Developing induction – the University of Salford experience

This article examines the work of staff within Information Services Division at the University of Salford on developing a Library and IT induction programme for students

A Most Secret Service: William Herle and the Circulation of Intelligence

This essay examines the letters of the Elizabethan intelligencer William Herle during a period of intelligence-gathering in the Low Countries in 1582. Writing to his patrons Lord Burghley and Sir Francis Walsingham, Herle’s letters offer a rich landscape of detail and information. Yet these are not simply ‘administrative’ letters devoid of emotive expression, but display epistolary structures designed to maintain patronage, and attempting to recreate the distance between correspondent and recipient. While Herle was in Antwerp, there was an assassination attempt against William of Orange. Herle was keen to convey ‘breaking news’ as quickly as possible, and bridge the geographical distance between the English court and Delft, where the attempt occurred. In anticipation of pitfalls in postage, and to ensure that each of his recipients received the same intelligence at the same time, Herle increasingly opted to send ‘verbatim’ letters: duplicate copies of important correspondence. Letter-writers could also employ diverse methods to avoid interception and perusal, such as ciphers and the accompaniment of bearers. In this way, the letter might travel unnoticed, or under protection. These ideas of envoys and letters disseminating through porous membranes, ideally, but not necessarily, authorised and endorsed by the authorities are tantalising. I explore this transmission and translation, and attempt to determine through his letters the relationship between Herle and his correspondents; writing from a location without, reinforcing his liminal status as both spy and informant, decentralized yet essential to the English political landscape

The Joys and Sorrows of Teaching High School ESL: Sarangarel\u27s Story

Dr. Adams\u27 contribution to: In M. Robbins (Ed.), The pressures of teaching: How teachers cope with classroom stress (pp. 87-98). New York: Kaplan Publishing

The X-beam as a deployable boom for the space station

Extension of antennas and thrust modules from the primary structure of the space station will require deployable beams of high stiffness and strength, as well as low mass and package volume. A square boom cross section is desirable for interface reasons. These requirements and others are satisfied by the X-beam. The X-beam folds by simple geometry, using single-degree-of-freedom hinges at simple angles, with no strain during deployment. Strut members are of large diameter with unidirectional graphite fibers for maximum beam performance. Fittings are aluminum with phosphor bronze bushings so that compliance is low and joint lifetime is high. The several beam types required for different applications on the space station will use the same basic design, with changes in strut cross section where necessary. Deployment is by a BI-STEM which pushes the beam out; retraction is by cables which cause initial folding and pull the beam in