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Beginning in the 1840s, the American peace advocate Elihu Burritt envisioned the peoples of different countries coming together in a "congress of nations" that would advance "universal brotherhood" and obviate the need for war. But this vision of peaceful internationalism was challenged by the rampant warfare and nationalism of the mid-nineteenth century. Ultimately, the bloodiness that accompanied the waning Age of Revolutions prompted Burritt to advocate a more homogenizing alternative to the congress of nations--Anglo-American empire--as the preferred pathway to peace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents selected results from a study investigating the promotion of recreational reading in university libraries in the United Kingdom. An email questionnaire survey and follow-up interviews with a sample of respondents explored provision and attitudes toward recreational reading. The results suggest that recreational reading promotion is increasing in UK university libraries. Participants were positive about the benefits of recreational reading but they identified a number of barriers preventing them from increasing their activity including finance, staff time, and mission drift. The article concludes with recommendations for increasing recreational reading including the need for better staff awareness and training. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The British Library partnered with Klokan Technologies to customise the Georeferencer application for crowdsourcing of spatial metadata capture for two of its most important collections of historic mapping of Britain. This effort built upon previous work in online georeferencing and developments in metadata uses with geographical interfaces in libraries. The authors describe the project and the customised, new release of Georeferencer, with the results and benefits such a project may yield for both cartographic researchers and holding institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article outlines the workings of the UK Research Reserve, a collaborative initiative releasing space in Higher Education libraries within the United Kingdom, while ensuring the retention and availability of a national print journal collection. The method used to process material and identify holdings suitable for disposal is described. The salient issues in the process are identified and discussed, as are some of the challenges that have been encountered to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring the use, outcomes and value of the library's role in scholarly reading helps demonstrate the value library collections bring to scholarship. The Scholarly Reading and the Value of Library Resources project, funded by JISC Collections, measured the value and outcomes to academic staff members from access to scholarly publications. Six higher education institutions in the UK participated in the 2011 survey of scholarly reading. Over 2,000 academic staff members responded to the survey, which asked questions about reading of scholarly articles, books and other materials. Respondents read from a variety of materials, an average of 22 articles, seven books and ten other publications monthly, for an average of 39 scholarly readings per month. Readings from the library are more likely to be for research or teaching and the libraries' e-journal collections are the main source for article readings. Additional reading patterns and outcomes are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses a comparison of two national events, the 1951 Festival of Britain, and the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, to examine developments in archival collecting policy and practice. It examines the possible reasons for the relative scarcity of Festival records and argues that these gaps in the archival record demonstrate the need for a national collecting strategy for London 2012, the implementation of which is made possible through advances in technology, together with a changed understanding of the record-keeper's role. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article explores the short history of “neuroscience” as a discipline in its own right as opposed to the much longer past of the brain sciences. It focuses on one historical moment, the formation of the first British “neuroscience” society, the Brain Research Association (BRA), renamed in 1996 to the British Neuroscience Association (BNA). It outlines the new thinking brought about by this new science of brain, mind, and behavior, it sketches the beginnings of the BRA and the institutionalization of neuroscience in the British context, and it further explores the ambiguous relation the association had towards some of the ethical, social, and political implications of this new area of research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The aim of this study was to reflect on the origins and meanings of names describing investment practices that integrate a consideration of environmental, social and corporate governance issues in the academic literature. A review of 190 academic papers spanning the period from 1975 to mid-2009 was conducted. This exploratory study evaluated the associations and disassociations of the primary name assigned to this genre of investment with variables grouped into five domains, namely Primary Ethical Position, Investment Strategy, Publication Date, Regions Covered and Periodical Type. The study indicated that papers coded as expressing a deontological ethical position were more frequently associated with the name Ethical Investment, whereas those with an ambiguous ethical position were