bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
WRF Forecasts of Great Plains Nocturnal Low-Level Jet-Driven MCSs. Part II: Differences between Strongly and Weakly Forced Low-Level Jet Environments
Authors: Squitieri Brian J. , Gallus William A.
Published: August 2016

The classic Great Plains southerly low-level jet (LLJ) is a primary factor in sustaining nocturnal convection. This study compares convection-allowing WRF forecasts of LLJ events associated with MCSs in strongly and weakly forced synoptic environments. The depth of the LLJs and magnitude, altitude, and times of the LLJ peak wind were evaluated in observations and WRF forecasts for 31 cases as well as for case subsets of strongly and weakly forced synoptic regimes. LLJs in strongly forced regimes were stronger, deeper, and peaked at higher altitudes and at earlier times compared to weakly forced cases. Mean error MCS-centered composites of WRF forecasts versus RUC analyses were derived at MCS initiation time for the LLJ atmospheric water vapor mixing ratio, LLJ total wind magnitude, convergence, most unstable convective available potential energy (MUCAPE), and most unstable convective inhibition (MUCIN). In most configurations, simulated MCSs in strongly and weakly forced regimes initiated to the north and east of observations, generally in a region where LLJ moisture, MUCAPE, and MUCIN fields were forecast well, with larger errors outside this region. However, WSM6 simulations for strongly forced cases showed a southward displacement in MCS initiation, where a combination of ambient environmental factors and microphysics impacts may simultaneously play a role in the location of forecast MCS initiation. Strongly forced observed and simulated MCSs initiated west of the LLJ axis and moved eastward into the LLJ, while observed and simulated MCSs in weakly forced environments traversed the termini of the LLJ. A northward bias existed for simulated MCS initiation and LLJ termini for weakly forced regimes.
Risk Scores After Acute Coronary Syndrome
Authors: Kolovou Genovefa D. , Katsiki Niki , Mavrogeni Sophie
Published: August 2016

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is associated with both short- and long-term unfavorable prognosis. Therefore, medical societies developed risk scores for predicting mortality and assessing decision-making regarding early aggressive treatment in patients presenting an ACS. The Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction and the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events risk scores are the most extensively investigated scores for ACS. Clinical judgment is also important. Significant differences in aggressive treatment of ACS still exist with respect to gender, age, and ethnicity. The reasons for these discrepancies need to be further elucidated in future studies. Therefore, generalizability of stratifications and risk scores in certain populations should be performed with caution.
Linking retirement age to life expectancy in a Bismarckian system – the case of Germany
Authors: Vogt Valentin , Althammer Jörg
Published: August 2016

In times of decreasing mortality, one way to stabilise a PAYG pension system is to interrelate the retirement age to the anticipated average lifespan. This paper investigates two approaches for Germany: one is to keep the average retirement duration constant, the other to define a constant share of the total lifespan for the retirement period. Our simulation model uses a Leslie matrix population projection, a Solow-Swan growth model and a detailed calculation of the German pension insurance budget. Our results show quite a significant impact on the insurance level and a rather small effect on the contribution rate, which is characteristic of a Bismarckian system.
The effect of the reforms to compulsion on annuity demand
Authors: Cannon Edmund , Tonks Ian , Yuille Rob
Published: August 2016

This paper investigates the effect of recent regulatory changes to the compulsory annuitisation of tax-privileged pension savings, on the demand for annuities and other retirement products. We find that the demand for annuities has fallen by almost 75 per cent from its peak in 2012, and the demand for income drawdown products has increased. There is some evidence that people at younger ages and with smaller pension pots are choosing not to annuitise, and hence the average size of an annuity purchase has increased.
Latin American Decolonial Social Studies of Scientific Knowledge
Authors: Harding Sandra
Published: August 2016

A distinctive form of anticolonial analysis has been emerging from Latin America (LA) in recent decades. This decolonial theory argues that important new insights about modernity, its politics, and epistemology become visible if one starts off thinking about them from the experiences of those colonized by the Spanish and Portuguese in the Americas. For the decolonial theorists, European colonialism in the Americas, on the one hand, and modernity and capitalism (and their sciences) in Europe, on the other hand, coproduced and coconstituted each other. The effects of that history persist today. Starting thought from these LA histories and current realities enables envisioning new resources for social transformations. These decolonial insights seem to receive only a passing recognition in the Latin American social studies of science and technology projects that have begun cosponsoring events and publications with northern equivalents. My focus will be primarily on the decolonial theory and on just two of its themes. One is the critical resources it offers for creating more accurate and progressive northern philosophies and histories of science as well as social studies of science. The second is insights from Latin American feminists that carry different impacts in the context of the decolonial accounts.
Do differences matter? A typology of emerging adult romantic relationship
Authors: Roberson Patricia N. E. , Norona Jerika Christine , Fish Jessica N. , Olmstead Spencer B. , Fincham Frank
Published: August 2016

