bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reducing Response Effects for Sensitive Questions: A Computer-Assisted Self Interview with Audio
Authors: Johnston Jerome , Walton Christopher
Published: March 2008

MacInterview is a computer-assisted self-interview program designed to increase privacy for interviews that ask about potentially self-incriminating behavior. Implemented on a small lightweight laptop computer, MacInterview "reads aloud" questions to a respondent over either a built-in speaker or a more private headphone set. The interview "voice" has the natural qualities of a recording. The software controls question branching so that a respondent sees and hears only appropriate questions. Respondents answer using specially marked keys or the built-in trackball. The coded data from each interview are available in electronic form upon completion of the mterview. Pilot tests with 21 teenagers and with 24 older respondents suggest that the technology poses little difficulty for most respondents. Older subjects are less enthusiastic about it as an alternative to other modes of interviewing. Most subjects estimate that people would be more likely to tell the truth using the computer than using a written questionnaire or face-to-face interview. Most also believe that their answers are more secure inside the computer. Keywords. computer-assisted interviewing, computer-assisted personal interview, audio-CASI, audio CAPI, CASIC methods, interview privacy.
Sociology on the World Wide Web
Authors: Bainbridge William Sims
Published: March 2008

The future universal distributed digital library is already foreshadowed by the availability over the World Wide Web of two massive social data sets, the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and the Public Use Microdata Samples of historical censuses. Scholarly publication on the net is illustrated by the Electronic Journal of Sociology and the Journal of World-Systems Research. Both of these developments have the potential to enhance scientific progress and equality of access to the cutting edge of science. Sociologists are only beginning to become critical of the potential social harm of the universal net, however, and to take advantage of research opportunities to study net society. For an example of the potential vitality of social life on the net, this essay ends by sketching the activity of new religious movements on the World Wide Web. Keywords sociology, computing, telecommunications, World Wide Web, research, religious movements.
Theory, Method, and Design in Anthropologies of the Internet
Authors: Ito Mizuko
Published: March 2008

The study of the Internet challenges the anthropologist on many fronts. It demands a robust theoretical engagement with the technologies and semiotics of digital information and their relation to material and social realities. It calls for a redefinition of many core methodological touchstones such as "fieldwork" and "participant observation." Finally, the study of the Internet requires the analyst to engage self-reflexively in the study of and accountability to politics "close to home" and entailing relations of "studying up." While anthropological notions of "the field" and "culture" are being destabilized at the core of the discipline, ethnographic approaches to new domains of media, science, and technology exhibit a resilient anthropological attention to embodied contexts of practice and everyday experience. This brief statement addresses the study of the Internet from the point of view of an anthropologist engaged with the field.
Cyberspace, Anthropological Theory, and the Training of Anthropologists
Authors: Nardi Bonnie A.
Published: March 2008

The embeddedness of advanced information technology in daily experience and human routines is often overlooked in objectified or romanticized characterizations of cyberspace and on-line interaction. To understand the human context of advanced information technology, studying the full scope of related activities is necessary. Anthropologists must be adequately trained in technical areas to affect system design. They need a strong theoretical framework such as activity theory for studying technology usage.
Cyberspace, Perceptions of Self, and Small-Group Interactions
Authors: Katz James
Published: March 2008

The emerging etherworld of on-line forums, digital shopping malls, and networked coffee klatches is a compelling technological innovation. This innovation raises questions of how the intangible nature of cyberspace will affect people's perceptions of themselves and their role in society as manifested in small-group interaction. Some initial indications of these effects are provided.
On-Line for the Ancestors
Authors: Harvey Kerric
Published: March 2008

Critically important cultural issues often are submerged topics in policy discussions surrounding the National Information Infrastructure (NII) and its political and economic implications for the 21stcentury United States. Academics, policymakers, and communications industry leaders mustrecognize the importance of profession as well as of gender, class, age, and geography when suggesting models for NII design and implementation. Of particular importance is respect for the multiple identities of potential NII users and the roles played by self-identified affinity groups and institutional culture in decisions regarding technology acceptance or rejection.
Toward an Analysis of Household Information Consumption as a Dimension of the Emerging Information Infrastructure
Authors: Schement Jorge Reina
Published: March 2008

This article suggests the importance of studying households as a focus for understanding the consequences of the new information infrastructure. Households represent not only private space but also information environments in which an increasing range of activities is conducted. The variety of experiences in American households cautions against simple generalizations. As households reflect ongoing demographic shifts, the uses of information technologies in households also will change. Social cleavages due to status and working conditions will influence the uses of media and information technologies. The article also proposes a function-based approach to studying media in households.
Digital Society, Analog Theory
Authors: Batteau Allen W.
Published: March 2008

