Thomas W. Conkling and Linda R. Musser
Scientific findings have been announced in technical reports since the early 1900s and, over the years, these reports have become important information resources in many areas of…
Abstract
Scientific findings have been announced in technical reports since the early 1900s and, over the years, these reports have become important information resources in many areas of engineering and science. Issued in modest numbers until the 1940s, increased government spending on military and scientific research caused a boom in the production of technical reports. This situation has continued to the present, with approximately 100,000 reports being published annually, representing research activity in the tens of billions of dollars.
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THIS issue of The Library World marks the commencement of a new volume, and we take the opportunity of thanking our many readers for their continued good feeling and support. It…
Abstract
THIS issue of The Library World marks the commencement of a new volume, and we take the opportunity of thanking our many readers for their continued good feeling and support. It is a pleasure to us to record the fact that we are able to enlarge this initial number of the volume and that we feel the time has come when we shall make such enlargement a permanency, without any corresponding increase in the subscription price.
This bibliographic essay reviews the English‐language collection development and management literature published in 1997. Selection, deselection, access as an alternative to…
Abstract
This bibliographic essay reviews the English‐language collection development and management literature published in 1997. Selection, deselection, access as an alternative to ownership, collection evaluation, user studies, organization and staffing for collection development, serials collection management, and electronic resource collection management, among other topics, are included. The primary emphasis is on articles, books, and book chapters. More than 180 items are covered in the essay.
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Climate data, including historical climate observations and climate model outputs, are often used in climate impact assessments, to explore potential climate futures. However…
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Purpose
Climate data, including historical climate observations and climate model outputs, are often used in climate impact assessments, to explore potential climate futures. However, characteristics often associated with “islandness”, such as smallness, land boundedness and isolation, may mean that climate impact assessment methods applied at broader scales cannot simply be downscaled to island settings. This paper aims to discuss information needs and the limitations of climate models and datasets in the context of small islands and explores how such challenges might be addressed.
Design/methodology/approach
Reviewing existing literature, this paper explores challenges of islandness in top-down, model-led climate impact assessment and bottom-up, vulnerability-led approaches. It examines how alternative forms of knowledge production can play a role in validating models and in guiding adaptation actions at the local level and highlights decision-making techniques that can support adaptation even when data is uncertain.
Findings
Small island topography is often too detailed for global or even regional climate models to resolve, but equally, local meteorological station data may be absent or uncertain, particularly in island peripheries. However, rather than viewing the issue as decision-making with big data at the regional/global scale versus with little or no data at the small island scale, a more productive discourse can emerge by conceptualising strategies of decision-making with unconventional types of data.
Originality/value
This paper provides a critical overview and synthesis of issues relating to climate models, data sets and impact assessment methods as they pertain to islands, which can benefit decision makers and other end-users of climate data in island communities.
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Javier Cantero, Natalia Lorena Gonzalez and Daiana Diaz
The design, construction, and operation of a nuclear power plant (NPP) pose technological and R&D challenges for the organisations concerned. The purpose of this paper is to…
Abstract
Purpose
The design, construction, and operation of a nuclear power plant (NPP) pose technological and R&D challenges for the organisations concerned. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the sources of innovation and the technological developments throughout the construction and commissioning processes for Atucha II NPP.
Design/methodology/approach
Studying a high-risk organisation that is reliable in practice poses several research questions the authors consider in this work. What kind of R&D processes can take place in a mature industry like the nuclear sector in Argentina? How have technological challenges been overcome since the restart of the completion phase of Atucha II NPP? Primary data were mostly gathered through semi-structured interviews. Grounded theory was the methodological approach adopted.
Findings
Multiple sources of technological developments arise, an incremental R&D pattern being the most salient. Atucha II NPP seems to be a case of network innovation in a triple helix innovation scheme led by the Argentinian state. In effect, one of the outcomes of the construction of the Atucha II NPP was the development of the Argentinian nuclear sector together with the development of organisational capabilities. In this sense, the third Argentine NPP follows the socio-technical path of the Argentine nuclear industry.
