A History of Collaboration, a Future in Crowdsourcing: Positive Impacts of Cooperation on British Librarianship

This article looks at the varying definitions and usage of the term ‘crowdsourcing,’ including those that insist the term may only be applied to online activities. An argument is made that, semantics aside, the activities known as crowdsourcing, collaboration, and/or citizen science, were in use long before the current online medium was invented and should be recognized not for the terminology employed but for the mutual benefits reaped. The article addresses the strengths of such activities, including user engagement, the accomplishment of tasks otherwise not possible because of budget cuts, and diversity of viewpoint. In addition, the possible weaknesses of recruitment, perceived loss of power by professionals, and oversight of this method of project management are reviewed and suggestions for mitigation are proposed. Finally, instances of historic and contemporary ventures in British librarianship including the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary, the Mass Observation Movement, Oxford University’s Ancient Lives project, FamilySearch genealogical/ archives work, the British Museum and iGLAM collaboration with Wikipedia, and the Sounds of the U.K. are profiled. Arguments for the relative merits of each profile are highlighted, including benefits to society as a whole, the specific institution, its users, and the future of cultural heritage organizations throughout the United Kingdom

Special Education in Juvenile Residential Facilities: Can Animals Help?

Children with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) are arguably one of the highest at-risk groups for dropping out before graduating high school. They are the group of students with disabilities who are most likely to be educated in residential facilities. Residential facilities such as Green Chimneys have incorporated animals into the treatment milieu with success. Animals have been used in various settings to improve the quality of life as well as the emotional and physical needs of people served by these facilities. This article describes the requirements for using animals in residential treatment, the limitations of such programs, and the research findings for the use of animal-assisted therapy or activities (AAT/AAA). Using Gardner’s (1999) iteration of his theory of multiple intelligence, the authors proposed an understanding of how these treatments might be improve the intelligence of a child with EBD. Requirements for effective treatment of special needs children were discussed

An external evaluation of Phat Pak process and structure: Volume 2: Appendices

An evaluation was conducted by the 510 Evaluation Research Group 2007 after receiving a request from the Phat Pak Governance Group (PPGG). The evaluation focused on four areas identified in the Phat Pak service specification plan attached to it’s Ministry of Health contract (Youth participation, Communication Strategies, Decision making Processes and Skills Development)

An external evaluation of Phat Pak process and structure: Volume 1: Evaluation report

An evaluation was conducted by the 510 Evaluation Research Group 2007 after receiving a request from the Phat Pak Governance Group (PPGG). The evaluation focused on four areas identified in the Phat Pak service specification plan attached to it’s Ministry of Health contract (Youth participation, Communication Strategies, Decision making Processes and Skills Development). Our intention of evaluating the Phat Pak Programme has been to, through feedback from a range of participants, gauge the extent that the programme objectives (such as those highlighted in the contract are being met. More specifically, the function of the evaluation has been to help identify specific areas that are working well and those areas that need further development. It is our intention that the evaluation will provide both short and long-term direction with added insight towards increasing participation and enhancing health outcomes for youth and the wider community of the Waikato region

A photographic record of a pre- and post-lake creation event from World War II at Valley, Isle of Anglesey, UK

The article compares a recent aerial photograph of the lowlands of the Isle of Anglesey area with a German surveillance photograph from 1941. The authors aim to infer the environmental changes made to this sand dune and lake system as a direct consequence of constructing the airfield. Part of Tywyn Trewan, the extensive sand dune system, was completely destroyed in order to create runways and the technical and domestic accommodation to house a strategic airfield. As part of the dredging, six new water bodies with a combined surface area of approximately 6 ha were created

Mobile app for stress monitoring using voice features

The paper describes the steps involved in designing and implementing a mobile app for real time monitoring of mental stress using voice features and machine learning techniques. The app is easy to use and completely non-invasive. It is called StressID and it is available in the Google Play store. With the use of a server application presenting a web interface, interested parties may remotely monitor the stress states detected by the mobile app, enlarging the number of use case scenarios

Breastfeeding in South Gloucestershire: Mothers' early experiences of infant feeding

