The politics of promoting freedom of information and expression in international librarianship : the IFLA / FAIFE Project. Alex Byrne.

The politics of promoting freedom of information and expression in international librarianship : the IFLA / FAIFE Project. Alex Byrne

Knowledge management: an introduction

Knowledge management: an introductio

Cleaners don’t need computers : bridging the digital divide in the workplace

Purpose: To report the findings of research into the extent and impact of restricted access by specific groups of staff to ICT-based communications in UK Further and Higher Education Institutions. Design / methodology / approach: An exploratory approach combining quantitative and qualitative methods. A questionnaire survey was distributed to all HEFCE-funded institutions in the UK. Six institutions acted as case study sites for in-depth qualitative investigation using documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews. Findings: Lack of hardware and network infrastructure posed less of a barrier than lack of ICT skills, lack of motivation either to use computers or to gain ICT skills, and line manager resistance to staff using computers or accessing ICT training in work time. Job function was the factor most associated with lack of access, with cleaning, catering and estates staff least likely to have access. However, there were also many examples of good practice to extend staff access, particularly with regard to ICT training. The research concludes that one of the main concerns for institutions is to ‘win the hearts and minds’ of non-desk staff and their managers. The development of an institutional communication strategy is identified as being of critical importance. Research limitations / implications: Provides a ‘snapshot’ of the prevailing situation at the point of data collection rather than a longitudinal insight into developments in access over time. Originality / value of the paper: The first comprehensive analysis of staff access to ICT in UK further and higher education. In addition to highlighting examples of good practice for dissemination across the sector, the research provides information about gaps in provision to inform the targeting of future initiatives

Big data analysis of public library operations and services by using the Chernoff face method

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conduct a big data analysis of public library operations and services of two cities in two countries by using the Chernoff face method. Design/methodology/approach – The study is designed to evaluate library services by analysing the Chernoff face. Big data on public libraries in London and Seoul were collected respectively from CIPFA and the Korean government’s website for drawing a Chernoff face. The association of variables and human facial features was decided by survey. Although limited in its capacity to handle a large number of variables (eight were analysed in this study) the Chernoff face method does readily allow for the comparison of a large number of instances of analysis. 58 Chernoff faces were drawn from the formatted data by using the R programming language. Findings – The study reveals that most of the local governments in London perform better than those of Seoul. This consequence is due to the fact that local governments in London operate more libraries, invest more budgets, allocate more staff and hold more collections than local governments in Seoul. This administration resulted in more use of libraries in London than Seoul. The study validates the benefit of using the Chernoff face method for big data analysis of library services. Practical implications – Chernoff face method for big data analysis offers a new evaluation technique for library services and provides insights that may not be as readily apparent and discernible using more traditional analytical methods. Originality/value – This study is the first to use the Chernoff face method for big data analysis of library services in library and information research

The role of tacit knowledge sharing in national sales companies

The role of tacit knowledge sharing in national sales companie

Finding the grey in the blue : transparency and disclosure in teaching

Police services have traditionally valued the ability to work without ongoing public scrutiny of their investigations and operations. They can very reasonably cite the need to avoid alerting criminals to police activities that might result in their arrest and charging with offences, the need to protect police and witness safety, and the frequent need to act swiftly and decisively without obtaining special approval from relevant authorities or endorsement from public opinion. This necessary lack of disclosure concerning many police operations has often extended into a general lack of transparency regarding police activities and expenditures, to the extent that, in many countries, the police services are regarded as unaccountable and unconcerned with how public opinion perceives them. In such a climate, police corruption and arbitrary exercise of police power flourishes. This paper addresses the creation of a policing environment radically different from this through the introduction of transparency into policing in the UK and the consequent revelation of layers of grey documentation and data. The paper makes use of official documentation and case studies of selected British police forces to show how the culture of policing is being changed. The principles of open government, scrutiny, and disclosure with a view to establishing accountability, are in the process of becoming institutionalised in the UK right across government, local government, other ‘public authorities’ and the business and nongovernmental organisation (NGO) sectors. The UK Human Rights Act 1998 sets the context, and a legal framework for this transparency is provided by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and, to some extent, the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. The press and civil society are consistently using these mechanisms to call those with political and economic power to account. It has become apparent, even in sectors formerly as concerned with avoiding openness as the police service, that pro-active disclosure is the best way to meet public expectations. Police services now respond as a matter of course to freedom of information requests, organise a range of meetings to provide information and answer questions (from local officers’ meetings with community groups through to major budget consultative meetings with citizens’ panels), and participate in public and semi-public enquiries into aspects of the success or failure of police programmes and operations. The case studies in this paper will explore the opinions of key players in this process and draw attention to the grey information that is becoming available as a consequence

