“Making do”: Adapting transaction systems to organizational needs

Transaction systems are designed for processing high volume, repetitive tasks, such as filling orders and logging payments. Organizations typically purchase commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS) products for these applications — products that are chosen with care and that offer cost savings over proprietary systems. Little, however, is known about how these systems are actually used within organizations. Designed for rapid data entry and task completion, they must also support cooperative aspects of work, such as exception handling and problem solving. This article describes a study of three organizations that use the same COTS product for providing customer service, as well as for processing transactions. Each organization was observed “making do” with systems designed for one application to meet their needs for other tasks.     

基于OWL的国防工业机构与产品领域本体构建*

从现有的语义网和本体的相关理论出发，探索基于国防机构与产品本体的构建工具与方法；运用Protégé3.2构建世界国防工业机构与产品本体，并给出该本体的关联可视图。     

档案文化资源商业化开发路径探索

在文化产业发展大潮中,公共档案馆应积极探索档案文化资源的商业化开发路径,通过档案文化资源向档案文化产品的转化,实现档案事业的跨越式发展。商业化开发路径的基本思路是：以公共档案馆为主体,加强与文化职能部门、文化产业机构的合作;以追求经济利益为动力,实现社会效益与经济效益的统一;以档案文化资源为原料,提供优秀的档案文化产品;打造多层次的档案文化传播平台,建立多样化的文化产品推广渠道。     

商业出版的再思考:科技与专业知识的平衡

探讨六种力量对知识经济时代商业出版的影响。技术创新对个体消费者是重要的,但是编辑技巧对团队更重要。具体来说,商业出版对组织机构的知识管理功能将变得不可或缺,并随着组织知识管理需求的增长,出版商拥有一个将自身角色从产品供应商向企业界的服务提供商拓展的机会。     

The business of library acquisitions: A consumer action model

Librarians'concerns for ethics, management, standards, and evaluation of service performance reflect a concern for the business operations of a library. While libraries serve social, educational, and cultural needs in society, they are also non-profit business organizations. It is, therefore, necessary that a library be managed as a professional business. We are large bureaucracies and major consumers, but we find ourselves striving for recognition as professional organizations by the public and the book industry.In Acquisitions, as conscientious consumers of the publishing industry, we have a responsibility to evaluate the trade standards of the products we purchase and the performance of the service for which we have contracted. This paper presents a model of trade standard guidelines for a specialized area of the publishing industry and advocates a broader application towards trade standards for the entire publishing industry.     

Putting community first: mainstreaming CSR for community-building in India and China

Community-building is studied as a multidimensional process that leads to sustainable improvements in the well-being of individuals, families, communities, and society as a whole. The study looks at the role organizations play in developing countries as an integral function of inter-connectedness between organizations and community. A total of 100 Indian and Chinese organizations were analyzed for the available corporate social responsibility (CSR) information and initiatives using quantitative content analysis. The sample was drawn from the 2011 Forbes Global 2000 list. Significant differences were found between Indian and Chinese organizations in the levels of community-building. Findings also revealed information on the most common CSR terms, issues, and modes used by the organizations and how those differ culturally. Cultural scores on collectivism were also looked at for each country to analyze the relationship between organizations and community-building.     

Leadership Reflections: Resiliency in Library Organizations

Similar to individuals, organizations display characteristics that speak to qualities and abilities. Our guest writer, Lisa Bodenheimer, discusses a trait that is critical for library organizations during this period of constant change and transformation. Resiliency is the ability to rebound and flex as circumstances shift enabling an organization to thrive and adjust during difficult times. This skill is typically developed through experiences, but, as Ms. Bodenheimer outlines, organizations are able to strategize in order to build employee and organizational resilience. Such a proactive approach will enable a library organization to better weather challenging situations and times as difficulties will enviably occur. The following article provides practical suggestions for library organizations that will enable them to be more successful while leading and managing in a changing environment.     

