International Association of Technological University Libraries (IATUL): Promoting Science and Technology Librarianship in the Changing Library Landscape

International Association of Technological University Libraries (IATUL) has been in the forefront of providing leadership to information professionals and promoting science and Technology librarianship in today's changing library landscape. The present article is an attempt to comprehend the present status of IATUL and analyze the activities and contribution it has made to overcome the range of challenges facing by tertiary level Technological libraries throughout the world. The SWOT analysis method is used to assess the achievements of IATUL, failures and ascertain constraints being faced in this internet age. The author relied on web sites as well as ephemeral material such as minutes, annu- al reports, newsletters, and memoranda to construct this article. Meeting and Interview with IATUL present and past presidents and other office bearers of the associations provided useful sources of information. It is also attempted to pro- vide relevant information for those interested to join IATUL for professional development

Ocean governance: the New Zealand dimension

  The Oceans Governance project was funded by the Emerging Issues Programme, overseen by the Institute of Policy Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. Its primary goal is to provide interested members of the public and policymakers with a general overview and a description of the types of principles, planning tools and policy instruments that can be used to strengthen and improve marine governance in New Zealand. The major findings of this study are that the existing marine governance framework in New Zealand emphasises a traditional sector-by-sector approach to management and planning and that this fragmented governance framework contributes to a number of institutional challenges. In addition, the study identifies a number of factors that influence marine planning and decision-making in the country, including but not limited to; the relationships between economic use of marine resources and the maintenance of marine ecosystem services and goods; Māori interests, perspectives and treaty obligations; the role of international treaties and conventions; the synergistic and cumulative impacts of multiple use and climate disturbance on marine ecosystems, and the role of scientists and science in marine planning and decision-making.The report makes two general recommendations.  First, with respect to the territorial sea (which includes the marine area out to 12 nautical miles) the report recommends that regional councils develop integrative marine plans where conflict between users and users-ecosystems is likely to develop in the future.  Second, the report recommends the adoption of new role for central government to support an ecosystem-based approach to integrative marine planning and decision-making

Hatched: The capacity for sustainable development

Hatched: The capacity for sustainable development is edited by Landcare Research scientists Bob Frame, Richard Gordon and Claire Mortimer and is a collection of research findings, stories and tools exploring five key areas of capacity required for New Zealand’s long-term success. It covers innovative research undertaken with businesses, across policy sectors, communities and individuals and was funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology

Through the threaded needle : A multi-sited ethnography on the sociomateriality of garment mending practices

Commonly associated with times of hardship and austerity, garment mending has come a long way from being a domesticated practice of need to an act of commodity activism. As a backlash to the ‘throw away’ culture of fast fashion, recent years have witnessed the emergence of various public garment mending events in Western countries. Although academic interest in mending has been growing among fashion researchers, their focus has remained limited to an exploration of perspectives on mending in domestic spaces. Through this dissertation a shift is made towards an examination of processes undertaken to mend by studying existing off-the-grid mending practices that run parallel to mainstream fast-fashion systems in self-organized communal repair events in four cities. How the practice of mending comes to matter is comprehensively investigated through this dissertation. This study primarily intends to understand, observe and illustrate an alternative conceptualization, by proposing to examine mending as a sociomaterial practice. Through identifying humans and non-human or social and material forces as intimately interlaced, this study anchors itself in a pragmatic philosophical paradigm. Building on this, scholarly works that forms part of the umbrella term ‘Practice Theories’ are used to develop a non-cognitive driven understanding of the practice of mending in a clothing use context. The work draws on three years of in-depth, multi-sited ethnographic field research in 18 communal garment mending events in: Helsinki (Finland), Auckland and Wellington (New Zealand) and Edinburgh (the United Kingdom), during 2016–2018. Data is gathered through non-participant and participant observations, 67 in-depth semi- and unstructured interviews of event organizers and participants, short surveys, web research, and pictures and short video clips are used as mnemonic support. First, I strived to understand the practice of mending by identifying the matters of mending (Article 1). Then I used three effects arising from the produced affectivity of sociomaterial practices to explore mending. These conceptual effects were: creativity, learning and taste. Each effect then provided a framework through which to approach, analyse and understand the performance, learning and sustenance of mending practices. In the first instance, I categorized users as vernacular menders and understood their practices as situated, embodied and routinized, yet dynamic. The analysis revealed how when performing practices, menders methodically organized their practices while simultaneously creatively extending design in use (Article 2). In the second instance, I understood the learning practices of the vernacular menders as being anchored within the sociomateriality of practices rather than resulting from a purely cognitive process. The learned outcomes were: material learning, communal learning and environmental learning. Through the process of mending, the vernacular menders seemed to learn how to identify variations in material qualities, create communal bonds and form understandings of how to better care for their garments. The findings indicated the potential of informal learning platforms for finding sustainable local solutions to global ecological problems concerning garment waste (Article 3). In the last instance, the focus was on the role of the body and the interplay between the sensing body and the materials, to show how menders construct taste for and form an attachment to their practice over time. Their mending practices resulted in increasing the physical life, reshaping the symbolic life and redefining the aesthetic life of garments. In this way, people are seen as disrupting existing social and material orders by defying mainstream fashion practices, levelling off the playing field through active engagement in appropriating garments, mobilizing variations in dress practices, attuning to the matters that make up their clothing, while also forming an attachment to their practice (Article 4). Overall, in taking a non-cognitive approach to the study of mending, this study reveals the practices of menders as not merely reproductive but as dynamic and reflexive. In trying to understand how mending practices are performed, learned and sustained, the study also highlights the broader implications of mending that need attention in the current sustainable fashion discourse. Thus, the study invites future research to explore the practices of vernacular menders and to actively challenge fast fashion dictates towards the practices of caring, inclusivity and stewardship

