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5856 results in Facet Publishing

Page 260 of 293

  • Sport

  • from EDUCATION & SPORT
  • Edited by Ray Lester, Peter Clinch, Heather Dawson, Helen Edwards, Susan Tarrant
  • Book:
    The New Walford Guide to Reference Resources
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    09 June 2018
    Print publication:
    31 December 2007, pp 479-522

  • Summary

    Introductions to the subject

    4597 Introduction to physical education, fitness and sport

    D. Siedentop 6th edn, McGraw-Hill, 2006, 480pp. £35.99. ISBN 9780071107488.

    17 chapters organized into five parts: I. Understanding the context of lifespan sport, fitness and physical education; II. Sport; III. Fitness; IV. Physical education; Putting it all together: building a national infrastructure to support physical activity and healthy lifestyles.

    4598 Research methods for sports studies

    C. Gratton and I. Jones Routledge, 2003, 304pp. £28.99. ISBN 9780415268783.

    Topics covered include conceptual models; qualitative research methods; choosing an appropriate research design; undertaking a literature review; key research methods such as questionnaires, interviews, content analysis and ethnographic studies; analysing data, including an introduction to SPSS, as well as guides to descriptive and inferential statistics; writing a research report; the internet as a research tool.

    Dictionaries, thesauri, classifications

    4599 The Sage dictionary of sports studies

    D. Malcolm Sage Publications, 2008, 304pp. £19.99. ISBN 9781412907354.

    Forthcoming work, with each entry providing ‘a basic definition, a guide to research themes and a clear account of the relevance of the concept in understanding sport’.

    4600 Sport and physical education: the key concepts

    T. Chandler, M. Cronin and W. Vamplew 2nd edn, Routledge, 2007, 266pp. £14.99. ISBN 9780415417471.

    A–Z guide written specifically for students of sport studies and physical education and having wide coverage, e.g.: coaching, drug testing, hooliganism, cultural imperialism, economics, gay games, amateurism, extreme sports, exercise physiology, Olympism.

    Official & quasi-official bodies

    4601 Council of Europe/Conseil de l'Europe: Sport

    www.coe.int/t/dg4/sport

    Sport section of the CoE (Council of Europe) website contains the European Sport Charter and other reference texts. Promoting ‘sport and the social and health benefits which it brings to individuals and to society’, topics include sport for all, violence and anti-doping. Browse reference texts by general topic, or CoE sports policy and legal documents by year from 2002 to 2005. Available in English and French.

    Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    See entry no. 5050

    4602 European Non-Governmental Sports Organisation

    www.engso.com

    Non-profit European sports organization comprising 40 national sports confederations or national Olympic committees, representing ‘national sport in its broadest sense’. Policy documents and guidelines; youth section featuring multilingual guidelines; member list and summaries of annual country reports from 2001 to 2005; details of events, development group and European Union working group. Search facility but no site map.

  • Media & Communications

  • from MEDIA & INFORMATION
  • Edited by Ray Lester, Peter Clinch, Heather Dawson, Helen Edwards, Susan Tarrant
  • Book:
    The New Walford Guide to Reference Resources
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    09 June 2018
    Print publication:
    31 December 2007, pp 525-560

  • Summary

    Introductions to the subject

    5031 50 ways to understand communication: a guided tour of key ideas and theorists in communication, media, and culture

    A.A. Berger Rowman & Littlefield, 2006, 144pp. $23.95. ISBN 9780742541085.

    ‘(F)amiliarizes readers with important concepts written by leading communication and cultural theorists … Berger's clear explanations and examples surround this assortment of influential writing, walking the uninitiated through these sometimes dense theoretical works. His selections and commentary will challenge readers to reconsider the role of communication in our culture. This engaging, accessible book is essential for students of communication and anyone interested in how we communicate in a world of rapidly changing media.’

    5032 Canonic texts in media research: are there any? should there be? how about these?

    E. Katz [et al.] Polity Press, 2003, 265pp. £15.99. ISBN 9780745629346.

    Stimulating introductory volume which ‘offers thirteen pairs of shoulders to stand on, the better to see the field of media studies. It will serve as an excellent teaching text for advanced students in communications and media and cultural studies.’