Executive SummaryIntroduction• This research about mothers’ early experiences of infant feeding was developed following discussions about South Gloucestershire’s public health priorities for breastfeeding; current services supporting breastfeeding; and relatively low breastfeeding continuation rates.Background and context• Breastfeeding is recognised as the optimal way to feed infants from birth and exclusive breastfeeding is recommended until about six months of age, with the introduction of complementary feeding when babies are developmentally ready, usually around six months. • The support, promotion and protection of breastfeeding is a national and local priority. In 2014/15, initiation of breastfeeding in South Gloucestershire, was 77.1% while continuation was 47.8%. The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment in 2016, highlighted the need to obtain the views of mothers on their experience of support for breastfeeding. Research question• The research question was: What are the experiences of mothers (with a focus on support) in South Gloucestershire in relation to infant feeding in the first 6-8 weeks? Methods• The research design adopted a purposive sampling strategy, based on criteria sampling, with mothers that had; experience of breastfeeding in the first 6-8 weeks of their baby’s life, a baby up to 6 months of age and were engaged with a Children’s Centre. We recruited mothers who met all three criteria. • Support for the research was obtained from Midwifery, Health Visiting and Children’s Centres managers. Baby and Me groups were visited to invite participation; 53 mothers expressed an interest and 24 mothers selected randomly were interviewed. An information sheet, consent form and interview schedule were developed.• NVivo was used to support data management and analysis in which themes were identified. Data protection requirements were adhered to throughout the research. The research had ethical approval from both South Gloucestershire Council and the University of the West of England. The findingsFindings from this project suggest that there are three ‘critical stages’ in supporting a mother to breastfeed and in her experience of breastfeeding; within these the main themes emerging from this research are discussed: • Support before birth: o Preparation antenatally for breastfeeding does not prepare women for the reality.o Many mothers would have liked information about expressing milk and bottle-feeding before they become mothers. • Support around the time of the birth:o In hospital, after the birth, some mothers receive conflicting messages and don’t always feel supported.o Birth experience can influence early experiences of breastfeeding.• Support once at home:o On return home, Health Visitors are generally perceived as supportive although contact can be minimal.o Breastfeeding support groups suit some women but are not available when needed.o Family, friends and other networks are a key source of support and advice for many motherso Many women seek support from other sources including online groups and apps although telephone helplines were not much used.Recommendations A number of recommendations are made; these are mainly directed towards South Gloucestershire Council but are also of relevance to the wider partnership of health and community and voluntary sector agencies. Recommendations concern the promotion and protection of breastfeeding; the mental and emotional health and wellbeing of women; consistent evidence-based personal and timely support; mothers awareness of differing professional roles; evaluation of breastfeeding groups and; consistent approach to signposting women to websites, apps and social media; and quality assurance of resources and workforce development

A photographic record of a pre- and post-lake creation event from World War II at Valley, Isle of Anglesey UK

It was 1939, war had just been declared and military preparations wereunderway. A strategic series of airfields was required throughout Britain.Locations in north-west Wales were limited due to the mountainous natureof the topography. It is not surprising that the lowlands of the Isle ofAnglesey were subject to a systematic survey. At first it was reported thatthe majority of the areas examined were unsuitable due to the contours ofthe land (Sloan 1995)

Working together better for mental health in children and young people during a pandemic: experiences from North Central London during the first wave of COVID-19

Direct risk from infection from COVID-19 for children and young people (CYP) is low, but impact on services, education and mental health (so-called collateral damage) appears to have been more significant. In North Central London (NCL) during the first wave of the pandemic, in response to the needs and demands for adults with COVID-19, general paediatric wards in acute hospitals and some paediatric emergency departments were closed. Paediatric mental health services in NCL mental health services were reconfigured. Here we describe process and lessons learnt from a collaboration between physical and mental health services to provide care for CYP presenting in mental health crisis. Two new ‘hubs’ were created to coordinate crisis presentations in the region and to link community mental health teams with emergency departments. All CYP requiring a paediatric admission in the first wave were diverted to Great Ormond Street Hospital, a specialist children’s hospital in NCL, and a new ward for CYP mental health crisis admissions was created. This brought together a multidisciplinary team of mental health and physical health professionals. The most common reason for admission to the ward was following a suicide attempt (n=17, 43%). Patients were of higher acute mental health complexity than usually admitted to the hospital, with some CYP needing an extended period of assessment. In this review, we describe the challenges and key lessons learnt for the development of this new ward setting that involved such factors as leadership, training and also new governance processes. We also report some personal perspectives from the professionals involved. Our review provides perspective and experience that can inform how CYP with mental health admissions can be managed in paediatric medical settings