Describes the considerations taken into account when designing new buildings and how these shaped the design of two new academic libraries in San Diego. Following the principles…
Abstract
Describes the considerations taken into account when designing new buildings and how these shaped the design of two new academic libraries in San Diego. Following the principles that each library should serve its unique group of users; that the surrounding campus or site should influence the design; and that the new building should add to its campus or neighbourhood, the architects produced two very different library buildings. As part of a suburban campus‐based community college, Mesa College Learning Resource Center serves a large student body studying a wide range of subjects, and has been designed as a complex abstract composition of energetic forms in raw concrete. In contrast, California Western School of Law Library is on a small city campus and focuses on educating postgraduate law students. The new Library is described as a refined building of classical proportions and subtle detail. Gives details of both the interiors and exteriors of the two libraries and discusses how successful they have been in terms of meeting the differing needs of their users.
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The Carmel Mountain Ranch Library was completed in San Diego, California, to high expectations and enthusiastic response from the design and library community. The building…
Abstract
The Carmel Mountain Ranch Library was completed in San Diego, California, to high expectations and enthusiastic response from the design and library community. The building ventures into unusual territory, experimenting with natural light, natural ventilation and outdoor spaces integrated into the operation of the building. The sum total of these design concepts result in an unusual building form that has become a community landmark. The library is at the centre of Carmel Mountain Ranch, a newly‐planned community in the desert foothills north of San Diego. The architect was commissioned by the master community developer to design a building for the City of San Diego Library system. As a response to the hot climate of the area, the San Diego Gas and Electric Co’s energy conservation program, “Savings by Design” was used to design the air‐conditioning system combining mechanical and natural cooling. The library and its architect have been the recipients of local, state and national design awards from the American Institute of Architects and American Library Association.
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This paper introduces section 404 of the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act of 2002 to corporate real estate (CRE) executives and identifies some of the effects that this new legislation has on…
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This paper introduces section 404 of the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act of 2002 to corporate real estate (CRE) executives and identifies some of the effects that this new legislation has on the management of CRE operations with respect to financial reporting controls. While section 404’s reach includes all financial reporting, this paper focuses on capital projects and describes one method for establishing necessary financial reporting controls through a Management by Projects approach.
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Athol Yates and Nicholas Zvegintzovi
Open Source Information (OSI) and Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) are attracting enormous interest from the business, military and political intelligence communities. OSI and…
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Open Source Information (OSI) and Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) are attracting enormous interest from the business, military and political intelligence communities. OSI and OSINT offer the prospect of delivering valuable intelligence, from so‐called open sources such as newspapers, experts, and online databases. While OSI and OSINT may offer considerable potential when employed to produce information on foreign countries, they are totally dependent on the researchers’ and analysts’ understanding of the target country‘s history, politics and society. A research project on the BAM (Baikal‐Amur Mainline) Railway in eastern Siberia provides a practical example of OSI. The project involved researching a book on the BAM (Baikal‐Amur Mainline) Railway in eastern Siberia using OSI alone as it was impossible to visit the region. The 3,084km BAM traverses an almost unpopulated region which had been virtually closed to Westerners since it became a major gulag zone in the 1930s. Once the book’s research was underway, it became clear that much of the English language published material was ill‐informed and contradictory. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the relaxation of travel restrictions, it was possible to validate the information gathered. This led to a number of surprising findings about the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the material collected outside Russia.
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An overview is provided of the global electronic access changes currently impacting upon library operations. The consequences for library structure and operating environments are…
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An overview is provided of the global electronic access changes currently impacting upon library operations. The consequences for library structure and operating environments are outlined, with particular reference to developments at the Australian National University.
This article relates the recent rise of weblogs and examines their relationship to processes of urban transformation. Specifically, it looks at the history of Curbed.com, a weblog…
Abstract
This article relates the recent rise of weblogs and examines their relationship to processes of urban transformation. Specifically, it looks at the history of Curbed.com, a weblog created in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan that presents a layman's perspective on real estate development and neighborhood change. Curbed began in 2001 as the personal blog of a local resident documenting the gentrification taking hold on the blocks surrounding his walk-up tenement apartment. It has since become more established, expanding to cover development in other New York neighborhoods and spawning franchises in San Francisco and Los Angeles. This inquiry seeks to examine what influence, if any, Curbed.com has had upon the neighborhood transition it has closely charted. This question is one aspect of larger questions about the relationship between virtual space and urban space; about the impact of growing use of the internet on the city. Has Curbed been a neutral observer of neighborhood change as it professes? By raising awareness of the processes underlying urban transition, has it provided any opportunities for community action to buffer gentrification? Or is the opposite true – have it and other neighborhood blogs contributed to the new desirability and market value of the Lower East Side? I would argue that although Curbed.com has increased the ability of local residents to understand the changes taking place around them, in the end it has helped accelerate gentrification by repositioning a site of local culture within a global market.
