Beyond The Book: Promoting Effective Research

In the past library professionals have primarily collected and provided access to materials; however, this paper will argue that we must now go beyond access or Beyond the Book. One way to do this is to learn about the information search process and then assume a new and more assertive role as a research advisor. We need to change our patrons \u27expectations so that they see us as knowledgeable about sources, yes, but also as experts on effective research as a process of discovery. Three relevant information search process models are covered, as well as the way people vary in their learning styles and thus approaches to research

Mixed-initiative control of intelligent systems

Mixed-initiative user interfaces provide a means by which a human operator and an intelligent system may collectively share the task of deciding what to do next. Such interfaces are important to the effective utilization of real-time expert systems as assistants in the execution of critical tasks. Presented here is the Incremental Inference algorithm, a symbolic reasoning mechanism based on propositional logic and suited to the construction of mixed-initiative interfaces. The algorithm is similar in some respects to the Truth Maintenance System, but replaces the notion of 'justifications' with a notion of recency, allowing newer values to override older values yet permitting various interested parties to refresh these values as they become older and thus more vulnerable to change. A simple example is given of the use of the Incremental Inference algorithm plus an overview of the integration of this mechanism within the SPECTRUM expert system for geological interpretation of imaging spectrometer data

Influence and Power: The Types of Authority in the Process of Scripturalization

Many scholars recognize the importance of authority in the process of scripturalization. The presence of words like “authority” and “au- thoritative” in definitions of the term “scripture” is ubiquitous. Many also identify authoritative status for a text as an important step on the way toward it becoming scripture. However, “authority” and the words that derived from it are ill-defined in most studies. Even when the term and its synonyms are defined, there is little empirical evidence for the type of reception described. Further, there is hardly any recognition of the various ways in which a text can be seen as authoritative (historically accurate, politically expedient, di- vinely inspired, etc.). This paper attempts to fill this gap in our knowledge by looking to ancient testimonies, which explicitly describe the reception of texts in order to discern the varieties of ways a text might be recognized as a nota- ble source

The LXX Myth and the Rise of Textual Fixity

This brief study investigates the desire for a fixed textual form as it pertains to scripture in the Judean tradition. It particularly delves into this phenomenon in three early versions of the Septuagint origin myth. is paper argues that this myth is invaluable for the study of transmission and reception of scripture, as it is one of the earliest testimonies to the desire for a scriptural text to be frozen. By highlighting the ways the author of the Letter of Aristeas, Philo, and Josephus deal with the issue of textual fixity in the origin myth, this study aims to elucidate the range of opinions held by Judeans concerning the process of transmission of their holy books