Electronic signatures for copyright in the UK: a solution to the "holy grail" of document delivery

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to show that an electronic signature for copyright can be achieved in the UK.Design/methodology/approach - The article outlines, as a case study, the drivers for change that influenced the revisiting of the issue of electronic signatures for copyright by the University of Plymouth (UoP), how that signature has been achieved, and how the process has improved the document delivery service through the establishment of an electronic "request-to-delivery" service.Findings - The article finds that significant improvements in the ability of document delivery services to provide a fast and efficient service, with regard to the delivery of article copy requests, can be made through the utilisation of modern computing technology, current UK legislation, and the alternative delivery methods offered by suppliers, particularly the British Library. Practical implications - This article demonstrates that an electronic signature is achievable and that significant improvements can be made in document delivery services as a result, both in terms of request turn around times and in the ability to offer the same standard of service to all users, regardless of their current geographic location.Originality/value - Aside from a brief mention in an article published in 2004 by Stephen Prowse, no UK library has openly admitted to using electronic signatures for copyright. This is the first article to describe one University's systems architecture and processes that have enabled an electronic signature for copyright to be achieved and presents evidence that the time spent investigating and delivering an electronic request-to-delivery service has a real value - a substantial improvement in document delivery to all users, regardless of where they are based

"It's that law that's the problem": everyday with copyright

Powerpoint Presentation. This paper outlines the basic principles of UK Copyright Law as applicable to librarians and document delivery staff and provides guidance based on everyday practice questions submitted by Forum for Interlending members prior to conference

Creative Relations

Through reporting about a project with male home carers, I’m going to present some of the interactions which took place between myself (as the artist) and the participants as we got to know each other, and became part of each other’s lives. The text takes the form of a series of extracts taken directly from my own personal journals followed by a commentary on each. These have been selected to highlight the similarities between Ingold’s descriptions of creativity and Kester’s model for a dialogical aesthetic, which highlights key points in the engagement processes of a socially engaged artist. These reflective notes, made while the experiences were still fresh in my mind, help to illustrate the impact not only on the participants but also upon the artist as a participant in the social process

Global inequities and political borders challenge nature conservation under climate change

Underlying sociopolitical factors have emerged as important determinants of wildlife population trends and the effectiveness of conservation action. Despite mounting research into the impacts of climate change on nature, there has been little consideration of the human context in which these impacts occur, particularly at the global scale. We investigate this in two ways. First, by modeling the climatic niches of terrestrial mammals and birds globally, we show that projected species loss under climate change is greatest in countries with weaker governance and lower Gross Domestic Product, with loss of mammal species projected to be greater in countries with lower CO2 emissions. Therefore, climate change impacts on species may be disproportionately significant in countries with lower capacity for effective conservation and lower greenhouse gas emissions, raising important questions of international justice. Second, we consider the redistribution of species in the context of political boundaries since the global importance of transboundary conservation under climate change is poorly understood. Under a high-emissions scenario, we find that 35% of mammals and 29% of birds are projected to have over half of their 2070 climatic niche in countries in which they are not currently found. We map these transboundary range shifts globally, identifying borders across which international coordination might most benefit conservation and where physical border barriers, such as walls and fences, may be an overlooked obstacle to climate adaptation. Our work highlights the importance of sociopolitical context and the utility of a supranational perspective for 21st century nature conservation

Clinical outcomes of pre-loaded ultra-thin DSAEK and pre-loaded DMEK

Objective: To compare clinical outcomes and complications between pre-loaded ultra-thin Descemet stripping automated endothelialkeratoplasty (pl-UT-DSAEK) and pre-loaded Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (pl-DMEK). Methods and analysis: Comparative study in patients with endothelial dysfunction associated with Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy and pseudophakic bullous keratopathy who underwent pl-UT-DSAEK or pl-DMEK transplants. For both groups, the tissues were pre-loaded at the Fondazione Banca degli Occhi del Veneto (Venice, Italy) and shipped to The Royal Liverpool University Hospital (Liverpool, UK). Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and re-bubbling rates were the main outcome measures. Results: 56 eyes of 56 patients were included. 31 received pl-UT-DSAEK and 25 received pl-DMEK. At 12 months, BCVA (LogMAR) was significantly better for pl-DMEK (0.17±0.20 LogMAR) compared with pl-UT-DSAEK (0.37±0.37 LogMAR, p<0.01). The percentage of people that achieved ≥20/30 was significantly higher in the pl-DMEK group. The rate of re-bubbling, however, was significantly higher for pl-DMEK (44.0%) than for Pl-UT-DSAEK (12.9%), p<0.01. Conclusion: Pl-DMEK offers better BCVA than pl-UT-DSAEK. The higher re-bubbling rate associated with pre-loaded DMEK is of concern