Using Six Sigma and Lean in the Library

Businesses have long relied on a variety of strategies to improve quality, efficiency, and service. Some ideas that have persisted over time are Six Sigma and Lean. While Six Sigma, originally intended for manufacturing, focuses on quality and Lean mainly addresses waste, many of the tools and principles involved can also apply to libraries. This article will review the literature on Lean and Six Sigma as they are used in business and then as they have been used in libraries. The resulting discussion will cover how the principles can be applied to better connect with stakeholders by mapping processes and discovering what is value added (VA) versus nonvalue added (NVA), anticipating failure modes using the failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) framework, and implementing control plans to maintain quality processes and service.     

Pawns in a Chess Game

The Spanish Service was established in June 1939, two months after the end of the civil war in Spain and shortly before the start of the Second World War. Its implementation was strongly affected by these conflicts in the context of new international relations. Therefore, this study of the Spanish Service during 1939–1945 allows not only a better understanding of the communicational strategies developed by the BBC, but also of the complex Anglo-Spanish relations and the important role played by the Spanish-language broadcasts therein. The study is mainly based on archival documents from the National Archives in London and memoirs.     

德国应用科技大学的办学特点及启示

应用型大学办学模式的探讨需要广开思路,洋为中用。德国应用科技大学办学经验启示我们找准人才培养定位,实施灵活多样的人才培养模式,加大人才培养的实践力度,提高教师专业实践技能,突出科研的应用与转化等。     

User experience of government documents: A framework for informing design decisions

People still use documents in many everyday government processes. From tax payments to passport requests, citizens have to interact with low-interactivity information artifacts such as reports, maps and datasets, among many others. Despite efforts to improve information delivery in the public sector, effective information usage remains a critical topic of action and research. The user experience of government documents has rarely been assessed, despite them being regularly published and frequently used. Considering this, the two following research questions arise: 1) How can government documents be classified (or grouped) in terms of user experience? 2) How can the user experience of government documents be monitored over time in order to inform design decisions? Working with a public agency in Chile, we develop and test a classification and monitoring framework based on two online surveys (N?=?338 and N?=?298). We then propose a framework for understanding user experience of government documents in these three dimensions: interaction goal, volume of information and ease of understanding. Using a graphical representation to classify user experience provides greater visibility of the current status of information produced by a public organization. Furthermore, by monitoring the user experience of a government document at different times, organizations can understand the effect of their design decisions and improve their service quality by implementing user-centered processes.     

Temporary Book Storage Using a Document Management Company

Finding an appropriate temporary storage location for books and providing access to them is a significant challenge for libraries undergoing renovations. The current article describes the use of a document management company by an academic library to store 430,000 books for 8 months and provide a retrieval-on-demand service. Aspects covered include the selection of a commercial storage provider with its own retrieval service; details of the move to and from offsite storage; the integration of the service with library processes; communications and user feedback; book usage during the storage period; overall costs; and lessons learned from the experience.     

Red pigment production by Penicillium purpurogenum GH2 is influenced by pH and temperature

The combined effects of pH and temperature on red pigment production and fungal morphology were evaluated in a submerged culture of Penicillium purpurogenum GH2, using Czapek-Dox media with d-xylose as a carbon source. An experimental design with a factorial fix was used: three pH values (5, 7, and 9) and two temperature levels (24 and 34 °C) were evaluated. The highest production of red pigment (2.46 g/L) was reached with a pH value of 5 and a temperature of 24 °C. Biomass and red pigment production were not directly associated. This study demonstrates that P. purpurogenum GH2 produces a pigment of potential interest to the food industry. It also shows the feasibility of producing and obtaining natural water-soluble pigments for potential use in food industries. A strong combined effect (p<0.05) of pH and temperature was associated with maximal red pigment production (2.46 g/L).     

从语法大纲看对外汉语教学和测试理念的发展

本文主要考察了六个编订于不同时期的对外汉语教学和测试的语法大纲,通过比较分析,本文认为从20世纪90年代至今,对外汉语教学和测试的理念不断变化与发展,理论语法色彩逐渐减弱,显性知识的教学和考查不断减少,同时,教学和测试理念正在由标准规范观向沟通理解观转化。这些变化反映出对外汉语教学和测试理念的发展趋势,适应了汉语国际推广的新形势。     

Transcultural analysis of the effectiveness of a program to promote self-regulated learning in Mozambique,Chile, Portugal,and Spain

The current investigation aims at assessing the effectiveness of an intervention program designed to enhance self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies at the university level, with students from different cultural, linguistic, and educational backgrounds. The central tool of the program is a set of letters in which a fictional first-year student describes his experiences as an SRL student. The program was implemented in four universities in different countries and continents (Portugal, Spain, Chile, and Mozambique), with an experimental group and a comparison group at each university (263 students from experimental groups and 247 from comparison groups). Findings display the effectiveness of the program in enhancing a set of motivational variables related to the study process and the use of SRL strategies. Data were consistent across the different cultural and academic contexts in which the program was implemented. The implications of these findings for university administrators and faculty are discussed.