    5033 Communication research: asking questions, finding answers

    J. Keyton 2nd edn, McGraw-Hill, 2006, 416pp. £33.99. ISBN 9780073049502.

    ‘This text covers basic research issues and both quantitative and qualitative approaches to communication research. The guiding principle of the text is that methodological choices arise from one's research questions and hypotheses; thus, the text focuses first on the research process and then discusses the methodological tools for understanding and conducting basic communication research projects.’

    5034 Communication research: strategies and sources

    R.B. Rubin, A.M. Rubin and L.J. Piele 6th edn, Thomson Wadsworth, 2005, 336pp. $58.95. ISBN 9780534564865.

    Core US-based text providing 12 chapters organized into three parts: 1. Communication research strategies; 2. Communication research sources; 3. Communication research processes.

    5035 The creation of the media: political origins of modern communications

    P. Starr Basic Books, 2004, 484pp. $16.95. ISBN 9780465081943.

    ‘In this wide-ranging social history of American media, from the first printing press to the early days of radio, Paul Starr shows that the creation of modern communications was as much the result of political choices as of technological invention …’ ‘

  • 18 - Information technology standards: databases, markup and the internet

  • from Part 5 - Library technologies
  • G. G. Chowdhury, Paul F. Burton, David McMenemy, Alan Poulter
  • Book:
    Librarianship
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 December 2007, pp 185-204

  • Summary

    Introduction

    This chapter introduces the concept of pervasive computing: the idea that the computer, in the form of a processor, is everywhere – in devices, clothes, etc. It then looks at the standards that underpin pervasive computing; in databases, mark-up languages and wired and wireless networks. It also outlines the main problems of pervasive computing, in terms of the security risks it opens up.

    Pervasive computing

    In our information age, pervasive computing is the idea that information technology is moving beyond the personal computer and becoming embedded into everyday devices, giving them the processing power and connectivity of traditional computing devices. These devices are themselves becoming progressively smaller and more powerful. Many people are familiar with using laptops (which now outstrip desktops in sales) and PDAs on the move. The Blackberry is a hand-held device that essentially functions as an e-mail reader and a phone, complete with miniature keyboard. Smart phones are mobile phones with web browsers, e-mail, personal organizers and the ability to download and install more software. They come with sound recording and playing capabilities, digital cameras and more recently video cameras, and since they use GPRS or UMTS (explained below) for their internet connection, they can connect to the internet pretty much anywhere. On PCs, hard disks can be used to store data permanently, but mobile devices have neither the space nor the power capacity for them. Instead, storage solutions involve using non-volatile flash memory and battery-powered random access memory (RAM). Also called ‘ubiquitous computing’, pervasive computing is leading to a wider shift in computing, in that almost any device, from clothing, tools and appliances to cars, homes, the human body and your wedding ring, can be embedded with a computer processor to connect the device to an infinite network of other devices.

    This pervasiveness was initially hampered by two types of standards: proprietary standards, which were protected by their owners and rarely shared with others in the industry; and de facto standards, which became established through widespread consumer acceptance or through the owners allowing others to exploit the technologies they had developed. Subsequently, product development, branding and market dominance allowed these owners to maintain their position in the market. Microsoft Windows is a good example of a proprietary standard which evolved into a de facto standard for personal computers.

  • 16 - Government legislation and policies

  • from Part 4 - Library and information users and society
  • G. G. Chowdhury, Paul F. Burton, David McMenemy, Alan Poulter
  • Book:
    Librarianship
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 December 2007, pp 165-172