Advanced information technology creates a new context for information, a context in which the investments required to produce and transport information are obscured by the visually stimulating images accompanying the information. Anthropological theory, with its heritage in the expansion of industrial society, may be ill equipped to understand the self-reinforcing constellation of consciousness and productive relationships that constitute digital society.
Societal Trends and Emerging Communications Technology
Authors: Cornman John M.
Published: March 2008

To understand and/or anticipate potential impacts of emerging communications technology and to develop policy and design responses that will encourage positive outcomes, the impacts must be assessed within macro trends affecting U.S. and other societies. Some examples of trends and questions are given.
Human-Computer Enmeshment
Authors: Orleans Myron , Walters Gregory T.
Published: March 2008

This article examines a particular kind of compulsive computing behavior, absorption of the user in the quest to maximize computational capabilities. The premise of the study is derived from the concept of workmanship, the systems therapeutic analysis of role enmeshment, and the recent social psychological literature on the notion of mastery. It is argued that excessive computer involvement is a reflection of the struggle to shape the material domain in accord with one's inner style. The authors attempted to identify the dynamics underlying computer enmeshment. It was concluded that computing is an artful, intriguing, engrossing, and, paradoxically, identity diffusing activity. This was interpreted in terms of a process whereby the self devolves into a construction of entangled human-computer interactions.
Online Codebook Browsing and Conversational Survey Analysis
Authors: Jianzhang He  , Gey Fredric
Published: March 2008

UC DATA has developed an automatic system for X-windows browsing of survey codebooks that links to an exploratory data analysis system, which can be used by undergraduates for secondary survey analysis and information discovery from microdata. The system uses multiple windows for displaying variable lists, codebook question text and marginal distributions, KWIC index subject access to questions; and specifying analysis parameters. The system is based upon a new machine-readable codebookformatbased on a standard generalized markup language (SGML) document-type definition (DTD) specialized for survey codebooks. Currently, more than 20 major microdata survey data sets, including the California Polls since 1980, the 1992 American National Election Study, the NCHS Health Interview Survey, and the 1990 Census PUMS 1% sample for California, have been installed into the system. The underlying analysis engine provides response times in seconds for up to 1 million observations.
Computer-Assisted Personal Interviews
Authors: Buetow Stephen A. , Douglas Robert M. , Harris Peter , Mcculloch Colin
Published: March 2008

In general practice care and research, the quality and processing of information can be enhanced by its direct entry into a microcomputer. This article discusses the development and pilot testing of a computerized, interview-assisted instrument that patients and general practitioners can use to report perceptions and experiences of Australian general practice. In general, the instrument was found by the interviewers and respondents to be efficient and enjoyable to use. Its features include visual display of questions, including the automatic selection of questions based on previous answers; rejection of invalid responses; direct recording and display of answers; provision for revising responses; and automatic storage of answers to the hard drive. The authors also discuss some of the limitations of the instrument.
Sociological Discourses in Virtual Reality
Authors: Klüver Jürgen
Published: March 2008

The hybrid system THEOPRO (theories in PROLOG) is constructed for the logical reconstruction and structural comparison of sociological theories—in its present state of development, the theories of historical materialism (Marx) and the theory of social systems by Luhmann. It consists of an expert system (knowledge-based system, rule-based system) and a simple neural net. The knowledge base of the expert system contains about 900-1,000 concepts of the two theories, respectively, and about 1,800-2,000 "sentences," that is, PROLOG formulas of both theories. Special rules allow formal "interpretations" of singular sentences and the mapping of sentences of one theory onto sentences of the other. The neural net renders simple simulations of social processes according to the theories; the weight matrices of the net are constructed by the expert system.
Anthropology
Authors: Hesse-Biber Sharlene , Dupuis Paul R. , Kinder T. Scott
Published: March 2008

This article provides an in-depth look at the multimedia aspects of HyperRESEARCH, a computer- assisted program for analyzing qualitative data. The authors describe in detail how the Hyper RESEARCH program analyzes audio, videodisc, videotape, and still images. They argue that although the inclusion of multimedia data allows for a much more comprehensive analysis of research materials, there are important data analysis issues and ethical problems involved in this process.
Sociology
Authors: Markovsky Barry , Lovaglia Michael , Thye Shane
Published: March 2008