Romantic relationships among emerging adults (individuals aged 18–25 years) are typically homogenously classified both theoretically and empirically as “exploratory” and “unstable.” With a sample of college students ( N = 340), we examined within-group variation among romantic relationships in emerging adulthood using latent class analyses. Four predictor variables indicated four types of romantic relationships among emerging adult college students: the committers (38%), the casual daters (23%), the settlers (30%), and the volatile daters (8%). Classes varied according to background variables such as gender and infidelity. Additionally, there was class variation for outcome variables such as breakup status and loneliness. Future research and implications are discussed.
Seeking security: Gay labour migration and uneven landscapes of work
Authors: Lewis Nathaniel M , Mills Suzanne
Published: August 2016

Previous research has understood the migrations of gay men and other queer people through a lens of identity development, whereby relocation is driven by processes of coming out and consuming particular urban amenities. Meanwhile, labour geographers have largely overlooked sexuality, seeking to understand work-related migration in relation to gender, race, citizenship and the collective organization of workers. Drawing on the migration narratives of gay-identified men living in Ottawa, Canada, and Washington, DC, USA, we argue that the norms governing gender and sexuality within various workplaces, economic sectors and locales continuously influence migration related to work and inextricably linked processes of social reproduction. In particular, we explain how the affective needs of gay workers both deflect them from and attract them to particular locales and workplaces. In their migration destinations, gay workers tend to also transform the norms of social reproduction within workplaces and sectors. While gay workers may use migration to successfully negotiate the uneven landscapes of inclusion and visibility in North America, their agency is also constrained by the ongoing of regulation of sexuality in both workplaces and social and community environments.
Effect of double-edge semi-circular notches on the mechanical response of superelastic NiTi shape memory alloy: Experimental observations
Authors: Xiao Yao , Zeng Pan , Lei Liping
Published: August 2016

In this article, the effect of notches on the mechanical response of superelastic NiTi shape memory alloy is studied experimentally. Due to the complexity and feasibility in designing and manufacturing, double-edge semi-circular notches were chosen as the investigating features, and a dimensionless parameter was introduced to ease the discussion. With the help of in situ digital image correlation, both local and global mechanical responses were analyzed in the study. From the local mechanical response of notched specimens, the λ-shaped intersection of the transformation bands and the V-shaped transformation fronts were observed; from the global mechanical response of notched specimens, the intermediate stage prior to the upper stress plateau was identified. These observations shed light on the ongoing relevant study on the mechanical characteristics of NiTi shape memory alloy with complex geometry.
Are Gasoline Prices a Factor in Residential Relocation Decisions? Preliminary Findings from the American Housing Survey, 1996–2008
Authors: Chi Guangqing , Boydstun Jamie
Published: August 2016

Residential relocation choice is affected by numerous factors, but gasoline prices as a potential factor have not been investigated. This study examines gasoline price changes and residential relocation choice using 1996–2008 American Housing Survey data. We found higher gasoline prices are associated with a higher percentage of movers choosing locations closer to workplaces. The findings have implications for addressing the impacts of volatile gasoline prices on land use planning and policies; resilient “smart cities or communities” are one possible solution.
Clinical Reasoning in the Assessment and Intervention Planning for a Reading Disability
Authors: Sotelo-Dynega Marlene
Published: August 2016

The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with insight into the clinical reasoning process involved in the assessment and intervention planning for a child with a reading disability. A Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theoretical/neuropsychological approach shall serve as the foundational theoretical framework for this case study, and Flanagan, Ortiz, and Alfonso’s Dual Discrepancy/Consistency Operational Definition of Specific Learning Disabilities will serve as the decision-making model for diagnosis. The reader will be guided through the author’s conceptualization of this case and suggestions for intervention will be discussed.
Health in the Neighborhood and Household Contexts Among Older Chinese Americans
Authors: Tang Fengyan , Xu Ling , Chi Iris , Dong Xinqi
Published: August 2016

