bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Harnessing the power of paradigms
Authors: Eales‐White Rupert
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate to the reader that those organisations, which develop a complete explicit organisational paradigm and the strategy to implement it, will guarantee themselves a competitive edge in both short and long‐term profitability.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper defines a paradigm and provides an example of a “prevailing paradigm” or “recipe of success”. It provides the reader with understanding of cognitive thinking styles – adaptive and innovative. The paper considers the adaptive and innovate change management paradigms, the advantages and disadvantages, and suggests an effective explicit change management paradigm. It looks at the importance of culture, why culture change initiatives fail and suggests an effective explicit culture paradigmThe paper sets out a process that will enable any organisation to harness the power of paradigms and hence deliver a competitive edge in profitability.

Findings

If an organisation ensures that its core decision makers collectively develop explicit paradigms in all key business areas, it achieves strategic focus and increases its profitability at a faster rate than its competitors.

Originality/value

Develops an understanding of the nature and power of paradigms and how to harness that power to achieve a competitive edge in profitability.
Accelerate your learning
Authors: Chambers Phil
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To introduce the framework of accelerated learning and some of the pioneers who have helped to shape it. It also aims to give the reader tips on improving the speed and effectiveness of their learning.

Design/methodology/approach

A description of the MESSAGE model and review of research behind it. Practical approach to applying accelerated learning in personal learning and training situations.

Findings

Insight into the multiple facets of a very wide subject area.

Practical implications

Improvement of learning effectiveness or at least curiosity to find out more.

Originality/value

An overview of accelerated learning. Useful for anyone studying or developing training.
Critical factors in executive coaching – the coaching relationship
Authors: Bluckert Peter
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The paper aims to examine the coaching relationship as a critical success factor in executive coaching. It also aims to set out the characteristics of a successful coaching relationship and how to establish it.

Design/methodology/approach

The basic proposition of this article is set out in the introduction – that the coaching relationship is not just a critical success factor, but arguably the critical success factor in successful coaching outcomes. From there, the characteristics of a successful coaching relationship are explored. The link is made to client‐centred counselling and to the influence of “Rogerian” thinking. Key characteristics of the coaching relationship such as rapport, trust, support and challenge are critically examined. Finally, the implications for coach training are set out.

Findings

The arguments presented here point to a need to shift the emphasis of coach training more strongly towards the coaching relationship.

Originality/value

A great deal of current literature about executive coaching is focused on models and techniques: this article challenges that approach and reminds the reader of the importance of the coaching relationship as a critical success factor in executive coaching.
Norwich Union: why merely “good” customer service was no longer good enough, and what we did about it
Authors: Willmott John
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explain the strategy and tactics behind Norwich Union Insurance's decision to mount a major initiative to improve the quality of the customer service offered in its customer contact centres from merely “good” to “great”.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper explains how the author spearheaded what was in many respects a concerted personal initiative to look at current thinking about how customer service in contact centres could be improved and chose a methodology for improving it by using the practical experience and theoretical input provided by a consultancy, Cape Consulting, which specialises in helping organisations achieve service excellence.

Findings

As the author explains, he investigated the writing and thinking of the American service guru Frederick Reichheld who has argued very successfully that there are no half‐measures in impressing customers; that you either impress them very well indeed or not at all, and that you should basically only need to ask one question to a customer: ‘Would you recommend this organisation to a friend?’ This is the decisive question.

Practical implications

The beauty of this paper is that it describes a very practical and major initiative to put new thinking on customer service into practice at Norwich Union. The author reports that the impact of the research at a practical level at one contact centre in Scotland has been very considerable and has given Norwich Union much encouragement to broaden the implementation of the work throughout all its contact centres.

Originality/value

The paper is a pioneering study of work that, to the author's knowledge, has not previously been published, either because the work has not been done before or because the work has been done before but has been kept confidential. However, for practical purposes the work reported in the paper can be regarded as entirely original and so far certainly unique in the financial services sector, and probably unique in the UK business community generally.
Delivering the mail: General Physics (UK) Ltd
Authors: Newman Keith
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To show how training can be delivered effectively in situations where the priorities are constantly changing in response to numerous constraints or developments.

