Ask the audience! Using a Personal Response System to enhance information literacy and induction sessions at Kingston University

The paper focuses on the use of a Personal Response System (PRS) as a tool for engaging students during initial library induction sessions. The Personal Response system is an interactive tool that is appropriate for a wide range of learning and teaching activities. The PRS works by each student (or group of students) responding to questions or statements using a handset. A virtual library tour created by Kingston University library staff was developed interspersed with the use of the PRS. The paper explores the background to the development of this virtual tour and the use of the PRS in information literacy sessions prior to the introduction in the library induction sessions. It reflects on the advantages of using this technology and the benefits for both staff and students

The synthesis of monodisperse alkanes with long chains

This thesis discusses reasons for the interest in monodisperse long chain alkanes and describes attempts, past and present, to synthesise such molecules. Chapter 1 discusses why the synthesis of such molecules are important and the objectives of this project. Chapter 2 reviews the methods previous groups have devised to prepare pure samples of long chain alkanes. In particular, work carried out by Whiting et al. at Bristol, whose scheme formed the basis of the early work in Durham. Chapter 3 describes the work in Durham and improvements which were made to Whiting's method, allowing the synthesis of longer chain lengths and greater quantities of materials to be achieved. Chapter 4 provides a summary of the practical work carried out by the author. Chapter 5 gives experimental details of the work described in Chapter 4

Women's use and abuse of the news media during the COVID-19 pandemic on Mumsnet.

This article analyses news sources used by women to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic on the UK parenting website Mumsnet. By using a non-political online ‘third space’ aimed at women, Mumsnetters are able to avoid the aggression women face when they attempt to discuss news in the wider public sphere of the Internet. This third space can also act as a ‘trusted friend’, allowing women to access important news via a third party. Mumsnetters’ discussion of the news around COVID-19 complicates previous studies’ findings that women prefer to discuss news relating to health, education and the local community rather than politics and international affairs. Mumsnetters discuss the COVID-19 pandemic as both a health story and a political story. They use mainly digital journalism sources, either directly from the mainstream news media or indirectly via social media such as Twitter, thus participating in a hybrid media system. However, some Mumsnet discussants demonstrate a hostility and distrust towards mainstream news sources, even suggesting collusion between the media and the UK government, which has implications for the clear dissemination of government messages around the pandemic

Linking for influence: Twitter linked content in the Scottish Referendum televised debates.

Twitter, the micro-blogging social media tool, has established a critical role in facilitating social engagement. Its low technical and economic barriers to uptake provide a readily accessible forum for public engagement with events such as televised political debates, and in this context provides a 'backchannel' to mainstream media, allowing users to comment on and engage in debates. Most recently during the 2014 Scottish Referendum, Twitter was used extensively by both 'Better Together' (pro-Unionist) and 'Yes' (pro-independence) campaigners. The aim of this research was to develop an understanding of the linked content present in tweets sent during three televised debates on the issue of Scottish Independence. Analysis of the linked content shows a broad subject proximity to the topics under discussion during the debates, but highlights the lack of specificity in relation to the peaks and troughs of Twitter traffic during the debates. The paper also highlights the use made of links to a variety of resources such as the mainstream media as well as more informal sources including user-generated image and video content to support political viewpoints, and argues that, while the use of such content is beneficial in terms of unifying perspectives, supporter activism and the gratification of the social need for connectivity, it does not act to convert political opinion

Saying the unsayable: the online expression of mothers' anger during a pandemic.

This article investigates key triggers for mothers' anger during the COVID-19 pandemic and some of the positive and negative consequences of its expression online. It uses the UK online parenting forum Mumsnet as a research context and source of data. Our findings support previous research into mothers' anger during COVID-19 that suggests that the pandemic has both exacerbated longstanding sources of conflict and created new ones within their homes. This anger is frequently repressed because women need to continue to work and cohabit with the colleagues and family members who have caused this anger. However, we also identify a further trigger for mothers' anger – their frustration at the government's perceived inaction and mis- or even dis-information about the pandemic. This anger can be exacerbated by mainstream media reports and also the sharing of suspicions and complaints on online forums such as Mumsnet. Mumsnet therefore offers a safe space for the venting of women's anger during lockdown, but also a place where feelings of anger can be perpetuated and perhaps even aroused

The road not taken: locating desire lines across information landscapes.

