Public libraries, arts and cultural policy in the UK

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Purpose: Public libraries in the UK are increasingly expected to provide arts activities and events as part of their usual operations. This paper summarizes recent policy trends in this direction from both the perspective of libraries' and the arts sector. A touring theatre project aimed at children and families is discussed in further detail to examine some of the outcomes of these policies. Design/Methodology/Approach: The paper will present a brief history of policy developments and debate in this area. Mixed method findings from the research element of 'Among Ideal Friends' (AIF) will be discussed, having used surveys and interviews with audiences and librarians, geodemographic profiling, box office records and library card data. Findings: Public funding across both libraries and the arts has decreased at a national and local level, though both sectors are encouraged to work together to share expertise and community knowledge. Costs and benefits of the project are presented and while the holistic view is broadly positive, the return to any specific agency or stakeholder group less certain. Practical implications: Public libraries can see the results and challenges of a successful touring theatre project for consideration in their own activity planning, especially those related to families and younger users. Social implications: Libraries and Arts organisations have different priorities in regards to these areas. Though co-operative, the situation is not without tension. The topic is illustrative of some wider debates around cultural value, participation and ‘cultural democracy’. Originality/value: This paper offers a timely discussion of cultural policy in relation to libraries, eg: The Society of Chief Librarians 'Universal Cultural Offer' (October 2017)

Beyond the Organizing Model: The Transformation Process in Local Unions

[Excerpt] The ideological foundations of traditional U.S. trade unionism have been called into question by world and domestic events. The post-World War II labor movement, founded on a social truce with capital and the apparent inevitability of a rising living standard, has hit a bulkhead-piercing iceberg of dramatic proportions. The global economy, economic restructuring, deregulation, and privatization have wrought destruction on U.S. unions. In the wake of this devastation, it has become common, even for union leaders, to define unionism in objectively negative terms (e.g., without a union, you have no protection from arbitrary management). As a movement, we have offered little in the way of a comprehensive explanation of what we stand for. The upheaval has forced new questions and problems to the surface and has set the stage for an internal debate about the future. The dialogue has included little that is fundamentally new. There have always been disagreements over labor strategy and tactics, the relationship of unions to capital, and the appropriate form of organization for the labor movement. This debate has taken on new urgency since the mid-1980s, however, and has concentrated on whether there is a viable alternative to the prevailing form of business unionism, which appears to be leading workers nowhere

Overcoming Obstacles to Transformation: Challenges on the Way to a New Unionism

[Excerpt] The change to organizing requires more than a shift in resources. It is difficult to imagine a sustained commitment to organizing at the grass roots unless locals have the tools, skills, and strategic perspective necessary to mount successful organizing campaigns. Ultimately the commitment to building the labor movement inherent in the organizing priority challenges unions to alter organizational cultures that are often deeply imbued with traditional and conservative approaches to trade unionism. The struggle to succeed at organizing, to maintain representation, and to alter union culture is forcing national unions to define their role in this process and to reassess their relationships with locals. A key objective of the research reported here is to help clarify the issues at stake in the process of the change to organizing at the local level. Although there are few definitive answers, the experiences of locals struggling with the realities of juggling organizing and representational responsibilities should guide the search for sustainable conversion

Simulating the aerodynamic performance and wake dynamics of a vertical-axis wind turbine

The accurate prediction of the aerodynamics and performance of vertical-axis wind turbines is essential if their design is to be improved but poses a signifi cant challenge to numerical simulation tools. The cyclic motion of the blades induces large variations in the angle of attack of the blades that can manifest as dynamic stall. In addition, predicting the interaction between the blades and the wake developed by the rotor requires a high-fi delity representation of the vortical structures within the fl ow fi eld in which the turbine operates. The aerodynamic performance and wake dynamics of a Darrieus-type vertical-axis wind turbine consisting of two straight blades is simulated using Brown’s Vorticity Transport Model. The predicted variation with azimuth of the normal and tangential force on the turbine blades compares well with experimental measurements. The interaction between the blades and the vortices that are shed and trailed in previous revolutions of the turbine is shown to have a signifi cant effect on the distribution of aerodynamic loading on the blades. Furthermore, it is suggested that the disagreement between experimental and numerical data that has been presented in previous studies arises because the blade–vortex interactions on the rotor were not modelled with sufficient fidelity

High Specification Offshore Blades: Work Package: 1B: Blades Design

This report outlines the current state of the art in offshore wind turbine blade aerodynamic design, along with the key technical limitations and possible technologies which may improve the aerodynamic design of blades and turbine rotors in the future. It is suggested that there are three principal areas in which aerodynamic improvements can be made to the design of offshore wind turbine systems: improved rotor system and blade tip design for operation at higher tip speeds, optimisation of wind farm design to alleviate aerodynamic interactions between individual turbines, and the aerodynamic feasibility of using structural mode coupling to achieve pitch and/or stall control of the loads on blades

Father-inclusive practice and associated professional competencies

Fathers\u27 roles have changed in recent years to include more care of their children. Services are, as a result, looking for ways to recruit and involve fathers. Incorporating fathers into established family-related services, however, has not proved to be straightforward. Everything from publicity, opening hours, referral procedures and staff training has required rethinking or reviewing. This paper explores the research relating to fathers\u27 involvement with children and the evidence of effective practice for including fathers in health, education and welfare services. Factors that may influence fathers\u27 involvement with services are reported and the competence of practitioners to engage with fathers when they do come into contact with the services are discussed. Richard Fletcher is the team leader for the Engaging Fathers Research Program, Family Action Centre, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, NSW

Fungicide resistance among Cladobotryum spp. – causal agents of cobweb disease of the edible mushroom Agaricus bisporus

A survey of fungicide resistance among isolates of the mushroom pathogens Cladobotryum mycophilum and C. dendroides Types I and II was undertaken, with respect to the active ingredients thiabendazole, carbendazim (benzimidazoles) and prochloraz manganese following an epidemic in Britain and Ireland in 1994/95. The majority of isolates (41/57) were strongly resistant to thiabendazole (ED50 > 200 ppm) and were exclusively C. dendroides Type II. All C. mycophilum and C. dendroides Type I isolates, and four C. dendroides Type II isolates, were weakly resistant to thiabendazole (ED50 1–10 ppm). Thiabendazole-resistant C. dendroides Type II isolates were only weakly resistant to carbendazim (ED50 2–10 ppm) and isolates which were weakly resistant to thiabendazole were carbendazim-sensitive (ED50 < 1 ppm), demonstrating a lack of complete cross resistance between these two benzimidazole fungicides. The ED50 values for all isolates with respect to prochloraz manganese ranged from 0.14 to 7.8 ppm. Benzimidazole resistance was considered to have been an important factor influencing the severity of the 1994/95 cobweb epidemic but 25% of isolates collected were benzimidazole sensitive