Objective: This study examined the associations of neighborhood characteristics and living arrangements with physical and mental health among older Chinese Americans. Method: A sample of 3,159 community-dwelling Chinese older adults in the Greater Chicago area provided reports of health, socio-demographic characteristics, living arrangements, social cohesion, and neighborhood disorder. We used multinomial logistic, Poisson, and negative binominal regression analyses. Results: Neighborhood disorder was consistently associated with negative health indicators, including poor self-reported health, more chronic conditions, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. Findings about the relationships between social cohesion and health indicators were mixed. Social cohesion was more salient to mental health for those living with spouse, children, and/or grandchildren relative to those living with spouse only. Discussion: Policies and interventions are needed to improve the physical and social environments of neighborhoods and to promote healthy aging among Chinese older adults and in the general population as well.
Are Changes in Self-Rated Health Associated With Memory Decline in Older Adults?
Authors: Bendayan Rebecca , Piccinin Andrea M. , Hofer Scott M. , Muniz Graciela
Published: August 2016

Objective: The association between patterns of change in self-rated health (SRH) and memory trajectories in older adults was examined using a systematic approach. Method: Data from the Health and Retirement Study ( n = 6,016) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing ( n = 734) were analyzed. Individuals were grouped into five categories according to their pattern of change in SRH over 8 years: stable excellent/very good/good, stable fair/poor, improvement, decline, and fluctuating pattern without a trend. Memory was measured using immediate and delayed recall tests. Kruskal–Wallis, chi-squares tests, and linear mixed models were used to examine the association. Results: Different rates of decline in memory can be identified in the different patterns of change in SRH. Those who had a stable excellent/very good/good pattern had the slowest rate of decline. Discussion: Our findings suggest that SRH status and patterns of change could be used as a marker of cognitive decline in prevention screening programs.
The National Bibliography in the Future: New Recommendations
Authors: Madsen Mona
Published: August 2016

The outcome of the International Conference on National Bibliographic Services held in November 1998 was a set of revised recommendations for the national bibliography, its basis, scope and production. The recognition of the national bibliography as a bibliographic system or as a national bibliographic service (NBS) listing all the different types of document published in a country is fairly recent, being based primarily on the recommendations from two conferences on bibliographic services in 1950 and in 1977, which have had a strong influence on the development of NBSs around the world. Major changes were introduced by the new recommendations, which emphasize the importance of legal deposit regulations as the basis for NBSs, and take into account today's new technologies and media with respect to coverage as well as to production and publication of the national bibliography.
The Jewish National and University Library, Jerusalem
Authors: Joel Jonathan
Published: August 2016

The origins of the Jewish National and University Library go back to 1892, more than 50 years before the State of Israel was born. It survived as a small public library in Jerusalem with national pretensions until 1920, when it was taken over by the Zionist Organization and assumed a further role as the library of the newly founded Hebrew University. In 1930 it moved to its new building in the HU campus on Mount Scopus, and in 1960, after 12 years of exile, it settled down in its present building in Giv'at Ram. Its function as a central library for the university has changed following automation and networking of the HU library system. The library collects all publications printed in Israel or about it; all works related to history and culture of the Jewish people as well as all works in Jewish languages or Hebrew script; and works in other fields, mainly the humanities, for general research. It is entitled by law to two depository copies of all Israeli printed publications, while obligation to deliver non-print material still awaits enactment. Its holdings of some 3,000,000 volumes of printed material (i.e. excluding maps, manuscripts, archives, sound recordings and more) include 500,000 bibliographical units of Hebrew/Israeli/Jewish works. Current and retrospective microfilming projects comprise Israeli and Jewish press, Hebrew manuscripts, and more. Digitization of special items has started. Cataloguing was automated in the early 1980s, but retrospective conversion is still going on. Publications include the current national bibliography and a current index to articles in Jewish studies.
Marketing Strategy at the National Library of the Netherlands (Koninklijke Bibliotheek) in the Light of an External Evaluation
Authors: Groeneweld Chris
Published: August 2016