  • Summary

    Introduction

    A significant aspect of the question of libraries and society is the relationship with government in its law-making functions, and the ethical issues to which this can give rise. The focus in this chapter will not be on the particular legislation which enables libraries to carry out their functions, but rather on those many other aspects of policy which may impinge from time to time on the library's operations and its services to users. There are occasions when the library can be seen not only as a provider of information, but also as a protector of that information and even of a nation's civil liberties. In order to provide illustrative examples, reference will be made where helpful to specific laws, but because legislation can vary from country to country, as far as possible the discussion will be in more general terms. The reader is invited to consider the extent to which legislation in his or her country affects libraries in the ways to be discussed. From this discussion, we will identify a number of ethical issues which the librarian could be faced with in the course of his or her job: there may be more than might be imagined. We should also note that the problems of the law in other jurisdictions has, in the age of the internet and the web, had an impact on libraries: for example, the issue of users accessing material which is perfectly legal in its country of origin, but not in the country within which the library is located.

    Thinking Point

    What legislation do you think could affect a public or a university library?

    Legal and moral issues for libraries

    Government's relationship with information and the various organizations, departments and other bodies connected with information creation, storage and dissemination is a complex one, made more so by rapid changes in information and communication technologies. This simply adds to the problem: legislation and policy are constantly trying to ‘catch up’ with developments and the ways in which people use those developments. In some instances there is a perceived role for government (depending on the political ideology of the country concerned); in other cases, it will be regarded as a problem for the information industries themselves to control in some way, often by establishing a code of practice enforced by an industry-representative body.

  • 14 - The library as social institution

  • from Part 4 - Library and information users and society
  • G. G. Chowdhury, Paul F. Burton, David McMenemy, Alan Poulter
  • Book:
    Librarianship
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 December 2007, pp 145-154

  • Summary

    Introduction

    The significant part of the claim cited earlier that libraries would soon be defunct is the question of access to the ‘necessary technology’, as well as the ability of search engines to carry out effective searches with high precision and relevance (see Chapter 13). While there is little doubt that access to the web has grown rapidly in the last few years, it remains the case that not everyone is able to access the internet, either because the technology is beyond their financial means or because they lack the required computer literacy – or both. While primary school pupils in the UK learn to search the web, the older generation, for example, are becoming a bigger and bigger proportion of the population but often lack the necessary skills to use a computer and the financial means to acquire one in the first place. Nor are they the only ones in such a situation: single parents and those on low incomes have other demands on their resources, and even with falling prices are hard-pushed to afford even the basic technology. There is a digital divide on both a national and an international scale and it is difficult to know how long it will take to bridge it.

    Searching and organizing the web

    As Part 3 shows, we can also question (for the present at least) the efficacy of the various search tools available. Anyone who has ever Googled a search term or used any of the other search engines will have seen the pages of hits, sometimes running into the millions, in no obvious order that can result (sometimes preceded by ‘sponsored links’ or advertisements). This is because search engines largely do not distinguish the context of the words they identify in web pages, and so present a link to any page which contains the required word or words regardless of actual relevance to the user's enquiry (although, as Part 5 indicates, relevance ranking is used to some extent). Add to that the number of sites of dubious accuracy, and effective retrieval becomes difficult. Little wonder that many users do not go beyond the first one or two pages of links found by a search engine.

  • Part 2 - Library and information resources and services

  • G. G. Chowdhury, Paul F. Burton, David McMenemy, Alan Poulter
  • Book:
    Librarianship
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 December 2007, pp 45-48

  • Summary

    Part 1 discussed the different types of libraries that currently exist and where new LIS graduates may find employment after their degree course. In this section we will discuss the types of services offered by those libraries in more detail.

    Choosing the correct materials for your library, acquiring them and making them available in a timely and efficient manner are major challenges for librarians who wish to provide the best possible service to their users. Managing library collections can also be a complex challenge with pressures on space and finances. The issues discussed in this chapter will be of concern across library sectors, since, regardless of the type of library concerned, the librarian will still be charged with acquisition of materials, evaluation of said materials, and providing an enquiry service for users.

    The history of libraries could be seen to mirror the availability of the knowledge of humankind. Modern libraries store a myriad of information resources exactly because the knowledge of the world is contained within a myriad of resources. An understanding of how these resources are made available to users is very important for librarians, and this chapter will also attempt to delineate these issues.