less frequently associated with Ethical Investment. Three investment strategies (positive screening, best-in-class and cause-based investing) were unusually associated with the primary name Responsible Investment. A strong preference for the name Ethical Investment was noted in the United Kingdom, and contrasted starkly with an apparent aversion for this name in the United States. The name Ethical Investment is significantly more frequently used in journals dealing with ethics, business ethics and philosophy than in finance, economic and investment journals. Finally, the study yielded some weak hints that the name Responsible Investment might perhaps be linked to an egoist ethical position. On the basis of this, and because these have already been substantively linked through the Principles for Responsible Investment in the popular discourse, we follow the heuristic tradition set by Sparkes (Business Ethics Eur Rev 10:194-201, ), and propose that Responsible Investment be defined as 'Investment practices that integrate a consideration of ESG issues with the primary purpose of delivering higher-risk-adjusted financial returns'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the singing activities of girls aged five to seven as enacted on a school playground in London, UK. The article examines girls' play with pop songs, analysing the girls as actors and interpreters within a complex set of surrounding discursive practices (from the school, peers and media). Empirical data from an ethnographic study of a multilingual, multiethnic playground are analysed and include observations, videos and interviews. The analysis draws on a range of research from various disciplines to examine four themes: social performances, learning, recontextualisation and preteen girlhood. The article analyses the structures which are enacted during the girls' performances and the “interpretive reproduction” (Corsaro, 1997) which occurs during the process of this type of play. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article provides information from various aspects of the field of international serials and electronic resource management. Abstracts for several research articles are included on topics such as scholarly electronic books (e-books) and open source data in academic publishing. Additionally, awards and grants presented by the American Library Association (ALA) in 2011 are highlighted along with notes on the reorganization of the United Kingdom Serials Group (UKSG). Brief information regarding the 2012 conference for the UKSG and a list of online resources related to serials librarians are also included.

The article offers information on several information resources related to policy and practice of Internet in Great Britain. It says that UNESCO has launched the second version of Miftaah USB free and open source software (FOSS) in Arabic, which can be used in science and technical education. It mentions the web site for the report entitled "The value of libraries for research and researchers" located at www.rin.ac.uk/system/files/attachments/value_of_libraries_for_screen_1.pdf.

Background: Use of the Internet to find health information is increasing dramatically but the quality of information, particularly on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is variable. The International Collaboration on Complementary Therapy Resources (ICCR) involves collaboration between the national CAM information centers in Australia, Denmark, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and a CAM information service in Germany. Objectives: The study objectives were to compare the services and areas of expertise offered by each of the national CAM information services, to explore common challenges encountered in practice, and to establish specific objectives for the collaboration. Design: The workshop incorporated set templates for presentations, brainstorming, and analysis of notes to identify common themes. Results: Differences and similarities between the various services were revealed. Common challenges were identified under the main themes of overall context, users and needs, content and processes. Based on these themes, it was possible to agree on a number of specific objectives. Conclusions: The member organizations of the ICCR serve a range of different audiences and have varied remits to fulfill. For the international collaboration to be effective, it was necessary to identify common challenges and to agree on specific objectives and potential ways of working together. Progress to date is also discussed together with plans for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses film criticism in Great Britain from 1945 to 1965, focusing on aspects of gender. Several British women film critics are examined, including Dilys Powell and Catherine de la Roche. The author comments on the professional status and working conditions of film critics, particularly exploring freelance work and flexible hours. The article also examines the public reception to women's criticism, reflecting on a libel law suit filed by film critic E. Arnot Robertson against MGM studios in the 1940s.