The Koninklijke Bibliotheek, National Library of the Netherlands, was evaluated by a committee of external experts in 1998. The verdict of this committee was, briefly, that the KB was strategically on the right course, supplied high-quality products and services and was technologically in the vanguard. At the same time the evaluating committee diagnosed that actually more intensive use could be made of the collection. The KB then plotted a marketing strategy for an approach directed at specific target groups, with services geared to the needs of the customer. Strengthening of the external communication was also part of the marketing strategy. The mission of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek is to provide access to the knowledge and culture of the past and present to everyone. The core tasks connected with this mission are preservation of Dutch cultural heritage and support of research, study and cultural experience. This support takes place in the field of the humanities, more particularly Dutch history, language and culture, in a wide international context. The KB aims to implement these core tasks by developing the following four social functions: classic (physical) library, virtual library (library at a distance), cultural institution, and knowledge and service centre. The new policy shows a shift of a part of the focus to other target groups, such as secondary education. A marketing task force has been set up to implement the project.
Improving the Italian Library Network: The Servizio Bibliotecario Nazionale
Authors: Merola Giovanna , Parmeggiani Claudia
Published: August 2016

The Servizio Bibliotecario Nazionale (SBN) is a network connecting more than 1,000 Italian libraries in different sectors, whose combined records constitute a physical union catalogue with 9 million holdings. Since May 1997 users have had free access to this catalogue on the Internet as an OPAC; the average daily number of users is now more than 100,000. In 2000 the Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo Unico delle biblioteche italiane (ICCU), which manages the SBN, activated a portal to simplify searching and provide a view of SBN's services and databases; these include integrated search and retrieval services from various Italian and foreign archives (of libraries, museums, digital databases). It is also possible to request interlibrary loans and document delivery (if available, in electronic format), and to access records of the Register of Italian Libraries and of the Census of 16th Century Italian Printed Books. The portal offers new public services on the cultural heritage that are user-friendly and that incorporate technological developments that are compliant with international standards for the Internet and tested in the framework of European projects.
KB-CAT: Searching the Holdings of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek with a Single Click
Authors: Sijtsma Lex
Published: August 2016

Research in the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB) of the Netherlands in the 1990s eventually led to the 80 computer workstations now available for its registered users, allowing access to a multitude of catalogues both in the library and on the Internet. A system called KB-CAT has been developed that allows users to search multiple databases with one query. Three design principles underlie the system: first, for security, KB-CAT never searches directly in the original databases, but always in a copy; second, a simple, extendable, unifying MARC-like format encompassing all databases has been created; third, a pragmatic approach has been taken to deal with semantic interoperability. The architecture of KB-CAT has two separate parts: a system-oriented back end (a database called KBTITLE, which holds copies of records from other databases); and a user- or product-oriented front end where the user services (e.g. search and retrieval) are implemented. Twenty-one catalogues are already available on KB-CAT, and new digital services are frequently accommodated, most recently Netuit, a service aimed at the book trade, which lists all recently published books in the Netherlands, and Book History Online, a global annual bibliography of the history of the printed book.
Changes in National Bibliographies, 1996–2000
Authors: Knutsen Unni
Published: August 2016

A survey on national bibliographies was carried out among member countries of the Conference of Directors of National Libraries in 2001, as a follow up to Holley's 1996 survey. All parts of the world are represented among the 52 responses. The main findings are that legal deposit legislation still emphasizes textual material. Many agencies are currently revising their legislation to include more types of material, in particular electronic documents. Print remains the preferred format for national bibliographies but more and more agencies are offering Internet access. More than half of the agencies are currently undertaking or planning retrospective conversion programmes.
Library Consortium Models in Europe: A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Giordano Tommaso
Published: August 2016

Consortia for the sharing of electronic resources represent one of the most important current developments in the field of libraries. These increasingly widespread cooperation programmes present a double nature: they show the characteristics of initiatives which are transitory in nature; on the other hand they demonstrate their long-term potential. Comparative research into consortia in Western Europe was aimed at determining their principal characteristics, emerging models, and the critical factors of their development. From an analysis of 18 consortia from the viewpoints of scope and geographical dimension, policy and programme, governance, infrastructure and financing, a diverse picture emerges, with notable differences between countries in terms of both level of development and manner of implementation. In addition to historic and cultural factors, various other factors of a political and managerial nature, such as the degree of political and administrative decentralization, national technological programmes, the regular availability of special financing, organizational structure, and the legal status of the consortium, all play a decisive role. Three principal consortia models seem to be establishing themselves: a centralized model (principally in the Nordic countries), a decentralized model (currently the most widespread), and a regional model (in some countries with decentralized political systems).
Towards a National Digital Library: The Case of Finland
Authors: Häkli Esko
Published: August 2016