    This section will also discuss issues of preservation of materials and the techniques used to ensure that rare materials are both looked after for the present, and made available to increasing numbers of users through the process known as digitization.

    The section will be divided into the following themes:

    Chapter 6: Content, storage and delivery

    Chapter 7: Library services

    Chapter 8: Collection management and collection development

    Chapter 9: Preservation and digitization.

    A list of further reading follows.

  • 15 - Services to library users

  • from Part 4 - Library and information users and society
  • G. G. Chowdhury, Paul F. Burton, David McMenemy, Alan Poulter
  • Book:
    Librarianship
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 December 2007, pp 155-164

  • Summary

    Introduction

    This chapter examines the array of services that libraries provide for users and seeks to identify a range of functions found within various types of libraries that are designed to assist in the provision of those services. It also includes a consideration of the importance of developing information literacy as distinct from computer literacy. The former has taken on a new significance with the growth of online information resources.

    Consider the following scenarios:

  • 1 It is an afternoon in a large city public library. At one table, a group of older school pupils is working on a local history project. One of them, with a marked visual impairment, is having problems reading the books provided by the local studies librarian. At the issue desk, an asylum seeker is struggling to ask about the local authority services available to her, as a small child tugs at her hand. Two senior citizens are working painstakingly at an internet terminal, apparently trying to send an e-mail, while a young man in a suit is handing in a request for two new books reviewed in a newspaper the previous weekend. One library assistant is on the phone, apparently answering an enquiry about the computer literacy courses on offer.

  • 2 In the library of a large firm of architects, one of the two librarians is updating the online catalogue of building regulations, remembering that, once that is done, she will have to notify all those who have indicated that they need to be kept up to date with developments and changes. Meanwhile, the other librarian is searching a commercial online database for recent reports on solar panels in connection with the firm's bid for a new waterfront redevelopment programme. The most recent book acquisitions still sit on a shelf, awaiting cataloguing.

  • 3 It's exam time, and there is a palpable air of concentration (and panic) in the university library. Undergraduates are spread throughout every level, some heavily occupied with textbooks from the short loan collection, others using the library's internet terminals or their own laptops. A lecturer, temporarily freed from classes and not yet with any marking, is trying to catch up with the journals in her field.

  • Part 4 - Library and information users and society

  • G. G. Chowdhury, Paul F. Burton, David McMenemy, Alan Poulter
  • Book:
    Librarianship
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 December 2007, pp 141-144

  • Summary

    This part consists of chapters on the library as a social institution, services to library users, and government legislation and policies. It describes the principal professional and ethical issues with which the librarian is faced in providing contemporary library and information services. The technical and social developments of the past few decades have heightened the need to be aware of more traditional challenges such as the protection of intellectual property (copyright) but they have also given rise to newer concerns, including data protection and privacy and freedom of information. Moreover, the widespread use of digital information resources has led to questions about the (continuing) role of the library and the librarian. Early in the development of the internet and the web, the idea arose that libraries and librarians would become unnecessary: eventually all the information we would ever need would be available in digital form to anyone with the necessary technology, while search engines would let us find whatever we sought.

    As the web grew in the number and nature of the resources it provided access to, and as more and more people began to use it (for a great variety of purposes), these claims began to appear less and less realistic. Finding what one wanted among the vast number of web pages became increasingly difficult: finding accurate information became even more difficult, because it was possible to publish on the web without any of the intermediary processes of peer review, refereeing, having to demonstrate a demand and so on. As with all technologies, the web is thus a double-edged sword:

  • 1 It provides an outlet for those whose views might otherwise be censored or blocked for some reason.

  • 2 It provides an outlet for minority views and ideas which might never find a large audience (for example, ethnic and cultural minorities).

  • 3 It provides an outlet for minority interests, hobbies, etc.

  • 4 It provides worldwide access to the latest research as well as to unique materials.

  • 5 It can therefore be the greatest single medium for freedom of speech we have yet known.