Faculty and graduate students associated with the Center for the Study of Group Processes at the University of Iowa use computers for a variety of research-related purposes. This article describes the various uses of computers from the perspectives of three researchers: (a) the center's director, (b) an assistant professor just establishing his research program, and (c) an advanced graduate student who has overseen laboratory operations for several years.
Social Impact Research
Authors: Robinson John P. , Barth Kevin , Kohut Andrew
Published: March 2008

One measure of the impact of the personal computer is in terms of its time displacement of other activities. Mass media generally are considered a prime candidate given the on-line profusion of information and entertainment services. This article compares the daily mass media habits of heavy, light, and nonusers of personal computers and on-line services based on 1994 and 1995 national surveys conducted by the Times-Mirror Center for the People and the Press. No significant or consistent evidence of time displacement of mass media was found. Indeed, heavier computer usage was associated with significantly greater use of the print media and movies, even after multivariate adjustment. It is concluded that at this stage of diffusion, personal computers may have more in common with "time-enhancing" home appliances (e.g., automobile, washing machine) than they do with television. Nonetheless, more complete time diary studies are needed to identify the full temporal effects of the personal computer, much as they did for television.
Multimedia
Authors: Carpenter Edwin H. , Wolfe Fred H. , Carpenter Kyle D. , Cox David E. , Kohn Paul R.
Published: March 2008

This article presents information about the process of creating an asynchronous learning experience for postsecondary school students employing a hybrid World Wide Web and CD-ROM technology. The steps include assembling an appropriate studio facility, identifying content experts and training them in the use of pre- and postproduction hardware and software, and designing the product to be user (student) friendly and attractive. Examples are included, and the advantages and disadvantages of types of software and hardware are discussed.
A Research Agenda for Computing and the Social Sciences
Authors: Anderson Ronald E.
Published: March 2008

The 1996 Conference on Computing for the Social Sciences was a milestone in cooperation and in emphasis on research on the Internet. The program contributions are summarized within the structure of an agenda for future research on the social role of information technology and development of methodological tools for social science research.
Perceptions and Uses of Electronic Mail
Authors: Gotcher J. Micheal , Kanervo Ellen W.
Published: March 2008

This article investigates the concept of rhetorical style and how it relates to the use of electronic mail (e-mail). Rhetorical style was measured by RHETSEN2. RHETSEN2 identifies three dominant communication orientations: noble self, rhetorical sensitive, and rhetorical reflector. Perceptions and uses of e-mail were tapped by a survey instrument that explored confidentiality, usefulness, expression of anger, and harm. The findings revealed that individuals with rhetorical sensitive or rhetorical reflector orientation perceived e-mail in significantly different ways from individuals with a noble self orientation. Additionally, the findings indicate the need for training in the use of e-mail for all orientations, especially in the areas of confidentiality and the expression of anger.
Computerized School Surveys
Authors: Beebe Timothy J. , Mika Ted , Harrison Patricia Ann , Anderson Ronald E. , Fulkerson Jayne A.
Published: March 2008

Over the past few decades, the computer has played an increasingly large role in the collection of survey data. The primary focus of computers in survey research, however, has been in computer- assisted telephone interviewing. The use of computers in the elicitation of responses directly from the respondent has been the focus of increasing efforts in recent years but still remains relatively undeveloped. Although there have been previous attempts at investigating the effects of introducing computerized self-administered surveys among adolescents, no such investigation has been attempted in a school-based survey to our knowledge. The authors examine methods and issues from the Minnesota Student Survey Mode Effects Experiment—an on-line versus paper-and-pencil comparison from a large school survey of adolescents. Some of the issues include comparability with paper-and- pencil versions and data collection issues, such as computer literacy, security, and case management.
The Road Ahead
Authors: Blank Grant
Published: March 2008

By simplifying communication, the Internet is causing significant, broad changes. This article describes some effects of the Internet on teaching and research: the use of Web pages in teaching, spread of remote statistical analysis, eliminating journal page constraints, and the impact on activities that benefit from debate and discussion. It describes how congestion on the Internet fosters change in pricing and priorities. The article ends by pointing out that although the technical implications of an innovation are predictable, the major social implications often do not become apparent for years.
Geographical Information Systems and the New Landscape of Political Technologies
Authors: Novotny Patrick , Jacobs Richard H.
Published: March 2008

One of the most interesting and least understood of the software applications in political campaigns is so-called geographical information systems, or GIS. It is technology that allows campaigns to systematically look at their constituencies in new ways, through multilayered and colorful maps. Through a combination of cartography and demographic research, GIS allows candidates and political campaigns to access voters in a multimedia context that can be put together with the most advanced techniques from marketing and demographics to create a sophisticated form of mapping technology with direct applicability to political campaigns. This article is a review of GIS software applications in political campaigns, with particular attention to its use in the 1992 presidential election by the Clinton campaign.
Software Reviews : Microsoft Bookshelf 1996/1997 Edition
Authors: Mandel Robert
Published: March 2008

