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This paper explores intensive self‐management of type 1 diabetes with insulin pump therapy as an enabling technology and reports barriers in the communication process with health professionals providing diabetes care who are unfamiliar with this treatment. Questionnaire responses and telephone interviews from a study conducted with 78 people using pump therapy in 2006 showed that individuals attending diabetes centres that were not pump‐trained suffered poor communication and a lack of support for intensive diabetes self‐management. As a result, some pump users did not visit their diabetes centre for care and management of the condition, preferring to communicate with the pump manufacturer and a national insulin pump therapy support organisation because they were familiar with the treatment. Nonetheless, all pump users had a strong sense of self‐efficacy concerning their mastery of the treatment technology to prevent, delay or stabilise the chronic complications of type 1 diabetes. Conclusions are linked to the Insulin Pump Services Report (Department of Health, 2007) and specific guidance on the use of pump therapy with patients by trained health professionals.

Between 1993‐5, a small team of university researchers organised an action learning programme for management teams in a laboratory medical service within the National Health Service. The purpose of the programme was to introduce medical consultants to a different form of learning, namely participatory action learning facilitated by the researchers. A cyclic programme, of problem identification, planning, action and review, was agreed. In this article the author utilises the completed project to clarify the interrelated concepts of action learning and action research which are increasingly being utilised for management education in the National Health Service.

25 July to 1 August 1982. Unioni Naisasialiitti Suomessary, The Finnish women's organisation, will be hosting the 26th Triennial Congress of the International Alliance of Women in Helsinki. The Alliance is one of the leading Non‐Governmental Organisations recognised by the United Nations and its agencies as representing women's interests, and has affiliated organisations in a large number of both developed and developing countries. The theme of the 1982 Congress is “Employment Patterns in the Eighties”. Enquiries to IAW, P.O. Box 355, Valetta, Malta or to Isari Mattila, UNIONI, Bulevard: 11 Al,00120 Helsinki, Finland.

The purpose of this article is to examine the salient literature on historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) with an overarching goal of setting a future research agenda for scholars interested in these institutions.

This literature review is organized into two main sections: strengths and challenges. To move HBCUs forward, scholars need an understanding of these institutions’ strengths as well as those challenges that lie ahead.

The major strengths include the value-added nature of the education provided by HBCUs (i.e. the willingness of HBCUs to educate “at-risk” students); affordability in terms of tuition; community engagement; leadership training of future generations; Afrocentric curricula and a competitive yet supportive learning environment, which is particularly beneficial in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields; a focus on teaching; and faculty and student diversity. The first half of this paper will focus on these strengths. These same national experts identified the challenges as low retention and graduation rates; lack of financial resources (especially for student scholarships and attracting faculty), and competition from historically White institutions (HWIs); the need for sustainable administrative leadership; lack of marketing of HBCU success stories; the pressures of desegregation and holding true to mission; the challenge of producing future scholars who care about the needs of HBCUs; small endowment size; and the persistent gender gaps in student enrollment. The second half of this paper will focus on these challenges.

In addition, by identifying the strengths and challenges, researchers can assist practitioners at HBCUs as well as those in the policy and funding arenas in better understanding the needs of HBCUs.

The research on HBCUs has grown substantially over the past 30 years. However, this body of research still has substantial gaps and holes. If filled, many of these gaps and holes would lead to stronger institutions, greater knowledge on the impact of HBCUs and enhanced learning experiences for HBCU students. Many young scholars are interested in studying HBCUs but are often discouraged: when they approach their advisor with the topic, they are told it is not important and that their career will be limited by the topical choice. There is a lack of support within sections of the HBCU community for research that might uncover weaknesses or not treat HBCUs in an entirely favorable light. We encourage those interested in pursuing research related to HBCUs to find mentors who will support them in their pursuits.

Although some of these topics and subsequent suggestions involve taking on controversial issues, it is important for individuals affiliated with and who care about HBCUs to conduct this research before uninformed outsiders do it (Gasman, 2006). There needs to be a concerted effort from HBCUs, HBCU faculty, HBCU scholar – practitioners and HBCU allies – the “insiders” and the “outsiders” – to ensure those closest to HBCUs have the opportunity to share their own voice, rather than simply have others speak for them. HBCU leaders and organizations that ignore negative data and institutional challenges do so at their own peril.

Contributions describing the 12th ACRL National Conference, covering selective highlights of papers, presentations and the overall context of this meeting.

Observations and descriptions of key themes and ideas that were presented in a conference framework.

Significant participation at this conference.

This is the primary forum for the exploration of issues and challenges facing academic college and research libraries in North America with significant analogies to the global community.

How problems and issues are resolved by other institutions and realizing that the power of sharing information is greatest when solutions are creative and openly shared. The full academic library experience is covered intensely via a wide range of conference presentations.

Good to share information and network with colleagues and participate in an active tradeshow.

Many organizations now utilize action learning, and it is applied increasingly throughout the world. Action learning appears in numerous variants, but generically it is a form of learning through experience, “by doing”, where the task environment is the classroom, and the task the vehicle. Two previous reviews of the action learning literature by Alan Mumford respectively covered the field prior to 1985 and the period 1985‐1994. Both reviews included books as well as journal articles. This current review covers the period 1994‐2000 and is limited to publicly available journal articles. Part 1 of the Review was published in an earlier issue of the Journal of Workplace Learning (Vol. 15 No. 2) and included a bibliography and comments. Part 2 extends that introduction with a schema for categorizing action learning articles and with comments on representative articles from the bibliography.

Through a review of the literature, this article seeks to outline and understand the evolution and extent of user–participant involvement in the existing library and information science (LIS) research to identify gaps and existing research approaches that might inform further methodological development in participant-oriented and design-based LIS research.

A scoping literature review of LIS research, from the 1960s onward, was conducted, assessing the themes and trends in understanding the user/participant within the LIS field. It traces LIS research from its early focus on information and relevancy to the “user turn”, to the rise of participatory research, especially design-based, as well as the recent inclusion of Indigenous and decolonial methodologies.

The literature review indicates that despite the reported “user turn”, LIS research often does not include the user as an active and equal participant within research projects.

The findings from this review support the development of alternative design research methodologies in LIS that fully include and involve research participants as full partners – from planning through dissemination of results – and suggests avenues for continuing the development of such design-based research. To that end, it lays the foundations for the introduction of a novel methodology, Action Partnership Research Design (APRD).