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The selection and evaluation of CD‐ROM disks are important steps in the planning of a CD‐ROM facility. The choice of databases depends upon, among other factors, the objectives of the library, the projected use of each disk, and financial considerations. In this article we review the literature that deals with these matters. We begin with what is available on disk selection, via both printed directories and in the journals. We next discuss reported methods of disk evaluation. Finally, we cover existing reviews of various CD‐ROM products.

The purpose of this paper is to review, evaluate and classify the academic research that has been published in facility layout problems (FLPs) and to analyse how researches and practices on FLPs are.

The review is based on 166 papers published from 1953 to 2021 in international peer-reviewed journals. The literature review on FLPs is presented under broader headings of discrete space and continuous space FLPs. The important formulations of FLPs under static and dynamic environments represented in the discrete and continuous space are presented. The articles reported in the literature on various representations of facilities for the continuous space Unequal Area Facility Layout Problems (UA-FLPs) are summarized. Discussed and commented on adaptive and robust approaches for dynamic environment FLPs. Highlighted the application of meta-heuristic solution methods for FLPs of a larger size.

It is found that most of the earlier research adopted the discrete space for the formulation of FLPs. This type of space representation for FLPs mostly assumes an equal area for all facilities. UA-FLPs represented in discrete space yield irregular shape facilities. It is also observed that the recent works consider the UA-FLPs in continuous space. The solution of continuous space UA-FLPs is more accurate and realistic. Some of the recent works on UA-FLPs consider the flexible bay structure (FBS) due to its advantages over the other representations. FBS helps the proper design of aisle structure in the detailed layout plan. Further, the recent articles reported in the literature consider the dynamic environment for both equal and unequal area FLPs to cope with the changing market environment. It is also found that FLPs are Non-deterministic Polynomial-complete problems, and hence, they set the challenges to researchers to develop efficient meta-heuristic methods to solve the bigger size FLPs in a reasonable time.

Due to the extremely large number of papers on FLPs, a few papers may have inadvertently been missed. The facility layout design research domain is extremely vast which covers other areas such as cellular layouts, pick and drop points and aisle structure design. This research review on FLPs did not consider the papers published on cellular layouts, pick and drop points and aisle structure design. Despite the possibility of not being all-inclusive, the authors firmly believe that most of the papers published on FLPs are covered and the general picture presented on various approaches and parameters of FLPs in this paper are precise and trustworthy.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper reviews and classifies the literature on FLPs for the first time under the broader headings of discrete space and continuous space representations. Many important formulations of FLPs under static and dynamic environments represented in the discrete and continuous space are presented. This paper also provides the observations from the literature review and identifies the prospective future directions.

A study was conducted to find out the types of CD products in Nigerian libraries and information centres, and the uses to which they are being put. The study also tried to find out the sources of funding of such products, information about users, hardware configuration, and training facilities available in the country. Of the 157 questionnaires sent out, 85 usable returns (a 54% response rate) were received. The analysis revealed that 44 libraries had at least one PC with only nine of such centres having at least one CDROM workstation. There are 62 copies of 43 CD titles in Nigeria. Information on the discs is classified as bibliographic, full text, statistical, or general information. The subjects they cover in descending numeric order are agriculture, general reference, medicine, science and technology, social sciences, and education. Areas of applications include information retrieval, bibliographic compilations, current awareness services, library acquisition work, and downloading and uploading to local online databases. In general, CD use was minimal in most libraries as opposed to information centres where CD applications were well used by patrons, especially where the mass media was employed to advertise them. Most libraries funded their CD projects with their local budgets. The most frequently used computers are IBM or compatibles. Recommendations are also outlined.

Multiutility tunnel (MUT) has been recognised as a more sustainable method to place underground utilities than the traditional directly buried (DB) method. However, the implementation of MUT is hindered because of high initial construction costs and the difficulty to demonstrate its benefits, especially social benefits that are hard to be quantified. To address the limitation, this paper aims to quantify and compare both economic costs and traveller loss (i.e. an important part of social costs) of the MUT and DB method.

An agent-based model (ABM) is developed, which considers attributes and actions of vehicles, interactions between vehicles and interactions between vehicles and the road network. The ABM is used to estimate traveller loss by comparing traveller time when the MUT and DB method is adopted, respectively. The traveller loss is combined with economic costs to estimate and compare the LCC of the MUT and DB method. To verify the ABM-based approach, it is implemented in an MUT project in Shanghai, China.

Results of the study indicate: (1) When the DB method is adopted, periodic E&Rs cause severe traffic congestion and substantial traveller loss. (2) When traveller loss is not included in the LCC estimation, the DB method has a lower LCC in most scenarios. (3) When traveller loss is included, the relative LCC of MUT and the time it takes to cover the LCC of the MUT and DB method is largely reduced. Thus, when social costs are considered, MUT will bring more benefits than the DB method.