Bookshelf is a comprehensive multimedia reference work including nine books: The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia, The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1996, The American Heritage Dictionary (third edition), The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations, The People's Chronology, The Original Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases, the National Five-Digit Zip Code and Post Office Directory, The Microsoft Bookshelf Internet Directory 96, and The Concise Encarta 96 World Atlas. Overall, there are 2,500 images, over 5 hours of sound, 150 video and animation clips, and over 80,000 pronuncia tions included. The design of the software allows for easy searching and cutting-and-pasting of information across the books included, as well as full integration with Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Works.
Software Reviews : SIMSTAT for Windows Publisher: Provalis Research, 5000 Adam Street, Montreal, QC, Canada, H1V 1W5; telephone : 514-899-1672. Year of Publication: 1996 Version Reviewed: Windows Version (DOS version also available) Materials: Two (2) disks, hard copy user's guide, optional add-on modules Price: $129.00 ($295.00 including four add-on modules) Availability: Provalis Research, 5000 Adam Street, Montreal, QC, Canada, H1V 1W5; telephone: 514-899-1672. Also order from Public Software Library, P.O. Box 35705, Houston, TX 77235-5705. System Requirements: Windows 3.1 or higher Effectiveness: Excellent User Friendliness: Excellent Documentation: Excellent
Authors: Wallace Don
Published: March 2008

SIMSTAT for Windows is a full-featured statistical analysis package, as is its DOS ancestor previously reviewed in these pages (Wallace, 1994), upgraded to include a number of enhancements to the working environment. An important feature of the SIMSTAT software "family" is the bootstrap (resampling) module (hence the "SIM," denoting "simu lation," in the program's name), which offers an effective teaching tool for inferential statistics. Including all add-on modules, SIMSTAT for Windows is a cost-effective competi tor with the $695 institutional version of SPSS for Windows or similar statistical analysis software.
Software Reviews : WinAMOS Publisher: SmallWaters Statistical Consulting and Computing, 1507 E. 53 St., #452, Chicago, IL 60615; telephone: 312-667-8635; fax: 312-955-6252; e-mail: smallwaters @acm.org; URL: http : //www. smallwaters. com. Year of Publication: 1996 Version Reviewed: 3.51 System Requirements: PC with 80386 processor or higher, 6 MB RAM or greater, mouse, 4.9 MB free hard disk space, Windows 3.1 or higher for 16-bit version; 32-bit version requites Windows 95 or Windows NT and 6.5 MB free disk space. Materials: 4 high-density 3.5-inch diskettes; 558-page manual in three-ring binder; both 16-bit and 32-bit versions are included on the distribution diskettes. Price: $460; $330 academic (price from SIS Scientific Software, http: //www.sisweb.com/software/softseca.htm) Effectiveness: Excellent User Friendliness: Excellent Documentation: Good
Authors: Garson G. David
Published: March 2008

AMOS implements structural modeling. Conceived by James Arbuckle, a psychometrician, as a vehicle for teaching causal analysis, AMOS has evolved into a powerful research environment that eases even nonstatisticians into this important arsenal of tools. AMOS supports structural modeling through maximum likelihood, unweighted least- squares, generalized least squares, Browne's asymptotically distribution-free criterion, and scale-free least-squares. It uses built-in bootstrapping (resampling) to derive standard errors and confidence intervals for sample means, variances, covariances, correlations, and other estimates. Given the researcher's specification of a path diagram, AMOS estimates the path parameters in diagrammatic form, which can be exported to either word processors or graphics programs. The AMOS environment also provides a graphical method for teaching statistics, from hypothesis tests of means through analysis of covariance, multiple regression, and factor analysis, all within the unifying framework of the structural equation modeling perspective.
Category Development Based on Semantic Principles
Authors: Litkowski Kenneth C.
Published: March 2008

Category systems extracted from textual material are an important part of the scientific process and qualitative analysis but are frequently developed on an ad-hoc basis. Their development can be improved by a stronger reliance on linguistic and semantic principles. Tracing and recapitulating the development of semantic principles from the 1950s to the 1990s in linguistics and text analysis show how the principled use of information from lexical resources can facilitate the development and analysis of category systems. These principles are demonstrated in examining the category systems of Minnesota Contextual Content Analysis, a technique for analyzing textual material from sentences, answers to open-ended questions on questionnaires, expository texts, and verbatim transcripts. These principles are then extended to show how to abstract category assignments for this type of textual material. The discussion identifies computerized systems and data resources used in the application of these principles.
Economics
Authors: Usip Ebenge E. , Bee Richard H.
Published: March 2008