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight limits to the dominant model of social inclusion under which UK public libraries operate, to analyse how and to what extent processes of socio-cultural exclusion emerge in the subject representation and discoverability of "non-dominant" resources in public library OPACs, and to consider folksonomy as a solution to any issues raised. Design/methodology/approach – The paper first develops a critique of the dominant model of "inclusion" within UK public libraries, drawing on feminist and critical theories of identity. It then considers how this critique overlaps with and offers fresh insights into major debates within subject indexing, and develops a theoretical rationale for considering the potential of folksonomy to intervene in more inclusive subject-indexing design. A user-based critical interpretive methodology which understands OPACs as texts open to multiple interpretations is developed, and a comparative reading of standard OPACs and LibraryThing folksonomy is undertaken to evaluate the discoverability and subject representation of LGBTQ and ethnic minority resources. Findings – LibraryThing folksonomy offers benefits over LCSH subject indexing in the discoverability and representation of LGBTQ resources. However, the folksonomy is dominated by US taggers, and this impacts on the tagging of ethnic minority resources. Folksonomy, like traditional indexing, is found to contain its own biases in worldview and subject representation. Originality/value – The importance of subject indexing in developing inclusive library services is highlighted and a new method for evaluating OPACs is developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Companies in Victorian Britain operated in a laissez-faire legal environment from the perspective of outside investors, implying that such investors were not protected by the legal system. This article seeks to identify the alternative mechanisms that outside shareholders used to protect themselves by examining the dividend policy and governance of over 800 publicly traded companies at the beginning of the 1880s. We assess the importance of these mechanisms by estimating their impact on Tobin's Q. Our evidence suggests that dividends and well-structured and incentivized boards of directors may have played a role in protecting the interests of outside investors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fractious Eden-Dulles relationship has become a staple of the historiography of Anglo-American relations in the 1950s and is often advanced as an explanatory factor for the sharp disagreements that afflicted the UK and the USA in 1954 over the Indochina War, German rearmament and European integration, and, more controversially, for the way in which the 'special relationship' reached its nadir over Suez in 1956. But what are the origins of this clash? In this article, the Eden-Dulles back-story is examined, from their first meeting in 1942 through to the Yoshida letter of 1952, and the roots of their difficulties in working with each other are located in a disagreement over how best to manage the Cold War in East Asia. This policy dispute was in turn accentuated by pronounced personal and temperamental differences so that well before 1956 the basis for mutual trust and understanding had been badly eroded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to present the outcomes of digitisation of special collections: mapping, assessment, prioritisation (DiSCmap), a JISC and RIN-funded project which studied users' priorities for the digitisation of special collections within the context of UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Design/methodology/approach -- The project produced a list of 945 collections nominated for digitisation by intermediaries and end users and a user-driven prioritisation framework. Data were gathered via web questionnaires. Focus groups and telephone interviews with end users provided additional insights on the views of those working within particular domains or disciplines. Over 1,000 intermediaries and end users contributed by nominating collections for the "long list" and providing opinions about digitisation priorities. Findings -- The long list of collections nominated for digitisation provides evidence of identified user interest and is not merely a "snapshot" but a significant outcome. A user-driven framework for prioritising digitisation was also produced. The project suggests a flexible approach for prioritising collections for digitisation based on the use of the framework in combination with the long list of collections. Research limitations/implications -- The project did not undertake a representative study; the participation of intermediaries and end users was a matter of goodwill. Yet 44 per cent of HEIs in the UK nominated special collections to the long list. Originality/value -- The paper provides new insights and evidence on user priorities for the digitisation of special collections. It also suggests a user-driven digitisation prioritisation framework of benefit in future decision making, both locally and nationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As British planning education celebrates its centenary, there remain unresolved questions about its distinct disciplinary identity. This paper argues that although planning has evolved into an academic discipline in institutional terms, its intellectual underpinning has remained ill-defined. Periodic changes to planning education have neglected the epistemic aspects of the discipline and the clarification of its distinct identity. Based on a critical review of the evolution of the discipline, structured under five distinct phases, the paper concludes that ambiguity about the nature of planning knowledge may lead to the weakening of its position as a distinct academic discipline. Three key areas are identified as the focus for future debate: space as the discipline's substantive object of enquiry, the nature of integrative knowledge, and the interface between knowledge and action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of how to deal with weapons held by paramilitary groups looms large over recent Northern Irish history. It