Design/methodology/approach

General Physics (GP) adopts a standard ISD methodology for all of our projects that allows a large degree of flexibility throughout the project lifecycle and enables us to react to client requirements quickly and efficiently.

Findings

Flexibility has been a key issue in this project, where technical issues and client priorities often forced changes particularly in the early days. Because this training is mission critical to Royal Mail it has been imperative that GP can be reactive to customer demands and creative in terms of outputs. The mixture of on‐the‐job, classroom based training and coaching combined with regular competency assessment has enabled GP to make continuous improvements throughout the project and proven to be the most effective delivery for this client.

Practical implications

GP are becoming perceived as the training provider for bespoke materials handling equipment. Many equipment manufacturers would prefer to concentrate on their core business and therefore seek a quality training partner to support their client. This necessitates a good degree of trust and high level communication skills and ultimately leads to long term partnerships.

Originality/value

This project has been, and still is, a model example of GP's approach to training and performance improvement. Each project we undertake is designed, delivered and managed to meet the client's exact requirements; it is what we do best.
The candor imperative
Authors: Bolton James
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Candor has been hailed in the business press as a key to unlocking organizational performance, yet there has been little discussion of methods that can foster and sustain candor. The purpose of this article is to present a theoretical model for firstly, understanding the forces supporting and constraining organizational candor and secondly, promoting its practice.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper builds upon existing research that explores the dynamics present in the relationship between the individual and the organization and applies it to the growing need of creating greater organizational candor.

Findings

The decision to disclose ideas and information is a personal choice, an extension of an individual's free will. Organizations that want to capitalize on this rich knowledge base need to cultivate openness within work groups and the larger culture.

Practical implications

The methods presented here are intended to provide readers with options for nurturing candor in their own work and in the organizations in which they work.

Originality/value

The originality of this article is in bringing forward historical research from the applied behavioral sciences and using it to respond to a current organizational need. It will be of value to those who seek to practice and encourage greater candor, personally and organizationally.
Leadership storytelling
Authors: Harris Jack , Kim Barnes B.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this viewpoint piece is to focus on sharing a set of best practices with senior and emerging leaders.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper demonstrates the relevance of the skills of storytelling to the practice of leadership and provides a set of suggestions and recommendations for effective use of stories, based on the authors' personal experience and observations.

Findings

Leaders who tell stories compellingly communicate important messages in a memorable way, offer a pathway to leadership for others, develop more effective relationships with those they lead, and can create an inspirational culture in their organizations.

Practical implications

Leaders can search their own history and experience for important lessons learned that can be communicated in the form of a narrative and learn to tell them with grace, humor, and/or incisiveness at appropriate times in the life of their organization or key people.

Originality/value

Those who are leaders or who work to develop leaders can benefit from this alternative approach to leadership communication.
Team working: part 2 – how are teams chosen and developed?
Authors: McGreevy Malcolm
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This is the second of two articles on teamwork which aim to deals with the selection and formation of teams, team leadership, team roles and team development.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper builds on the first article which covered such issues as the reasons for moving to team working for improving performance, improving quality and encouraging innovation, promoting and exploiting technological advances and as a means of improving motivation. The article also looks at how teams are chosen and developed. Best practice as outlined by the UK Advisory, conciliation and arbitration service (ACAS) is used together with the personal experience of the author.

Findings

The first thing to recognize is that organizations will be at different points in their evolution in team working terms. Teams that need to work within and across an organization such as sales, marketing, purchasing, personnel and finance find that team working fosters a collaborative rather than a competitive or adversarial approach. It is vital that teams must be capable of doing the job for which they have been selected and this clearly implies that the membership should include people able to contribute towards the completion of task.

Originality/value

It is important that management, trade unions and employees ensure they know how team working will contribute to their business strategy and that it is likely to involve a long‐term transformation.
Copyright theft
Authors: Doherty Will
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to help educate and advise the learning and development (L&D) or training community about the common and statute laws they must follow when selling, storing and publishing and delivering their training material.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper has been assembled by desk top research reviewing current statute legislation and Regulations that are enforceable within the UK. In addition key authors of popular HR models have been contacted for their views and opinions as to how they want to retain and protect their intellectual property rights. In addition legal experts who specialize in the litigation of cases involving copyright theft, intellectual property storage and the “passing of material”.