Students enrolled in undergraduate economic statistics classes at Youngstown State University (YSU) were surveyed in an attempt to differentiate between users and nonusers of Web-based instruction (WBI) as a supplement to the traditional classroom lecture/problem-solving approach. Discriminant analysis and descriptive statistics tools were used to compare and contrast the perceptions of users and nonusers. The users concluded that distance learning via the World Wide Web (WWW or the Web) was not only a good method of obtaining general information but a useful tool in improving their academic performance in a quantitative economic class. Nonusers thought the university should help provide financial assistance for going online and that WBI should not be required for graduation.
School library services revisited
Authors: Eyre Gayner
Published: March 2008

Reviews the subject of delegated funding to UK schools, some of the impacts of the 1988 legislation (Education Reform Act) and the inevitable impact on the management of such centrally provided services as school library services (SLS), stressing that the changes made as a result of New Labour policy are merely extensions of legislation that has gone before. Those SLS which have hitherto escaped the influence of delegation over the last 10 years, will now, almost certainly be affected in some way. Sets out the rationale for delegated funding and some of the existing models upon which this can be based. Considers the SLS management in the context of the overall management environment of the 1980s and 1990s, with the emphasis on market oriented service organization.
Towards an inclusive methodology for the measurement of in house use
Authors: Wynne Peter M. , Clarke Zoe
Published: March 2008

Introduces the background to the EQLIPSE (Evaluation and Quality in Library Performance: System for Europe) project and the work done in compiling a core set of performance indicators for evaluating libraries. Describes the collection of in house library use data at the University of Central Lancashire Library test site, where EQLIPSE staff gathered data as part of the data collection exercise to test the feasibility of the indicators and to accumulate data in the EQLIPSE system. Some of the difficulties encountered in the process are noted along with the measures taken to address them. In addition to measuring actual use, attempts were also made to establish whether users habitually reshelve items they consult, both when at the shelf and when working at study spaces. Unobtrusive direct observation eventually formed the mainstay of the methods used to measure this. Results suggest that users consulting items at the shelf would change every 10 minutes on average and that the number of users would fall or rise gradually during the two hours between counts. Future developments to the EQLIPSE methodology are discussed.
Critical issues in the use of Soft Systems Methodology
Authors: Chilvers Alison
Published: March 2008

Demonstrates the application of Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) to issues facing those information professionals attempting the long-term management of digital data objects (DDOs) in the UK. Reports results of research, undertaken at Loughborough University, Department of Information Science, to demonstrate the benefits of using SSM to determine the critical issues underlying the resolution of complex ill-defined people-centred problems. Defines DDOs as computerized, machine-readable resources, such as Web pages or electronic periodicals, the information content of which can be stored and accessed independently of the form in which it was created. Discusses basic SSM principles and the seven stages of its implementation in research. Secondary source material from a literature review was combined with empirical data and analyzed using SSM. The use of SSM to create a ‘rich picture’ enables the categorization of organizations into relatively homogeneous groups, based on their approach to the long-term management of DDOs. This rich picture illustrates that there is a division between stakeholders who use standard metadata formats and those who have, or are in the process of creating, in house formats.
Professional associations and ethical issues in LIS
Authors: Oppenheim Charles , Pollecutt Natalie
Published: March 2008

Presents a literature review covering the ethical principles of librarianship and codes of ethics or conduct in the context of professional associations in the field of librarianship and information science. Describes and compares the history of the American Library Association (ALA) and the Library Association (LA) with particular reference to selected, recent ethical issues. Reports results of a questionnaire survey, to examine the attitudes and actions of the ALA, LA and Institute of Information Scientists (IIS). One questionnaire survey was sent to the chief executives of the three associations, while another was sent to certain elected Council members of each body. Three main areas were investigated: ethical issues of current concern to the library associations; level of help provided by the library associations to their members; and level of help given to those members of the associations experiencing specific ethical problems. Other questions concerned self-regulation, discipline and future ethical considerations. Results indicate that the ALA has been noticeably more active than the LA in ethical matters and has defended both librarians and users through its battles over loyalty oaths, the Library Awareness Programme and the social responsibilities of librarians. The Library Association only started addressing ethical issues after its centenary, possibly due to the LA having had less cause to fight for major intellectual freedom causes but more likely because it has chosen a less combative role for itself, due partly to the different political and social environment in the UK and partly to its status as a charity. Sets out recommendations for the ALA and LA for the future.
Electronic resources and documentary consortia
Authors: Chartron Ghislaine
Published: March 2008