In the last few years libraries in Finland have taken important steps towards a national digital library. Since the National Library (NL) is financed by the country's global university budget, its responsibilities are officially restricted to university libraries, but efforts have been made to open its network to other types of library. After a long process, all Finnish academic libraries have adopted a common computer system (since 2001, Voyager). There is a consortium (Linnea2), with the NL as its organizer and development and service unit. A joint programme for purchasing licences for electronic journals, launched in 1997, is run as a National Electronic Library Programme (FinELib), which is part of the NL's own work programme. The NL's central role extends also to retrieving and archiving electronic publications, which will be covered by a new legal deposit law. Dependence on a single service provider might not work everywhere, but in Finland it has led to considerable advances at a much lower cost than if libraries had acted separately. Behind the Finnish solutions is a strategic thinking that acknowledges that libraries are working in a common electronic space in which effort will not be duplicated as it used to be.
The National Central Library of Rome: Linking Past and Future
Authors: Borghetti Livia
Published: August 2016

The Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Roma (BNCR), founded in 1875, has as its mission is the preservation of the national cultural heritage, the development of a distinctive cultural role, and the provision of strategically planned services. It must also provide extensive coverage of foreign literature, to document the main aspects of culture and studies about Italy throughout the world. The library receives by legal deposit of all publications printed in Italy. Recently it has been involved in a structural process of change that will lead to its becoming open to users worldwide. Special attention has been paid to information technology, to meet user needs. The collections consist inter alia of over 6,000,000 monographs, c.45,000 periodicals and 85,000 manuscripts, as well as audiovisual and digital documents. The nucleus of the collections came from the Jesuit Bibliotheca Major and the monastic libraries of the Religious Orders suppressed by the Italian government in 1873. The library is involved in numerous national and international activities.
Government Publications and the Development of Libraries
Authors: Carpenter Kenneth E.
Published: August 2016

This paper examines the history of statistical publishing by governments, looks at other kinds of government publishing, and provides brief case studies of the collecting of government documents by libraries in Europe and the United States. These are revealing of attitudes toward government documents and in some cases show a relationship between government-document collecting and the goals of the library. The author argues that collecting and disseminating statistical information was a conscious decision made by governments on the grounds that information would lead to public support. It is arguable that the budget increases for national libraries in Britain and France, which occurred as well in the 1830s, derived from the value those governments placed on disseminating information. A connection in one era between library support and what is considered to be knowledge and the value placed on it suggests a way of looking at libraries in other periods. Indeed, for all libraries, policies and practices in collecting government documents may be indicative of a library's goals.
The Vatican Library and its Manuscripts: Between the Past and the Future
Authors: Piazzoni Ambrogio M.
Published: August 2016

The article takes an in-depth look at the origins and development of the Vatican Library, and its collections of manuscripts, acknowledging their significance for today: the future of yesterday and the past of tomorrow. The determined will of Pope Nicholas V opened the doors of the Vatican Library around 1451; his successors, up to today, have heeded his founding maxim: ‘for the common convenience of learned men’, through the centuries of organization, re-organization, and development. Today the Vatican Library is one of the greatest and most important repositories of manuscripts in the world. As we are confronted with the responsibility to preserve, to keep alive and to pass on that which we have received, we have to find the right balance between use and preservation. In this search, modern technologies can provide a pursuable path which would render a ‘sustainable development’ possible. The article considers the manuscripts from the point of view of new electronic technology, which allows for better access to information, for better scientific study and for better preservation of the manuscripts. The combination of computer programs and human ingenuity provide opportunity, as well as ample challenge to distinguish valuable from unfounded information, for present and future generations to experience, anywhere in the world, a library as a place to interact with others of different regions and times, a place to grow, to participate and contribute to the cultural growth of humanity, a place, ultimately, of freedom.
The National Library of the Republic of Moldova: Old Legacies and New Identities
Authors: Anghelescu Hermina G. B.
Published: August 2016

The article describes the historical background to the creation of the present-day Republic of Moldova and its National Library. The development of the major public libraries in Chisinau, Moldova's capital city, from their origins in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is considered, and the effects of the sovietization of Moldovan libraries following the establishment of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic are discussed. The article examines the current role of the National Library of Moldova, its responsibilities, collections, users and staff. In spite of the scarcity of resources, the Library is making efforts to change from a Soviet to a Western model of operation, helped by support from various agencies abroad.
A New Strategic Direction for the National Library of Australia
Authors: Missingham Roxanne
Published: August 2016

