Special Libraries, July-August 1937

Volume 28, Issue 6https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1937/1005/thumbnail.jp

A virtue epistemology of the Internet: Search engines, intellectual virtues and education

This paper applies a virtue epistemology approach to using the Internet, as to improve our information-seeking behaviours. Virtue epistemology focusses on the cognitive character of agents and is less concerned with the nature of truth and epistemic justification as compared to traditional analytic epistemology. Due to this focus on cognitive character and agency, it is a fruitful but underexplored approach to using the Internet in an epistemically desirable way. Thus, the central question in this paper is: How to use the Internet in an epistemically virtuous way? Using the work of Jason Baehr, it starts by outlining nine intellectual or epistemic virtues: curiosity, intellectual autonomy, intellectual humility, attentiveness, intellectual carefulness, intellectual thoroughness, open-mindedness, intellectual courage and intellectual tenacity. It then explores how we should deploy these virtues and avoid the corresponding vices when interacting with the Internet, particularly search engines. Whilst an epistemically virtuous use of the Internet will not guarantee that one will acquire true beliefs, understanding or even knowledge, it will strongly improve one’s information-seeking behaviours. The paper ends with arguing that teaching and assessing online intellectual virtues should be part of school and university curricula, perhaps embedded in critical thinking courses, or even better, as individual units

Commercially-and-socially-oriented postal services

The main goal of this paper is show how postal communication service, which has been strengthened with the technology development in the last century, is nowadays commercially-and-socially-oriented very important for human life. Furthermore, I will prove how postal service becomes overwhelming for some not communicated, far and isolated geographic areas in developing countries, to get in touch with people and businesses from around the world. Over one hundred of Postal Operators were interviewed in Peru between 2004 and 2006, around 25% of total, which said that distance and security are not longer considered as a challenge for postal services thanks to new Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Internet; which in turn has facilitated (i) social communication, (ii) financial services, (iii) e-commerce and (iv) international business, bolstered by postal services. This last issue can be proved with high correlation statistics between the international postal (and courier) shipments and the exportation of non traditional goods, as well as importation of goods in Peru; moreover, some international remittances from around the world are making through the postal transferences. Consequently, Peruvian authorities, especially from the Ministry of Transport and Communications, must consider the importance of postal and/or courier services in the elaboration of public policies to pursuit the socioeconomic development.Postal services; financial postal; international business; communication; e-commerce;

Information Search Strategies Among Theological Faculty Members in Tamil Nadu

This research article studies the information seeking search strategies used by theological faculty members in Tamil Nadu. It is based on a structured questionnaire sent to 120 select faculty members, of which 101 questionnaires were returned, achieving a response rate of 84%. Major findings of this study contribute to understanding the awareness and use of search options among respondents. Basic and keyword search options are commonly used by respondents in online sources while preferences for references from books and journals are more popular among faculty members to locate bibliographic information in print sources. This study further noted that faculty members are generally seeking information for preparing class lectures and preaching sermons and respondents indicated that Google searching is highly used by them for locating online information. The respondents expressed that borrowing books and using reference books and journals are the most compelling reasons for visiting libraries. Reading table of contents and reading specific articles are common strategies used by faculty members while looking for information in print resources. The non-availability of full-text articles, lack of scholarly national publications and retrieving irrelevant articles are problems faculty members commonly face while searching online resources. The findings of this study have impact on library instruction, and for improving library services and collections in theological institutions in Tamil Nadu

Gathering and using patron and librarian perceptions of question-answering success

This paper discusses the strengths and weaknesses of patrons and reference librarians as sources of data for the evaluation of reference question-answering effectiveness, along with ways to enhance the usefulness of data from each source. It describes the Wisconsin-Ohio Reference Evaluation Program and discusses some illustrative statistics from the project, including data on relationships between patron perceived answering success and factors such as staffing patterns, effort spent on answering questions, types and sources of questions, and collection size.published or submitted for publicatio