Literature of Behavioral Economics,Part 1: Introduction and Books

Behavioral economics, a blend of cognitive psychology and economics, is a new field that has attracted much attention, both from economists and from the general public. Behavioral economists have won Nobel Prizes and written books that became New York Times bestsellers. Unlike traditional economists, whose models are based on a perfect “rational man,” behavioral economists study ways that people actually make decisions and incorporate those findings into economic theory. This article presents an overview and history of the development of behavioral economics and a selective annotated bibliography of books in the field.     

The Gospel According to: A Theory of Transformative Discursive Allegory

The battle between secular culture and conservative religion is one that pervades modern society. In the face of this vehement clash, a curious collection of books has emerged that attempt to provide a means of reconciliation between faith and popular culture. The Gospel according to book series by Presbyterian publisher Westminster John Knox (WJK) Press pairs seemingly controversial artifacts of popular culture such as The Simpsons with the gospel message. These books function in a way that is similar to allegory but lacks allegorical form. This essay argues for the existence of a distinctive rhetorical strategy called transformative discursive allegory that functions to create an allegorical relationship between a secular and a sacred text. WJK's The Gospel according to book series is shown as an example of how transformative discursive allegory functions to allow the faithful to participate in popular culture while simultaneously affirming one's ideological beliefs as omnipresent in the world. The findings suggest that allegorical function and form are separate elements and that one can create an allegorical relationship without allegorical form or intent.     

网络图书排行榜评价指标探析——以当当网图书畅销榜为例

文章以当当网图书畅销榜2007～2010年四年排名前100位的图书为对象,对榜单图书的类型、出版社、再版次数、读者评价度等方面进行定量分析,研究了网络书店中的文献半衰期现象。进一步引入卷入度的概念,探讨了消费者参与对网络图书评价的影响。主要发现:出版社和图书类别的上榜次数分布符合重尾分布规律;网络书店中,文献半衰期不但与学科属性有关,而且与互联网信息快速增长趋势密切相关;教辅类图书和自然科学类图书的卷入度分别低于非教辅类图书和社会科学类图书的卷入度。     

Popular Reading Collections in Public University Libraries: A Survey of Three Southeastern States

Offering a separate, popular reading collection can be a valuable public service in academic libraries. Popular reading is also known as leisure reading, recreational reading, and reading for pleasure. These phrases are synonyms for an interest in reading bestsellers, mysteries, romance novels, biographies, graphic novels, humor, self-help, or popular nonfiction, among other literature categories. This article examines the survey data of popular reading collections in the public universities of three southeastern states. It also discusses the popular reading collection at the author's library, also located at a southeastern public university, and analyzes the data from both circulation records and a survey of more than 100 patrons who used the collection during the fall 2008 semester.     

Bestsellers in the British Book Industry 1998–2005

Bestsellers are an important commercial and social phenomenon. The paper defines and analyses bestsellers in the UK between 1998 and 2005, following on earlier work by one of the authors. It is concluded that there is a core groups of genres and authors dominating the bestseller lists, although there are also unexpected successes, especially at Christmas time. There is some evidence of long-term changes in taste, including the apparent decline in the popularity of romantic fiction and the growth of fantasy literature. It is also shown that media and movie adaptations and spin-offs are now an integral part of this dimension of the book industry.

近年俄罗斯信息法研究概况

从近些年俄罗斯丰富的信息法学术研究论著、各种信息法学术会议和高校信息法课程培训教育情况入手,介绍了俄罗斯对信息法的理论探讨、学术交流和培训教育的概况,分析俄罗斯信息法的研究内容和研究特点,期望对我国信息法研究具有启示和借鉴作用。     

Myth or reality: The absence of evangelical Christian fiction titles in the public libraries of the United States

With the emergence of evangelical Christian popular culture, debate persists about whether public libraries in the United States are purchasing evangelical Christian fiction. This study examines the presence or absence of best-selling evangelical Christian fiction titles from 1990 to 1999 in public libraries in comparison with the presence or absence of mainstream fiction bestsellers from the same period. Public libraries of some states purchase more evangelical fiction titles than others, and the proportion of evangelical fiction titles relative to total fiction titles also varies widely from state to state, and from census region to census region. Using data on the percentage of total religious adherents and evangelical adherents, variously defined, in states and census regions of the United States, a series of indexes was developed to rank states according to the proportion of their evangelical fiction titles in public libraries relative to the percentage of their evangelical population. In addition, there was a statistically significant relationship between the proportion of evangelical adherents in a state and the proportion of evangelical fiction titles held as a percentage of total fiction titles in public libraries, even when total expenditures for books and per capita expenditures were controlled for.     

Now is the time: Book publishing in Russia

A unique combination of circumstances has created opportunities for foreign publishers to invest in Russia. A hunger for books, an unsettled distribution system, availability of publishing personnel, and low costs have created a good environment for entering the marketplace. But it is not a chance for quick profits. Leonard Shatzkin has been involved in the production and manufacture of books since 1945. He is the author ofIn Cold Type: Overcoming the Book Crisis and since 1979 has been a consultant to publishers throughout the world.     

After Books, What?

The population explosion has evoked public interest and concern on the part of demographers. Consideration has been given to a variety of measures designed to curb the growth of population. The book explosion, also menacing, does not seem to have evoked analogous anxiety, and bibliographers, in contrast to demographers, prefer to adapt to the multiplication of books rather than to try to curb it. The intent of this paper is to explore the bibliographic analogies to several of the more popular devices designed to curb population increase. It is concluded that an effective restraint upon the writing and publishing of ever increasing numbers of books has yet to be discovered.     