Findings

The findings conclude L&D Training Managers do not fully understand their liability and responsibility for complying with Copyright Legislation. Blatant “passing off” plagiarised training material as their own is commonplace. Course hand books sold commerically that include reproduced models without the original author's permission, no bibliography or list of references appear to be quite commonplace. In addition these training companies believe they can electronically store these models on their intranet and then call it their own intellectual property.

Originality/value

This paper has brought several key authors together to review the problem and to take more assertive action. It has helped HR directors and chief executives realize that their training departments could be exposing their share holders to undesirable litigation. For commercial training companies it has raised the fact that ignorance of copyright law is no defense and it is only a matter of time before these transgressors are caught and prosecuted.
Comparison and evaluation of the user interfaces of e‐journals
Authors: Vilar Polona , Žumer Maja
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Aims to present a comparison and evaluation of four user interfaces of web‐based e‐journals (Science Direct, ProQuest Direct, EBSCO Host and Emerald).

Design/methodology/approach

The systems were assessed in an expert study according to accepted guidelines regarding user friendliness and functionality. User friendliness features studied were: language(s) and type(s) of interface; navigation options; personalization; and screen features. Functions inspected were: database selection; query formulation and reformulation; results manipulation; and help.

Findings

Many similarities were found, but some differences among the systems were also discovered and analysed in detail. The greatest differences were found in the area of query formulation, and between the interface languages and types.

Research limitations/implications

The user interfaces of four full‐text IR systems offering e‐journals which are accessible at the University of Ljubljana are surveyed.

Practical implications

The interfaces are surveyed and assessed in order to discover their characteristics, advantages, and potential downsides and/or mistakes which may hinder use by an average user.

Originality/value

The study serves as a basis for a subsequent user study of the information behaviour of the users of these systems.
A substantive theory of classification for information retrieval
Authors: Hjørland Birger , Nissen Pedersen Karsten
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To suggest that a theory of classification for information retrieval (IR), asked for by Spärck Jones in a 1970 paper, presupposes a full implementation of a pragmatic understanding. Part of the Journal of Documentation celebration, “60 years of the best in information research”.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature‐based conceptual analysis, taking Spärck Jones as its starting‐point. Analysis involves distinctions between “positivism” and “pragmatism” and “classical” versus Kuhnian understandings of concepts.

Findings

Classification, both manual and automatic, for retrieval benefits from drawing upon a combination of qualitative and quantitative techniques, a consideration of theories of meaning, and the adding of top‐down approaches to IR in which divisions of labour, domains, traditions, genres, document architectures etc. are included as analytical elements and in which specific IR algorithms are based on the examination of specific literatures. Introduces an example illustrating the consequences of a full implementation of a pragmatist understanding when handling homonyms.

Practical implications

Outlines how to classify from a pragmatic‐philosophical point of view.

Originality/value

Provides, emphasizing a pragmatic understanding, insights of importance to classification for retrieval, both manual and automatic.
Effects of foreign language and task scenario on relevance assessment
Authors: Hansen Preben , Karlgren Jussi
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate how readers assess relevance of retrieved documents in a foreign language they know well compared with their native language, and whether work‐task scenario descriptions have effect on the assessment process.

Design/methodology/approach

Queries, test collections, and relevance assessments were used from the 2002 Interactive CLEF. Swedish first‐language speakers, fluent in English, were given simulated information‐seeking scenarios and presented with retrieval results in both languages. Twenty‐eight subjects in four groups were asked to rate the retrieved text documents by relevance. A two‐level work‐task scenario description framework was developed and applied to facilitate the study of context effects on the assessment process.

Findings

Relevance assessment takes longer in a foreign language than in the user first language. The quality of assessments by comparison with pre‐assessed results is inferior to those made in the users' first language. Work‐task scenario descriptions had an effect on the assessment process, both by measured access time and by self‐report by subjects. However, effects on results by traditional relevance ranking were detectable. This may be an argument for extending the traditional IR experimental topical relevance measures to cater for context effects.

