Digital libraries in Europe: an educational perspective

In this paper the latest advances in developing digital libraries and hybrid libraries - those which combine traditional and digital services - will be considered from a cross-European viewpoint. Acade­mic libraries are undertaking new roles as 'gateways' to the world's networked information resources, and they must re­organise themselves to fulfil these new roles. Of particular importance is the deve­lopment of close cooperation between librarians and educators, since the use of new technology in teaching and in research requires integrated information services. Digital academic libraries will thus form part of new, integrated, technology-rich 'learning environments'. The presenter is a former university libra­rian who now directs a research and de­velopment centre in a university, and has extensive experience of directing cross-European library research projects. Thus both practical and theoretical approaches will be included

New Roles for an Old Molecule in Axon-Glial Interaction

AbstractAxons need to be above a minimum size before they can be ensheathed by myelin-forming glia. But it has generally been assumed that the axonal signals that initiate myelination, whatever they are, would act similarly in both the CNS and the PNS. The surprising finding of Chan et al. in this issue of Neuron is that NGF can act as a regulator of ensheathment but that it has opposite effects on CNS and PNS axons

An early process evaluation of the public law outline in family courts

Context Local authorities with serious allegations of significant harm or likely significant harm to a child which cannot be resolved with a parent may apply to the court to place the child under local authority care or supervision, under Section 31 of the Children Act 1989. Care proceedings resulting from such applications can be very lengthy. The Public Law Outline (PLO) was introduced by the Judiciary and Ministry of Justice as a tool for the management of care proceeding cases (Ministry of Justice 2008). The aims of this study were to describe and evaluate the process of implementation of the Public Law Outline (PLO) in two tiers of the family justice system (magistrates’ Family Proceedings Courts and county court Care Centres). The PLO was initially trialled in ten areas in England and Wales from June 2007, and rolled out nationally on the 1st April 2008, together with the issue of statutory guidance for local authorities issued by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF 2008), and the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG 2008)

Libraries and narratives : redefining library roles in a networked world

Przedstawiono argumenty za podjęciem przez lokalne biblioteki, muzea i archiwa nowej roli, polegającej na zachęcaniu ludzi do opowiadania swoich własnych historii przy pomocy elektronicznych narzędzi. Zaprezentowano trzy przykłady systemów pozwalających na realizację takich usług, ilustrując je cytatami z opowieści, które w ramach tych systemów zostały utworzone. Zdaniem autora instytucje tego typu, by móc odgrywać rolę centrów lokalnych społeczności, powinny aktywnie dążyć do wykorzystania możliwości działania w tym zakresie.In this paper the author presents the case for local libraries, museums and archives to take on a new role by encouraging local people to tell their stories using new electronic tools. Three examples are given of systems which support such services and the paper is illustrated with extracts from stories which have been generated in this way. The author suggests that local institutions need to take active steps to use these opportunities to become the hubs of their communities

Narrative-based librarianship

Librarianship has developed rapidly over the last century, building up its own techniques while borrowing judiciously from other disciplines. In recent years there has been interest in adapting an approach which has emerged from medical science, namely evidence-based practice. However, there is now discernable in medical disciplines a recognition that in order to be effective it is necessary to go beyond this concept and consider how evidence is interpreted, presented and understood. Bare statistics and other quantitative approaches need to be accompanied by rich pictures which illustrate effective strategies and which are persuasive to both practitioners and clients. The result of this thinking has been the emergence of 'narrative-based practice'. In this paper, the case for a 'narrative-based librarianship', which would encompass both the management of libraries and the development of content, is examined

The development of a model for assessing the level of impact of information and library services

This paper describes the background to the development and application of a model of Levels of Impact of innovations in information and library services. The model is based on earlier work in the eLearning field and provides a tool for comparing the different effects of a service on individuals, either within a particular community or over time. The paper suggests that there is scope for further development and testing of the model to refine its application

Evaluating the Joint Information Systems Committee's Information Environment: the EDNER and EDNER+ projects

Purpose: Reports on findings of work concerning the use of the JISC information environment by students, considering how information environments are related to the working environments of their users. Design/methodology/approach: CERLIM at Manchester Metropolitan University, partnered by CSALT (the Centre for Studies in Advanced Learning Technologies) at Lancaster University, has brought to bear perspectives from both information management and educational research. During 2003 to 2004 the scope of the evaluation was broadened to include all of the JISC development activity in the information environment area and has been extended to the further education sector: this is known as EDNER+. Findings: The use of quality attributes approaches can provide clues as to what it is about a service which is creating dissatisfaction among the users. Research limitations/implications. Coupled with other findings about "satisficing" behaviours, the findings are suggestive of some of the key areas which need to be given attention. They also support a finding from this and other work in EDNER/EDNER+, namely that to students internet search engines in general and Google in particular represent a benchmark of "good". Practical implications. Given that use of bibliographic services is uniformly low among undergraduate students, and that the use of OPACs is variable, IE service developers will have to work very hard to produce services which gain acceptance among this group of users. Since IE includes further education students among its target user groups, it will be critical to address the full range of attributes against the needs of this group, as well as the higher education group, in future service design. Originality/value: Using a wide range of methodologies the team has explored the outcomes of a large number of projects funded by the JISC, as well as examining the architecture and rollout of the information environment itself