What do faculty and students really think about e-books?

Purpose - The purpose of this article is to report on a large-scale survey that was carried Out to assess academic users' awareness, perceptions and existing levels of use of e-books. The survey also seeks to find out about the purposes to which electronic books were put, and to obtain an understanding of the most effective library marketing and communication channels.Design/methodology/approach - An e-mail invitation to participate in the survey was distributed to all UCL staff and students (approximately 27,000) in November 2006, and 1,818 completions were received, an effective response rate of at least 6.7 per cent. Statistical analyses were carried out on the data using Software Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).Findings - The survey findings point to various ways in which user uptake and acceptance of e-books may be encouraged. Book discovery behaviour, a key issue for publishers and librarians in both print and electronic environments, emerges as a critical focus for service delivery and enhancement.Originality/value - The survey is part of an action research project, CIBER's SuperBook, that will further investigate the issues raised in this initial benchmarking survey using deep log analysis and qualitative methods. The paper partly fills the gap in the literature on e-books which has mainly focused on usage and not the users

Observations on the Utility of the Semi-directive Interview for Documenting Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) offers ecological information and insight relevant to ecological management and research that cannot be obtained from other sources. Its use is hindered by difficulties of access, in that TEK is typically not available to a wide audience. Documentation can overcome this obstacle, allowing TEK to be considered with other forms of easily disseminated information. This paper describes the author's experience using the semi-directive interview to document TEK about beluga whales in Alaska. This method allows the participants as well as the researcher to guide the interview, so that associations made by the participant, and not just those anticipated by the researcher, are discussed. Using maps as the starting point for discussions with individuals or groups, the interviews covered expected topics, such as migration and feeding behavior, as well as unanticipated topics, such as the possible influence of beavers on beluga distribution. The primary research session was followed a year later by a review session to verify the accuracy of the draft report, add missing information, or remove information the publication of which might harm community interests. The author found the semi-directive interview to be an effective and powerful method for accurate and comprehensive documentation of TEK. It worked especially well in group interviews, which allowed participants to stimulate and validate each other.Le savoir écologique traditionnel (SET) offre de l'information écologique et une opinion pertinente à la gestion et à la recherche écologiques qu'on ne peut obtenir d'autres sources. Un accès difficile gêne l'utilisation du SET, vu qu'en général il n'est pas disponible à un vaste public. On peut surmonter cet obstacle en créant de la documentation, ce qui permet de tenir compte du SET parallèlement à d'autres formes d'information facilement diffusée. Cet article décrit l'expérience de l'auteur qui s'est servi de l'interview semi-dirigée pour documenter le SET sur les bélougas de l'Alaska. Cette méthode permet aux participants autant qu'au chercheur de guider l'interview, de sorte que les associations faites par le participant, et pas uniquement celles anticipées par le chercheur, sont discutées. Des cartes servant à démarrer la discussion avec des individus ou des groupes, les interviews couvraient des sujets prévus comme la migration et le comportement alimentaire, en même temps que des sujets imprévus, comme l'influence possible des castors sur la distribution du bélouga. La recherche primaire était suivie un an plus tard d'une session de récapitulation afin de vérifier l'exactitude de l'ébauche du rapport et d'ajouter de l'information manquante, ou d'éliminer de l'information dont la publication aurait pu nuire aux intérêts de la collectivité. L'auteur a trouvé que l'interview semi-dirigée était une méthode efficace et puissante pour documenter le SET de façon précise et détaillée. Elle fonctionnait particulièrement bien dans les entrevues en groupes, qui offraient aux participants la possibilité d'échanges stimulants et de validation mutuelle

An Appraisal of FOPIM Fast-converging Perturbation Method

Appraisal of first order perturbation iteration fast converging metho