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This paper presents LibX, a software module that enhances library access for users by integrating access to the online public access catalog (OPAC) and to the OpenURL linking server into the Firefox browser.

We developed LibX as a Firefox extension. It is implemented using XML user‐interface language (XUL) and JavaScript. LibX offers library access through a toolbar user interface, through context menus, and via cues embedded into web pages. LibX can be branded for use in different libraries.

LibX demonstrates the power of client‐side technology in providing users with direct access to library resources while doing research on the web.

LibX makes access to library resources immediate and effortless. Therefore, it has the potential to bring those users back to the library who in recent years have turned to internet search engines instead.

LibX is available for adoption by librarians who wish to provide their user community with enhanced library access.

To report on the 1st Electronic Resources & Libraries Conference held in March 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Provides a review of some of the events of the conference.

The ER&L conference is the first step to building an shared understanding about the unique medium of electronic resources and management and developing a supportive community for dissemination of basic practices and latest developments in the field.

A conference report of interest to information management professionals, especially those involved with electronic resources.

This paper reviews the life of Liberty Hyde Bailey and highlights his contributions to the structure of US farm credit 100 years after the Country Life Commission.

This paper is a qualitative historical review.

The paper provides a chronology of life events that led Liberty Hyde Bailey to evolve from botanist/horticulturalists to one of America's most vocal proponents of agricultural and country life, culminating in the recommendation in 1909 that rural credit in the USA be developed along the lines of cooperative principles.

The biography is limited to issues of social science, culminating in 1915.

The paper offers a historical perspective on conditions in agriculture in the early twentieth century and provides insights into how the present system of rural credit in the USA evolved.

This paper provides a historical perspective on US rural credit that is of use to students of rural credit in the USA while providing insights to students and scholars outside of the USA with a perspective on the evolution of US credit reform and cooperative credit.

Institutions seeking to develop or expand digital literacy programs face the challenge of navigating varied definitions for digital literacy itself. In answer to this challenge, this paper aims to share a process for developing a shared framework for digital literacy at one institution, including drawing on themes in existing frameworks, soliciting campus feedback and making revisions.

A draft digital literacy framework was created following the work of an initial library task force. Focus groups were conducted to gather feedback on the framework and to identify areas for future development.

Focus groups yielded 38 written responses. Feedback themes related to gaps in the framework, structural suggestions and common challenges for learners. Themes in focus group feedback led to several framework revisions, including the addition of Curation as a competency area, the removal of information communication technologies as its own competency area, and the inclusion of Learner rather than Student at the center of the framework.

The approaches described in this case study can be adapted by those looking to create a shared framework or definition for digital literacy on their campuses, as well as to create or revise definitions for other related literacies.

This case study presents an adaptable process for getting started with broad digital literacy initiatives, within the context of existing digital literacy frameworks worldwide.

This chapter addresses inequalities in the United Kingdom through the lens of health inequalities. Driven by inequalities in income and power, health inequalities represent a microcosm of wider debates on inequalities. They also play a role as the more politically unacceptable face of inequalities – where other types of inequality are more blatantly argued as collateral damage of advanced neoliberalism including ‘inevitable’ austerity measures, politicians are more squeamish about discussing health inequalities in these terms.

The chapter starts by depicting health inequalities in Scotland and summarises health policy analyses of the causes of, and solutions to, health inequalities. It then describes the concept of ‘proportionate’ universalism’ and sets this within the context of debates around universal versus targeted welfare provision in times of fiscal austerity.

It then turns to a small empirical case-study which investigates these tensions within the Scottish National Health Service. The study asks those operating at policy and practice levels: how is proportionate universalism understood; and, is it a threat or ballast to universal welfare provision?

Findings are discussed within the political context of welfare retrenchment, and in terms of meso- and micro-practices. We conclude that there are three levels at which proportionate universalism needs to be critiqued as a means of mitigating the impacts of inequalities in the social determinants of health. These are within the political arenas, at a policy and planning level and at the practice level where individual practitioners are enabled or not to practice in ways that might mitigate existing inequalities.

Wonders whether companies actually have employees best interests at heart across physical, mental and spiritual spheres. Posits that most organizations ignore their workforce – not even, in many cases, describing workers as assets! Describes many studies to back up this claim in theis work based on the 2002 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference, in Cardiff, Wales.

This study examined the personal characteristics and social context of two groups of women with learning disabilities and psychiatric disorders who resided in some form of community residential facility. One group of women had been admitted to hospital in the past 12 months (N = 20) and the other had been maintained in the community without any admissions (N = 33). A prospective natural group comparison design was employed over a 12‐month period to study any differences between the groups. Data was collected from the women's key workers using a pro forma and three standardised instruments: Index of Social Competence, Aberrant Behaviour Checklist and the PAS‐ADD Checklist. The groups were matched on age and level of learning disabilities. Differences were found between the groups' behavioural and psychiatric profiles. Anti‐psychotic medication was the first line of treatment. A non‐significant trend was found on negative life experiences, and a binary logistic regression analysis confirmed that high levels of challenging behaviour and having behavioural/mental health management strategies in place predicted hospital admission. The findings of this study are discussed and improvements are explored.

The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented for young people within the UK. The pandemic has presented particular challenges for vulnerable children and young people. For example, a recent study in the UK indicated that 83% of young people with existing mental health conditions said the pandemic had made their condition worse (Young Minds, 2020). To date, the impact upon populations such as young people in Secure Children’s Homes (SCHs) is unknown. This study aims to elucidate this area.

SCHs provide a safe, supportive environment for vulnerable young people who frequently present with multiple and complex needs. Young people residing within a SCH may be residing at the setting because of a Secure Accommodation Order under a Section 25 Order of the Children’s Act (1989) or for criminal justice reasons, i.e. serving a Remand period or custodial sentence. Preliminary research compared a baseline period to a follow-up period after the commencement of COVID-19 national lockdown measures within a SCH in the North of England to develop understanding of the impact for young people.

A significant decrease in overall incidents (t (5) = −6.88, p < 0.001), restraints (t (5) = −9.07, p < 0.001) and other incidents including assaults occurred during follow-up. The SECURE STAIRS framework supports trauma-informed care and enhances support within the setting. Consistent with the framework, provision of formulation meetings was significantly increased within the follow-up period (Welsh’s t (74) = −2.74, p < 0.001). Reflections and future recommendations are outlined.

The unanticipated results highlight the value of examining incident data within secure environments and could lead to effective practice changes for practitioners working within this domain. This research also demonstrates how frameworks such as SECURE STAIRS can be beneficial for vulnerable young people during periods of change and stress in mitigating some of the potential negative effects. The implementation of such frameworks within SCHs is still novel and thus evaluative research is valuable.

Accountability is ubiquitous in social systems, and its necessity is magnified in formal organizations, whose purpose has been argued to predict and control behavior. The very notion of organizing necessitates answering to others, and this feature implies an interface of work and social enterprises, the individuals comprising them, and subunits from dyads to divisions. Because the nature of workplace accountability is multi-level as well as interactive, single-level conceptualizations of the phenomenon are incomplete and inherently misleading. In response, this chapter sets forth a meso-level conceptualization of accountability, which develops a more comprehensive understanding of this pervasive and imperative phenomenon. The meso model presented integrates contemporary theory and research, and extends our perspectives beyond individual, group, unit, or organizational perspectives toward a unitary whole. Following this is a description of challenges and opportunities facing scholars conducting accountability research (e.g., data collection and analysis and non-traditional conceptualizations of workplace phenomenon). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, as are directions for future research.