Reports results of a questionnaire and telephone survey of 48 French research libraries, affiliated associations, commercial outlets for electronic scientific documentation (83 per cent response rate), conducted during Q2 2000, to assess the development of consortia and documentary purchasing groups for electronic library and information materials within higher education and research institutions. The results of May 2000 show that associative or affiliated library structures tend not to be currently involved in coordinated purchasing of printed or electronic resources. Nevertheless, a variety of actions at different levels are highlighted (product institutional, regional and subject levels). Of the 30 respondents comprising libraries of the EPST, EPIC, higher education establishments and other types of bodies, 13 are already involved in purchasing groups for printed resources, 16 are already involved in purchasing groups for electronic resources, and six have no experience of group purchasing. Concludes that the field of documentary consortia in France is not very organized and the absence of a determined policy concerning electronic scientific documentation at national or any other level has resulted in a constructivist approach, often leading to reorganization of equipment that may culminate in wasted energy, time and money. Nevertheless, consortia for the purchase of electronic scientific documentation are being created in France but this process continues to lag behind many European countries.
Competitive intelligence
Authors: Bexon Mags , Stephens Derek , Pritchett Carolyn
Published: March 2008

Describes the concept of competitive intelligence (CI) from the view of an ethical user and provides case studies of its use in four industries: pharmaceutical, financial, telecommunications and energy. Investigates the role of the information professional and sources commonly used. Suggests that all types of organisations can benefit from a CI perspective and that there are career possibilities in this area. Recommends that CILIP and university library/information departments assist in raising the profile of CI as a career ideally suited to the information professional.
Outsourcing and externalisation
Authors: Ball David , Earl Carleton
Published: March 2008

A study, funded by Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, was undertaken in 2000-2001 to give an up-to-date view of the current experience of outsourcing and externalisation in libraries, museums and archives. Case studies of purchasers recognised as pioneers in the field, and of providers, were undertaken, and results validated by two focus groups. Outsourcing, particularly under the impetus of Best Value, was found to be relatively widespread and sophisticated in the public library and special library sectors. Thinking and practice in academic libraries lag behind. Museums and archives show some implementation, particularly under the influence of Best Value.
Libraries and Politics: Where Two Worlds Meet
Authors: Feather John
Published: March 2008

Examines the relationship, particularly in respect of funding, between libraries and both local and central government. Following two decades of financial pressure and retrenchment, public and academic libraries are benefiting from recent government initiatives recognizing and developing their potential; several examples are given. These initiatives have enabled libraries to develop facilities, services and resources beyond the scope of their traditional sources of income, and have fostered new partnerships between libraries and other bodies, both public and private. However, as funding flows to projects and initiatives, cautions on two areas of concern. Firstly, government policy objectives may distort professional priorities, and changes in political climate can alter the specific allocation of resources. Secondly, a method of continuous funding is needed for maintenance of core services and to enable successful projects to be carried forward. The library profession presently enjoys political sympathy and support; it needs to use this to ensure its continuing active engagement in the debate about financing the provision of public services.
Information Requirements in the Social Sciences: Some Preliminary Considerations
Authors: Line Maurice B.
Published: March 2008

Information requirements in the social sciences are almost entirely unexplored. I shall argue that exploration is desirable; discuss some of the reasons why this is so; attempt an analysis of the factors to be investigated; and consider some possible methods of investigation. This article is an early by-product of the Investigation into Information Requirements of the Social Sciences, being carried out by two researcbers under my direction, and supported by the Office for Scientific and Technical Information. It is based on the Report on the Pre liminary Stage, presented to OSTI in April, 1968.
Library Provision for the Indian and Pakistani Communities in Britain
Authors: Lambert Claire M.
Published: March 2008

Replies to a questionnaire sent to fifty public library authorities in 1967 help to reveal the present extent of, and attitudes towards, provision for Indian and Pakistani communities. Over thirty library authorities are already making some provision and others have plans to do so. A few librarians oppose any special provision of books in the mother tongue. Most of the existing collections are small and consist largely of fiction. Urdu is best provided for. Obtaining adequate supplies is difficult for individual library authorities, and several librarians consider regional or national provision essential. Few extension activities with, or on behalf of, the communities are currently provided or planned for the future.
An Integrated Computer System for Public Libraries
Authors: Ashmore W S H
Published: March 2008

