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Patient and user involvement is central to current government thinking on the NHS. More comprehensive approaches to organised community participation and community development have received less support and examples of effective and genuine participation in key areas such as primary care decision‐making are rare. The initiative described in this paper was established in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1995 to promote community participation in decision‐making about local health services. It has particular relevance to current concerns about addressing social exclusion and tackling health inequalities since it operates in an area of social disadvantage with a significant black and ethnic minority population (6 percent). This case study is based on an independent evaluation which used multiple research methods, including interviews, questionnaire surveys and direct observation, to assess the project’s practice and impact. Describes a community development approach to public participation. An emphasis on inclusive practices has facilitated meaningful involvement of minority groups such as ethnic minority residents and those with disabilities who tend to be marginalised in public debate. Argues that the project has made a significant impact on the ways in which local health services are planned and delivered.

Purpose – This chapter focuses on notions of community as related to the discourse around “community living” for people with labels of developmental disabilities, especially as they emerged during and after deinstitutionalization. Following Foucault, this chapter asks whether institutionalization and community living should be conceived of as two separate epochs or as governed by similar logic. The second focus of the chapter is in the ways notions of “community” were evoked by various stakeholders such as parents of children with labels of mental retardation, professionals in the field of developmental disability, and those of formerly institutionalized peoples themselves.

Methodology/approach – This chapter employs the methodological aspects of the work of Michel Foucault and constructs a genealogy of notions of community in relation to deinstitutionalization and the field of developmental disabilities.

Findings – “Community” has been discursively produced in several forms: as a binary opposite of “institution,” as a set of human relationships, and as a paradigm shift in relation to the way developmental disabilities should be conceptualized. It remains unclear whether we have truly moved from an institutional model to a “community-based” model for those with developmental disabilities.

Originality/value of the chapter – Reconceptualizing deinstitutionalization and community living as discursive formations aids in the understanding of the difference between abolition of institutionalization as a mindset and other formulations of the concept of “community” in the field of developmental disabilities.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an in‐depth discussion of reference tools in the virtual world of Second Life.

A description is given of the scripted functions employed by the author, a community virtual library reference desk volunteer of three years.

The paper finds that each tool can meet the information needs of community virtual library patrons.

The paper reveals that reference desk tool programs that run in the virtual world have implications for real world reference desks of the future.

The chapter provides an overview of the book and addresses the rationale for the selection of cases reflecting teaching and research in major areas of SDG14. For example, the impact of increasing global sea temperature, ocean acidification, and pollution on aquatic life and biosciences. Fisheries and aquaculture for seafood and marine ingredients and marine protected areas (MPAs) that favour the assemblage of fish, crustaceans, alga, coral, and mussels to enhance and stimulate biodiversity. New products derived from marine biotechnology are viewed to conserve and sustainably use the seas and oceans whilst promoting wealth creation and employment. Marine parks allow scientists to better study the marine environment and explore sustainable balances between tourism, work, and recreation in harmony with the Life Below Water – SDG14 mandate. Finally, the aspects of governance and roles of stakeholders and societal involvement are advocated in achieving the safe and effective use of marine resources. Throughout, the role of higher education in providing educated scientists and multidisciplinary specialists for future generations to come is highlighted.

Much of what Age Concern Isle of Man, a core partner in the Tell Me Project, does is about giving older people a voice: a voice in government, in the media and in the third (voluntary) sector. The Tell Me Project is also about giving older people a voice; one that is being heard and recorded for posterity to make an invaluable contribution to a unique social history of the Isle of Man. This is an intergenerational education project through which the older generation can unlock and share their memories with young people; a project bridging the gap between generations, demonstrating that the young and the not‐so‐young have much to share and learn from each other, and helping fulfil Age Concern Isle of Man's mission: ‘to create an age‐friendly society where every older person counts’.

Our nation at last seems to be rousing herself to put forth her full strength, and the organisation of industry is receiving at the hands of the new National Government no less attention than the armies that are springing into being under the magnificent direction of the new Knight of the Garter, Lord Kitchener. Hearts are beating high with hope and determination to help in every way possible in this vast effort to uphold the right, and the call comes afresh to each one of us to do everything in our power at this time of National need. In the present number we gladly publish more names of comrades who have joined the forces, but could wish they were still more numerous. Are there not others who can and who will join the noble army of heroes prepared to face the enemy in the field for faith and Motherland?

There is currently a focus on using networks to drive school and school system improvement. To achieve such benefits, however, requires school leaders actively support the mobilisation of networked-driven innovations. One promising yet under-researched approach to mobilisation is enabling distributed leadership to flourish. To provide further insight in this area, this paper explores how the leaders involved in one professional learning network (the Hampshire Research Learning Network) employed a distributed approach to mobilise networked learning activity in order to build professional capital.

A mixed methods approach was used to develop a case study of the Hampshire RLN . Fieldwork commenced with in-depth semi-structured interviews with all school leaders of schools participating in the network and other key participating teachers (12 interviews in total). A bespoke social network survey was then administered to schools (41 responses). The purpose of the survey was to explore types of RLN-related interaction undertaken by teachers and how teachers were using the innovations emerging from the RLN within their practice.

Data indicate that models of distributed leadership that actively involves staff in decisions about what innovations to adopt and how to adopt them are more successful in ensuring teachers across networks: (1) engage with innovations; (2) explore how new practices can be used to improve teaching and learning and (3) continue to use/refine practices in an ongoing way.

Correspondingly we argue these findings point to a promising approach to system improvement and add valuable insight to a relatively understudied area.