  • However, it can also:

  • 6 provide an outlet for views which many might consider abhorrent or offensive (e.g., racism, pornography), the publication of which in one jurisdiction would not otherwise be possible

  • 11 - Cataloguing, bibliographic formats and metadata

  • from Part 3 - Information organization and access
  • G. G. Chowdhury, Paul F. Burton, David McMenemy, Alan Poulter
  • Book:
    Librarianship
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 December 2007, pp 103-114

  • Summary

    Introduction

    In the modern history of cataloguing several catalogue codes – tools used for preparing catalogues of bibliographic items – have emerged. The most prominent and widely used among them is the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, known under its second edition as AACR2. This is used as the de facto standard for cataloguing library resources all over the world, and the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), the body responsible for the management of AACR2, has brought out guidelines for using AACR2 for cataloguing internet resources.

    The main objective of this chapter is to provide an overview of the activities involved in cataloguing library resources, and the corresponding rules and standards/tools, and so on. The chapter also provides a brief introduction to AACR2, and some simple examples of catalogue records. After reading this chapter, readers should have an understanding of the basic concepts of cataloguing and catalogue records created according to AACR2.

    History of library catalogues

    Most of us are familiar with some form of catalogue, product catalogues (such as the Argos catalogue in the UK) being the most common, which simply speaking is a list of items, arranged in a specific order. A catalogue is formally defined as ‘a list of the contents of a particular collection of objects and is arranged in some definite order so as to facilitate the use of that collection, and a guide to its scope and content’ (Corbett, 1966, 297).

    A library catalogue is defined as ‘an ordered compilation of item descriptions and sufficient information to afford access to entries’ (Clason, 1973). A library catalogue lets the user find out about a library's collection, i.e., it shows what the library has on a given subject, by a given author, and so on. A catalogue record aims to provide all the information of a given bibliographic item that is deemed necessary to get access to the item concerned.

    Cataloguing is one of the oldest information organization activities and dates back over 2000 years. Evidence of some form of cataloguing activities has been noted as far back as 300 BC in the Library of Alexandria in ancient Egypt (Hanson and Daily, 1970).

  • 5 - The future of libraries

  • from Part 1 - Libraries and information services: evolution or revolution?
  • G. G. Chowdhury, Paul F. Burton, David McMenemy, Alan Poulter
  • Book:
    Librarianship
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 December 2007, pp 41-44

  • Summary

    Introduction

    This chapter uses the example of J. C. R. Licklider and his works (1960, 1965, 1968) to introduce ideas about the technological future of libraries. It then examines how the concept of the library relates to the provision of information that the internet and its associated companies (e.g. Google) offer, and speculates on the consequences of digital information replacing non-digital information.

    Libraries: evolution or revolution?

    One of the most difficult things to do is predict the future. It is obvious looking back why what happened, happened, and what the important developments were. Looking forward, though, is fraught with problems. We each have a unique viewpoint. We know that some things that we now think of as important will not be in the future, and vice versa. We can only guess, not predict. Part 5, Library Technologies, investigates in more detail the current relationship between libraries and technology.

    There is a rich and expansive literature on the development of, and possible futures for, libraries. Since the purpose here is to cover topics concisely, one example, a canonical one, from this literature will be chosen as the basis for discussion here.

    J. C. R. Licklider was very possibly the first person to prophesy the death of the library, as he saw computer networks as bypassing libraries and delivering information direct to users (Licklider, 1965). To test the validity of this prophesy it is pertinent to know more about Licklider. What did he know? What was his perspective? He was writing a long time before the technological landscape we see today.

    In 1960 Licklider wrote a famous paper which outlined the need for simpler interaction between computers and computer users. He was a pioneer of artificial intelligence (AI). Unlike many others in the field at the time, he never felt that people would be replaced by computer-based AI: ‘Men will set the goals, formulate the hypotheses, determine the criteria, and perform the evaluations. Computing machines will do the routinizable work that must be done to prepare the way for insights and decisions in technical and scientific thinking’ (Licklider, 1960).

    Licklider was speculating about a global computer network, something he dubbed the ‘Galactic Network’, in 1962.