The aims and objectives involved when introducing computers into public libraries and the problem of the size of the library system. The "housekeeping" operations described: book ordering, cataloguing, circulation methods, with points for and against different methods. The priorities involved in introducing these three related processes are then dealt with and suggestions made on phasing. Finally, the end-product of information on book use and readers' interests is mentioned, and the value of this "feedback" information. This is divided into two sections: firstly book ordering and secondly, methods for improving the organization and working of the library.
Attitudes and Authority: A Personal Examination of the Public Library Scene
Authors: Baumfield B.H.
Published: March 2008

Aspects of staffing and management are examined with particular reference to public libraries. The reasons for changing attitudes to work are discussed together with their sociological bases, particularly with regard to young adults. The meaning of "authority" is studied, and current problems of administering local authority libraries are considered together with the role of the chief librarian.
The Certain Standards in Context
Authors: Beswick Norman
Published: March 2008

The Certain Standards ( report of the National Education Association's Committee on Library Organization and equipment, chairman: C. C. Certain) were adopted by the NEA in 1917, and also approved by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, and by ALA, who published them in 1920. Concerned with secondary school libraries, the standards were only advisory, but formed the basis of state and regional accreditation standards in the USA for over twenty years, and to British school librarians will seem remarkably practical and enlightened for their day. In particular, recommendations on the centralization in the library of audio-visual media suggest an early and authoritative source for the materials centre concept of today.

The article traces the development of the school library art, and in particular the use of audio- visual materials, up to the publication of the standards, from the "school district libraries" of the 1830s to the rapid burgeoning in the 1890s and after. Quotations from the period illustrate the rapid growth of professionally-run school libraries, and the growing interest of teachers and librarians in audio-visual materials. The important contributions of C. C. Certain and Mary E. Hall are assessed, and the standards compared briefly with three contcmporancous publications.
Towards a Short-Title Catalogue of English Eighteenth Century Books
Authors: Roberts R.J.
Published: March 2008

The nature of previous short-title catalogues is discussed, and the special problems arising from the quantity of eighteenth century printing and its spread outside London are considered. Discussions of the subject up to date are outlined. While it will soon be possible to use computers to make a rough but useful list of eighteenth century books, the state of biblio graphical knowledge about such books means that about ten years' well-directed research is needed before an edited catalogue can be produced. The organization of the work and details of information to be recorded are also considered.

Revised version of a paper read to the Rare Books Group of the Library Association at Keele, toth April 1970.
The National Central Library and the East Midlands Regional Library System
Authors: Filon S.P.L. , McClelland W.R.M.
Published: March 2008

Describes the background to and objects of the experiment, and shows how the work was divided between London and Leicester. Details of all requests coming to London were trans lated to punched cards, so making possible the compilation of tables relating to supply position, time factor in loans, subject, language and date analyses, and duplication of requests. The results show a greater use of NCL stock, the advantage to the NCL of immediate access to additional records, and the speeding up of the service to the libraries taking part in the experiment.
University Research and the Language Barrier
Authors: Hutchins W.J. , Pargeter L.J. , Saunders W.L.
Published: March 2008

The place of foreign language material in the research activity of a university community was studied in depth by collecting and analysing data on the use of library materials ( borrowing, Xeroxing, inter-library loans, use of journals inside libraries, citations) and data from interviews with a large sample of the population covering knowledge of languages, assistance given and received in languages, methods of keeping up to date with current research, the value of foreign research and the action taken to deal with articles in foreign languages. The relative importance of the various factors influencing the use of foreign language material is discussed and recommendations are made to promote their use for the general benefit of research.
Staffing of Large Municipal Libraries in England and the United States: A Comparative Survey
Authors: Corbett Edmund V.
Published: March 2008

Precis of a 30 000-word thesis accepted for the degree of Master of Arts at the University of London, September I970, based on research and a visit to certain public libraries in the NE United States in the Autumn of I969. Compares certain aspects of staffing policies and practices of large municipal libraries in England and the United States and the back ground factors which influence them. From selected aspects of personnel policy, such as division of staff, recruitment and promotion, in-service training and salaries, conditions of service and collective bargaining, it is seen that there are wide differences of prartice rooted in the pattern of central and local government of each country.
Certain and After: from School Library to Media Centre
Authors: Beswick Norman
Published: March 2008