The National Library is halfway through implementing its strategic Directions for 2003–2005. This public statement of the Library's aims and ambitions clearly focuses on developing new services and redeveloping existing services to create an environment where users are easily able to achieve two very basic things: to find the information resource that satisfies their research query and having found it, to get that resource. The emphasis on finding and getting is paramount in the redevelopment of the Library's website which was launched, in conjunction with a new online catalogue, on 3 December 2003. The website offers a one-search facility which moves the point at which the user has to make a choice from discovery to delivery. To support the effective finding and getting of information, the Library is implementing new services that connect the user directly with online content or in the case of physical collections, with online discovery and delivery options. Collaboration with other Australian collecting institutions is also a priority in the development of new services that bring together information resources from across the nation in a virtual national collection.
New Fund for Emergency Aid to Culture: Cultural Emergency Response
Authors: van der Plas Els
Published: August 2016

The Cultural Emergency Response (CER) is a joint initiative established in September 2003 in the Netherlands by the Prince Claus Fund and the International Committee of the Blue Shield (ICBS). The CER's aim is to provide emergency aid where cultural heritage if threatened by war or natural disaster. The article describes a number of instances where aid has been provided: the refurbishment of the reading room of the Central Library of the University of Baghdad; the collection and digitization of documents relating to the Citdel of Bam in Iran, devastated by the earthquake of 26 December 2003; and stabilizing and restoring the mosque of Mestassa in Al Hoceima, Morocco, damaged by the earthquake of 24 February 2004. The terms of reference, structure, funding and priorities of the CER are outlined. The initiative reflects the belief of the Prince Claus Fund that culture is a basic human need. It has been successful in establishing an international network of people and organizations able to assess, advise and assist regarding matters of culture and development, strengthening its role as an ‘Amnesty International for Culture’.
Restitution of Cultural Property
Authors: Carducci Guido
Published: August 2016

The author considers the importance of well drafted national and international legal texts for ensuring the effective protection of cultural property. Examining the destruction of cultural heritage, he notes the adoption of the UNESCO Declaration concerning the International Destruction of Cultural Heritage. The complex issues surrounding the looting and restitution of cultural property are described, and the significance of the 1954 Hague Convention and the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property is noted.
The Consortium of European Research Libraries (CERL): The European Printed Archive
Authors: Matheson Ann
Published: August 2016

The Consortium of European Research Libraries (CERL) was formally constituted in 1994 with the aim of enabling European research libraries to collaborate on assembling the printed heritage of the hand press period in Europe and the wider world for the benefit of scholarship. On the tenth anniversary of its foundation, the Hand Press Book Database is now a substantial resource, and research libraries from all parts of Europe and beyond are investing in developing this important resource for early European printed material. The Consortium's original focus has extended to embrace other initiatives sought by scholars such as a multi-lingual thesaurus for place, author and imprint names in early printed material, a manuscripts and print search facility, and member services. Steps have been taken to determine the exact niche that the Consortium should seek to fill within a European ‘information landscape’, and in the wider sphere of international scholarship. A vital aspect of further development is to extend membership as widely as possible to research libraries, book historians, the antiquarian book trade, individual researchers and all those concerned with the early written heritage of Europe. An important step in this direction is widening membership to include libraries and important European historical collections in countries in the wider ‘diaspora’.
Electronic Consortium of Libraries: A Bibliographical Cooperation Scheme
Authors: Zaher Célia Ribeiro , Bettencourt Angela
Published: August 2016

In 1982 a Brazilian joint venture of cooperative automated cataloging at national level started, which developed in the 1990s with the greater use of the Internet and changes of format and software to provide Internet access to online catalogues. In consequence, major changes were made from 1997 on to operate with new software entirely online, with full Internet access for remote users and an Intranet for cataloguing from 80 workstations. The launching, in 1998, of a website with one million records, including the current National Bibliography, linked to images and sounds, legal deposit records and ISBN registration, as well as full text classical Brazilian literature, has created an impact on users. In 1999 registers of copyright records were also made available on the web, and today encompass 200,000 items. An Electronic Consortium of Libraries was created in 1998 which caters to users and also deals with libraries individually through its outreach programme. The sophisticated system of copy cataloguing permits libraries which become members of the Consortium to download full bibliographical records and multimedia, free of charge, from the National Bibliography. The online cataloguing software has built-in automated Portuguese translation offering cataloguers at their workstation access to official translated terms of subject headings used by the Library of Congress. Several thematic sites have been developed to cater to cultural awareness, targeting social, economic and cultural aspects of the different history and life of all states in Brazil, showing the cultural diversity of the North and South of the country.
Breaking Through the Walls: A Summary of Current Developments at the National Library of Scotland
Authors: Wade Martyn , Hunt Gordon , Wisdom Stella
Published: August 2016