Book reviews of Counterclockwise: Perspectives on Communication; Illuminating the Blindspots: Essays Honoring Dallas W. Smythe

Because hedonic aspects of products are difficult to evaluate prior to consumption, consumers seek signals to reduce their uncertainty. Opinion leaders, such as critics, may serve as key informants to consumers. This study considers the different roles and incentives of literary critics and how they influence the success of books. Furthermore, it empirically investigates the impact of 4 book critics featured on Germany's most popular literary television show, Das Literarische Quartett, on reviewed books' success. The variety of control variables included in the mixed regression models provide results pertaining to not only the critics, but also the success factors of books in general. Book success does not depend primarily on the mere appearance of a book on a television show or a favorable review of it; rather, awareness and word-of-mouth effects seem crucial, and books are more likely to succeed if critics disagree about the quality and express extreme judgments, even if those judgments are negative.     

The Reception of Chinese Translated Books: In the Case of University Students in Taiwan

This study investigates the undergraduates of a university in northern Taiwan for their reading habits and evaluation of Chinese translated books. It is found that reading translated books is prevalent among them. Their experiences of reading Chinese translated books tend to be satisfactory and more than half of them think the quality of Chinese translated books is fine. The result of this study confirms previous research that accuracy is the basic requirement of translated books and translation mistakes should be avoided, but goes against the popular perception that the quality of Chinese translated books in Taiwan is poor.     

“傻瓜”出版时代高校图书馆畅销书采访工作探讨

随着"傻瓜"出版时代的到来,畅销书不断产生。畅销书兼有优点和缺点,要辩证地加以分析看待。目前畅销书的采访工作还存在着许多不足。高校图书馆要根据实际需要,制定切实可行的畅销书采访策略。     

Opportunities for Libraries with Print-on-Demand Publishing

ABSTRACT

Academic libraries, university presses, and commercial ventures are embracing print-on-demand publishing to improve services as well as reduce costs. The concept dates to the early 1990s, but problems with the technology coupled with a lack of interest by libraries and book vendors hindered its popularity. Today, print-on-demand remains ideal for institutional repositories and digital collections, as well as for collection development. It is especially popular for users with print preferences. Many publishers and librarians believe print-on-demand holds more promise for libraries than electronic books.     

The Rowing Collection in the Free Library of Philadelphia OPAC

Abstract

An evaluation of the Free Library of Philadelphia's (FLP) rowing collection by the checklist method is reported. A literature review demonstrates that the checklist method has been used for multiple purposes for over a century and a half, but no evaluations of library rowing collections by the checklist or any other method were identified. In this study, an ad hoc70-item list, compiled by a rowing expert, was checked against the FLP's OPAC from a remote location in Indiana. The FLP held 53% of the listed items and no fewer than 40% in any of six topical categories. A keyword search found that the FLP holds over 100 fiction and nonfiction rowing books. An analysis of those titles by publication date shows considerable depth in the FLP collection and a correspondence between its collecting patterns and broader trends in publishing and rowing. It is concluded that the FLP has an in-depth, high quality rowing collection. A number of problems encountered while searching the OPAC are discussed and questions for further research are proposed.     

Return to the Valley of the Dolls

Abstract

This article discusses buying books online, includes popular sites where you can buy books online, and identifies important considerations for online shoppers.     

Writting for today’s child

Judy Delton, who has written numerous children's books, provides an author’s view of trends in children's literature, the role of series books, the importance of timing, the need for honesty in writing for children, and the rewards of being a children's book author. Judy Delton is the author of more than one hundred books for children and adults, among them thePee Wee Scout series,The Condo Kids, andAngel. She has four children who are also writers and artists.     

Citizen Photojournalism

In recent years there has been an explosion of citizen-produced content appearing in mainstream media outlets. Terms such as convergent journalism, citizen journalism and user-generated journalism are all widely used in an attempt to define this growing phenomenon. This paper explores the specific genre of citizen photojournalism (CPJ). It is argued this is a definitive genre of its own and has important implications for audience perceptions due to the narrative or “storytelling” role of the visual mage. An “action genre” approach is used to examine how this new photographic genre has been enabled within current technological, cultural, political and economic environments That is to say, that photographic production processes, undertaken by amateur photographers are examined to identify patterns of activity that comprise the genre of CPJ. Through a review of existing literature on how citizens work in the field, and the way the resulting photographs are used in mainstream media, I offer a conceptual structure to delineate recognisable patterns of activity that comprise the genre of CPJ. The strength of this approach is that it allows me to describe CPJ in a way that reveals how external factors and the practice of citizens taking photojournalistic images impact upon the final product published in influential publications including popular press, books, magazines and internet publications.     

电子图书的消费现状局限与应对策略

电子图书目前的消费情况良好,正受到越来越多人的喜爱。然而,它也存在诸多明显的消费局限。唯有克服这些局限,实施一些必要的应对策略,电子图书才能获得进一步的健康发展。     

Characteristics of the Literature Used by Arab Authors in Library and Information Science

Abstract

This paper attempts to shed some light on the scientific communication behavior of Arab authors in library and information science by studying the characteristics of the literature used by these authors. A bibliometric study by way of citation analysis was conducted on the articles published from 1978 to 1988 in Maktabat Al-Idarah, an elite Arab scholarly journal in the field. It was concluded from this study that English literature is the main source of information for Arab authors in library and information science. They rely on English literature that is between 5 and 15 years of age more than on their own literature and use books more than any other form of publication. They cover almost all areas of the field with special emphasis on technical services as represented by cataloging, classification and aquisition, library administration and library education. Local materials published in their own country were also important.