The secend of two articles ( the first of which appeared in the July I970 issue of this Journal, pages I60-I74) tracing the development of the media-centre concept in American school libraries. Publication of the Certain Standards coincided with the reorganization of the American high school following World War One. The growth of school libraries in the 1920s was accompanied by relevant educational methods coming incrensingly into vogue, and by the growth of the audio-visual movement in education. The work of the accrediting associations in enforcing and maintaining standards is explained and assessed in relation to libraries. Quetations from the 1930s show the rapid proliferation of audio-visual programmes in the schools, and increasing demands that the school library participate actively in them. New standards following World War Two recognized the new trend, but expansion in the 1950s, especially post-Sputnik, led to the radical revision shown in Standards for school library programs, I960. and the even more revolutionary Standards for school media programs, 1969. Thus in 50 years since the Certain Standards appeared, a trend they had foreshadowed had become firmly established.
Duplicate Provision for Undergraduates
Authors: Shaw Christine M
Published: March 2008

The article discusses present attitudes and practices in Britain, studying official recommenda tions and the solutions adopted by several universities concerned with the problem. Special duplicate funds established by some university libraries are discussed and the role of the students' book grants is considered, together with methods of assessment for the extent of duplication. A voucher scheme for students' book grants is recommended for the future.

This article is an abridged version of a study submitted in partial fuolment of the requirements for the degree of MA in Librarianship at the University of Sheffield in September 1970.
Local Information Services for Industry in the East Midlands
Authors: Rowley A.M.
Published: March 2008

Visits to fourteen public and five academic libraries in the East Midlands revealed that, although there was not a great demand, a number had developed specialized services to industry: in particular, Loughborough University Library ( LETIS) , Northamptonshire County Technical Library, and Nottingham Public Library ( NANTIS) . A questionnaire sent to NANTIS members, and visits to members of both NANTIS and LETIS, were particularly informative, and from the results of this investigation, suggestions are made for the improvement of information services to industry. For comparison, other local co-operative schemes are briefly considered through an examination of the literature, and from material gained from brief visits to the headquarters of two schemes. It is concluded that the existence of a formal co-operative scheme does not noticeably affect the quality of the service to industry.

The article arises out of a thesis submitted for a Master's degree at Loughborough University in 1970. No attempt has been made to bring the material up to date.
The Location of Public Libraries in Urban Areas
Authors: Osborn E.
Published: March 2008

This paper introduces the public library and the problems of its location into the wider context of town planning. The difficulty of understanding the relationships between libraries and other town facilities is presented. The mathematical tool of cluster analysis is offered as a way of exploring these relationships and is explained in a simple manner, together with an example. The conclusions tend to confirm that public libraries are not "self-sufficient" or related to one or two other activities only, but are highly dependent on their links with a large number of dfferent types of activity.

This paper was read to a "24-hour Workshop" on Libraries in New and Expanding Towns at Grafham Water Residential Centre, Huntingdon, on 11/12 March 1970.
Administrative Effectiveness : Times and Costs of Library Operations
Authors: Smith G C K , Schofield J.L.
Published: March 2008

The kinds of information needed by managing librarians to make correct decisions are considered, with emphasis on the value of current data on the exceptional situation. Manage ment information in a library is of greatest use in comparison, either internally, or with data from other libraries. A simple, standard method of recording and costing is urged, so that librarians may readily identify procedures requiring improvement.

Development of the present costing method is traced from its original state as a simple management information system based on exception reporting ( i.e. reporting the exceptions which occur in any particular survey) , through a pilot study in a large university library, to its full installation in two further university libraries. The method of analysing the raw data is described, and examples of the tables are given, together with brief background information on the libraries concerned.

After a note on the limitations of the present costing method and of unit costs in general, unit times and costs are given for numerous operations in both the libraries surveyed, covering both reader and technical services. There is agreement between results of several American studies and those of the present investigation. For further comparison, the information on times and salaries has been used in conjunction with a standard civil service costing procedure.

Finally, it is shown how far the system has achieved its original aims, and recommendations are made for the development of a ready-made costing method for librarians using suggested statistical units of work.
Reviews : A history of the public library movement in Scotland: a review and updating
Authors: White Alan
Published: March 2008

A review of W. R. Aitken's A history of the public library movement in Scotland to I955 is updated by a brief outline of recent developments, and consideration is given to the principal reports and surveys which will influence new legislation for the public library service in Scotland and its future structure following local government reform.
PPBS: Application to an Industrial Information and Library Service
Authors: Mason Donald
Published: March 2008

Because it is possible only on rare occasions to quantify the value of the information supplied by an Information and Library Service to its users, it has often been assumed that the cost benefits of the service cannot be shewn. The technique of PPBS can, however, be used to quantify both the costs and the savings which arise from each service activity. In this paper PPBS is applied to a medium sized service. The overall objectives of the service, and the particular objectives of each activity are defined; and the method of allocating costs shewn. The cost-benefits for each activity are calculated, and in total are shewn to be approximately twice the cost.