A survey of Web-based business models for e-government in the Netherlands

Governments worldwide are increasingly using Web-based business models to enhance their service delivery. Yet the concept of the business model is unexplored within the context of e-government. Drawing upon the literature on e-commerce, we develop a taxonomy for analyzing Web-based business models for e-government. Based on a systematic survey of 59 e-government Web sites in the Netherlands, our findings indicate that most of the Web sites use the content provider or direct-to-customer business models, while only a few are using novel business models. Overall, the concept of business model is appealing and useful in the public sector. Specifically it compliments research on Web site quality by analyzing and describing Web sites using atomic e-government business models and suggesting improvements by using combinations of business models.     

中国图书馆学会第三届青年学术论坛召开

2006年10月30日至11月2日，中国图书馆学会第三届青年学术论坛在福建武夷山召开。与会者80余人，其中包括第三届青年学术论坛征文一、二等奖作者，各系统和各地方学会推荐人选，以及来自北京大学、南开大学、厦门大学、中山大学、浙江大学、福建师范大学的信息管理院系的特邀专家学者，部分企业会员代表和媒体记者也参加了会议。在开幕式上，中国图书馆学会副理事长、首都师范大学图书馆馆长胡越，武夷学院副院长裘国伟，福建省图书馆学会理事长谢水顺分别致辞。     

Consortial Ebook Archiving Environmental Scan

Academic libraries and consortia are spending the vast majority of their material budgets on digital content, including ebooks. A review of ebook preservation activities for the North American library consortia is provided along with a look at the major preservation services such as Portico, CLOCKSS and HathiTrust. Publishers and ebook aggregators are also examined to provide a broad environmental scan of the current ebook preservation activities and risks.     

Identifying needs and enhancing learning about climate change adaptation for water professionals at the post-graduate level

Using a participatory learning approach, we report on the delivery and evaluation of a climate change and risk assessment tool to help manage water risks within the agricultural sector. Post-graduate water-professional students from a range of countries, from both developed and emerging economies were involved in using this tool. Our approach included participative learning tools – group discussion, software, and risk matrices. The materials developed met the needs of the students, allowing these students to incorporate their learning and adapt the package of materials for use in their home countries. Analysis of evaluations show that the tools and materials are particularly useful and emphasizes the need for sound learning materials and tools, funding to deliver training, and policy support to accelerate education and adoption of authentic climate change adaptation practices. The expected benefits for water professionals about climate change will be translated into improved socioeconomic and environmental outcomes if adopted.