Virtual reference services : connecting users with experts and supporting the development of skills

Virtual reference - a service that allows librarians and patrons to communicate with each other in real time through the Internet by e-mail, chat or instant messaging - is currently a hot topic in libraries. In a way the commercial sector has challenged the reference function by offering Question & Answer services. To librarians this represents a threat and an opportunity. They can benefit from technologies and service models developed for the commercial arena by adapting these to virtual reference applications that will more effectively meet the needs of libraries on the Web. The literature provides many examples of pilots and experiments in taking reference into cyberspace. After an introduction to the in-and-outs of virtual reference, follows a short exposition of a virtual tour in the Netherlands where 7 of the 13 university libraries and the Royal Library have a basic ‚virtual helpdesk’. One thing is clear: virtual reference services are definitely put high on the agenda of the Dutch libraries. The Royal Library is one of the Dutch libraries, which is going to participate with QuestionPoint, formerly called Collaborative Digital Reference Service (CDRS), jointly developed by the Library of Congress and OCLC, which will provide web-based reference service to researchers anytime, anywhere, through an international, online network of member libraries

Definition of collections, standards and procedures for restrospective digitisation

This paper is the result of (literature) research and expertise acquired by digitisation projects in the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB). The project described is part of the DELTA project, a joint project of Dutch university libraries together with Pica, which focuses on integration of existing and new local and central services into one integrated end-user service. Aim of this (sub)project is to establish a common working procedure within each library and between libraries to improve interoperability, exchange of expertise and to provide the basis for combining dispersed collections in a virtual digital library. During the project selection criteria were developed, five scholarly core journals of international reputation and use were selected, an organisation model was developed, costs were estimated, and decided was to work according to a simple hybrid model e.g. microfilming and digitisation of articles: the backfiles will be scanned in 400-600 dpi and made available in PDF, and the tables of contents in HTML. The articles will be catalogued in the central Pica database and are accessible via the Online Contents (OLC) database and PiCarta, an integrated, multimaterial database offering access to online resources and electronic documents. Copyright will be cleared individually with the Dutch publishers. Part of the project is to develop draft license agreements with different kind of publishers. Archiving will be integrated into the DNEP (Deposit of Dutch Electronic Publications) service of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek. THE DELTA PROJECT A group of Dutch University libraries together with Pica, the centre for library automation & online information services decided last year to develop a new generation of integrated services for endusers to enable them to access and use a Virtual Research Library. For this purpose they established a consortium, called DELTA (Dutch Electronic Library Technology Association

Chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ) and bonobos ( Pan paniscus ) quantify split solid objects

Recent research suggests that gorillas' and orangutans' object representations survive cohesion violations (e.g., a split of a solid object into two halves), but that their processing of quantities may be affected by them. We assessed chimpanzees' (Pan troglodytes) and bonobos' (Pan paniscus) reactions to various fission events in the same series of action tasks modelled after infant studies previously run on gorillas and orangutans (Cacchione and Call in Cognition 116:193-203, 2010b). Results showed that all four non-human great ape species managed to quantify split objects but that their performance varied as a function of the non-cohesiveness produced in the splitting event. Spatial ambiguity and shape invariance had the greatest impact on apes' ability to represent and quantify objects. Further, we observed species differences with gorillas performing lower than other species. Finally, we detected a substantial age effect, with ape infants below 6years of age being outperformed by both juvenile/adolescent and adult ape

Health Apps, their Privacy Policies and the GDPR

The healthcare sector traditionally processes large amounts of personal data. Nowadays, medical practice increasingly uses information technologies, such as smartphone applicatons (‘apps’) and wearable devices (e.g. smart watches, smart soles), for treatment plans and information collection. It is inherent to these modern technologies that they generate even more personal data. Some of the apps are developed specifcally for the healthcare sector, some are more general (health) apps. Within the European Union (EU), the processing of these personal data is regulated by the General Data Protecton Regulation (GDPR), which entered into force on 25 May 2018. The GDPR provides controllers and processors with obligations and data subjects with rights. This paper analyses the marketing statements of app providers and the privacy policies of the apps in order to determine whether they are in line with each other and with the GDPR

Processing Purposes

Commercial mobile apps and wearables aiming at health behaviour change are flourishing in the major app stores. These technologies enable people to monitor their own health by using (pressure) sensing technologies that measure vital signs (such as heartrate) and track progress (such as counting steps). The use of these so-called commercial ‘health apps’ within medical practice creates several legal challenges, such as reconciling with data protection laws and principles. Especially because the two major legal frameworks which regulate data protection in Europe, e.g. the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Council of Europe’s Modernised Convention 108 , label these kinds of personal data as a special category of data, also referred to as sensitive data. These data protection regulations further provide that personal data can only be processed for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes. This is referred to as purpose limitation. Therefore, this research offers an analysis of the principle of purpose limitation in European data protection law and examines how privacy policies of health apps deal with this principle in practise so legal obstacles for using commercial health apps in a medical practise can be revealed. Furthermore, lawful ways to handle such obstacles will be discussed. This could increase adoption of commercial apps in clinical practice and affect the development of the next generation of health apps

The role of law in protecting personal data generated by health apps and wearables

Discussions on the development of modern technologies often go hand in hand with questions relating to privacy and data protection. In health care, a similar situation occurs. Traditionally, the health care sector is a very closed and homogenised sector, especially regarding the personal data of patients. The personal data needed for treatment of patients used to stem from the doctor – patient relationship. Nowadays health applications (‘apps’) and wearables are an important part of our contemporary society. As a consequence of the popularity of commercial health apps and wearables, the tried and trusted homogenic structure of health data within a health care setting is subjected to change. Data sources are getting more heterogeneous. The questions regarding the development and use of health apps and wearables do not only impact legislative bodies. Health care institutions grapple with questions on whether they can use commercial health apps and wearables in a medical setting. The question whether they can ‘use’ these apps and wearables for medical diagnosis is not only related to legislation but is also related to technology. All these questions from the different sectors involved is what inspired this PhD thesis. One of the main findings of this research is that the data subjects of whom data are processed have the most to lose, due to the uncertainty that concerns health data protection and the lack of enforcement in practice