delayed power-sharing for nine years after the 1998 Agreement and contributed to seismic change in the political landscape, but existing research has failed to adequately account for decommissioning's massive political impact. This article addresses this topic. It probes how the main parties handled the issue of decommissioning after 1998 and how that issue, in turn, affected the parties and party system. A theme throughout is how the parties' contrasting approaches to decommissioning reflected their divergent perspectives on one of the peace process's central, and most controversial, structural features: the inclusion of paramilitary-linked parties. This theme is taken up more directly in the concluding discussion which strives, with the aid of some of the theoretical literature, to tie together the threads from the main analysis and explains why decommissioning had such a dramatic impact on peace implementation in Northern Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe the findings from the qualitative strand of the National e-Book Observatory (2007-2009) project, relating to the promotion of e-textbooks in UK universities by the library, academics and publishers. A complementary paper on the ways in which students and academics locate e-books provided by their library will appear in a future issue. Design/methodology/approach - Following the provision by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) in the UK of collections of e-textbooks, the project used deep log analysis, benchmark surveys and focus groups to develop a rich picture of library e-collection management and use by students and academics. Focus groups were undertaken with library staff, academics and students; the dialogues were transcribed and analysed using NVivo7 software. Findings - The qualitative studies found that libraries were using a range of promotional tools, although these were not always finding their targets. Often libraries had no formal promotion strategy for e-resources. Although little in evidence, the value of academic commitment and promotion was emphasised. Promotion by publishers and aggregators is both to libraries and directly to academic staff. Students felt that they were largely unaware of promotion beyond the presence of e-books in the catalogue, and in some cases stated explicitly that they thought more should be done to promote library e-resources to them. Practical implications - The paper offers pragmatic guidance on promotional methodologies. Originality/value - The project describes the first major, national usage study of e-books in higher education. The paper contributes significantly to the literature in discussing the importance of promoting e-books to students and staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The British Women's Liberation Movement (WLM) has received scarce attention from historians, though many women have published first-hand accounts. These accounts are usually from a socialist feminist perspective, which tends to silence or disparage revolutionary feminist actions and ideas. Archival and oral history research on the WLM's last National Conference in Birmingham in 1978 illuminates how such a perspective is partial and in need of revision. The conference witnessed bitter disagreements, with the final plenary session degenerating into chaos as women debated the merits of resolutions relating to sexuality and violence against women. This article reconstructs the events leading up to the plenary, and interrogates the often implicit but rarely explicit notion that a particular group of revolutionary feminists was responsible for the breakdown of the Conference, and with it, the WLM as a political force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay examines the role of Jews in Britain's imperial strategy and asks whether Britain could have built its empire without them. Recent scholarship concerning Jews and the British Empire places Jews in the “informal empire”, in economic and other activities outside political rule. This was the case in nineteenth-century Malta, where Jews established themselves in commercial activities in support of Britain's military ambitions in the Mediterranean. They received some political recognition, though this was short-lived. Despite the efforts of Moses Montefiore, the British government refused to yield space for building a synagogue. The success of Malta's leading Jews, in the early and mid-century, meant that they were never above suspicion. In the late nineteenth century, the British government shielded the Jewish community from an accusation of ritual murder, but this had more to do with promoting British interests vis-a-vis the Catholic Church in Malta than advancing Jewish interests. Colonial policy concerning Jews did not result from a coherent rationale concerning Jewish interests nor consistent Jewish influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Britain's House of Commons and House of Lords Libraries have a lengthy history beginning with small collections of books and papers in the eighteenth century and evolving into today's large organizations offering a sophisticated range of services. The central theme of this article is the conservatism of these institutions over most of their history, with the creation of modern library facilities only beginning in 1945 for the Commons Library (a process that did not accelerate until some three decades later) and in 1976 for the Lords. By way of comparison I will discuss: the U.S. Library of Congress (founded in 1800); Japan's National Diet Library (created in the postwar reconstruction in 1948); and, to offer an example of a smaller country, Ireland's Oireachtas Library. In