Paul S. Ciccantell and David A. Smith
In this introductory chapter, we briefly outline the history of the political economy of raw materials, focusing particularly on the relationship between raw materials and…
Abstract
In this introductory chapter, we briefly outline the history of the political economy of raw materials, focusing particularly on the relationship between raw materials and economic development. We then introduce the chapters of this volume, and we conclude by discussing future directions for research in this area.
This paper addresses a gap in the analysis of the dynamic and challenging relationship between libraries, Web 2.0 and young adults, suggesting the relevance of a critical approach.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper addresses a gap in the analysis of the dynamic and challenging relationship between libraries, Web 2.0 and young adults, suggesting the relevance of a critical approach.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper represents an exploratory literature review with the objective of identifying a possible gap in the way the library and information science (LIS) community is addressing the concept of Web 2.0.
Findings
Findings indicate that the research produced in other fields, such as communication or computer science; the way young adults interrelate with new technologies; and the need for collaboration between practitioners and researchers justify and support the use of a critical perspective to analyze the suggested topic.
Originality/value
The call for a critical approach to technology is certainly not a novel suggestion in the LIS scholarship; however, its resurgence is extremely relevant for the LIS field because of the significant role that technology is playing in the daily life of the library and its users.
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Keywords
Stephen L. Vargo, Robert F. Lusch, Melissa Archpru Akaka and Yi He
Edwin M. Cortez, James J. Michael, Stephen R. Salmon, Paul K. Sybrowsky, Vera Fessler and Nolan F. Pope
The reasons for using the services of a library automation consultant are numerous, but the key reason is to obtain help—expertise—not already available in the library staff. When…
Abstract
The reasons for using the services of a library automation consultant are numerous, but the key reason is to obtain help—expertise—not already available in the library staff. When a decision to use a consultant is made, the consultant should be identified, selected, and hired through a careful review process. Not all consultants are equal in ability or share the same areas of expertise. Once a consultant is hired, the library must continuously evaluate the consulting process and provide feedback to the consultant so that necessary adjustments can be made. This symposium presents the related insights and perspectives of both librarians and library system vendors.
Paul Bryce, Stephen Johnston and Keiko Yasukawa
Integrating sustainability into an undergraduate engineering program at the University of Technology, Sydney has been a challenging project. The authors of this paper have been…
Abstract
Integrating sustainability into an undergraduate engineering program at the University of Technology, Sydney has been a challenging project. The authors of this paper have been participant observers of the integration process. In this paper, they have attempted an analysis of that process, focussing on the dynamics of the network of people and interests, which have shaped the process. Actor network theory was used to provide an analytical framework for the analysis. The interests and experiences of the authors in the process necessarily influence the analysis. All three authors have been active in positioning sustainability as a central theme for the critique and practice of engineering. Paul Bryce and Stephen Johnston have had long‐standing involvement in technology transfer projects in development. Both have published on engineering as a social activity, critiquing the undue emphasis in engineering education on engineering science, at the expense of attention to engineering practice. Their experience and scholarship have given credibility to their efforts in the faculty to press for a new paradigm of engineering practice. Keiko Yasukawa is an educational developer in the faculty who has been working with staff and students to help them reflect on their idea of what engineering is about in their teaching and learning. She has taken a leading role in shaping the new curriculum.
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This chapter relates Bunker's innovative view of nature, raw materials and political economy to the “global commodity chains” (GCCs) approach. The chapter contends that his view…
Abstract
This chapter relates Bunker's innovative view of nature, raw materials and political economy to the “global commodity chains” (GCCs) approach. The chapter contends that his view of the importance of primary material extraction, shipping, and energy used in various “transformations” of these crucial products can be fruitfully married to a GCCs perspective.
Louise McArdle, John Hassard, Paul Forrester and Stephen Proctor
The 1980s was a decade of far reaching change in the relations between management and the workforce. Flexibility can no longer be considered a ‘flash in the pan’, while the…
Abstract
The 1980s was a decade of far reaching change in the relations between management and the workforce. Flexibility can no longer be considered a ‘flash in the pan’, while the ‘Japanisation’ of production is probably the most influential concept since Fordism. Combining these two elements has enabled employers to introduce whole packages for the organisation of work and production where quality of product and process are no longer considered optional, rather a pre‐requisite for firms competing on a global scale.
There has not been much movement in the British library field since we wrote last in these pages. Such reports as come to hand indicate increased work, and even more difficult…
Abstract
There has not been much movement in the British library field since we wrote last in these pages. Such reports as come to hand indicate increased work, and even more difficult conditions, in the various libraries of the kingdom; and there are indications of an anxiety, very natural, as we think, as to the results of the new National Service Act upon the future. So far the Government has dealt not unwisely with local government staffs, and as many librarians are engaged in war‐work in addition to their ordinary duties, they will receive consideration no doubt. The removal of all eligible municipal staffs under the age of 51 would be a weakening of many war efforts which the central Government has devolved upon local authorities; and in these efforts librarians have in general taken a more than generous share.