  • 19 - Library management systems

  • from Part 5 - Library technologies
  • G. G. Chowdhury, Paul F. Burton, David McMenemy, Alan Poulter
  • Book:
    Librarianship
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 December 2007, pp 205-214

  • Summary

    Introduction

    Like most organizations, libraries have a particular customization of ICT functions which serves their fundamental operational needs. However, this set of functions is not limited and there is the ever-present need to open library services up for users, both local and remote, to access and use. This chapter explores these issues.

    Library management systems

    Libraries have a long history of using computer systems to enhance their operations (Saffady, 1991). Library automation systems were early attempts, sometimes using completely home-grown software applications, to computerize library operations. Nowadays there is little need for pioneer work in this area and libraries will typically use a commercial library management system (LMS), except where their needs are unique (as in the case of national libraries or some special libraries) or they have the technical know-how to use a free, open-source LMS.

    As introduced in Chapter 7, an LMS is primarily a tool for managing circulation of stock (Cohn, Kelsey and Fields, 2002; Morris and Dyer, 1998). In technical terms, a library management system is essentially a relational database customized for use in running a library and supporting its operations. As we have seen, databases underlie many organizational applications of computers. Like all computer software applications, library management systems started as proprietary applications running on proprietary systems. They have evolved so that most of them now run on standard equipment (PC compatibles or larger mini-computers) under de facto standard operating systems (e.g. Windows and UNIX), and follow standards in data and information formatting. So, for example, most current LMSs support web-browser interfaces for both customer- and staff-facing tasks. Like software applications generally, an LMS comes in modules, all of which share a common data format (or formats), but which perform different functions on that data. A useful directory of library management systems is provided by the Open Directory (http://dmoz.org/Reference/Libraries/Library_and_Information_Science/Software) and there is a fully functional online demo of an open-source LMS called Koha, (http:// liblime.com/demos), which shows most features of a typical LMS (see Figure 19.1). It will be used for screen-dumps illustrating the functions of LMSs discussed below.

    Fundamentally an LMS does two things:

  • • It supports all the ‘back-end’ operations of a library – acquiring stock/information, cataloguing stock, loaning stock/disseminating information and reporting on these functions to enable effective service management.

  • • It enables users to find out what items or information a library has, and then borrow/access as appropriate their required items/information.

  • 10 - Classification

  • from Part 3 - Information organization and access
  • G. G. Chowdhury, Paul F. Burton, David McMenemy, Alan Poulter
  • Book:
    Librarianship
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 December 2007, pp 89-102

  • Summary

    Introduction

    Library and information services have developed and used several special tools, techniques and standards for organizing information resources on shelves in order to keep related items together, and, by analogy, to keep unrelated items apart. The main objective of this activity, called classification, is to facilitate easy location of, and thus access to, information resources in libraries. Modern day classification schemes – tools used for classification of bibliographic information resources – date back to the late 19th century, 1876 to be precise, when Melvil Dewey developed a systematic scheme of library classification that eventually became one of the most widely used tools for organizing library materials. Since then a number of library classification schemes have been developed to aid the process of organizing library materials in a systematic manner.

    The main objective of this chapter is to provide an introduction to the concept and process of library classification. It begins with a brief introduction to the concept of library classification, and it then provides a brief overview of some major bibliographic classification systems. Space does not permit a comparison of the various library classification schemes, or a detailed discussion of the features of each. Nevertheless, after reading this chapter, readers should have an understanding of the basic concept of bibliographic classification and the principles of various bibliographic classification schemes.

    Organizing information: classification

    The process of organization of items takes place in all walks of life, consciously or unconsciously. Sometimes we organize items mentally and thus distinguish one item from another; in other cases we use some sort of formal method or approach that has been previously laid down and agreed upon. The process of organizing things in a systematic order is known as classification; it is a process by which our mind identifies an item and at the same time distinguishes it from others (Chowdhury and Chowdhury, 2007). Hunter (2002, 2) comments: ‘wherever one looks, examples of the use of classification can be found’.

