I am an unfinished work, and so are many of my projects. This blog is just an odd collection of things I make and do.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Poster Project

Update: 4 April 2016: There is some helpful information at CSOM. One is  An Overview of Sex Offender Management; the other is Fact Sheet: What You Need to Know about Sex Offenders. There is a specific paper about juvenile sex offenders. All of these are written more for law enforcement, communities, or therapists, but they do contain specific information on the ways that juvenile sex offenders are different from adults and should be treated differently.

April 1, 2015:
I've been working on a huge project--my Master's Poster. In my college, we have to create and defend a poster based on solid research. I have to put the references somewhere easily accessed by a QR Code, so I'm posting them here, along with the abstract for the poster. If your local library does not have information available on the topic, please let them know of the issue and encourage them to consider the issues addressed here.



MEETING THE INFORMATION NEEDS OF PARENTS 
OF JUVENILE SEX OFFENDERS
How Librarians Can Identify Needs, Break Down Barriers, and Provide Resources

     When a juvenile is identified as a sex offender, it creates a need for a new set of information for the parents of the offender. Information may be very difficult to find, and many books and articles cast a stigma on the parents, who are already stricken with shock and dismay that their child is a sexual offender. If the victim is a member of the same family, the situation and need for information takes on an even greater complexity and urgency.
   In my research I identified the major information needs of parents of juvenile sex offenders, such as how to find legal help, obtain treatment, or locate alternative housing for the offender. Parents may want to know the probably of recidivism, or whether their child will be required to register as a sex offender. I examined the barriers to the information, including fear of exposure and difficulty in locating resources. I then sought out resources for parents of the juvenile offender.
   My research included books and articles, trips to libraries for firsthand experience in checking out such materials, and Internet resources. What is needed is a central location with a list of community resources that is easily accessible, private, and neutral, with at least an access point in the public library. The library could collaborate with a children’s justice center or abuse hotline to collect resources, easing the burden on already overburdened parents. 


Adler, N., & Schutz, J. (1995). Sibling Incest Offenders. Child Abuse & Neglect, 811-819.
Associated Press. (2012, Jan 7). Dealing with child-on-child sex abuse not one size fits all. Retrieved May 7, 2014, from USA TODAY News: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-01-07/child-sex-abuse/52431616/1
cassie33. (2010, Sep 7). Is older step son sexually abusing his little brother, if so what do I do????? Retrieved May 6, 2014, from StepTalk.org {Where stepparents come to vent}: http://www.steptalk.org/node/31787
Cedar Rapids Public Library. (n.d.). Summary. Retrieved May 5, 2014, from Cedar Rapids Public Library: http://crpl.ent.sirsi.net/client/crpl/search/results?qu=incest&te=ILS
Chaffin, M., Letourneau, E., & Silovsky, J. F. (2002). Adults, Adolescents, and Children Who Sexually Abuse Children: A Developmental Perspective. In J. E. Myers, The APSAC Handbook on Child Maltreatment (pp. 205-207). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc.
Children's Bureau. (2013, Nov). Clergy as Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect. Retrieved May 7, 2014, from Child Welfare Information Gateway: https://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/clergymandated.pdf
Condrell, K. N. (2006). Condrell, Kenneth N. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books.
Dunne, J. E. (2002). Information seeking and use by battered women: A "person-in-progressive-situations" approach. Library & Information Science Research, 343-355.
Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health and Keys for Networking, Inc., Blamed and Ashamed, The Treatment Experiences of Youth with Co-occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Health Disorders and Their Families  Alexandria, Virginia. 2001
Finkelhor, D., & Baron, L. (1986). Risk factors for child sexual abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 43-71.
Google. (n.d.). Google Web. Retrieved May 6, 2014, from Google: http://www.google.com/search?q=my+teenager+abused+his+brother&oq=my+teenager+abused+his+brother&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i64l2.13125j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8#as_qdr=all&q=my+teenager+is+a+sex+offender&safe=active
Lawlis, F. ( 2013 ). Google Web. Retrieved May 6, 2014, from Google: http://www.drphil.com/articles/article/266
Lehman, J. (2014). Empowering Parents: Child Behavior Help. Retrieved May 6, 2014, from Is It Time to Call the Police on Your Child? Assaultive Behavior, Verbal or Physical Abuse, Drugs and Crime: http://www.empoweringparents.com/Is-It-Time-to-Call-the-Police-on-Your-Child.php
Massat, C. R., & Lundy, M. (1998). "Reporting Costs" to Nonoffending Parents in Cases of Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse. Child Welfare.
McCallum, S. (2001). Nonoffending mothers: An exploratory study of mothers whose partners sexually assaulted their children. Violence Against Women, 315-334.
Miller, D. (1993). Incest: The Heart of Darkness. In E. Imber-Black, Secrets in Families and Family Therapy (pp. 181-195). New York, NY; London: W.W. Norton & Company.
NCSL. (2011, May). Juvenile Sex Offender Registration and SORNA. Retrieved May 7, 2014, from NCSL National Conference of State Legislatures: http://www.ncsl.org/research/civil-and-criminal-justice/juvenile-sex-offender-registration-and-sorna.aspx
Parker, W. (n.d.). When Do I Need a Family Counselor? Retrieved May 7, 2014, from About.com Parenting>Fatherhood: http://fatherhood.about.com/od/parentingadvice/a/family_therapy_2.htm
Pierce, L. H., & Pierce, R. L. (1990). Adolescent/Sibling Incest Perpretators. In A. L. Horton, B. L. Johnson, L. M. Roundy, & D. Williams, The Incest Perpetrator (pp. 99-107). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Plummer, C., & Eastin, J. (2007). The Effect of Child Sexual Abuse Allegations/Investations on the Mother/Child Relationship. Violence Against Women, 1053-1071.
Smith, H., & Israel, E. (1987). Sibling Incest: A Study of the Dynamics of 25 Cases. Child Abuse & Neglect, 101-108.
Swaggs. (2008). Older son molested younger sister and brother. What to do? Retrieved May 6, 2014, from Yahoo! Answers: https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080519175330AAFFe4I
Thomas, M., Eckenrode, J., & Garbarino, J. (1997). Family Sexual Abuse. In J. Garbarino, & J. Eckenrode, Understanding Abusive Families (pp. 114-130). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc.
Wiehe, V. R. (1997). Sibling abuse : hidden physical, emotional, and sexual trauma. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Worley, K. B., Church, J. K., & Clemmons, J. C. (2011). Parents of adolescents who have committed sexual offenses: Characteristics, challenges, and interventions. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 433-448.

