Making Shared Print Management Happen: A Project of Five Canadian Academic Libraries

ABSTRACT

Five academic libraries in Ontario (Canada) are collaborating in a shared last print copy repository project. The project, called Keep@Downsview, aims to consolidate and rationalize low-use print materials held by the partner libraries and ensure long-term preservation of these important scholarly materials in Ontario while still providing access via document delivery and ILL. In doing so, each of the partner institutions demonstrates its commitment to the stewardship of print collections for future generations while repurposing valuable space on campus. This article describes the background, rationale, challenges, and lessons learned for this unique Canadian project--which leveraged funding from the province of Ontario and the University of Toronto's high-density preservation facility at Downsview--and the commitment of all partners to preserve the scholarly record in Ontario.     

A note on a recent paper by Dagsvik on IIA and random utilities

In a recent paper in this journal, Dagsvik derives the class of independent random utility representations that are “equivalent” to the independence-from-irrelevant-alternatives (IIA) assumption by Luce (Individual choice behavior: a theoretical analysis. Wiley, New York, 1959). In this short note, we clarify the relations between this paper by Dagsvik, and a paper in Lindberg’s 2012 thesis.     

The propensity of third sector organisations to borrow money in the UK

In recent years there has been much policy interest in the development of social investment initiatives. Many such proposals depend upon third sector organisations (TSOs) loaning working capital in order to bridge gaps in cash flow. Existing studies on the willingness of TSOs to borrow have tended to used selective samples, which may have led to an exaggeration of market demand. This article explores, with reference to robust evidence on the attitudes and behaviours of representative samples of TSOs from the Third Sector Trends Study in Northern England, the extent of interest in borrowing for a range of purposes including to buy or upgrade property, buy equipment or facilities, or borrow working capital. The article makes observations on current and future market demand for loans in light of the way that TSO leaders’ balance their dependence on given, earned and borrowed money.     

A STOCHASTIC DOMINANCE ORDERING OF SCHEDULING RULES

This paper applies stochastic dominance (SD) preference-ordering criteria to job shop scheduling rules. A simulation model of a hypothetical dual-constrained job shop is used to derive several measures of shop performance for a number of dispatching/due-date scheduling policies. The results presented suggest that previous research conclusions concerning the relative performance of dispatching scheduling rules may need to be reconsidered if production schedulers are risk-averse utility maximizers.     

Seedling emergence, survival and initial growth of forbs and grasses native to Britain and central/southern Europe in low productivity urban “waste” substrates

Eleven forbs and three grasses native to Britain and eight forbs native to central and southern Europe were sown as mono-cultures into pots containing mixes of brick rubble, sand and sub-soil. All of the forbs are naturally associated with dry, unproductive habitats. The purpose of the study was to inform subsequent field experiments into the creation of florally attractive meadows on waste substrates associated with urban developments. Forbs of more southerly or continental distribution were included to see whether they possessed superior tolerance of drought prone substrates. Geographical origin had less of an effect on emergence characteristics than did plant type with native grasses demonstrating significantly greater emergence (p < 0.001) than native or non-native forbs. Native grasses demonstrated significantly higher survival (p = 0.009) than either native or non-native forbs. Native grasses also produced signficantly higher biomass (p = 0.024) than native forbs in the first growing season, with non-native forbs not significantly different from native grasses or native forbs. At this group level of comparison substrate only had a significant effect at p = 0.05 on seedling dry weight. The results are discussed in relation to the physical and chemical properties of the substrates, and an assessment is made of the implications of the study for future works.     

Developing a measure of local agency adaptation to emergencies: a metric

Local public health agencies often must respond to health-related emergencies or disasters, while continuing to fulfill all public health functions for which they are funded. This article reports the development and initial pilot test of a method for measuring the nature and degree of a public health agency's response to such an emergency or disaster. How the instrument was developed as well as the initial results from the pilot study of four local public health systems (LPHSs) are presented and discussed. The instrument measured the extent to which each function and division of each of the four LPHSs were affected and provided a metric that could be used across LPHSs to indicate the burden experienced by each due to the emergency. Results obtained from the pilot study indicate that size and complexity of an LPHS was not predictive of its ability to respond to the emergency. These results support the use of the framework and associated measurement procedures to provide valuable information to managers responsible for such LPHSs. Such information should provide a foundation for comparing variations in performance and outcomes to various types of emergencies that vary in their severity and focus.     

Social media in the 2011 Egyptian uprising

This paper uses Gallup poll data to assess two narratives that have crystallized around the 2011 Egyptian uprising: (1) New electronic communications media constituted an important and independent cause of the protests in so far as they enhanced the capacity of demonstrators to extend protest networks, express outrage, organize events, and warn comrades of real‐time threats. (2) Net of other factors, new electronic communications media played a relatively minor role in the uprising because they are low‐cost, low‐risk means of involvement that attract many sympathetic onlookers who are not prepared to engage in high‐risk activism. Examining the independent effects of a host of factors associated with high‐risk movement activism, the paper concludes that using some new electronic communications media was associated with being a demonstrator. However, grievances, structural availability, and network connections were more important than was the use of new electronic communications media in distinguishing demonstrators from sympathetic onlookers. Thus, although both narratives have some validity, they must both be qualified.