The National Library of Scotland has a long history of offering world-class collections, services and expertise, making it Scotland's primary information resource. Over the past twelve months, NLS has been continuing to build upon the work presented in the strategy document ‘Breaking Through the Walls’. The Library's commitment to developing the excellence of collections has been demonstrated by plans to secure the world-renowned John Murray Archive for Scotland. The Archive contains over 150,000 items, including private letters and manuscripts from Jane Austen, Lord Byron, Charles Darwin, Sir Walter Scott and David Livingstone. Another strand of the strategy aims to remove real or perceived barriers to use. NLS is currently implementing practical access improvements: the public areas of the Library's George IV Bridge building will be redesigned, procedures for library customer registration have been revised and a programme of staff training in approaches to customer service has been introduced. Progress has also been made regarding digital resources, as NLS aims to develop the website into a complete Virtual Library for remote users. Access to the Library's collections is also being widened, by hosting events, organizing education and outreach programmes, and by nurturing partnership projects with public libraries in Scotland. Such collaboration aims to raise awareness about NLS services, furthermore it can assist in providing seamless access between public and national resources. NLS has re-examined and revitalized all of its services, so that it plays a unique and central role at the cultural heart of Scotland.
An Approach to Strategic Planning and Strategy Management at National Libraries
Authors: Penny Nigel
Published: August 2016

The paper considers how national libraries, faced with the new opportunities for access to information provided by the Internet, are having to reassess the audiences they are serving and the way in which they serve those audiences. The historical role of national libraries is being challenged by both new and traditional users who have expectations of fast access to information in their own homes and workplaces. In addition, governments worldwide are under severe financial pressures and expect there to be clear demonstrable returns from the institutions they fund. At the same time, the growth of digital material poses a significant challenge for collection policies. The paper argues that national libraries must set strategic directions that take account of this changing environment, and suggests that seeing strategic development in terms of a series of strategy waves can aid understanding of where resources are being allocated. The author describes the ‘value innovation’ approach to assessing how well an organization matches its capabilities and performance against the needs of its chosen user groups. The importance of developing key performance indicators is stressed, and the use of the ‘balanced scorecard’ methodology for managing strategy implementation is described.
The Relationship between the National Library and the Metropolitan University Library: The Nordic Scene
Authors: Cotta-Schønberg Michael , Nielsen Erland Kolding
Published: August 2016

The article describes the institutional relationship between the national library and the metropolitan university library in the Nordic countries. This tends to follow one of two models: separation in the sense that the two institutions were always separate or became separated by governmental decree, or integration in the sense that they were always integrated or became integrated in the same way. The situation is illustrated by reference to Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. Since there does not appear to be a common pattern of development in these countries, it is concluded that specific historical circumstances have determined these relationships. However, certain factors such as size, location and organizational complexity have had a clear influence, and the impact of the digital age is beginning to be felt on existing institutional structures.
Maurice Line's Input in IFLA History as Seen by a Russian Librarian
Authors: Diakonova Olga
Published: August 2016

The article considers the contribution made to the work of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions by Maurice Line, from the perspective of members of the IFLA Russian Committee. On the occasion of his 80th birthday, it lists and comments on the relevant positions held by Dr Line and includes the reflections of Russian colleagues on the impact and influence he has had on librarianship generally, and Russian librarianship in particular. The paper concludes with a bibliography of Line's works translated into Russian.
The Swiss National Library: A New Legal Status and a New Strategy
Authors: Clavel-Merrin Genevieve
Published: August 2016

The Swiss National Library has reviewed its strategy and, while remaining the primary source of information about Switzerland thanks to its collection of Helvetica (documents about Switzerland, written by Swiss authors or published in the country), it is providing more in-depth services to its primary user groups (specialists in Swiss history, Swiss literature, Swiss art and information science). Digitization policies therefore concentrate on these areas, covering primarily the press, posters and photographs. The library is setting up a centre of excellence for paper preservation, but also targeting the preservation of electronic material in its project e-Helvetica. In this field, as in others, the library cooperates and coordinates with institutions in Switzerland and abroad to share resources and avoid duplication of effort.
Converting the Card Catalogue of the National Library of South Africa, Cape Town Campus, into a Machine-Readable Format
Authors: Coetzee Helena , Skelly Lara
Published: August 2016