Originality/value

An extended two‐level work‐task scenario description framework was developed and applied. Contextual aspects had an effect on the relevance assessment process. English texts took longer to assess than Swedish and were assessed less well, especially for the most difficult queries. The IR research field needs to close this gap and to design information access systems with users' language competence in mind.
Reading behavior in the digital environment
Authors: Liu Ziming
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This study attempts to investigate reading behavior in the digital environment by analyzing how people's reading behavior has changed over the past ten years.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey and analysis methods are employed.

Findings

With an increasing amount of time spent reading electronic documents, a screen‐based reading behavior is emerging. The screen‐based reading behavior is characterized by more time spent on browsing and scanning, keyword spotting, one‐time reading, non‐linear reading, and reading more selectively, while less time is spent on in‐depth reading, and concentrated reading. Decreasing sustained attention is also noted. Annotating and highlighting while reading is a common activity in the printed environment. However, this “traditional” pattern has not yet migrated to the digital environment when people read electronic documents.

Originality/value

Implications for the changes in reading behavior are discussed, and directions for future research are suggested.
Subject cataloging process of Slovenian and American catalogers
Authors: Šauperl Alenka
Published: January 2007

Purpose

An empirical study has shown that the real process of subject cataloging does not correspond entirely to theoretical descriptions in textbooks and international standards. The purpose of this is paper is to address the issue of whether it be possible for catalogers who have not received formal training to perform subject cataloging in a different way to their trained colleagues.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative study was conducted in 2001 among five Slovenian public library catalogers. The resulting model is compared to previous findings.

Findings

First, all catalogers attempted to determine what the book was about. While the American catalogers tried to understand the topic and the author's intent, the Slovenian catalogers appeared to focus on the topic only. Slovenian and American academic library catalogers did not demonstrate any anticipation of possible uses that users might have of the book, while this was important for American public library catalogers. All catalogers used existing records to build new ones and/or to search for subject headings. The verification of subject representation with the indexing language was the last step in the subject cataloging process of American catalogers, often skipped by Slovenian catalogers.

Research limitations/implications

The small and convenient sample limits the findings.

Practical implications

Comparison of subject cataloging processes of Slovenian and American catalogers, two different groups, is important because they both contribute to OCLC's WorldCat database. If the cataloging community is building a universal catalog and approaches to subject description are different, then the resulting subject representations might also be different.

Originality/value

This is one of the very few empirical studies of subject cataloging and indexing.
Information in the national liberation struggle: modelling the case of Namibia (1966‐1990)
Authors: Sturges Paul , Katjihingua Mbenae , Mchombu Kingo
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the Namibian liberation struggle, 1966‐1990, as an information war rather than a military conflict, so as to explore the dimensions of information activity under conditions of conflict. This builds on the idea, expressed by participants in earlier struggles of this kind, that the contest for “hearts and minds” is more significant than the armed confrontation that accompanies it.

Design/methodology/approach

A model that incorporates information and communication activity by both contestants, at their command centres, in the field and in the media, was elaborated in a previous paper using data from a number of conflicts, mainly in Southern and Central Africa. The present paper focuses on the Namibian struggle so as to examine the capacity of the model to assist in explaining the outcomes of the conflict. Using published sources, printed archive material and oral testimony, the range of information inputs, the incidence of suppression of information and information outputs are set out in the pattern provided by the model. This shows how both sides used covert intelligence gathering, secret communication, propaganda and disinformation accompanied by censorship and the suppression of critical comment by force to further their political/military aims.

Findings

Whilst South Africa and its Namibian military structures were generally successful in armed confrontation with the forces of the chief liberation organisation (SWAPO), they were not able to bring the conflict to a successful military conclusion. This was because SWAPO's attention to the diplomatic war, based on strong and consistent information flows, convinced the United Nations and other allies to press for a negotiated solution. Once this was agreed, the success of the liberation movement's news and education campaigns in attaching the people to the cause of liberation was revealed by SWAPO's overwhelming success in free elections in 1989.

