The NHS Lanarkshire Intranet site (FirstPort) and its effectiveness as a knowledge management tool

The use of intranets as knowledge management tools in the NHS has been applied with varying success. This study set out to evaluate the effectiveness of the NHS Lanarkshire intranet site FirstPort as a knowledge management tool and to capture opinions on what would be required of a new FirstPort 2 site to be launched in the summer of 2012. The research was conducted in June 2011 by Paul Herbert as part of MSc in Health Informatics at the University of Sheffield, supervised by Nigel Ford. At the time of the study, Paul was working at NHS Lanarkshire and he was able to give his employers a useful set of recommendations. He moved to his present post with Healthcare Improvement Scotland in June 2012. This article is the first in the Dissertations into Practice series to investigate web‐based tools for information and communication inside the NHS, but there are more in the pipeline. AM     

Astana 2014 ASEEES-CESS Joint Regional Conference Report

The report summarizes the joint regional conference of the Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) and the Central Eurasian Studies Society (CESS) in Astana, Kazakhstan in May 2014. This conference is the fourth biennial regional conference of CESS together with the first regional conference organized by ASEEES, and had more than 300 participants from many different countries of the world. Topics discussed included areas such anthropology, economics, education, history, international relations, library science, language and literature, political science, and sociology.     

Researching Russian Laws

Abstract

The article discusses online sources dealing with current Russian laws and regulations. Included are websites from branches of the federal government, commercial databases and commercial information systems.     

Government Information on the Web

Summary

Government information is abundant on the World Wide Web, but finding that information is often difficult. The usual routine of utilizing search engines or directories does not work well, unless an individual is interested in a specific government agency. Instead, the savvy librarian will be well advised to check the prominent journals and newspapers for announcements of new sites and utilize the homepage of the Library of Congress. With some education and experience, a user can quickly find information using the Library of Congress' homepage, the Librarian's Index to the Internet, and Beaucoup.     

Finding and Evaluating Health Sources on the Internet

Summary

Librarians and patrons searching for reliable health information are fortunate in that this subject area is one for which many reliable, in-depth sites exist. Government, education, and organization sites are, in particular, good sources of information and provide links to other Web pages. It is important, however, for both librarians and their clients to know how to access this information and, especially, how to evaluate the worthiness and usefulness of the information contained therein.     

Internet Reference Sources in Education

Summary

With so many Internet sites devoted to education for educators, administrators, and librarians, it can be a daunting experience trying to find needed resources. There are special sites devoted to teachers, children, and parents. The government provides free access to database searching, statistics, and full-text publications. State and local levels of government also host valuable data and reports. More and more journals are appearing online in full-text format escalating user expectation to assume all journals will be available via the Internet. Tapping into higher education and academic library sites connects to content rich links. While this is not an exhaustive listing of educational Web sites, it leads to a myriad of valuable resources.     

Marketing and Advertising

Abstract

The Web is one of the best starting points for marketing and advertising information. The author covers Web sites for top publications as well as sites from academic institutions and professional associations.     

Taxation

Abstract

Tax sites continue to grow in popularity as users download forms and search for tax help on the Web. The author of this chapter covers such areas as governmental/legal sites, e-commerce, state and local resources, and international resources.     

The Best of the Web

Abstract

This chapter on hospitality and tourism Web sites includes key sites for the lodging and gaming industries, restaurants and foodservice, and the tourism industry.     

Business Ethics on the World Wide Web

Abstract

This timely chapter on business ethics includes Web sites of portals, professional associations, and resources on the social responsibility of business.