summarizing the history of the British parliamentary libraries, I have also tried to indicate some ways in which we might draw upon this historical experience to identify fruitful new future directions for libraries supporting legislatures throughout the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper aims to describe the history and current plans for the newspaper collections of the British Library. Design/methodology/approach - The Library will create more access to its older collections, via mass digitisation of texts. The Library is seeking to work with UK newspaper publishers to secure the ingest of "born digital" newspapers, to present issues of recent newspapers to users in library reading rooms. Digitised newspapers will be taken into the Library's digital library storage system being developed for all types of digital materials that the Library is acquiring in growing quantities. There are plans to move the existing collections from Colindale to a new storage facility at its Boston Spa site, to ensure controlled environmental conditions for the original printed newspapers. Findings - It was found that the British Library is investing in the future in order to improve access to a vital part of its collections. Originality/value - This is one of the few published articles on how a national library deals with the massive task of providing access to newspapers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper aims to highlight some of the ways in which UK academic libraries are responding to the increasing space pressures in both their library buildings and their external stores. Design/methodology/approach - A survey of academic libraries looks at current practice, with examples taken from the University of Leeds and a number of other UK universities. Findings - The paper finds that relegation of stock has become a fact of life, and withdrawal is becoming more common. It is clear that the shortage of physical space cannot be solved by institutions in isolation, and that a collective strategy is essential in order to guarantee long-term sustainable storage of low-usage material. Originality/value - It is hoped that the examples discussed can help inform stock management decisions in other institutions that are starting to face storage problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Address gives a broad overview of the history of British relations with Malaysia and the Malay World and the nature and specific contribution of British scholarship in the humanities within the international context of Malay studies, to take stock of what there was in terms of research and research achievements at the eve of Independence. It then turns to the state of Malay studies today generally and without dwelling on the largely isolated achievement that undoubtedly exists wherever individuals are interested in advancing their and our knowledge and understanding of the Malay World, attempts to define a modern Malay studies in scholarly terms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe the progress made in developing mechanisms for self-supported impact assessment for a range of library service providers in the UK, and higher education libraries in particular. There is no established tradition for the higher education libraries to evaluate the impact that they have within their organisations. Design/methodology/approach - The authors have created and developed a range of techniques which have been applied across the United Kingdom in school, health, public and higher education libraries, refining the techniques over the last decade. Findings - The impact initiative so far is reviewed and areas for further promotion and development identified. Originality/value - The work described is one of few that has achieved impact assessment across a wide range of libraries and over a significant period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introductory sociology textbooks are one of the disciplinary sites that illustrate both the prominent place, and many uses, of theory in sociology. This article examines the place of theory in a selection of introductory sociology textbooks published in Australia, Britain and the US. It identifies the emergence of theory as a separate topic warranting its own sections or chapters, and considers the historical changes in explicit advice provided about the nature and use of theory in sociology. It also illustrates some of the uses of theory exhibited there that go beyond those directly addressed in textbook advice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article looks at the issues facing libraries as they seek to manage and communicate rights negotiated in an ever increasing number of licences for online resources. It addresses the work that JISC Collections and EDItEUR have been engaged in to develop machine-readable licence expressions of JISC Collections licences that are suitable for import into library systems. The article explores the potential benefits such work offers to the UK academic community, as well as the issues and challenges JISC Collections has faced in this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Early Childhood is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Large scale, open immigration of unaccompanied dependent children to Canada did not commence until 1869, but it had been advocated for decades and some such immigration to the British North American colonies took place earlier in the century. The first systematic emigration of destitute British children was organized in the 1830s by the Children's Friend Society, which sent about 141 children to the Canadas from 1833 to 1836, at least 70 of whom went to