Search

There is an urgent need to build the public's resilience in the face of disinformation. Nevertheless, librarians may be hesitant to assume a frontline role in confronting politicized misinformation. We conducted ethnographic observations and interviews across three Montana libraries to understand the informational needs and search habits of library patrons and the role that librarians play in promoting effective search practices. Montana poses unique challenges with regard to broadband speed and access; however, our findings replicated studies in school settings across the country regarding reliance on antiquated search literacy techniques. The librarians interviewed noted challenges with confronting patrons about specific information claims that might be politically sensitive, but they expressed confidence in their ability to build patron trust and teach effective search literacy practices. We built and tested interventions designed to enable librarians to build their skills and empower patrons to better confront misinformation now and in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increases in oil and gas prices and the decline of nuclear power have led to an increase in the competitiveness of coal. This change in relative economics has been particularly great for the six western coal-producing states where large low cost deposits of environmentally acceptable low-sulfur coal are found. Montana and Wyoming have responded to this situation by raising severance taxes substantially, and other states are considering similar actions. This has led to congressional attempts to limit state coal taxes. Using an integrated model of the U.S. coal and electric utility industries, this paper estimates how high coal severance taxes might rise with and without such legislation. Competition and incentives for cooperation between Montana, Wyoming, and other western states arc examined. Efficiency and distributional implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Algae and aquatic plants support river food webs through in-situ primary production. However, gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER) are rarely evaluated in the context of river management or habitat restoration. We estimated daily GPP and ER during 2 growing seasons for 7 reaches in the Kootenai River and 1 reach in the Elk River, spanning 290 river km across British Columbia, Canada, and Montana and Idaho, USA. We characterized responses of GPP and ER to river management, including reaches with unregulated flow, regulated flow, nutrient addition, and habitat restoration. Downstream GPP and ER generally increased after changes in river management, and higher management intensity led to greater increases. GPP and ER followed a seasonal pattern with low initial values in spring, elevated values in mid-summer, and a return to low values in late summer and autumn. Timing and duration of the elevated period for GPP and ER also differed among reaches following changes in river management. Our results suggest that river management affects GPP and ER, likely through reducing turbidity and the frequency and magnitude of extreme flow events, nutrient additions, and enhanced floodplain connectivity, thereby altering the timing and amount of autochthonous carbon available to the food web. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floodplains are comprised of aquatic and terrestrial habitats that are reshaped frequently by hydrologic processes that operate at multiple spatial and temporal scales. It is well established that hydrologic and geomorphic dynamics are the primary drivers of habitat change in river floodplains over extended time periods. However, the effect of fluctuating discharge on floodplain habitat structure during seasonal flooding is less well understood. We collected ultra-high resolution digital multispectral imagery of a gravel-bed river floodplain in western Montana on 6 dates during a typical seasonal flood pulse and used it to quantify changes in habitat abundance and diversity associated with annual flooding. We observed significant changes in areal abundance of many habitat types, such as riffles, runs, shallow shorelines, and overbank flow. However, the relative abundance of some habitats, such as backwaters, springbrooks, pools, and ponds, changed very little. We also examined habitat transition patterns throughout the flood pulse. Few habitat transitions occurred in the main channel, which was dominated by riffle and run habitat. In contrast, in the near-channel, scoured habitats of the floodplain were dominated by cobble bars at low flows but transitioned to isolated flood channels at moderate discharge. The areal abundance of habitat types in near-channel floodplain areas varied as discharge fluctuated. These areas were most diverse and dissimilar in habitat composition at intermediate flows during both the rising and falling limbs of the hydrograph. The geomorphically stable areas of the floodplain were dominated by herbaceous habitat, and we observed fewer transitions from one habitat type to another during the seasonal flood pulse. However, the largest habitat diversity occurred during peak flow, which highlights the influence of flooding on the development and expansion of a broad array of aquatic habitats during the annual cycle of flooding. We conclude that the response of floodplain habitat abundance and diversity is strongly influenced by location on the riverscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upon conducting a serials review to prepare for conversion of art journal subscriptions from print to electronic format, the visual and performing arts librarian at the University of Montana discovered that many of the articles in these online journals had poor image quality. This fostered further inquiry into how poor image quality affected graduate student and faculty experience in using online art journals for research. As a result, a user study on this topic was conducted in the fall of 2008. Eight graduate students and faculty from the School of Art discussed their experience of reading an excerpt of an art history journal article with poor image quality. The goals of this study were to discover art scholars' perceptions when encountering digitally reproduced journal articles, examine the effect of poor image quality art reproductions in art scholarly literature among sophisticated readers, and examine the effects of art reproduction placement in an online art history journal article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the history of African Americans in Montana from 1864 to 1889. Although records on Montana's African American population is scarce, there is evidence that a handful of them were in what became the Montana territory, before the Civil War. The article is meant to be a foundation for study of Montana's African American history up to the present.

Focuses on the printing of laws and legislative journals in Montana. Connection of the local book printing offices with newspapers that were in or near the territorial capital; Problem of printers with lack of adequate presses, material and workmen; Responsibility of territorial secretaries for public printing.

Describes the mesoproterozoic Beaverhead impact structure in Montana-Idaho. Tectonic structure of the Beaverhead; Process that produced the dated minerals.

Details the printing of Montana's laws and legislative journals from 1866 to 1881. Robert E. Fisk of the Helena `Herald' periodical as contractor for printing the laws and journals of the sixth legislative session in 1870; Wilkinson & Ronan imprint on government printing in Helena in 1867; Legislative session in Virginia City from December 4, 1871 to January 12, 1872.

The article focuses on client-centered services offered in branch libraries. The article aims to describe client-centered services mandated by the needs of the patron population in an academic art library. Moreover, the article elaborates service-enthusiastic solutions to the needs of patrons in a service-bureaucratic institution. It also highlights the Creative Arts Library, the only branch library at Montana State University.