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The purpose of this paper is to report on a project to implement a virtual reference service for the Library Consortium of New Zealand (LCoNZ).

The process of choosing the most appropriate software and implementing the service are outlined and discussed in the context of recent findings about similar services in academic libraries.

Because of the rapid development in social networking software and use, open source software is chosen as the most appropriate option. The overarching principle need to include a focus on enhancing the learning experience.

The lead library is able to implement the service at two sites initially, with a minimum of systems support. Improvements to the software are already planned. The main shift for the library is in how the service needs to flex to accommodate customer expectations and needs.

This paper examines the implementation of an instant messaging reference service in the context of online learning and student learning experience. It discusses reasons why university libraries need to keep forging online opportunities for meeting their customers' needs.

The time horizons for setting out strategic plans have never been established in principle, and hence vary widely over one, two, three, five, ten, fifteen, twenty years and more. This paper presents a total system of planning horizons at one, three, seven, twelve and twenty‐five years. Each time horizon is linked to a specific organizational layer. The larger the organization, the longer is the top‐level planning horizon. The larger time horizons encompass the shorter, so that, for example, the CEO of a large corporation can set the corporate strategic plan in terms of a 25‐year plan, with corporate strategic milestones at twelve years, seven years, three years and one year. Every subordinate function can be planned in the same way.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the influence of a mixture of nutrient solution, bacteria and biofilm on the consolidation, unconfined compression and desiccation characteristics of two soils that could be used in waste containment applications.

Experimental work was conducted to investigate the influence of biofilm on the desiccation, strength and consolidation characteristics of two barrier soils. The soils were evaluated with water alone and with a biofilm solution composed of nutrients, bacteria and exopolymeric substances (EPS). These solutions were mixed with a locally available clay (“red bull tallow” (RBT)) as well as a mix of 65 percent sand and 35 percent bentonite (65‐35 Mix).

Reductions in strength and increases in ductility are observed with biofilm amendment for two soil types. The shear strength was reduced from 413 to 313 kPa and from 198 to 179 kPa for RBT and 65‐35 Mix, respectively. Desiccation tests reveal an increase in moisture retention for early time increments in amended specimens, while both increases and decreases are noted after extended drying. Increases in the rate of consolidation and modest decreases in the compression and swell index were observed. In particular, the consolidation coefficient was increased from 0.036 to 0.064 cm²/min and from 0.060 to 0.093 cm²/min for RBT and 65‐35 Mix, respectively.

These results are useful in establishing the broader impacts of using biofilm as an additive to increase the performance (e.g. reduce hydraulic conductivity and increase resistance to crack formation) of barrier materials in waste containment applications. Moreover, the data provide insight into the geotechnical implications of biofilm‐producing methanotrophic activity that occurs naturally in the covers of municipal solid waste landfills.

Very little research has been published on the influence of biofilm on the behavior of barrier materials in general, and on geotechnical properties in particular. This paper is unique in making the connection between methanotrophic activity, soil modification and barrier material performance.

Possessing a strong ethnic identity and ethnic network are described in some epidemiological literature as moderating factors in the relation between perceived discrimination and varying types of substance use in people with a migration background (PMB). The purpose of this paper is to qualitatively explore problem use, discrimination, ethnic identity and social networks in a small purposive sample of users with a Turkish and Eastern European migration background in Ghent, Belgium.

The authors present data retrieved within the framework of a qualitative community-based participatory research study that primarily aims to understand the nature of substance use in PMB. In the secondary analysis, the authors focus on a sub-study examining substance use by people with a Turkish (n=55) and Eastern European (n=62) migration background and explore how individuals perceive discrimination, ethnic identity and (ethnic) social networks in 117 qualitative interviews.

Almost all the respondents in this study reported perceived (inter-)ethnic discrimination. The authors establish that problem users in this study have a complex but albeit weak sense of ethnic identity nor do they have a strong ethnic network. This, in combination with perceived discrimination, is a risk factor for continued problem substance use and may hamper recovery related to problem use.

This article intends to lay the groundwork for future research that should focus more on longitudinally studying the intertwined relation between problem use, discrimination, ethnic identity and especially social instead of solely ethnic networks, their complex nature as well as their relation to recovery processes among persons with a migration background.