Originality/value

It is important to establish that the war in Namibia was much more a clash of information‐related activities directed at hearts and minds than it was of guns and bombs. When this is demonstrated, we can perhaps learn from the fact that the contestant most effectively committed to waging war by peaceful means was victorious.
Revisiting user studies and information needs
Authors: Wilson T.D.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to respond to Bawden's review of Wilson's 1981 paper, “On user studies and information needs”.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reflects on the context of the original paper, and on subsequent developments.

Findings

The paper comments on a variety of issues relating to information science as a discipline, and its research programme and methods, with specific emphasis on the understanding of human information behaviour.

Originality/value

The paper provides a unique perspective on the development of this aspect of the discipline.
User‐defined relevance criteria in web searching
Authors: Savolainen Reijo , Kari Jarkko
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to specify user‐defined relevance criteria by which people select hyperlinks and pages in web searching.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative and qualitative analysis was undertaken of talking aloud data from nine web searches conducted about self‐generated topics.

Findings

Altogether 18 different criteria for selecting hyperlinks and web pages were found. The selection is constituted, by two, intertwined processes: the relevance judgment of hyperlinks, and web pages by user‐defined criteria, and decision‐making concerning the acceptance or rejection of hyperlinks and web pages. The study focuses on the former process. Of the individual criteria, specificity, topicality, familiarity, and variety were used most frequently in relevance judgments. The study shows that despite the high number of individual criteria used in the judgments, a few criteria such as specificity and topicality tend to dominate. Searchers were less critical in the judgment of hyperlinks than deciding whether the activated web pages should be consulted in more detail.

Research limitations/implications

The study is exploratory, drawing on a relatively low number of case searches.

Originality/value

The paper gives a detailed picture of the criteria used in the relevance judgments of hyperlinks and web pages. The study also discusses the specific nature of criteria used in web searching, as compared to those used in traditional online searching environments.
Methods for evaluating dynamic changes in search engine rankings: a case study
Authors: Bar‐Ilan Judit , Levene Mark , Mat‐Hassan Mazlita
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The objective of this paper is to characterize the changes in the rankings of the top ten results of major search engines over time and to compare the rankings between these engines.

Design/methodology/approach

The papers compare rankings of the top‐ten results of the search engines Google and AlltheWeb on ten identical queries over a period of three weeks. Only the top‐ten results were considered, since users do not normally inspect more than the first results page returned by a search engine. The experiment was repeated twice, in October 2003 and in January 2004, in order to assess changes to the top‐ten results of some of the queries during the three months interval. In order to assess the changes in the rankings, three measures were computed for each data collection point and each search engine.

Findings

The findings in this paper show that the rankings of AlltheWeb were highly stable over each period, while the rankings of Google underwent constant yet minor changes, with occasional major ones. Changes over time can be explained by the dynamic nature of the web or by fluctuations in the search engines' indexes. The top‐ten results of the two search engines had surprisingly low overlap. With such small overlap, the task of comparing the rankings of the two engines becomes extremely challenging.

Originality/value

The paper shows that because of the abundance of information on the web, ranking search results is of extreme importance. The paper compares several measures for computing the similarity between rankings of search tools, and shows that none of the measures is fully satisfactory as a standalone measure. It also demonstrates the apparent differences in the ranking algorithms of two widely used search engines.
Developing the information literacy self‐efficacy scale
Authors: Serap Kurbanoglu S. , Akkoyunlu Buket , Umay Aysun
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The main aim of this paper is to describe the development of a scale designed to measure self‐efficacy for information literacy.

Design/methodology/approach

Cronbach's alpha, item analysis and item discrimination indices, principal component analysis, varimax rotation, and discriminant validity were used to measure reliability and validity of the scale. A 28‐item refined version of the scale was found highly reliable and of reasonable length.

Findings

Further refinement based on principal component analysis indicated three major components, which allow approaching information literacy skills regarding to their complexity levels.