In 2006 the National Library of South Africa (NLSA), Cape Town Campus, began a project to convert its substantial card catalogue to machine-readable form. The article gives an overview of the Library's collections and catalogue and describes the project methodology. Funding was secured from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and an in-house team appointed to begin the conversion. In order to meet project deadlines, the work of the in-house team was later supplemented by outsourcing the entry of records into the online catalogue. With the successful completion of the project, NLSA has been able to offer Internet access to many rare publications, whose whereabouts have previously been little known, and a significant contribution has been made to the bibliographic control of South African imprints.
Cooperative Preservation in the United States
Authors: Battin Patricia
Published: August 2016

A nationwide cooperative preservation programme has been launched in the United States with federal funding support with the aim of ensuring the responsible stewardship of published and documentary knowledge in all formats. The initial priority of this ambitious effort is a cooperative microfilming programme to capture the contents of three million brittle books in 20 years. This cooperative enterprise, requiring the coordination of selection and filming activities among many research institutions, will be financed by the coordination of funds from a variety of sources. An infrastructure of standards for format, bibliographic records, and appropriate quality controls to permit convenient access has been developed during the past 10 years. The programme includes an active effort to develop mechanisms to facilitate international cooperation in filming, sharing of bibliographic data, and exchange of master negatives.
The Higher Education Revolution in Australia – the Impact on Libraries
Authors: Steele Colin
Published: August 2016

Significant changes have taken place in Australian higher education since 1987, reflecting a new unified national system for higher education. The changes have included amalgamations of higher education bodies; the dissolution of the binary system; the development of educational profiles for institutions; the expansion of national research centres; the introduction of fees; and a growth in student numbers in higher education. Libraries are expected to play a key role in the unified national system of higher education, albeit with no significant increase in funding likely to meet the new demands. A major review of higher education libraries, recently announced by the Australian Department of Employment, Education and Training, will have a big impact. The concept of a distributed national collection, which arose out of the Australian Libraries Summit of 1988, is being actively discussed, particularly in the light of recent developments in the National Library of Australia's Collection Development Strategy.
National Cooperation in Preservation and Conservation
Authors: Ratcliffe Frederick W.
Published: August 2016

Conservation awareness has grown from virtual professional indifference at the beginning of the 1980s to a high degree of commitment. Neither the disaster in Florence nor the impending crisis of the embrittled book seemed to have stirred the conservation conscience of British librarians, and it was not until the full implications of the British Library's problems were revealed that the library community seriously began to take note. The Cambridge Preservation Project, sponsored by the British Library, showed that the problem was nationwide. As a result of the Project Report, the National Preservation Office came into being as an independent body in the British Library. Since then, preservation has achieved a high profile. The achievements and prospects of the National Preservation Office, its creative use of existing cooperative agencies, are described in the context of today's professional attitudes and the continuing crisis.
A University Library with a National Function: The British Library of Political and Economic Science and Library Provision for the Social Sciences in the United Kingdom
Authors: Hunt Christopher J.
Published: August 2016

Since its foundation in 1896 the British Library of Political and Economic Science has attempted a double function, to be the library of the London School of Economics and also to act as a quasinational library for the social sciences. These roles have proved to be complementary. The LSE has been better served because of its ambitions for its library. The library has grown to become one of the most substantial collections of social science materials in the world. Its subject catalogue, begun in 1925, became The London Bibliography of the Social Sciences, which has a worldwide coverage of monographic material whether published or ‘grey literature’. Unlike other countries, where such significance has been given legal recognition, this has not occurred for the BLPES and equivalent libraries in the United Kingdom. Funding and other pressures on the British Library may change these arrangements in the future.
The New Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Authors: Aman Mohammed M. , Helal Ahmed H. , Tocatlian Jacques
Published: August 2016

A new Bibliotheca Alexandrina is planned in the city of Alexandria, where the famous Alexandrian Library of antiquity was situated. The winning design for the building, by Snohetta Arkitektur Landskap of Norway, is in the form of a circle inclined towards the sea, partly submerged in the ground – the ancient Egyptian image of the sun. Unesco has launched an international appeal to meet the cost of the building, the collection and computerization of the library, and the establishment and staff of an International School of Information Studies. With annual operating costs the estimated sum totals $160million. The library will comprise seven divisions (General Services, Technical Support Services, Cultural Activities, Library, Special Collections, Technical Services, ISIS, and Conference Centre). There will be close links with the University of Alexandria, notably through the role to be played by ISIS. The new building will be opened in 1995.