Some misconception appears to have been caused in certain districts by the issue of a circular by the Local Government Board, dated December 12, 1905, and addressed to the Clerks…
Abstract
Some misconception appears to have been caused in certain districts by the issue of a circular by the Local Government Board, dated December 12, 1905, and addressed to the Clerks and Town Clerks of counties and boroughs. In many cases the letter in question has been forwarded to the Public Analysts, who, seeing it for the first time, naturally imagine that it imposes fresh duties on them, and that the Public Analyst is to collect and tabulate the details with regard to prosecutions and fines.
Lauren Rogers-Sirin, Selcuk R. Sirin and Taveeshi Gupta
This three-wave longitudinal study explored the relation between discrimination-related stress and behavioral engagement among urban African-American and Latino adolescents, and…
Abstract
Purpose
This three-wave longitudinal study explored the relation between discrimination-related stress and behavioral engagement among urban African-American and Latino adolescents, and the moderating effect of school-based social support.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 270 African-American and Hispanic/Latino adolescents attending urban public high schools completed three annual surveys starting with 10th grade.
Findings
Growth curve analysis revealed that discrimination-related stress was associated with decreased behavioral engagement over time.
School-based social support moderated this effect in that discrimination-related stress had less of an impact on behavioral engagement as level of school-based social support increased.
Practical implications
School-based supportive relationships serve as a protective factor for urban African-American and Latino youth, helping them remain engaged in school as they deal with the negative effects of discrimination-related stress.
Originality/value
The findings reveal that the development of positive, supportive relationships in school seems to be a malleable variable that interventionists and educational advocates can focus on in an effort to bolster academic achievement among academically stigmatized youth.
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Roisin Donnelly and Anthony Ryan
This study considered the use of video conferencing virtual backgrounds with employees located in a large multinational corporate organisation in Ireland and the USA to discern if…
Abstract
Purpose
This study considered the use of video conferencing virtual backgrounds with employees located in a large multinational corporate organisation in Ireland and the USA to discern if background images evoking gendered stereotypes of leadership can cue stereotype threat in female technology workers undertaking a leadership activity, thus negatively effecting performance. This study aims to contribute to the body of research on stereotype threat by establishing whether virtual backgrounds used in video conferencing software are inherently identity safe or whether their use could have a negative performance impact on marginalised groups.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a mixed methods research design with 22 participants in two countries working in the one large organisation, using two quantitative methods (an experiment and a survey) and one qualitative method (semi-structured interviews), the study examined the relationship between performance on the leadership activity and exposure to gendered backgrounds on a video conference call.
Findings
It found that female leaders undertaking a leadership test experienced more anxiety and achieved lower scores on average when exposed to a male-gendered virtual background compared to male colleagues or female leaders exposed to a female gendered background. It was also found that these leaders were aware of the stereotype of leadership being White and male, and showed symptoms of prolonged exposure to stereotype threat in the workplace. While the authors still are working through a post-pandemic environment, it may be judicious for organisations to restrict the use of virtual backgrounds to identity-safe ones, specifically chosen by the company.
Research limitations/implications
The study makes several practical recommendations, indicating actions which can be taken at the individual, team and corporate levels. Re-running this experiment in a more controlled environment with a larger sample set could yield more definitive, statistically significant results and contribute more to the literature.
Practical implications
Some individual impacts were found via the interviews. Male leaders in the organisation need to do more to mentor and endorse their female colleagues. By doing this, they can counter the negative effects of solo status and the subsequent performance degradations of their female counterparts, while also setting an example for other leaders. Participation in the mentoring programme and initiatives such as Dare and value, inclusion, belonging, and equity should be encouraged and supported. Reverse mentoring should also be encouraged among the population of male leaders to aid in allyship and bias-awareness.
Social implications
Teams should note that a democratic vote is not always the best way to decide on the names of teams, projects or meeting rooms. These may skew towards niche interests that can serve to alienate members of the team who do not associate themselves with that interest. Rather, the teams should strive to be fully inclusive and educated on the need for identity-safety. Team events may also serve to alienate members if teams are not mindful of the need to be inclusive. Activities, such as “go-kart” racing and physical or competitive team events have been highlighted as unsuitable for some team members, and should be avoided in favour of inclusivity.
Originality/value
A significant body of research has documented the effect to which stereotype threat can be triggered by both the physical environment and by the use of various technology media. However, there is a dearth of research exploring the relationship between stereotype threat, defined as “the concrete, real-time threat of being judged and treated poorly in settings where a negative stereotype about one’s group applies” (Steele et al., 2002, p. 385), and video conferencing software features, such as virtual backgrounds.
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The 1995 UKOLN International Conference was held at the University of Bath from 19–21 April 1995 on the theme: Managing the intellectual record. In the opening welcome to the…
Abstract
The 1995 UKOLN International Conference was held at the University of Bath from 19–21 April 1995 on the theme: Managing the intellectual record. In the opening welcome to the conference, the former BLRDD (British Library Research and Development Department) Director, Brian Perry, mentioned the special nature of the conference, marking the retirement of Philip Bryant as Director of UKOLN, the Office for Library and Information Networking. The conference proceedings, which have been published, are dedicated to Philip Bryant.