The strategically located land index support system for human settlements land reform in South Africa

Abstract: Creating sustainable human settlements is fundamental in fostering spatial and socio-economic integration in South Africa. Policy makers are often faced with the problem of identifying strategically located land for human settlements land reform in South Africa. To date there is no tool or standard framework that assists the government to identify land that is strategically located for land reform. This study proposes the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) to develop a Strategically Located Land Index (SLLI) deployed in a web viewer to identify land that is smart for human settlements land reform. The study demonstrates that GIS,MCDMand the SLLI are invaluable tools in facilitating streamlined, coordinated, standardised and evidence-based decisions for human settlements land reform. However, there is need for capacity building in government departments responsible for land reform and development planning for the SLLI to be fully utilised

An AHP-Based Framework for Effective Requirement Management in Agile Software Development (ASD)

In Agile changes may be made at any time throughout the project lifetime in agile projects. These changes, however, often lead to longer turnaround times and higher costs while having a substantial influence on the activities and quality of project management. The suggested framework's main goal is to increase the effectiveness and flexibility of the requirement engineering process by successfully managing requirements changes, particularly in contexts where Agile Software Development (ASD) is practiced. The Agile methodology has gained popularity as a strategy for developing software because it can adjust to changing requirements and deliver software gradually. To make sure that the software being produced satisfies stakeholder expectations and adds value to the firm, good requirement management is essential. Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to prioritize requirements based on their relative relevance and urgency, this article introduces a framework for requirement management in Agile Projects. The most important requirements are taken care of first thanks to this strategy, which enables a more organized and informed decision-making process. We demonstrate the actual use of our framework in real-world contexts and highlight its efficacy in solving the issues faced by Agile projects by including a case study and an accompanying table. The suggested framework also supports the three core tenets of the Agile approach—transparency, cooperation, and continuous improvement—to foster an environment of excellence and ongoing learning within the Agile team. By developing these fundamental ideas, our framework not only supports Agile teams' continual growth and development but also helps them manage and prioritize requirements more efficiently, which ultimately improves project results and increases organizational value

A history of future-thinking initiatives in New Zealand, 1936–2010: How New Zealand measures up against international commitments

The purpose of this report is threefold: (i) to learn lessons from the past and present a useful model for emerging initiatives in the future; (ii) to provide greater access to the existing knowledge established by these initiatives (so that earlier contributions can be built on), and (iii) to provide a repository for this information.&nbsp

Interdisciplinary Film & Digital Media 2015 APR Self-Study & Documents

UNM Interdisciplinary Film & Digital Media APR self-study report, review team report, response to review report, and initial action plan for Spring 2015, fulfilling requirements of the Higher Learning Commission. IFDM was absorbed by the Cinematic Arts Department following this review