Upper Canada. While the emigration scheme was short lived, it established that such children would be welcomed and that homes and work would be available for them, and it probably helped pave the way for a new wave of older juvenile immigrants in the 1850s, and for the high profile, large scale immigration of young dependent children that began in 1869 and continued for more than half a century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to discuss the results of a 2006 survey of UK Higher Education OPACs in order to provide a snapshot of cataloguing practices for e-books. Design/methodology/approach- The OPACs of 30 UK HE libraries were examined in July/August 2006 to determine which e-books were catalogued, and the level of cataloguing treatment e-books received. Interviews were conducted by e-mail with representatives of eight of these libraries. Findings - A total of 28 universities surveyed provided some OPAC records for e-books; most of these were for subscription collections from suppliers such as ebrary and netLibrary. Five universities included records in their OPACs for individual e-book titles from collections such as Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO); four OPACs included records for free e-books. There are wide variations between institutions in terms of which e-books are selected for cataloguing. Research limitations/implications - The survey was undertaken at a particular point in time (summer 2006) and was not exhaustive of all UK HE OPACs. Practical implications - This research suggests that it should be made easier for users to search OPACs for e-books, and that libraries should provide more information on their websites about which e-books are catalogued. Originality/value - This paper addresses a gap in the UK literature on cataloguing e-books. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – To examine whether placing URLs into library OPACs has been an effective way of enhancing the role of the catalogue for the contemporary library user. Design/methodology/approach – A brief review of the literature combined with an analysis of publicly available statistics for library use in the USA and the UK. Findings – That certain ways of placing URLs into the OPAC are loosely associated with a successful library environment, i.e. with constant or increasing levels of stock circulation and OPAC use, while other forms of hyper-linking OPAC records are loosely associated with declining levels of library use. Research limitations/implications – The loose association between different OPAC management practices and apparent statistical trends of library use could be investigated in greater depth by further subsequent research, but along the lines and methodology suggested herein. Practical implications – Firm suggestions on how to place and manage URLs in the online catalogue are made. Originality/value – This paper takes certain catalogue enhancement practices which are identified with the US library environment and investigates them in a UK, and specifically Scottish context, to shed light on the original US ideas behind these practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the provision of audiovisual materials in UK public libraries and their economic value. Design/methodology/approach - A questionnaire survey of all the public library authorities in the UK was used to investigate current provision of audiovisual material, expected future provision, and the amounts spent on and generated by audiovisual collections. Data collected, together with those available from other reputable sources, were then used to estimate the cost benefit or value of audiovisual provision. Findings - The provision of audiovisual material in UK public libraries is widespread and varied. While audiovisual collections provide economic value and generate income from charging for loans, there are significant costs inherent in providing such services. Concerns are raised about the constant developments in media formats and the ability to make adequate provision. A cost benefit of 1:1.34 using the PVB (present value benefits) based on maximum loan charges was found, meaning that the UK gets £1.34 direct benefit from every £1.00 spent on the audiovisual service. Research limitations/implications - There are different methods used by economists to estimate value of public services, all having limitations. The method used in this research is no exception. The cost-benefit ratio found is based on maximum loan charges. However, this figure would be higher if the PYB had been based on purchase costs or lower if the PVB had been based on mean loan charges. Further, the figures do not include indirect benefits or option benefits, so are likely to be underestimates of the true cost benefit of the audiovisual service. Practical implications - This research is likely to be of interest to public library managers and funding bodies needing evidence for the value of audiovisual provision. Originality/value - This is the first attempt to put a monetary value on audiovisual provision in the UK. It also provides insights into current and future audiovisual provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the study "Optimising Storage and Access in UK Research Libraries" by John Fielden, Colin Harris, Helen Hayes and Allan Schofield. It evaluates the present shortage of research library storage, the options for the most efficient and cost-effective nationwide solution and to make recommendations. The growth of print collections is constant despite the growing number of electronic journals. Research libraries are surveyed, with a response rate of 88 percent. More information could be found in the article.

