felt uncomfortable in variety of situations, and they felt that their…

A national survey examined the structure, function, agendas, and impact of curriculum committees in 66 colleges of pharmacy. Although most committees had moderate to high impact on curriculum, barriers such as faculty conservatism and departmental autonomy existed. Revising/implementing degree programs was the most successful committee function.…

Children's health and worker safety concerns are spurring parents and school employees to press for reduction of school pesticide use. Applying pesticides by fogging, broadcasting, or baseboard spraying is inappropriate in school settings. Describes integrated pest management practices in California, Maryland, and Indiana; local and state…

One year after graduation, 38.2% of a sample of 2,214 bachelor's degree graduates responded to a survey; sample was reduced to 378 working in for-profit organizations. Wide variability was apparent in socialization experiences and adaptation strategies; many were ambivalent about remaining. Results suggest a need to address new employee…

Many school districts lack the resources to hire a full-time risk manager and often assign risk-management duties to a manager with other responsibilities. Offers steps that can help with risk-management procedures. Cooperation, communication, and, most important, the support of top management are critical for risk-management effectiveness. (MLF)

Describes informal leadership opportunities for library staff. Identifies three key characteristics: vision, courage, and the ability to make things happen through others. Discusses requirements for successfully leading from below; hostile, neutral, and supportive environments; and benefits. (AEF)

Covariance modeling techniques were used to test the assumption of group invariance of a computer anxiety scale by comparing results from potentially different populations: 258 college students and 320 law enforcement officers. Results support the idea that the validity of the computer anxiety construct can be generalized to different groups.…

Telephone surveys of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees investigated the impact of an agencywide smoking policy that initially restricted, then banned, smoking. Nearly all of the employees and 56 percent of the smokers supported the policy. One quarter of the smokers reported increased interest in quitting following policy…

Examined organizational life within federal prisons. Employees (n=3,325) completed Prison Social Climate Survey. Findings revealed widespread satisfaction with work environments. Staff having frequent contact with inmates, those working in custody positions, and those with longer tenure generally had lower opinions of work environment, whereas…

A search of "Library Literature" and "Library and Information Science Abstracts" yielded 49 articles published in the 1980s on librarians' burnout. Content analysis techniques were used to identify relevant factors and variables. Findings indicate stress crosses all types of libraries, appears more prevalent for reference…

At the International Labor Conference held in Geneva in June 1990, the following topics were discussed: the Director-General's report on the environment and the world of work; night work; safety in the use of chemicals; working conditions in hotels, restaurants, and similar establishments; and the promotion of self-employment. (JOW)

In a survey concerning repetitive stress injury (RSI) and carpal tunnel syndrome, 87 percent of the 40 sign language interpreters reported that they had at some time experienced at least 2 symptoms associated with RSI, and most interpreters knew others with RSI problems. Data indicate that RSI is a severe problem among sign language interpreters.…

This 1990 survey examined the role of paraprofessionals in 77 member libraries of the Association of Research Libraries and 390 Carnegie Classification libraries. Data were gathered on institutional and staff characteristics and on the education, skills and competencies, tasks assigned, administrative responsibility, working conditions, staff…