Proclaiming Library Worth in a Program Prioritization Process at a Mid-Sized Public University

Abstract

In an economic climate when colleges can no longer presume that legislators see institutions of higher learning as tacit public goods, institutions around the country are facing budget cuts. This article presents a case study of the experience of a mid-sized public state university and its Library in a budget crisis undergoing a university-wide program prioritization process. The authors review the process of writing three reports on the Library’s value, along with the approach to engaging staff in the process including a retreat. This article raises questions about what every library should consider assessing and provide tools for libraries navigating similar terrain.     

Integration Factors Related to the Academic Success and Intent to Persist of College Students with Learning Disabilities

Despite increased enrollment, outcomes such as grade point average (GPA), persistence, and graduation rates for college students with learning disabilities (LD) continue to lag behind those of their nondisabled peers. Reasons for the differences vary but may include academic and social integration, factors identified as important to the success of college students in general. This research investigated the relative influence of background characteristics, precollege achievement, and college integration variables on the academic success and intent to persist of college freshmen and sophomores with LD. While academic and social integration were not unique predictors of college GPA, both integration variables were unique predictors of intent to persist. The findings suggest that beyond high school achievement and background characteristics, college experiences as captured by academic and social integration are promising constructs to help explain the persistence of college students with LD. Implications for future research and practices for high school and college personnel are discussed.     

Verteilte Metadatenverwaltung und Anfragebearbeitung für Internet-Datenquellen

Zusammenfassung.   Wir pr?sentieren in dieser Arbeit das ObjectGlobe-System, ein offenes und verteiltes Anfragebearbeitungssystem auf Internet-Datenquellen. ObjectGlobe erweitert die begrenzten F?higkeiten des Internets bezüglich Anfragebearbeitung, indem es einen offenen Marktplatz schafft, in dem eine Vielzahl von Anbietern Rechenzeit, Daten und Anfrageoperatoren bereitstellen. Den Schwerpunkt dieses Beitrags bildet die im Rahmen des ObjectGlobe-Projekts entwickelte Metadatenverwaltung MDV, ein verteiltes Metadaten-Management-System. Es besitzt eine 3-schichtige Architektur und unterstützt Caching und Replikation in der Mittelschicht, so dass Anfragen lokal ausgewertet werden k?nnen. Benutzer spezifizieren die Informationen, die sie ben?tigen und die repliziert werden, mit Hilfe einer besonderen Regelsprache. Um Replikate aktuell zu halten und die Replikation von neuen und relevanten Informationen anzusto?en, verwendet das MDV-System einen neuartigen Publish & Subscribe-Algorithmus. Wir beschreiben diesen Algorithmus im Detail und zeigen, wie er mit Hilfe eines normalen relationalen Datenbanksystems implementiert werden kann. Eingegangen am 19. November 2001 / Angenommen am 30. Juli 2002     

Questioning the pace and pathway of e-government development in Africa: A case study of South Africa's Cape Gateway project

The paper examines e-government development in Africa. This study is based on the Cape Gateway project in South Africa, a leading e-government initiative on the continent. We observe that African countries have jumped on the e-government band wagon by looking mostly at the benefits without a clear risk assessment. We argue that African countries should question the pace and pathway for their e-government programs. We caution that e-government models from developed countries do not necessarily work in Africa. E-government programs in Africa should be balanced with the provision of basic needs and infrastructure. We conclude that e-government in South Africa should adopt multi-cultural approaches, and must be underpinned by national development priorities. We recommend that the Cape Gateway must address the socio-economic context and needs of the country. The pace and pathway of its e-government must depend on the availability of both financial and human resources and also user satisfaction.     

企业竞争中掌握对手情报的一些有效方法

本文通过一系列例子来阐述建立关键同业者/竞争对手时一些可行的方法.归纳起来是四条,1)如何寻找出当今在企业中起决定影响的人士而不仅仅只看头衔职务,2)如何用生动的人性特征来区分企业,心理学方法提供了描绘企业个性化的途经,3)如何用企业独特的文化来预测企业的行为和反应,何时这种方法会有效何时失灵.在没有强势人物出现时企业文化通常延续,4)解读对手信息时注意来龙去脉,在不能求证信息来源时,不能用一孔之见随便推理.     

Excluding archival silences: Oral history and historical absence

Despite our society's increasing reliance on electronic documentation, to-date archives remain, largely, material repositories of cultural memory. It is an accepted historical problematic, however, that culture is often resistant to material preservation. There exists an undeniable and profound tension between scholarly efforts to reconstruct history and interpret cultural traditions and the fragmentary, and often limited, material record. That is to say, scholarship is shaped by a sinuous negotiation around the historical silences that encompass all of material culture. Historical silences, however, can at times be marginalized (or at best excluded) by a sensitive configuration of material evidence with oral history.Excluding Archival Silences: Oral History and Historical Absence uses a historically and geographically specific example of oral history to engage in a more generalist discussion of how oral reflection, especially when shaped by material evidences, can be an especially effective tool for preserving the dynamics of culture that often remain undocumented.     

Leadership Reflections: Resiliency in Library Organizations

Similar to individuals, organizations display characteristics that speak to qualities and abilities. Our guest writer, Lisa Bodenheimer, discusses a trait that is critical for library organizations during this period of constant change and transformation. Resiliency is the ability to rebound and flex as circumstances shift enabling an organization to thrive and adjust during difficult times. This skill is typically developed through experiences, but, as Ms. Bodenheimer outlines, organizations are able to strategize in order to build employee and organizational resilience. Such a proactive approach will enable a library organization to better weather challenging situations and times as difficulties will enviably occur. The following article provides practical suggestions for library organizations that will enable them to be more successful while leading and managing in a changing environment.     

The secrets of failing better: Accessible publishing at SAGE. A case study

Key points

• Accessibility is often misunderstood as a concept that is niche or of secondary importance.
• Reframing accessibility as improving the overall user experience instantly changes the perspective; accessibility becomes a critical requirement worthy of investment and resources.
• The single most prevalent complaint amongst librarians is the time it takes to get hold of accessible content.
• An accessibility roadmap provides structure and transparency for digital accessibility projects within the organization.
• Publishers' non‐compliance with accessibility standards will increase their risk of sales declines and legal complications over time.
• The SAGE A.C.C.E.S.S.I.B.L.E mnemonic offers suggestions on how to devise a successful accessible publishing programme.