Government, Higher Education and the Industrial Ethic

The argument of this paper is that there have always been, and still remain, fundamental differences between the purposes of industry and those of higher education. Industry's concern is to make a profit, universities are concerned with open enquiry and intellectual freedom. The values of the two are incommensurable, and it is important that these conflicts of values are not obscured by ambiguity of language or by external pressures.
For more than a decade the British government has sought to increase the competitiveness of industry, and has initiated many changes in universities which it has linked to this policy. Three such developments are critically discussed: the enterprise in higher education initiative, academic audit and assessment of teaching quality and the recent White Paper on fundamental research. It is argued that the tendency of each of these is to cause the merging of business values with those of higher education. If this tendency proceeds unchecked universities will no longer be able to fulfil their vital rôle in a free society - the advancement of new and controversial ideas and the education of their students to think critically and autonomously.     

Application of systems analysis to depository library decision making regarding the use of new technology

This article, the first in a series of four, views the application of systems anal ysis and design as a method of problem solving for documents librarians. Par ticular emphasis is placed on the use of systems analysis as a major, first step in applying computer based technology to problem areas common to U.S. government publication collections. The specific problem areas amenable to the application of this methodology include (1) bibliographic control, (2) col lection development, (3) collection integration, and (4) improved documents reference service. The steps required for its application to these problem areas are described in sequential fashion, and are augumented by actual examples. Several sources of supplementary information are noted for further references.     

The National Standards Scene: NISO and related U.S. standards organizations

Those entering the world of publishing standards for the first time may find it a baffling alphabet soup—with NISO, ANSI, BISG, IEEE, NIST, and ANSC floating on a broth bubbling with activity. Jacob and Rings sort out the acronyms, explaining what each of these groups does and how they interact. Mary Ellen L. Jacob, vice president for library planning at OCLC, is responsible for strategic planning activities regarding libraries and library services. Mrs. Jacob is also the board chair of the National Information Standards Committee. Deborah L. Rings, information analyst for library planning at OCLC, is responsible for identifying trends and factors relative to the library and information science areas, and for assessing their impact and potential impact on OCLC and its strategic planning processes.     

Medical journals and effective dissemination of health research

Clinical medical journals have not been effective in meeting the information needs of practitioners and bridging the gap between clinical research and practice. The slow adoption of results of clinical research is at least partly due to the failure of clinical journals to disseminate information in a way that would motivate practitioners to change practice. Although implementation is primarily a local process, medical journals are in a unique position to advance implementation by modifying their focus and adjusting their contents. Strategies that may be useful include publication of pre‐appraised evidence summaries and ‘clinical bottom‐lines’ and giving importance to systematic reviews and large evaluative research articles as they represent higher levels of evidence and have greater potential to change practice. Clinical journals should encourage researchers to consider how and by whom the findings will be used and provide information on implications for implementation such as possible strategies that may work, cost‐effectiveness, side‐effects and potential barriers to implementation. Medical journal publishers should explore ways to cooperate so that findings of landmark clinical trials could be shared thus reducing the ‘scatter’ of medical information. Electronic media offers numerous advantages such as quick accessibility and linking of information, and medical journals should capitalize on such innovations. There is a paradigm shift in health care practice as evidence is consciously and explicitly incorporated into individual patient care. Medical journals need to change to reflect this change in practice and provide practitioners with valid and relevant information.     

Planning and budgeting in publishing: The link with marketing

Publishing companies have embraced strategic, business, and market planning, but may not fully grasp its potential. This article describes their applications in a publishing environment, focusing on fundamental information required if the process is to have a beneficial outcome, as well as risks for the organization if planning is poorly conceived. This article is adapted from a presentation at a marketing and fulfillment seminar sponsored by the Society for Scholarly Publishing, April 21, 1988.