Healthcare personnel's use of e-information sources in Riyadh governmental hospitals

ICT has enabled a wide dissemination of information and a sharp increase in the magnitude of electronic information sources. The use of e-information sources by healthcare personnel within Saudi Arabia has received little research attention. This paper discusses the use of e-information sources by healthcare personnel in the kingdom. A questionnaire with open-ended questions was designed to collect data from eleven governmental hospitals and health centres in Riyadh. It identified a range of problems and obstacles that impact on the use of electronic information sources. The identification of these difficulties opens the way for development and improvement of the current situation

ICT in the workplace: access for all or digital divide?

The paper presents the findings of research into the extent and impact of restricted access to ICT based communications for specific groups of staff in UK further and higher education organisations. Educational institutions disseminate key corporate information internally via email, intranets and Virtual Learning Environments. However, the extent to which access to electronic communications is available to all personnel within such institutions in the UK has not previously been established. The research arose from a concern that a significant proportion of staff were being routinely excluded from access, thus perpetuating and extending existing inequalities among personnel and creating a digital divide between the ‘information rich’ and the ‘information poor’. A questionnaire survey was used to quantify the extent of restrictions on staff access across the sector, whilst case study research was used to conduct a qualitative analysis of its impact on individuals and institutions. The findings indicate that lack of hardware and network infrastructure pose less of a barrier to access than does lack of ICT skills, lack of motivation either to use computers or to gain ICT skills, and line manager resistance to staff using computers or accessing ICT training in work time. Job function was the factor most associated with lack of access, with cleaning, catering and estates staff least likely to have access. However, there were also examples identified of effective practice in extending the range of personnel with access and ensuring inclusive communication with all personnel. These insights into good practice should be transferable to a wide range of workplace contexts

Police and media relations in an era of Freedom of Information

Changes to how police forces in England and Wales are working to manage their public image in an environment of heightened accountability and transparency are explored. The locus of control of information shaping the portrayal of the police in the news media is discussed, as is the impact of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The findings from case studies of two police forces in the East Midlands are reported. The case studies indicate that, whilst police and media co-operation is not a new phenomenon, UK police forces are becoming increasingly proactive, strategic and professionalized in their use of the news media. For their part, the media are dependent on the news ‘fed’ to them on a regular basis by police press relations units. Nevertheless, thanks in particular to their use of the FOIA 2000, the media continue to play a role as independent watchdog and reporter of police activity

Exploring the attitudes, experiences and dynamics of interaction in online groups

The aim of this research was to improve understanding of the attitudes, experiences and dynamics of interaction of students working in online groups. This was achieved through a case study of postgraduate Information Studies students using the WebCT discussion board at City University in the academic year 2004-2005. Qualitative and quantitative methods were employed in combination including questionnaires, interviews, document analysis and discussion board analysis. The latter method involved adapting an existing content analysis framework. The findings highlight the significance of group member participation, collegiality and familiarity among group members. Students enjoyed working in online groups and found the discussion board useful, but often gave preference to other communication methods. Lecturer presence in online groups was found to be important to students, but interaction on the group discussion board was mostly student-centred. Provision of non-referential topic-related information, opinion and solidarity were the most common types of interaction