m n incident occurred several years ago at a major academic library which demonstrates some of the problems related to building research collections in new areas, in this case the area of popular culture. An extensive collection of novels on which films had been based was donated to the library. The books were to be kept intact as a special collection in the rare book facility. The collection was an important resource for cinema studies and English. Somehow the original concept of the collection was lost and the books were processed according to normal gift procedures. When the titles were searched, some were marked as duplicates. Furthermore, a large percentage of the books were shabby, yellowlooking paperbacks of popular fictionmysteries, westerns, and science fiction. The whole assortment seemed an unimpressive addition to the library's prestigious research collections. A few books were added to the general stacks, but the majority were either thrown away or put up for sale at a semi-annual book sale.This was an unhappy event in the history of the library. The benefactor was furious over the loss of a collection which he had assembled with great care for many years. The library staff was embarrassed and apologetic, although some felt their actions were not totally unjustified. Why should pop fiction be collected by aca-'demic and research libraries, let alone be placed side-by-side with books of fine printing and illustrated manuscripts? This article explores popular culture studies in higher education and how libraries are responding to the needs of popular culture specialists. Special focus will be given to pop fiction in book format, the most congenial to present-day libraries.
POPULAR CULTURE STUDIESIn order to understand the resource needs for popular culture studies, we. must begin by assessing the field and its ~role in higher education. A statement by
Objectives The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly harsh for low-income and racial and ethnic minority communities. It is not known how the pandemic has affected clinicians who provide care to these communities through safety-net practices, including clinicians participating in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). Methods In late 2020, we surveyed clinicians who were serving in the NHSC as of July 1, 2020, in 20 states. Clinicians reported on work and job changes and their current well-being, among other measures. Analyses adjusted for differences in subgroup response rates and clustering of clinicians within practices. Results Of 4263 surveyed clinicians, 1890 (44.3%) responded. Work for most NHSC clinicians was affected by the pandemic, including 64.5% whose office visit numbers fell by half and 62.5% for whom most visits occurred virtually. Fewer experienced changes in their jobs; for example, only 14.9% had been furloughed. Three-quarters (76.6%) of these NHSC clinicians scored in at-risk levels for their well-being. Compared with primary care and behavioral health clinicians, dental clinicians much more often had been furloughed and had their practices close temporarily. Conclusions The pandemic has disrupted the work, jobs, and mental health of NHSC clinicians in ways similar to its reported effects on outpatient clinicians generally. Because clinicians’ mental health worsens after a pandemic, which leads to patient disengagement and job turnover, national programs and policies should help safety-net practices build cultures that support and give greater priority to clinicians’ work, job, and mental health needs now and before the next pandemic.
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