Originality/value

The information literacy self‐efficacy scale is recommended to identify individuals with low self‐efficacy beliefs, which may be a significantly limiting factor for them to explore their information literacy skills.
Children's use of the internet for information‐seeking
Authors: Madden Andrew D. , Ford Nigel J. , Miller David , Levy Philippa
Published: January 2007

Purpose

A common criticism of research into information seeking on the internet is that information seekers are restricted by the demands of the researcher. Another criticism is that the search topics, are often imposed by the researcher, and; particularly when working with children, domain knowledge could be as important as information‐seeking skills. The research reported here attempts to address both these problems.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 15 children, aged 11 to 16, were each set three “think aloud” internet searches. In the first, they were asked to recall the last time they had sought information on the internet, and to repeat the search. For the second, they were given a word, asked to interpret it, then asked to search for their interpretation. For the third, they were asked to recall the last time they had been unsuccessful in a search, and to repeat the search. While performing each task, the children were encouraged to explain their actions.

Findings

The paper finds that the factors that determined a child's ability to search successfully appeared to be: the amount of experience the child had of using the internet; the amount of guidance, both from adults and from peers; and the child's ability to explore the virtual environment, and to use the tools available for so doing.

Originality/value

Many of the searches performed by participants in this paper were not related to schoolwork, and so some of the search approaches differed from those taught by teachers. Instead, they evolved through exploration and exchange of ideas. Further studies of this sort could provide insights of value to designers of web environments.
Disability issues and libraries: a Scottish perspective
Authors: Joint Nicholas
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To give an overview of recent advances in thinking on disability issues in libraries, with a particular emphasis on Scottish initiatives.

Design/methodology/approach

A summary of recent professional trends.

Findings

That service provision in this regard has improved significantly in recent years, but that there is still capacity for further advance.

Research limitations/implications

A descriptive account of past and present trends which only points to theoretical and research implications to be developed elsewhere.

Practical implications

This opinion piece gives some clear and practical concepts which can illuminate the background to disability provision in modern libraries.

Originality/value

This editorial briefly sketches the legislative underpinning to advances in the area of library disability service provision, but points out the role of the customer service values inherent in the library profession which should not be underestimated as a contributing factor to this story of improvement. And in particular, this editorial emphasises the need to focus on the human rather than the technological side of this subject.
Person first, disability second: disability awareness training in libraries
Authors: Charles Sandra
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To look at disability awareness training from a practitioner's point of view, taking into account personal experience of organising training in an academic library, the impact of the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) and the subsequent publication of a training booklet.

Design/methodology/approach

A descriptive account.

Findings

That effective disability training can be carried out by libraries, either in house or by means of outside speakers, so long as relevance to practice is the underlying principle.

Research limitations/implications

The practitioner approach to disability training taken by the paper excludes theoretical generalisations.

Practical implications

A highly practical account of the implementation of disability training in a given library context.

Originality/value

If a training programme is evolved and delivered with certain clear, practice‐oriented values in mind, libraries can significantly upgrade the quality of front‐line services delivered to disabled users.
Customers with disabilities: the academic library response
Authors: Pinder Chris
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The article surveys the general academic library response within the UK to disability legislation and the growing numbers of students declaring disabilities entering higher education.

Design/methodology/approach

Following a brief review of the provisions of legislation, particularly the Spe,"Integrated Manufacturing Systems" }Integrated_Manufacturing_Systemscial Educational Needs And Disability Act of 2001, and the response of funding and other bodies, the article addresses specific regional – that is, collaborative – and individual institutional initiatives.

Findings

Responses from libraries are found to be very positive and offer a service‐level benchmark to libraries in other sectors or elsewhere.

Research limitations/implications

This is a geographically focussed paper, looking at the UK and in particular the Scottish position, and other countries may present different findings.

Practical implications

An account of the implementation of a variety of initiatives aimed at disabled users, with much relevance to practitioner concerns.

Originality/value

The paper gives a valuable overview of the progress made in academic libraries to date on disability issues in Scotland, and in the UK, and shows that both the legislation combined with the inherent customer‐service values of the library profession have helped raise the standard of library performance in this regard.
Glasgow City Council: library, information and learning services for disabled people in Glasgow
Authors: Beaton Marion
Published: January 2007

Purpose

An outline of the public library service offered to disabled people in Glasgow, Scotland.

Design/methodology/approach

A descriptive account.