On the poster itself there is:
Reference Librarian Comic created by me at http://writecomics.com/
Conference Room Picture Avila University

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Cookies and Cream

I saw this coaster at a restaurant, Red Lobster, I believe, while I was on vacation. Doesn't it look delicious? Unfortunately, not gluten-free or dairy-free, so I didn't have it.



After our trip, I kept thinking about that cookie, so I decided to try to make my own version.


It's not as pretty, but it was delicious! 



My "lava" soaked into the cookie a bit, so it did not run out as well as the original. Still, it was super yummy!

How I did it: 

(The brands I use are in parentheses; if you have a favorite brand it will likely work just as well.)

Mix up a batch of Toll House cookies using gluten-free flour (Domata) dairy-free mini chocolate chips (Enjoy Life) and vegan margarine (Earth Balance).  Bake some of them in cupcake pans. Immediately, so they are still soft, push something slightly smaller than the cupcake into the cookie to make an indentation. Let cool.  Bake the rest of them so they come out close to the size of the top of the cupcake pan openings. Cool a few minutes and remove from pan.

While still warm, fill the bottoms with Hershey syrup, cap with a cookie, and top with a scoop of non-dairy frozen dessert. (Almond Dream) Drizzle with Hershey syrup and dig in with a spoon.  

Warning: this is a very rich dessert. 

What to do with extra cookie dough:  Make cookies, of course!  I did them starting a little thicker, which is easier with the GF flour, and when they came out of the oven, I pressed a thumbprint into each one and filled the hollow with Hershey syrup.

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Infinity Scarf for a Cool Neck

I made this scarf for my sister-in-law, whose neck gets quite painful if exposed to cold--even air conditioning can do her in.  The pattern is called simply Sanibel Cowl, and can be found at Classic Elite.  I made it longer than the pattern shows by adding in more stitches and using a little bigger needles (size 10 instead of 8) which turned it into a scarf that can be worn more than one way.

Worn long, it's light and doesn't add a lot of
warmth except to the back of the neck and shoulders.
Perfect for summer this way!
It can be doubled around to be a little warmer
and add style to your outfit.
Here I simply added a pretty pin to dress it up.
At some point I think I doubled the stitches, giving it a slight ruffled effect around part of it. Since I liked it, I did not take it out.  When you do the eyelet, you do a YO, then K2 together. On that part I forgot the K2 together! I could have made it wider if I had done that; this way it took a little more than a skein--I finished off the last row and binding off with some leftover yarn from another project.

I should note that I also used not only the eyelet the pattern shows, but I also used an occasional "reverse row" among stockinette stitches to add a bit of variety.  

This pattern is easily adaptable to knew ideas, since it does not have a set eyelet pattern to start with. The pattern suggests you vary the eyelet spacing rather than keeping it even.  

I did not use the suggested Sanibel yarn; I just picked up some nice soft light yarn over at Michael's.

Last comment: I don't knit on a deadline, but I happened to get it done just in time for her birthday, so she got a nice birthday surprise!   

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Omeka

Library School can be entertaining as well as educational. In my Conceptual Foundations class, we are discussing collections and metadata.  My professor is a fan of Omeka.net, so he assigned us each to put together a small collection on the site.

My collection, which started with four items, and I want to finish cataloging this summer, is at http://hellodolly.omeka.net/