This is a report and summary of the debate of the Consortium of University Research Libraries (CURL) and British Library commissioned report Optimising storage and access in UK research libraries held at a seminar at the British Library Conference Centre, 13 December 2005.1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article seeks to identify the major issues in the management of music manuscripts within the UK. With knowledge of current practice gained through the investigation of five case study repositories, from both archive and library domains, aspects of management are explored and considered within an archival context. Three major aspects of management are identified—collecting (collecting policies, storage and preservation), describing (finding aids, standards) and providing (access, outreach)—and each of the five case studies is tailored to fit these key areas. Exploration of these issues facilitates the ultimate aim of producing an approach to better, more consistent methods in this neglected area. Suggestions for improvement include the development of specific standards or guidelines for preservation and description, and the establishment of a specialist, cross-domain working group, prompting formal networking between the music library professional body, the International Association of Music Libraries, and representatives from other domains. The continued development of collaborative music resources such as Cecilia is also found to be key to the unified provision of user access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the Home Front's project entitled "Voices." The project, launched in January 2005, has interviewed some 80 civilian veterans. The project has the support of the National Pensioners Convention, the Trades' Union Congress and the TUC Library Collections at London Metropolitan University. The project has also created a new exhibition which highlights the key role played by civilian workers in the war effort. This exhibition will appear at a number of employment relations to an unprecedented degree. The focus on the workplace is a key part of the project. There is a forgotten army of civilian workers, many of whom worked in munitions factories and found themselves fighting for women's rights. The project has also highlighted the sense of place in wartime. Aircraft production expanded massively during war time, with one group of companies employing more than 100,000 men and women who turned out 40,089 aircraft and 38,564 aero engines. As an exercise in oral testimony, it has uncovered a huge slice of social history as lived in the long years of war.

Purpose - To examine the effects of technical developments on demand for traditional enquiry services in the House of Commons Library. Design/methodology/approach - Trends in enquiry load are matched against technical advances, especially in the area of user self-service, using published and unpublished reports. Findings - The growth of resources delivered via the Parliamentary intranet, and the provision of suitable and convenient retrieval equipment, have enabled the end-user and significantly reduced demands on traditional librarianship and reference skills. Research limitation/implications - Based on experience of one special library. Practical implications - Likely to be of use to information practitioners in cognate situations where traditional approaches are being supplanted by technical change. Originality/value - Case study of an organization adapting to the new realities of an information-rich corps of users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the electronic book usage in public libraries of Great Britain. The author reports on one aspect of a Laser Foundation-funded research project that tested different models of e-book delivery and offered guide- lines for developing e-book collections in public libraries. Public library provision of e-book software and hardware devices has not become widespread, although there has been a degree of experimentation in e-book collection development. One of the most important challenges when implementing any new service or collection, especially one as fraught as e-books with technical and cultural issues, is creating an enthusiastic staff base. The staff involved with e-book collections proved to be enthusiastic and willing to negotiate the challenges of new technology, and proved especially creative in seeking out opportunities for including different types of users in the project. The questionnaire results demonstrate that most enjoyed trialing e-books even where users noted serious concerns about the hardware being used, generally in regard to screen size and battery life.

Discusses the effectiveness of the teaching and learning at the Open University in Great Britain. Teaching methods used; Diversity of the courses offered; Integration of business, education, and health, and social welfare in the courses; Need to continue to be in vanguard of pedagogical thinking and practice.

The collection of British satirical prints in the Department of Prints and Drawings of the British Museum is the best known and most widely used in the world, mainly due to the standard catalogues of F. G. Stephens and M. D. George. There are numerous other collections of significance but they are less well known and very varied. This article is a survey of some of these other collections in England and America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the early experience of an information officer appointed within a newly formed primary health care team in the new township of Cambourne, west of Cambridge. The post was jointly defined and funded through a partnership between Cambridge shire Libraries, the Primary Care Trust and Monkfield Medical Practice. It further describes the establishment of the post, it's positioning within the core clinical team and some of the activities undertaken, including the use of information prescriptions. Significant issues highlighted include the diversity of routes to information which emerged, the importance of information to National Health Service policy of Great Britain on patient choice and the role of the information officer as an accessible source of information on healthy lifestyles. The concept of an information officer post of this nature was based in part on the experience of the Gaiter Health Learning Center at Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The Manager and her team in the Health Learning Center provide consumer health information not only for hospital patients and their families but also for the wider community.