Findings

It is a great challenge for a public library service to be able to offer services to its large and diverse body of disabled users, who may need to use any part of the public library system at any time, and whose needs must be anticipated. This paper sketches how one particular public library service attempts to meet that challenge.

Research limitations/implications

A specific account of one particular example of good practice.

Practical implications

Offers clearly described models for service delivery to disabled users which will be of great interest to those in public library management, and library practice generally.

Originality/value

The finding that, despite the range and number of disabled users catered for by a large public library service such as Glasgow, it is possible to offer services that comply with legislation and anticipate the needs of disabled users.
The web, accessibility, and inclusion: networked democracy in the United Kingdom
Authors: Wallis Jake
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To highlight and offer guidance on good practice in web accessibility within the context of the United Kingdom government's agendas of social inclusion, widening access to education and the modernisation of public services.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on the most current data available from the Department for Education and Skills, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, and performance reports from the Cabinet Office. Conclusions on the current and future directions of government strategy are drawn from analysis of policy documents and statements, as well as from the data sets themselves. The paper makes reference to international web content standards and relevant legislation.

Findings

Argues that the accessibility of the online environment is essential in relation to the government's attempts to shape the UK into a socially inclusive knowledge economy.

Research limitations/implications

Focuses on the United Kingdom and draws conclusions from data sets from the Department for Education and Skills and the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. Comparative studies could establish the relationship between web accessibility and government social and economic development policies in other countries.

Practical implications

Highlights the importance of accessibility on three levels (ethical, legal and commercial) and offers guidance on inclusive approaches to the design of online resources and services offered by the public, educational and commercial sectors.

Originality/value

Good practice in accessible web design is contextualised within social trends and specific government strategies.
Studying with special needs: some personal narratives
Authors: McAulay Karen E.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The aim of this article is to interview three academic library users with different special needs, one of whom is a current undergraduate, whilst the others graduated two and five years ago. Acknowledging that disabled people in earlier generations have often been barred from the student experience, it was hoped that the interview process would serve to identify ways in which our modern, up‐to‐date libraries now made it possible for users with special needs to use our facilities with a better level of parity, and thus to achieve academic success.

Design/methodology/approach

A descriptive account based on conversations and emails with three volunteers.

Findings

Our more modern, up‐to‐date libraries do now make it possible for users with special needs to use our facilities with a better level of parity, and thus to achieve academic success.

Research limitations/implications

Whilst the in‐depth interviews with three volunteers yielded interesting and informative results, a wider survey would be required to achieve a representative over‐view.

Practical implications

The paper examines the measures that libraries can take to improve the learning experience for users with special needs.

Originality/value

The paper is written from the academic user's perspective, and demonstrates the importance of the staff‐user interface, as much as of specific assistive technology.
Strategies for managing digital content formats
Authors: Williamson Andrew
Published: January 2007

Purpose

With heavy ongoing investment in the creation, storage and delivery of electronic content, it is important to consider the long‐term preservation of the resources produced.

Design/methodology/approach

A viewpoint paper based on extensive practitioner experience with the management of digitisation, digital preservation, and quality assurance procedures.

Findings

The choice of file and media formats for the content can have a significant effect on long‐term access to electronic content.

Practical implications

Gives some useful insights on some of the issues surrounding the choice of open or proprietary formats. The paper also examines some of the pitfalls of a proprietary approach and suggests some strategies that might be employed for managing digital content formats in the long‐term.

Originality/value

An attempt to provide clear, experience based strategies on how best to engage in the long‐term management of digital content formats.
Topic familiarity and its effects on term selection and browsing in a thesaurus‐enhanced search environment
Authors: Shiri Ali
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To evaluate the extent to which familiarity with search topics affects the ways in which users select and browse search terms in a thesaurus‐enhanced search setting.

Design/methodology/approach

An experimental methodology was adopted to study users’ search behaviour in an operational information retrieval environment.

Findings

Topic familiarity and subject knowledge influence some search and interaction behaviours. Searches involving moderately and very familiar topics were associated with browsing around twice as many thesaurus terms as was the case for unfamiliar topics.