    For classification we use those characteristics of objects that are specifically useful for their identification (as well as distinction from one another) by the intended users. In the process of classification of objects we repeatedly apply the characteristics of the objects concerned, and thus form smaller and smaller groups at each stage.

  • 17 - Fundamentals of computing and the information age

  • from Part 5 - Library technologies
  • G. G. Chowdhury, Paul F. Burton, David McMenemy, Alan Poulter
  • Book:
    Librarianship
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 December 2007, pp 177-184

  • Summary

    Introduction

    This section outlines the history of the computer and gives an introduction to the information age, where the effective use of information is a prerequisite for success in business, government and social life.

    The roots of information technology

    The first computers were people. There has always been a need to calculate, for example to work out balances in complex trading operations or to predict where stars will be in the sky at a certain point in the year. However, mental arithmetic can be both boring and prone to error, hence the invention of the first mechanical calculating devices many centuries ago. The earliest known tool for calculating is the abacus, and even today, a skilled abacus operator can work on addition and subtraction problems at the speed of a person equipped with a hand calculator. The oldest surviving abacus was used in 300 BC by the Babylonians.

    Thinking Point

    Computers are glorified counting devices, albeit extremely fast. Is this enough of a basis from which to develop intelligence? Is an intelligent computer possible?

    In the early 19th century the British Empire straddled the world because of its control of the seas. Yet the British navy had to rely on a seven-volume set of navigation tables, which came with a companion volume of corrections for over 1000 numerical errors. The mathematician Charles Babbage proposed a steam-driven calculating machine, which he called the difference engine, which would be able to correctly compute tables of numbers such as navigation tables. His project foundered, despite being the most expensive government programme of its age – perhaps it was the earliest harbinger of current failures in large, government-funded IT projects.

    Undaunted, Babbage proposed an even more grandiose idea, the analytical engine. This would be a general purpose calculation device. It would use punched cards, recently developed by the Frenchman Joseph Jacquard for controlling patterns output on looms. Babbage realized that punched cards could contain either the raw data or the instructions for the calculations to be performed on that data. Different punched patterns would equate to different data or instructions. Because of the connection to Jacquard's loom, Babbage called the two main parts of his analytical engine the ‘store’ and the ‘mill’, as both terms were used in the weaving industry.

  • 25 - Education in librarianship

  • from Part 7 - Education and research in librarianship
  • G. G. Chowdhury, Paul F. Burton, David McMenemy, Alan Poulter
  • Book:
    Librarianship
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 December 2007, pp 277-284

  • Summary

    Introduction

    Education and training in modern librarianship began in the USA in the late 19th century and gradually spread there and to other countries in the world. Today formal education in librarianship is usually offered at the postgraduate level at universities throughout the world, though there are some undergraduate programmes too. The duration, content and nomenclature of the university courses vary significantly from one country to another, and even within the same country. However, on-the-job training and CPD programmes also play a major part in keeping library professionals up to date with the professional as well as technical developments that have an impact on the profession and the user community, and society at large. This chapter provides a brief history of library education, and an outline of the content and structure of various university courses in librarianship. It also provides a brief introduction to the concept of CPD and training programmes offered by various professional associations and organizations. The objective is to provide an overview of the nature and characteristics of education and training in librarianship in different parts of the world.

    Education in librarianship: a brief history

    Formal education in modern librarianship began in the late 19th century in the USA with the foundation of the School of Library Service in New York State University and subsequently at Columbia University by Melvil Dewey, and it remained an American phenomenon until after the First World War (Feather, 1997). These continued as mainly rather low-level training programmes until the 1920s when the research-led Graduate School of Library Science was established at the University of Chicago. In time several graduate programmes in librarianship were introduced at various American universities, and these courses were accredited by the American Library Association (ALA). The first formal course in librarianship in Canada was established in 1904 at McGill University, though it, like those in other North American universities, remained a rather low-level course until 1929, when an ALA-accredited diploma programme was introduced, and subsequently an ALA-accredited bachelor's programme began in 1931.

