lis‐link is the primary electronic discussion forum for the Library and Information Science (LIS) community in the UK. The list has been active since May 1991, and now has a…
Abstract
lis‐link is the primary electronic discussion forum for the Library and Information Science (LIS) community in the UK. The list has been active since May 1991, and now has a membership of over 2500 individuals, generating over 3000 messages annually. This article examines the historical origins of the list, the purpose and community it serves, and illustrates the development of lis‐link over time.
Alfred Vella, Lynne Dunckley, Andrew Smith and Andrew Williamson
Discusses some related developments in software quality, one in the methodology of user‐centred design and one in the process of continuous assessment. The Taguchi method of…
Abstract
Discusses some related developments in software quality, one in the methodology of user‐centred design and one in the process of continuous assessment. The Taguchi method of experimental design is being used to improve the quality of user interfaces. A new methodology of user interface design (LUCID) is being developed, which promises to produce a quantum improvement in the quality of such interfaces. Describes a major survey of quality auditors in the UK which aimed to discover the differences between what the ISO 9000 family of standards claim to be measuring, what the auditor actually measures and what they claim are signs of good quality. Reports on the findings of a Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) sponsored project in which Cranfield University, the British Standards Institution and ICL looked at the issues involved in remote auditing of quality management systems.
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Awareness and implementation of appropriate quality assurance procedures at each stage in the process of digital preservation is vital for achieving the goals of long‐term access…
Abstract
Awareness and implementation of appropriate quality assurance procedures at each stage in the process of digital preservation is vital for achieving the goals of long‐term access and integrity of electronic information, and maximising the return on the high levels of investment being made in digital preservation. This paper outlines the four stages of quality assurance within the digitisation process suggested in the UK by the JISC QA Focus, and identifies issues to be considered at each stage.
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With heavy ongoing investment in the creation, storage and delivery of electronic content, it is important to consider the long‐term preservation of the resources produced.
Abstract
Purpose
With heavy ongoing investment in the creation, storage and delivery of electronic content, it is important to consider the long‐term preservation of the resources produced.
Design/methodology/approach
A viewpoint paper based on extensive practitioner experience with the management of digitisation, digital preservation, and quality assurance procedures.
Findings
The choice of file and media formats for the content can have a significant effect on long‐term access to electronic content.
Practical implications
Gives some useful insights on some of the issues surrounding the choice of open or proprietary formats. The paper also examines some of the pitfalls of a proprietary approach and suggests some strategies that might be employed for managing digital content formats in the long‐term.
Originality/value
An attempt to provide clear, experience based strategies on how best to engage in the long‐term management of digital content formats.
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The purpose of this article is to examine “first time use” (FTU) name headings in the context of outsourced authorities processing and NACO participation, with consideration given…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to examine “first time use” (FTU) name headings in the context of outsourced authorities processing and NACO participation, with consideration given to workflow and management issues in cataloging operations, and to the concept of achieving authority control in a catalog.
Design/methodology/approach
For this study, a report was produced from an integrated library system of 295 “headings used for first time” (FTU) on one day in a month during which more than 10,000 bibliographic records were cataloged system‐wide. Of these FTU headings, 100 were from fields used for author names (field 1xx, 7xx) in 80 bibliographic records. This represents a snapshot of FTU headings rather than a random sample but is typical of reports from this system. Issues addressed include FTU headings as errors; matching of bibliographic headings to existing authority records in the LC/NACO national file; and the need for NACO contribution when the heading has no supporting authority record.
Findings
Describes “first time use” headings in relation to bibliographic records cataloged (original or copy, language, etc.) and the match rate of about two‐thirds of the headings to existing authority records in the international LC/NACO authority file by the authorities processing vendor. This is a slight increase over time, assumed to be due to the growth of the NACO program. Approximately one‐third of the name headings are candidates for authority records via NACO.
Research limitations/implications
The sample size was small but findings are similar to related research, for example regarding match rate of headings on bibliographic records to the LC/NACO authority file. However, there is no agreed‐upon benchmark with respect to this match rate. The questions remain about the need for all headings to have authority records and what constitutes a given catalog being “under authority control.”
