Outsourcing and externalisation: current practice in UK libraries, museums and archives

A study, funded by Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, was undertaken in 2000-2001 to give an up-to-date view of the current experience of outsourcing and externalisation in libraries, museums and archives. Case studies of purchasers recognised as pioneers in the field, and of providers, were undertaken, and results validated by two focus groups. Outsourcing, particularly under the impetus of Best Value, was found to be relatively widespread and sophisticated in the public library and special library sectors. Thinking and practice in academic libraries lag behind. Museums and archives show some implementation, particularly under the influence of Best Value

Outsourcing and externalisation: current practice in UK libraries, museums and archives

A study, funded by Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, was undertaken in 2000-2001 to give an up-to-date view of the current experience of outsourcing and externalisation in libraries, museums and archives. Case studies of purchasers recognised as pioneers in the field, and of providers, were undertaken, and results validated by two focus groups. Outsourcing, particularly under the impetus of Best Value, was found to be relatively widespread and sophisticated in the public library and special library sectors. Thinking and practice in academic libraries lag behind. Museums and archives show some implementation, particularly under the influence of Best Value

An expression for land surface water storage monitoring using a two-formation geological weighing lysimeter

Field studies have demonstrated that ground surface rainfall accumulation can be detected at depth by synchronous increases in static confined groundwater pore pressures. This opens the way for “geological weighing lysimeters” providing disturbance-free water storage monitoring of the surface environment, in effect by weighing a significant land area in real time. Such systems require specific hydrogeological conditions, which are not easily verified by field observations and replicated observations from multiple geological formations are a prerequisite for quality control. Given replication over two monitored formations, we introduce an expression which utilises the respective formation piezometric water levels to give an improved combined estimate of the ground surface water budget. The expression utilises raw piezometric levels and has the advantage of direct correction for Earth tide noise, which may sometimes be influenced by local effects in addition to the pure solar/lunar tidal potential. The expression is particularly simple, if the two formations have similar (but possibly unknown) undrained Poisson ratios and porosities. Surface water budgets can then be estimated using only the respective formation barometric coefficients and piezometric levels. An example application to two vertically separated confined aquifers at a New Zealand site indicate an improved accuracy over single-formation observations. The two-formation expression for surface storage could find use as an accurate water budget tool with particular application to monitoring diffuse hydrological systems such as wetlands, arid regions, and heavily forested localities

An-other look at assessment: Assessment in learning

This article seeks to review understandings of educational assessment as revealed in the phrases teachers use (assessment of learning, assessment for learning and assessment as learning). We propose a reconsideration of what teachers might have taken for granted in these phrases and assessment practice. We suggest that along with assessment knowledge and skills, teachers need a way of ‘being in’ assessment. We share some experiential stories to illustrate our understanding of ‘assessment in learning’ and ask readers to consider what this might mean for their own teaching practice