Introduction. - The concept of desire lines is defined, contextualised and explored within the area of information landscapes. The paper problematises the existence of desire lines in relation to research which has been conducted with various refugee groups. Method. - The concept of desire lines is expanded and linked to the library and information science field by drawing from the authors empirical research projects and from the scant literature from geography, urban planning and from a social theory. Conclusion. - The concept of desire lines contributes to the nascent research area of fractured information landscapes and offers a way of understanding how information landscapes are shaped when people are resettling into a new setting. While the work presented in an emerging conceptualisation, the authors also believe there is potential to conceptualise the rebuilding of landscapes as an occurrence within any transitionary environment (e.g. starting a job, moving to a new country, or transitioning from university to work)

The best of both worlds: highlighting the synergies of combining manual and automatic knowledge organization methods to improve information search and discovery.

Research suggests organizations across all sectors waste a significant amount of time looking for information and often fail to leverage the information they have. In response, many organizations have deployed some form of enterprise search to improve the 'findability' of information. Debates persist as to whether thesauri and manual indexing or automated machine learning techniques should be used to enhance discovery of information. In addition, the extent to which a knowledge organization system (KOS) enhances discoveries or indeed blinds us to new ones remains a moot point. The oil and gas industry was used as a case study using a representative organization. Drawing on prior research, a theoretical model is presented which aims to overcome the shortcomings of each approach. This synergistic model could help to re-conceptualize the 'manual' versus 'automatic' debate in many enterprises, accommodating a broader range of information needs. This may enable enterprises to develop more effective information and knowledge management strategies and ease the tension between what arc often perceived as mutually exclusive competing approaches. Certain aspects of the theoretical model may be transferable to other industries, which is an area for further research

Enterprise search and discovery capability: the factors and generative mechanisms for user satisfaction.

Many organizations are re-creating the 'Google-like' experience behind their firewall to exploit their information. However, surveys show dissatisfaction with enterprise search is commonplace. No prior study has investigated unsolicited user feedback from an enterprise search user interface to understand the underlying reasons for dissatisfaction. A mixed methods longitudinal study was undertaken analysing feedback from over 1,000 users and interviewing search service staff in a multinational corporation. Results show that 62% of dissatisfaction events were due to human (information & search literacy) rather than technology factors. Cognitive biases and the 'Google Habitus' influence expectations and information behaviour, and are postulated as deep underlying generative mechanisms. The current literature focuses on 'structure' (technology and information quality) as the reason for enterprise search satisfaction, agency (search literacy) appears downplayed. Organizations which emphasise 'systems thinking' and bimodal approaches towards search strategy and information behaviour may improve capabilities

Creating sparks: comparing search results using discriminatory search term word co-occurrence to facilitate serendipity in the enterprise.

Categories or tags that appear in faceted search interfaces which are representative of an information item, rarely convey unexpected or non-obvious associated concepts buried within search results. No prior research has been identified which assesses the usefulness of discriminative search term word co-occurrence to generate facets to act as catalysts to facilitate insightful and serendipitous encounters during exploratory search. In this study, 53 scientists from two organisations interacted with semi-interactive stimuli, 74% expressing a large/moderate desire to use such techniques within their workplace. Preferences were shown for certain algorithms and colour coding. Insightful and serendipitous encounters were identified. These techniques appear to offer a significant improvement over existing approaches used within the study organisations, providing further evidence that insightful and serendipitous encounters can be facilitated in the search user interface. This research has implications for organisational learning, knowledge discovery and exploratory search interface design

What have we learned so far? The development and application of an organisational learning narrative.

The use of narratives and stories has been growing in popularity in the field of knowledge management. Narratives may be used as useful vehicles for several knowledge-based activities within organisational (and other) contexts. These include acquiring and sharing knowledge in the form of personal experiences; the storage of explicit knowledge; and significantly, the development of personal knowledge and understanding through the use of narratives for sense-making. This paper presents research into the development and application of a method for the construction of a 'learning narrative': an organisational narrative developed for the specific purpose of sharing experiential knowledge. The paper presents a rationale for the use of narratives within knowledge management; details a methodological approach for the development of learning narratives; and highlights a number of benefits of the use of learning narratives, notably their use in sustaining and enhancing the quality of project-based work