Practical implications
Similar academic libraries likely can depend on authorities processing vendors to deliver matching name authority records for about two‐thirds of headings and also expect that approximately one‐third of name headings will lack authority records. If not a NACO participant, locally created authority records might be a choice. For NACO members, administrative decisions about workflow and authority record creation are needed. The resulting utility of the catalog, if matching authority records are included in the system, is a factor that should be considered.
Originality/value
This paper reports findings regarding authority records for name headings in relation to vendor processing of bibliographic records and subsequent catalog utility if matching authority records are founding the LC/NACO file and used in the system. The concept of establishing a benchmark for a satisfactory “match rate” of headings to existing authority records and for a catalog that may be said to be under authority control is raised.
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So far as the various British Food and Drugs Acts are concerned, the meaning of “sophistication” or “adulteration,” which includes “substitution,” is now very wide.
This article discusses the use of computer‐mediated communication (CMC) within the library and information world and suggests that participation in “virtual communities” may…
Abstract
This article discusses the use of computer‐mediated communication (CMC) within the library and information world and suggests that participation in “virtual communities” may become an increasingly significant dimension of information work. Participation in “virtual community” can, for instance, be related to the delivery of a variety of services to users within all sectors, to computer‐supported collaborative work within information services, and to both informal and formal activities for professional updating, learning and development. The article identifies some concepts and issues in these areas as a means of introducing the papers in the VINE 109, which each address aspects of the “virtual community” topic.
Purpose – As corporations and capital markets become more global, it is increasingly important to understand the differences in corporate governance practices.Approach – This…
Abstract
Purpose – As corporations and capital markets become more global, it is increasingly important to understand the differences in corporate governance practices.
Approach – This chapter provides a framework for the implementation of corporate governance that can be used globally for study and adaptation. It also describes three corporate governance systems (Anglo-American, Communitarian, and Emerging Markets) and provides an analysis and comparison of how the framework for corporate governance is applied differently, and how success should be evaluated differently, in these three systems. Lastly, it considers the possibility of convergence toward a global system of corporate governance.
Practical implications – There is significant heterogeneity in corporate governance worldwide but there are universal aspects, such as roles, responsibilities, inputs, and processes, which result in effective corporate governance. Understanding the similarities and differences enables researchers and managers to work with multiple systems in different countries where corporations and stakeholders have varying objectives, structures, and internal and external determinants.
Value of chapter – This chapter presents a comparison of the three systems that is critical for further study of global practices. Additionally, the internal and external determinants that impact the varying corporate governance systems are analyzed to more carefully consider the performance measures that account for differences in objectives, motivations, and performance.
John Pitts and Malcolm Stevens
This paper seeks to consider the youth justice system from a custody perspective.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to consider the youth justice system from a custody perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents the recent history of the secure estate and youth justice in England and Wales, arguing that the present system is far too large, complex and costly and contains perverse incentives to place vulnerable young people in low‐cost but dangerously inappropriate settings.
Findings
The paper argues that the present, labyrinthine arrangements, which are in large part, a product of political posturing and administrative and fiscal expediency, have produced a system that is too large and in which most institutional regimes are unresponsive to the needs of these children and, as a result, fail to achieve their rehabilitative objectives.
Originality/value
It is contended that if existing child care and criminal justice legislation were fully implemented, and policy and practice were aligned with international children's rights conventions, we would see a greater emphasis on prevention and diversion at the “front end” of the system and “regime change” at the “back end”.
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The multidivisional form is the favored form of organization for the large firms that dominate the American economy. This study takes up the causes of the dissemination of that…
Abstract
The multidivisional form is the favored form of organization for the large firms that dominate the American economy. This study takes up the causes of the dissemination of that form among large firms from 1919 to 1979. Five theories are initially proposed as possible explanations for the changes observed and these theories are operationalized and tested. The model that seems most consistent with the data emphasizes the ability of key actors to alter structure under three circumstances: when the firm has a product-related or -unrelated strategy (which is consistent with Chandler's, 1962 theorizing); when the corporate presidents have a background in sales or finance; and when other firms in the industry alter their structures. The implications of these results for theories of organizational change are discussed with special reference to the importance of conceiving how actors operate with varying rationalities in this process.