MARISTELLA AGOSTI, MICHELINE BEAULIEU, CYRIL CLEVERDON, HANS‐PETER FREI, NORBERT FUHR, DAVID HARPER, PETER INGWERSEN, MICHAEL KEEN, RAINER KUHLEN, STEPHEN ROBERTSON, ALAN SMEATON, KAREN SPARCK JONES, KEITH VAN RUSBERGEN and PETER WILLETT
Sir, We write to record our debt, and that of our colleagues, to one of the founding fathers of information retrieval, Gerard (Gerry) Salton, who died on 28th August 1995 in…
Abstract
Sir, We write to record our debt, and that of our colleagues, to one of the founding fathers of information retrieval, Gerard (Gerry) Salton, who died on 28th August 1995 in Ithaca, ny at the age of 68. Information retrieval was established as a new academic discipline by a small number of pioneers, Gerry among them, who recognised the need for, and the research challenges presented by, the automated indexing, storage and retrieval of text documents. He brought academic rigour and scholarship to establishing the foundations of this discipline, and we acknowledge his influential contributions to the theory, experimental methods, and practice of information retrieval.
This paper seeks to provide an overview of recent developments within the British Library's document supply service and offer an insight into future plans.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to provide an overview of recent developments within the British Library's document supply service and offer an insight into future plans.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper takes the form of a general review.
Findings
The British Library Document Supply Centre (BLDSC) has made tremendous gains in optimising the service in its current guise. As with similar organisations, challenges are presenting themselves that require a completely new look at the way the business model is designed. Although the long‐term plan is not completely formed, this paper aims to give an insight into current thinking.
Originality/value
The paper spells out the improvement strategy that the BL has adopted for document supply in the light of the worldwide decline.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to verify the proposition by the University of Illinois, Urbana‐Champaign (UIUC), that their return on investment (ROI) formula developed for academic…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to verify the proposition by the University of Illinois, Urbana‐Champaign (UIUC), that their return on investment (ROI) formula developed for academic libraries and based on hard facts is broad enough to be used throughout the world for ROI studies in academic institutions/libraries. It further aims to verify that UIUC's methodology is adaptable enough to work in other academic environments as well.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology developed by UIUC (an ROI formula developed for academic libraries based on grant proposal applications and citations) has been “copied” and thereby adapted to enable it to be used in an academic environment in Europe/Germany.
Findings
The methodology developed by UIUC was adaptable enough to be used in a German academic environment for calculating the ROI of a University library. However, the methodology was sometimes complicated and therefore simplified for this and possible further studies. Likewise, the ROI formula was very complex and this study found that it was possible to simplify it as well for further use.
Research limitations/implications
There was difficulty in gathering all the information necessary for conducting such a study in Germany as grant proposals contain sensitive data that people are unwilling to display. Further, it was noticeable that German statistics on funding were unable to provide the necessary data without further enquiries, despite the German law that public institutions are obliged to disclose funding information.
Originality/value
Previously no one else has tried to verify the methodology for an ROI study developed by UIUC. This study gives evidence that UIUC was right in claiming that their ROI formula developed for academic institutions/libraries may be used for any academic library in the world. Further, this study shows how the formula and the methodology may be adapted to fit individual academic environments.
Details
Keywords
The paper seeks to encourage both LIS teachers and LIS students to experiment with more interactive methods of teaching and learning. The example is taken from a series of…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper seeks to encourage both LIS teachers and LIS students to experiment with more interactive methods of teaching and learning. The example is taken from a series of seminars at Humboldt Universität Berlin, Department for Library and Information Science.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper takes the form of a report about a practical seminar, which involves students in the making of a book on a subject related to library science. It starts with the submission of an idea and sees the process through until the final hardcover book. In the seminar, students learn how to edit and prepare submitted articles for publication, how to secure financing and how to find a publisher.
Findings
LIS students are highly enthusiastic about these so‐called project seminars as they offer valuable practical experience that complements skills acquired in other more theoretical courses. In these seminars, they develop an in‐depth understanding of the subject of the volume they edit – through direct exposure to professional articles written by authors in their respective area of expertise in library science as well as in related fields.
Originality/value
These practical seminars prepare students for an academic career, including the skills needed for publishing or editing scientific books or articles. Further, they develop their understanding of quality aspects in the world of publishing. In addition to their role as editors of an anthology, they are exposed to professional librarians and authors outside the university, which is an additional bonus for their professional career prospects.
Details
Keywords
The term “library management” covers many different aspects of the way that a library is operated and conjures up different concepts in the minds of different people, depending on…
Abstract
The term “library management” covers many different aspects of the way that a library is operated and conjures up different concepts in the minds of different people, depending on their own interests, agendas and requirements. Research into the subject is even more difficult to define because the application of research in one field can be vital to the development of another. Some researchers would not consider their research central to library matters at all, whereas the practising librarian might well see it as casting new light on a difficult area of understanding or development.
Marcel Machill, Christoph Neuberger and Friedemann Schindler
Search engines exist to help sort through all the information available on the Internet, but have thus fair failed to shoulder any responsibility for the content which appears on…
Abstract
Search engines exist to help sort through all the information available on the Internet, but have thus fair failed to shoulder any responsibility for the content which appears on the pages they present in their indexes. Search engines lack any transparency to clarify how results were found, and how they are connected to the search terms. Thus, problems arise in connection with the protection of minors – namely, that minors have access, intentional or unwitting, to content which may be harmful to them. The findings of this study point to the need for a better framework for the protection of children. This framework should include codes of conduct for search engines, more accurate labeling of Web site data, and the outlawing of search engine manipulation. This study is intended as a first step in making the public aware of the problem of protecting children on the Internet.
Details
Keywords
Beate Silvia Kölzer, Jasmin Geppert, Astrid Klingshirn, Harald Weber, Lilla Brugger, Antje Engstler, Jochen Härlen, Thomas Ertel, Thomas Gindele and Rainer Stamminger
More than 50 per cent of all German households own a freezing appliance and so far the market of frozen foods is constantly increasing (1 per cent from 2017 to 2018). Despite…
Abstract
Purpose
More than 50 per cent of all German households own a freezing appliance and so far the market of frozen foods is constantly increasing (1 per cent from 2017 to 2018). Despite frozen foods playing an important role in our everyday life, little is known about the consumer’s habits at home. The purpose of this paper is to uncover gaps in the knowledge about consumer behaviour when handling frozen food. Moreover, the impact of consumers on the quality of frozen products should be assessed.
Design/methodology/approach
A representative online survey was carried out to investigate different aspects of consumer behaviour concerning frozen foods. Respondents (n=2,053) were questioned about their general handling habits regarding eight different food groups: fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, bread, pastries, ready-to-eat meals and leftovers. The focus was on freezing, pre-handling, packaging and thawing – depending on the age of those questioned and combined with best practice advice regarding quality storage of frozen products.
Findings
Most Germans have the opportunity to freeze food and keep their freezers full or medium loaded. Older participants act more efficiently towards quality storage, but more education about freezing and frozen storage would be generally helpful to maintain quality of frozen foods and increase utilisation of freezers, using their full preservation potential.
Research limitations/implications
No open questions were asked due to the scope of more than 2,000 participants, which, in retrospect, would have been instructive.
Originality/value
Consumer handling of frozen food in Germany was investigated in a representative way for the first time, covering age groups from 18 to 69 and household sizes from 1 to >4 people, focussing on eight major food groups.