Originality/value
Too little is known about R&D processes in high reliability organisations (HROs), especially in the nuclear sector of a Latin American country such as Argentina as there seem to be no organisational studies analysing HROs’ impact on innovation, reliability, and economic development.
Propósito
Diseñar, construir y operar una central nucleoeléctrica plantea desafíos tecnológicos y de innovación a las organizaciones involucradas. Este artículo analiza las fuentes de innovación y los desarrollos tecnológicos del proceso de construcción y puesta en marcha de la central nucleoeléctrica Atucha II.
Diseño/Metodología/Enfoque
Abordar el estudio de una organización concebida desde la teoría como altamente riesgosa pero confiable en la práctica plantea múltiples interrogantes. ¿Qué tipo de procesos de I+D se pueden dar en una industria madura como la nuclear civil, en Argentina? ¿Cómo se afrontaron los desafíos tecnológicos a partir de la reactivación de un proyecto abandonado durante más de una década? La entrevista semi-estructurada a interlocutores clave fue el instrumento de intervención predominantemente utilizado. Se adoptó el enfoque metodológico de la teoría fundada.
Hallazgos
Del análisis del caso surgen diversas fuentes de desarrollos tecnológicos prevaleciendo un patrón de I+D incremental. Se trata de un caso de innovación en red en el marco de un modelo de triple hélice liderado por el Estado. En efecto, una de las resultantes de la construcción de Atucha II es el desarrollo del entramado del sector nuclear argentino junto con el desarrollo de capacidades organizacionales. En ese sentido, la tercera central nuclear de potencia argentina retoma la trayectoria socio-técnica del sector nuclear argentino.
Originalidad/Valor
Resultan escasos los conocimientos sobre los procesos de I+D en organizaciones de alta confiabilidad (HROs), especialmente del sector nuclear de un país latinoamericano como Argentina así como se carece de estudios organizacionales que analicen el impacto de las HROs en la innovación, la confiabilidad y el desarrollo económico.
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How can the author, as social studies methods instructors, assist future elementary teachers develop the knowledge and skills to engage young students in critical examinations of…
Abstract
Purpose
How can the author, as social studies methods instructors, assist future elementary teachers develop the knowledge and skills to engage young students in critical examinations of race and racism, and feel empowered to take action against racial oppression? The purpose of this paper is to share one of many possible ways of “doing race” in elementary social studies teacher education.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the author proposes the topic of school segregation as a relevant and engaging inroad for elementary students to learn about race and racism. Then, the author outlines and problematizes a dominant approach to teaching about school segregation in elementary classrooms and suggests an alternative approach informed by critical race theories. Next, the author provides counterstories to dispel the dominant narrative of school segregation from an Asian critical race theory perspective. This is followed by an explanation of the lesson the author teaches in the author’s elementary social studies methods course that utilizes these perspectives and counterstories.
Findings
By using Asian-American counterstories of school segregation, the lesson seeks to assist preservice elementary teachers in disrupting the dominant teaching practices and discourses around school segregation and helps preservice teachers develop the critical understandings and competencies needed to successfully teach about race and racism in elementary classrooms.
Originality/value
The author concludes by discussing the possibilities and implications of the lesson.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which an intervention lesson could help with elementary pre-service teachers’ critical racial knowledge around school…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which an intervention lesson could help with elementary pre-service teachers’ critical racial knowledge around school segregation.
Design/methodology/approach
The author, an Elementary Social Studies Methods Instructor, developed and modeled lessons of “doing race” in social studies as one of the ways to assist elementary pre-service teachers with critical racial knowledge and commitment to do race in their future classrooms. This paper focuses on one of the modeled lessons, which centered on the topic of school segregation.
Findings
Based on the analysis of class discussion and student work, the author documented the ways in which the modeled lesson engaged pre-service teachers in disrupting the dominant discourses and teaching practices on the topic of school segregation and developing the critical understandings needed to successfully teach about race and racism in elementary classrooms.
Originality/value
The paper details actions meant to demonstrate to elementary pre-service teachers the benefits of an elementary social studies topic viewed and taught through a critical race lens. In doing so, it calls attention to the possibilities and limitations of a single lesson that targets antiracist practices.