Dialects and Popular Culture in Italy in the Past Decade

The Italian linguistic situation is characterized by the presence, alongside the national language, of diverse linguistic traditions: italo-romance dialects (which developed parallel to Italian and in such a way as to be relatively autonomous); neolatin, non italo-romance languages (Occitan, Franco-provençal, Catalan, Sardinian, Ladino, and Friulian); non-neolatin languages (Slavic, German, Albanian, Greek, and Gypsy): all are idioms which correspond frequently to local cultural realities markedly different from each other. The love of dialects is still well-rooted in the linguistic behavior of Italians. For example, the results of a 1982 Doxa study showed that 46.7% of the respondents used mainly a dialect at home; 29.4% use Italian; and 23.9% alternate between two languages. Nevertheless, the use of local speech, in particular the italo-romance dialects which in the course of the 20th century have assumed a connotation of social inferiority to the extent that they are diffused most prevalently among the lower classes, has been constantly diminishing in the face of the expansion of Italian because of a variety of social and economic factors. At the same time, a "theoretical" revaluation of dialectical speech is in progress, especially on the part of linguists who maintain that the learning of national language and culture, surely indispensible for civic growth, can take place in a milieu of local linguistic and cultural wealth. The public school system, which in the past stood out in the struggle against dialects, has taken these ideas into account. In some regions, moreover, local groups have formed as expressions of the real needs of a deeply rooted culture; these groups have among their proper aims the guardianship of dialects and regional culture. This guardianship is, however, sometimes put into practice in an acritical fashion which tends to promote an exaggerated particularism and micronationalistic ethnic revival with repercussions in the field of political action. In any case, the most revealing and positive phenomenon in this period of crisis for dialects as spoken languages is their use as literary languages. Since the second world war, but especially in the past 10 years, authors born and raised in a dialect-loving milieu have composed some of the most significant works of contemporary poetry. Dialects are by now integral parts of the 20th century Italian literature. The interest in local cultures, beyond the negative proliferation of artificial folkloric manifestations, has contributed to the foundation of museums of material culture of considerable interest and of regional, privincial, and communal institutes for the documentation and study of various aspects of folk culture. These phenomena, typical of the cultural activity of the left in the 1960s, have diminished in the course of the 1970s. The development of attention to local languages and cultures can be verified whether on a scientific level, in the domain of academic research (Italian university courses in dialectology, history of popular traditions, ethnomusicology), or on an unspecialized level with primarily editorial results. Beyond the great production of publications of a strictly local character, there have been editorial initiatives of vast scope which have brought together the diverse linguistic and cultural traditions. Moreover, the national dailies and weeklies have treated the subject at repeated intervals, which testifies to the timeliness and liveliness of the interest raised by such themes. The aspects and problems of the publishing world and of bibliographic information in this field are discussed.     

HUSH,An Automated Multipurpose Periodical System or From Rotary File to Computer

A computerized serials management system designed for a medium-sized academic library is running interactively on VAX-11/780 computer at Western Carolina University. Replacing manual files, this system is of benefit to library patrons through improved services and to library staff in providing more flexible information. Features of this locally-designed system are described by the authors.     

Today and in Perpetuity: A Canadian Consortial Strategy for Owning and Hosting Ebooks

The Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) is a provincial consortium of twenty-one publicly funded universities in Ontario, Canada. A consortially-built platform called Scholars Portal is our digital library for archiving ebook content and making it available 24/7 to university students and faculty. An Ebooks Committee has responsibility for coordinating the consortial acquisition of ebooks, within the context of an Information Resources Committee. This paper discusses the consortial strategy and philosophy for ebook licensing in OCUL, which involve a focus on ownership and local loading rights, for dual purposes of preservation and immediate access. Key processes, tools, and accomplishments of this innovative service model are highlighted.     

共建共享数字资源的可持续利用研究

在广泛借鉴国外经验的基础上,讨论了数字资源长期保存机制的建立,当前许可证制度框架下数字资源可持续利用的对策,数字信息保存的技术问题和数字信息保存示范项目;提出我国图书馆联盟应尽早重视共建共享数字信息的有效保存和可持续利用问题,发挥联盟的力量和优势,积极开展相关研究,制订标准和规范,建立共建共享数字信息保存的先导和示范项目。     

Autarkic drug discovery in Japanese pharmaceutical companies: insights into national differences in industrial innovation

Structured interviews with eight leading Japanese pharmaceutical companies and industry data show that drug discovery in the Japanese companies occurs predominantly in-house. In contrast, European and US pharmaceutical companies rely more on alliances with university-based start-ups and other biotechnology companies for drug discovery. Personnel policies in the Japanese companies are still geared to on-the-job training for lifetime employment and the accumulation of company-specific tacit knowledge. Despite government policies that discouraged innovative drug development, Japanese companies are discovering innovative drugs at rates comparable to those of overseas rivals of comparable size. However, in view of the explosion of new biomedical knowledge, autarkic innovation may no longer be compatible with global competitiveness. Autarkic innovation may be a characteristic of most Japanese technology-based manufacturers. Thus, the competitive advantage of Japanese companies may be greatest in industries where innovation does not rely upon inputs from universities and independent companies.     

Lessons from multi-agency information management projects: Case of the Online Business Licensing Service (OBLS) Project,Singapore

Multi-agency information management projects are becoming increasingly common. Yet, there is relatively limited research in this area, particularly in the context of electronic government (e-government). This paper fills this gap in the literature by examining a successful information management project called the Online Business Licensing Service (OBLS) that aims to streamline the various licenses (managed by different agencies) required to operate a business in Singapore. The findings suggest that multi-agency projects are inherently more complex than single agency projects. A set of lessons on managing such projects is presented and these lessons should prove useful to researchers and practitioners as multi-agency information management projects become increasingly more widespread.     

基于GSI的网格安全改进授权模型设计与实现

一种面向数据库资源的网格安全基础架构:Database Grid Security Infrastructure(DGSI)模型。这种模型是一个基于GSI验证机制前提,针对数据库资源,面向网格环境的信息保护与共享安全的基础架构。该模型可为解决网格环境下的数据库资源授权、验证、信任等问题的设计与实现提供参考。     

台湾报业危机:政策、自律与他律

台湾报业在报禁时期受到了钳制,而报禁开放20多年后的台湾报业发展现状又如何?本文从报禁开放前后的社会背景出发,对台湾报业的发展进行了全景式的梳理,认为二十一世纪的台湾报业正陷入危机,并分析了导致危机的原因,提出解决危机的基本思路。     

Understanding copyright in support of scholarship: Some possible challenges to scholars and academic librarians in the digital environment?

This paper examines the rationale for copyright and how the copyright exemption of the law promotes scholarship. It examines the possible challenges that may be faced by scholars and academic librarians in implementing the copyright fair dealing exemption in the digital environment following that digital information is protected by copyright law and licensing agreements. The paper attempts to propose possible measures that could be implemented for copyright exceptions to better function and promote scholarship in the digital environment.