Research limitations/implications

Some search behaviours such as thesaurus browsing and term selection could be used as an indication of user levels of topic familiarity.

Practical implications

The results of this study provide design implications as to how to develop personalized search interfaces where users with varying levels of familiarity with search topics can carry out searches.

Originality/value

This paper establishes the importance of topic familiarity characteristics and the effects of those characteristics on users’ interaction with search interfaces enhanced with semantic tools such as thesauri.
Shibboleth: a next‐generation view of the MLS
Authors: Holt Rachel E.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Shibboleth will examine the state of MLS (master of library science) education in the United States of America from the point of view of a recent MLS graduate. It will break out three particular problems with the MLS and propose solutions based on reviews of the literature and original analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

The author conducts a brief review of the literature on librarian education and provides analysis based on these readings and original research.

Findings

The author finds the state of the MLS education to be wanting in its preparation of graduates who are expected to be leaders of change in the library and information science profession.

Originality/value

The debate over librarian education has been framed almost exclusively by LIS educators and the professional leadership. Shibboleth presents a new voice, that of the recent MLS graduate, into the dialogue. The MLS education has not yet been thoroughly examined from the point of view of its most recent recipients. The author seeks to fill this void and encourage more of her peers to engage their colleagues in shaping the future of the curriculum.
Risk assessment and copyright in digital libraries
Authors: Joint Nicholas
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To offer clear insights into methods for assessing the risk of mounting digital objects in a networked electronic library environment.

Design/methodology/approach

A brief, selective summary of work to date on relevant present day digital library investigations into this area.

Findings

It is possible to estimate the degree of risk involved in offering digital library services, in such a way as to manage this risk in a practical and responsible manner.

Research limitations/implications

Further experience of digital rights issues will better inform discussion of these matters as digital library services grow and mature in the near future; immediate examples of digital library practice in this regard are minimal and remain uncertain in their interpretation as yet.

Practical implications

The principles outlined may offer practitioners some useful insights into how to manage copyright aspects of their digital library collections on a day to day practical level.

Originality/value

This paper attempts to offer some clear principles to help practitioners grasp an area that has appeared new and intimidatingly uncertain to date.
Revising digital library content in response to user requests
Authors: Dawson Alan
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to use real examples to show how issues such as authority, currency, preservation, sustainability and trust are interrelated and can be affected by user contributions to digital libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

Several specific user requests to change digital library content are summarised, along with the relevant responses, to illustrate issues of library management and policy.

Findings

The examples demonstrate the need to adopt consistent but flexible policies for content updating, so that conflicting principles or requests can be handled effectively.

Practical implications

The issues raised are likely to be relevant to anyone responsible for managing or updating digital library content.

Originality/value

By illustrating the relationship between specific small scale actions and significant long term issues, the paper highlights the need for digital libraries to follow a holistic approach to content management, and to think globally while acting locally.
Affect, emotional intelligence and librarian‐user interaction
Authors: Mills John , Lodge Damian
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore practical ways in which librarians may better assist, understand and manage a library user's experience.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on earlier work by Mills where 34 academics were interviewed on their information seeking behaviour. The concepts of affect and emotional intelligence have been introduced so information professionals can obtain a more clear understanding of the information environment.

Findings

In order to connect more closely with their user populations' information professionals could consider the following: embrace the key tenets of emotional intelligence as useful assistance strategies in user‐librarian interaction; understand that personal interaction is important for many users; understand that such interaction can offer valuable insights into user understandings of the role of the library; understand that there is more to a library than resource access; understand that not all users share the same perceptions as librarians of the information values of such tools as catalogues and databases; appreciate that users see many roles for a library and these are individually constructed based upon past experience and current needs; extending the physical boundaries of the library into user communities is important for role development and accept that the key marketing strategy of commercial retailers to get customers to “buy” and return to buy, is relevant in environments such as libraries.

Originality/value

The paper builds upon research on the information seeking behaviour of academics and explores the idea that users select information sources for more than cognitive reasons, i.e. just to find out. The importance of the emotional aspect of user interaction with sources, including information professionals, in their search for information has been neglected. It is necessary to re‐examine why and for what reasons users discriminate in their choice of information sources.