Perceptions of the customer

At a time when customer focus is an aim in many publishing companies, this paper looks at how people in publishing organizations think about customers, why they think like this and what this might mean to the products the company produces. It suggests that views of the customer are often internally constructed and become a self‐fulfilling prophecy, which could lead to publishers missing out on opportunities. The conclusion is that more and different interactions with customers are needed if publishers are to become truly customer focused.     

Argumentation semantics for Active Logic step theories with granulation of time

Active Logic is a conceptual system with principles that are satisfied by reasoning formalisms that are contradiction-tolerant and allow for matching of the reasoning outcomes with moments of time. This paper proposes an approach to building an argumentation semantics for one of such formalisms built on the basis of the logic programming principles. Meanwhile, the concept of granulation of time is applied, with the latter being construed as an external entity that is not dependent on the internal structure of the logic program. The specifics of Active Logic with time granulation demanded a considerable modification of the proposed system of argumentation in comparison to other systems of the type that are available.     

RLG and OCLC: Combined for the Future

On July 1, 2006, The Research Libraries Group, Inc. (RLG) and the Online Computer Library System (OCLC) combined their organizations and resources. RLG's products and services were integrated with OCLC's, and RLG's program initiatives went forward within an expanded OCLC Research division. This was a historic moment for libraries and research institutions consonant with the incredible changes in the information environment that had been underway during the previous decade. The expansion of WorldCat that resulted and the renewed attention given to research libraries by OCLC in the merger has positively impacted libraries around the globe.     

Repositioning the Richmond Public Library for the Digital Age: One Library's Perspective

Richmond Public Library, B.C., Canada, believes that the public library and the profession of the librarian is in danger of becoming marginalized by the tools and products of the digital age. Thus, it is acting aggressively to change its roles and responsibilities. The Library developed an extensive award-winning technology teaching program and an innovative and award-winning community-based Web site and became the creator of a technology column for the local newspaper. In addition, the Library creates, markets, and sells technology services to businesses and organizations in the community. This article presents an in-the-trenches perspective of one public library that embraced the digital environment and discusses the impact and important benefits to the Library.     

Standardization of search methods for guideline development: an international survey of evidence-based guideline development groups

BACKGROUND: Effective literature searching is particularly important for clinical practice guideline development. Sophisticated searching and filtering mechanisms are needed to help ensure that all relevant research is reviewed. PURPOSE: To assess the methods used for the selection of evidence for guideline development by evidence-based guideline development organizations. METHODS: A semistructured questionnaire assessing the databases, search filters and evaluation methods used for literature retrieval was distributed to eight major organizations involved in evidence-based guideline development. RESULTS: All of the organizations used search filters as part of guideline development. The medline database was the primary source accessed for literature retrieval. The OVID or SilverPlatter interfaces were used in preference to the freely accessed PubMed interface. The Cochrane Library, embase, cinahl and psycinfo databases were also frequently used by the organizations. All organizations reported the intention to improve and validate their filters for finding literature specifically relevant for guidelines. DISCUSSION: In the first international survey of its kind, eight major guideline development organizations indicated a strong interest in identifying, improving and standardizing search filters to improve guideline development. It is to be hoped that this will result in the standardization of, and open access to, search filters, an improvement in literature searching outcomes and greater collaboration among guideline development organizations.     

Punditry as a reward system: audience construction and the logics of the punditry sphere

The article explores the relationship between the punditry sphere and democracy by analyzing how pundits and media organizations think about their audience. It also examines the role of punditry in the political environment in which the media organizations operate. Using Portugal as an example, the study draws on data gathered from interviews with pundits, journalists and news editors. Findings suggest that pundits and media organizations construct a punditry sphere that revolves around the circles of power. The article argues that this conception of the punditry sphere reflects the reward system under which pundits and media organizations work. Punditry seems to be a field primarily oriented to pundits themselves and to managing their stakes in the public arena while operating as a sphere where media organizations rework their relations with and within established powers, where politicians hold a special place. This construction reflects the co-dependence between media organizations and circles of power in Portugal and offers organizational-structural understanding of the logics of the punditry sphere and the role pundits play in public communication.     