  • 6 - Content, storage and delivery

  • from Part 2 - Library and information resources and services
  • G. G. Chowdhury, Paul F. Burton, David McMenemy, Alan Poulter
  • Book:
    Librarianship
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 December 2007, pp 49-54

  • Summary

    Introduction

    Writing in 1974, Atkinson suggested that solely the love of books was no longer an acceptable reason to wish to be a librarian. He stressed that, ‘For some considerable time now, that reason, alone and unqualified, has not been enough’ (Atkinson, 1974, 54). Yet even at the time of writing this book in 2007, this response is still a common one from applicants to librarianship courses who are asked why they wish to become a librarian. Atkinson went on to suggest that librarians ‘have long wished to change a popular image of themselves as effete, browsing booklovers’ (Ibid.).

    The reality is that libraries have been about more than books for a long time, indeed for as long as libraries have existed there have been ephemeral items that were not books, such as manuscripts, pamphlets and the like. In the 21st century non-book material makes up a large proportion of library holdings for many institutions, and indeed the concept of the digital library, discussed in Chapter 20, is all about the electronic rather than the physical item. Therefore Atkinson is correct that love of the book as a format for delivery of content is not in and of itself a reasonable unqualified basis for wishing to pursue a career in libraries; but love of the content within regardless of format, and an associated desire to deliver that content to as many users as possible, certainly is. In the modern library the book is one of many formats that a library user may wish to consult, and modern librarians must be familiar with and value all equally if they are to deliver excellent service.

    This chapter will discuss the range of materials now housed within libraries, and some of the challenges they present in terms of access and storage.

    Delivery formats

    Information, be it a fiction book, a reference book, a journal, a newspaper or a computer file, needs to be presented to users in a format that enables them to access the content. The format of delivery of information will govern how easy it is for them to access, how long it will take, and whether they require an intermediary or a specialist piece of equipment.

Librarianship
  • An Introduction
  • G. G. Chowdhury, Paul F. Burton, David McMenemy, Alan Poulter
  • Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 December 2007
  • Every profession needs an introductory text to its core body of knowledge. This brand new, definitive text from renowned authors Gobinda Chowdhury, Paul F. Burton, David McMenemy and Alan Poulter provides an introduction to librarianship for students and new entrants to the profession. This handbook is the first to give a complete overview of all aspects of professional librarianship in the 21st century, and to offer an up-to-date, authoritative analysis of modern libraries and librarianship. The key areas covered are: libraries and information services: evolution or revolution; information resources and services; information organization and access; library and information users and society; library technologies; library and information management; and, LIS education and training. Each chapter in this user-friendly text features clear learning aims and objectives and a list of revision questions to test and consolidate knowledge and understanding. Mapping onto course content for library and information studies internationally, this handbook is a single source of introductory explanations of library and information concepts for the student. It is also the quintessential primer for new professionals.

  • Part 1 - Libraries and information services: evolution or revolution?

  • G. G. Chowdhury, Paul F. Burton, David McMenemy, Alan Poulter
  • Book:
    Librarianship
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 December 2007, pp 13-16

  • Summary

    This part provides an overview of libraries and library services. It builds on the outline history given in Chapter 1 by going into more detail about vital events in the recent history of libraries. There follows a general overview of the functions that go on in libraries which enable them to fulfil their mission. The services that libraries provide to their users are then explained in general terms. The various types of library (public, academic and special) are then delineated in more detail. The intention is to give a basic grasp of the nature of the library, which will be built upon in succeeding parts of the book.

    Two particular features of libraries will also be covered in this part. Libraries are commonly recognized as physical spaces, and factors affecting library design will be explored. Having dealt with the history of libraries here, we also speculate on their future. So Part 1 is divided into four chapters:

    Chapter 2: The history of libraries

    Chapter 3: Types of library service and library

    Chapter 4: Library design

    Chapter 5: The future of libraries.

    After reading these chapters, readers should have a knowledge of the core services, functions and types of library. They will have a broad picture of the historical origin of the different types of library and associated institutions. In particular they will understand the reasons for the physical layout of library buildings and have a broad conception of the possibilities the future holds for libraries.

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