Previous studies on comparing the MUT and DB method focus on investigating economic costs, while other costs, e.g. social costs, are not well addressed quantitatively. Besides, current studies of traveller loss estimation lack consideration of factors such as unique attributes, actions and interactions of vehicles and the network. Hence, this paper applies an ABM-based approach to involve these factors and produce more reliable estimation of traveller loss than existing approaches. Moreover, by integrating traveller loss into LCC analysis, this paper helps to understand the benefits of MUT thus assisting decision-making in selecting utilities placement methods.

This article summarizes the main findings of a survey, undertaken in early 1994, of open access CD‐ROM in British public libraries. The survey examined how well Public Library Authorities (PLAs) were implementing CD‐ROM technology for public use and how well the general public were fairing with CD‐ROMs. The survey was both quantitative and qualitative in nature: current national statistics for CD‐ROM distribution in PLAs were sought, case studies of 13 PLAs who provided open access CD‐ROM were conducted and finally an end‐user survey of 4 of these libraries was undertaken. The principal findings of the survey are as follows. In 1992 only 5% of PLAs provided CD‐ROMs for public use, but by 1994 this figure had risen to 12%. London and English County PLAs had the highest proportion of CD‐ROMs for public use. PLAs with CD‐ROM services were not necessarily the big spending authorities. National newspapers accounted for the majority of CD‐ROMs in use. The main management concerns were lack of adequate user training and documentation. All PLAs wanted to update and expand their CD‐ROM services. This matched one of the main demands from users, which was for more facilities, but PLAs failed to address the users' other main demand ‐ the provision of greater assistance. The predominant user group was young students. Educational institutions played a significant role in training users in the use of CD‐ROMs. Most users searched newspaper and business titles. Finally, there was a high level of user satisfaction with CD‐ROM searching.

We are negotiating all the time: with customers, suppliers, trade unions, our family ‐ indeed, all with whom we come into contact. In business, in particular, negotiation needs management. There are said to be eight stages in negotiation: prepare, argue, signal, propose, present the package, bargain, close and agree. At the proposal stage one must be clear about what one must achieve, what one intends to achieve, and what one would like to achieve. The approach to constructive and competitive negotiation, the role of consultation, how to cope with deadlock and conflict, cross‐cultural negotiation, and the art of compromise are reviewed. The development and use of teams in negotiation is also an important factor, needing careful assessment. Negotiation will nearly always involve conflict, but steps must be taken to ensure that the participants remain on friendly terms.

The popularity of CDROM is due to a number of factors: they are versatile; large amounts of data can be held in a variety of formats; access to information is fast and a variety of user‐friendly search options is offered; and end‐users can use a CDROM with little or no instruction. From the point of view of the library or information service, they can save costs compared to online services both for bills and the need to provide intermediary assistance when online services are used. They are, of course, also space‐saving when compared with their print‐based alternatives. Gunn & Moore (1990) and Oppenheim (1993) provide helpful background on the benefits of CDROM to libraries, and issues that the new medium raises.

Library automation, online access, electronic data interchange, document delivery, CDROMs, multimedia, the Internet and standards are some of the issues that concern libraries and information centres. Evidence shows a positive environment for implementing information technology for both decision‐makers and the IT industry in Malaysia. The application of IT, including the increasing use of Internet and the virtual library concept, has changed users' perceptions and information‐seeking behaviour. It has had a number of impacts on both management and users. Positive government attitudes and the allocation of funds for technological development have enabled an increasing number of libraries to embark on all kinds of IT, all of which have enhanced information storage, retrieval, dissemination and resource sharing. The Tun Abdul Razak Library joined the race by using the only available local software package, and now it is moving fast towards advanced IT applications. This paper attempts to investigate the impact of new technologies on the management of libraries, as well as training in the use of the system. User education is an area that is being undertaken seriously by libraries and information centres. The development in IT and the anticipated setting up of the networking systems are regarded as revolutionary in terms of the actual as well the potential impact on the library management and services.

The purpose of this paper is to advance an understanding of the concept of advice and its relationship to documents, information and knowledge.

A conceptual analysis of a sample of 48 relevant advice studies and two books, directly informed by documentation and information theories, was conducted to find out how researchers have approached advice conceptually since 1940. Further gains in understanding advice came from analyzing its relationship with environmental uncertainty.

Researchers have studied advice in the context of human-human, machine-machine and information and communication technology-intermediated interactions. Advice has been conceptualized and categorized in many different ways. Over time, conceptualizations of advice have broadened and become more general. In this light, it is theorized that advice is as an information object targeted at an unmade decision. This conceptualization of advice permits situated and momentary advice documents. A newly developed content-based framework of advice leads to an advice typology with four content-based categories of best possible advice: correct answers, probabilities, possibilities, and acknowledgments of the unknown.

The refined advice theory, content-based advice framework and related typology of advice contributed here are small steps toward improved clarity about the nature of advice. These findings are limited in their focus to advice theory and advice categorization.

Scholars, practitioners and information system developers may reconsider advice theory and make use of the content-based framework and related advice typology in their work. These contributions will help advice-givers and the developers of advice-giving information systems and advice networks to provide better advice.

This paper fills a need for a clear and straightforward overall conceptualization of advice that accounts for advice documents and is informed by how advice has been previously conceptualized in multiple scientific fields.