公共文化服务体系构建中民间参与的主体、方式和内容

[目的/意义] 针对大量民间力量参与公共文化服务的实践,试图从理论上总结民间力量在公共文化服务中的参与主体、参与方式和参与内容。[方法/过程] 以现有民间力量参与图书馆、博物馆等公共文化服务机构的实践为例,从理论上剖析现有民间力量参与公共文化服务的内容和方式。[结果/结论] 通过研究,认为目前民间力量在公共文化服务中的参与主体主要是公民个人、社会团体、非政府组织和企业,主要方式是兴办实体、资助项目、赞助活动和提供设施等,主要参与内容是公共文化产品的生产和运营,公共文化服务政策的制定、执行和考评,公共文化活动的举办、文化成果的创造以及公共文化基础设施的建设和维护等。     

市场经济时代图书馆的转型与定位

探讨市场经济和信息社会环境下图书馆如何转型并重新定位的问题;提出图书馆是介于政府和企业之间的非营利性社会组织的观点,认为图书馆产品是非垄断性的公共物品,可以通过政府和非营利性机构两种资源配置机制来向社会提供服务,在此基础上,探讨两种图书馆市场化运作的形式,并从市场角度对图书馆的前景审视。     

Science and policy: scientific expertise and individual participation in boundary management

Boundary theory has assumed that two distinct organizations—scientists and policy-makers—can interface with one another via an external boundary organization, yet boundary management contexts often call for different strategies where a neutral third party is not involved. Recent scholarship has highlighted alternative models for boundary organizations, including the emergence of boundary organizations within universities. Most of these studies have taken an organizational perspective, yet as universities increasingly fulfill the role of boundary organizations by direct engagement with policy-makers, we need a deeper understanding of the roles scientists should play within this context. This study highlights the need to understand context before designing and implementing boundary management strategies, and considers the complexities of direct engagement between scientists and policy-makers. We draw from a case study conducted in Maine to argue that there are contexts in which scientists need to manage and span the science–policy boundary. The complexities involved in preparing scientists to engage more thoroughly in policy activities and the challenges in garnering institutional support for advancing the participation of scientists in boundary-spanning activities are explored.     

科研图书馆数字特色馆藏建设的实践与思考

特色数字馆藏是图书馆开展特色服务的基础.本文对我馆开展特色数字馆藏建设过程进行必要回顾,并从丰富特色资源、加强资源应用探讨特色数字馆藏的可持续发展.     

信息共享空间在学习型学生社团组织建设中的作用及模式构建

在简要介绍信息共享空间概念的基础上,分析了高校信息共享空间建设与学习型学生社团组织建设之间的密切关系和相互促进作用,表明信息共享空间是学习型学生社团组织的理想场所,并结合海南经贸职业技术学院图书馆的实践。探讨了面向学习型学生社团组织的信息共享空间的构建模式。     

In pursuit of the effective neighborhood information system: User-friendliness and training

The goal of this research is to address the effectiveness of Neighborhood Information Systems (NIS) as an Information Technology (IT) tool in assisting community development. NISs are hybrid applications of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and web technologies that provide demographic, social, and economic information to community stakeholders. Government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and community organizations engage in decision-making process for community development, and NISs are designed to help information-sharing and effective and participatory decision-makings for community development stakeholders.     

Establishing the structure of reality for an industry: model and anti-model arguments as advocacy in Nike's crisis communication

This study illustrates the potential role of model and anti-model arguments in organizational crisis communication. Specifically, model and anti-model arguments are described as a strategy for moving the focus of a crisis from an organization to its industry. Model arguments enable organizations to establish their corrective action as industry standards that merit imitation. Conversely, organizations can set minimum standards for their industries with anti-model arguments. Phil Knight's May 12, 1998, speech announcing Nike's new initiatives in global manufacturing is analyzed as a case study. The essay concludes that model and anti-model arguments can suspend criticism of the organization, create the foundation for a return to industry prominence by the organization, and establish proposed new industry standards that are favorable to the organization.