This article discusses various issues related to the report, Monograph Interlending for the Higher Education Research Community, of Great Britain. This report has been commissioned by the Consortium of University Research Libraries with the support of the British Library Cooperation and Partnership Program in order to recommend the best Great Britain wide monograph interlending infrastructure and associated business model for the higher education research community for the next ten years. The current monograph interlending system based on the British Library Document Supply Center has several important strengths: first and most importantly, it works, and has done so successfully for many years.

Background: It is widely acknowledged that there is a global divide on health care and health research known as the 10/90 divide. Methods: A retrospective survey of articles published in the BMJ, Lancet, NEJM, Annals of Internal Medicine & JAMA in a calendar year to examine the contribution of the developing world to medical literature. We categorized countries into four regions: UK, USA, Other Euro-American countries (OEAC) and (RoW). OEAC were European countries other than the UK but including Australia, New Zealand and Canada. RoW comprised all other countries. Results: The average contribution of the RoW to the research literature in the five journals was 6.5%. In the two British journals 7.6% of the articles were from the RoW; in the three American journals 4.8% of articles were from RoW. The highest proportion of papers from the RoW was in the Lancet (12%). An analysis of the authorship of 151 articles from RoW showed that 104 (68.9%) involved authorship with developed countries in Europe or North America. There were 15 original papers in these journals with data from RoW but without any authors from RoW. Conclusions: There is a marked under-representation of countries in high-impact general medical journals. The ethical implications of this inequity and ways of reducing it are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This article examines the business failure of James Rogers, a large Bristol slave trader, within the context of the operation of the late British slave trade in west Africa, on the Middle Passage, and in the Caribbean. Based on a large cache of surviving manuscripts, the article shows that the credit crisis of 1793 led to the demise of Rogers's mercantile career but also that his business collapse stemmed from over-extending his slave trading activities, from relatively poor profit levels, and from attempts to expand his trading portfolio in the eighteen months before the national financial crash. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article evaluates the changing assessments within the British trade union movement of the efficacy of European Union integration from the viewpoint of labour interests. It argues that there has been a marked further ‘Europeanisation’ of British trade unionism during the 1990s, consolidating an on-going process which previous research shows began in earnest in the mid 1980s. A shift in trade union economic policy assessments has seen the decisive abandonment of the previously dominant ‘naive’ or national Keynesianism. While there remain important differences in economic perspective between unions, these are not such as would create significant divisions over the question of European integration per se, the net benefits of which are now generally, though perhaps not universally, accepted. The absence of fundamental divisions is evident from a careful assessment of the debates about economic and monetary union at TUC Congress. The Europeanisation of British trade unionism needs to be seen within the context of an emergent regionalism, in Europe and elsewhere. It can best be understood as a rational response by an important corporate actor (albeit one whose national influence has been considerably diminished in recent decades) to globalisation and a significantly changing political economy environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents news briefs related to computer technology in Great Britain as of May 2002. Development of an application based on facial recognition technology by the National Crime Squad; Introduction of an intelligent solution to handle water managementby Schlumberger Oilfield Services; Launch of PowerManager forecasting software by EnvaPower.

Presents updates on library and information services in Great Britain as of May 2002. Information on the public library system; Contributions of library and information services in the policies designed to combat social exclusion; Discussion of the digitization of internationally important books and manuscripts.

The paper presents the results of a survey carried out in 2000 to establish the extent of Baltic collections in United Kingdom libraries: academic, public, and émigré community libraries. Baltic collections are understood in this paper to mean materials in the Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian languages; however, reference is also made to materials in other languages about the history, society, and cultures of these countries. The paper begins with a short introduction to the history of Baltic library collections in the U.K., and then looks at the current situation, seeking to map Baltic collections at U.K. libraries, and establish collection size and strengths. Current collecting patterns are examined in the light of research trends, and the impact of electronic information sources is considered. Finally, prognostications are made about the future of Baltic library collections in the U.K., taking into account number of users, political factors, and the move towards increased inter-library cooperation occasioned by diminishing acquisitions budgets. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]