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1 – 10 of over 48000Cristiano Codagnone, Athina Karatzogianni and Jacob Matthews
– This paper aims to examine how interviews of learning commons partners were used to improve communication and collaboration between the library and its partners.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine how interviews of learning commons partners were used to improve communication and collaboration between the library and its partners.
Design/methodology/approach
Interviews were conducted with representatives from each of the eight partners that have service desks in the library. The interviews’ transcripts were studied to search for ways communication and collaboration between the library and its partners could be improved.
Findings
The passing of time, addition of new library partners and the hiring of new employees since the opening of the learning commons at Draughon Library have created some gaps in communication between the library and its partners. Interviews with representatives from the library’s partners revealed ways communication needed to be improved and provided insight as to how the library and its partners might collaborate in the future.
Originality/value
Much of the literature on library partnerships focuses on the creation of collaborations, but does not elaborate on ways to keep lines of communication open and encourage continued collaborative work once partnerships are already in place. Information gleaned from the interviews highlights concerns that may occur at other libraries with learning commons, as new partnerships develop and time passes since the initial creation of the commons.
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Mary M. Somerville and Navjit Brar
This paper seeks to highlight elements of and assumptions for an inclusive planning process which guided the transformation of an information commons into a learning commons over…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to highlight elements of and assumptions for an inclusive planning process which guided the transformation of an information commons into a learning commons over a six‐year period. It aims to present case study within the context of the North American higher education environment, in which this example illustrates the shift from a teaching to a learning orientation.
Design/methodology/approach
The report illustrates the efficacy of a highly participatory and inclusive planning process which integrates ideas generated by campus stakeholders and beneficiaries – students, professors, and administrators – to redirect campus library activities from service to learning outcomes. The culminating Science Café example suggests the potential of repurposing space, revitalizing relationships, and re‐energizing programming within an academic library.
Findings
The case study illustrates the impact of participatory (re)design of library priorities. It demonstrates the new insights produced through expanded campus decision‐making processes. Conference paper and journal article references provide detailed descriptions of consultation and research elements of this six‐year initiative.
Originality/value
The paper provides a campus planning framework for an inclusive learning commons initiative. References to detailed reports in conference presentations, book chapters, and journal papers published in Africa, Australia, Europe, and North America offer transferable guidance for convening campus conversations to repurpose library facilities. This topic is timely, as information and learning commons – originating over 15 years ago in North America – are of growing interest internationally.
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Abstract
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Millie Jackson, Ayse Gider, Celeste Feather, Kelly Smith, Amy Fry, Jamene Brooks‐Kieffer, Christopher D. Vidas and Rose Nelson
To keep librarians and colleagues informed about the issues and programs of the Electronic Resources & Libraries (ER&L) Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia on the Georgia…
Abstract
Purpose
To keep librarians and colleagues informed about the issues and programs of the Electronic Resources & Libraries (ER&L) Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia on the Georgia Institute of Technology campus in February 2007.
Design/methodology/approach
Provides a review of the conference.
Findings
Acquisitions staff, catalogers, public service staff, administrators, IT personnel, information providers from the vendor side, content managers, and others all came together to assess what needs to be done to continue high servicing of both born digital and electronically available resources in a hybrid environment that continues to describe all library settings today. As the percentage of electronic resources quickly grows, there are new challenges in acquiring, caring for, servicing, preserving, using and citing them that keep librarians up at night to consider short‐and long‐term solutions in how they should be organized bibliometrically and how we can re‐engineer some of our procedures to best treat the wide range of e‐Resources now common in all libraries.
Originality value
The program blended services with processing reinforcing the importance of electronic resources for the “total” library environment. It seemed like there was nothing left out.
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Chen-Chung Liu, Chia-Ching Lin, Kuei-Yuan Deng, Ying-Tien Wu and Chin-Chung Tsai
Many studies have integrated the mechanism of Creative Commons (CC) or similar mechanisms into web 2.0 platforms for supporting learning. The CC mechanism may create new types of…
Abstract
Purpose
Many studies have integrated the mechanism of Creative Commons (CC) or similar mechanisms into web 2.0 platforms for supporting learning. The CC mechanism may create new types of knowledge sharing environments. The purpose of this paper is to explore students’ trust, knowledge sharing self-efficacy, and outcome expectations in the context of a knowledge sharing platform using the CC mechanism.
Design/methodology/approach
The participants were 86 sixth-grade Taiwanese students. Within the context of online drawing and storytelling activities, a quantitatively self-reported instrument was adopted to assess the sharing experience with the CC mechanism.
Findings
The results found complex interrelationships among trust, sharing self-efficacy, and outcome expectations identified in the literature. The results further reveal that students who showed high community-related outcome expectations would adopt the non-CC approach (read-only, i.e. the shared works can not be used and modified) as they possessed lower identification-based trust. In contrast, those who adopted CC approach (i.e. the shared works are able to be used and modified) placed higher level of economy-based trust and showed a lower level of community-related outcome expectations. The results reflect that students who have low performance expectancy and sharing self-efficacy are more willing to share their work using the CC approach.
Originality/value
The results of this paper show that in such a mechanism there exists close interplay between trust, sharing self-efficacy, and outcome expectations. It is therefore, suggested that researchers and educators should note the influence of the sharing mechanism on the sharing activity when knowledge sharing is involved in pedagogical design. The implications derived from the findings for educational practice were also discussed.
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Marcelo Biagio Laquimia and Gabriel Eweje
This study investigates how organizations in Brazil address sustainability concerns through collaborative governance efforts with strategic stakeholders. Organizations from New…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates how organizations in Brazil address sustainability concerns through collaborative governance efforts with strategic stakeholders. Organizations from New Zealand were considered as benchmarks for comparison.
Methodology/approach
This study is based on a qualitative exploratory research, supported by semistructured interviews. Ten organizations are interviewed, five from each country. Thematic analysis is used to analyze the interview data. Central management practices adopted by organizations are presented, and the goals, benefits, and limitations associated with collaborative initiatives are investigated.
Findings and practical implications
The findings reveal that organizations in Brazil and in New Zealand are employing similar management and sustainability practices. Companies in both countries observe that collaborative efforts with strategic stakeholders improve their ability to meet market demands and jointly develop innovative solutions toward sustainability goals while exchanging knowledge and enhancing their operational effectiveness. Organizations perceive a number of tangible and nontangible value creation outcomes from sustainability practices, such as brand and reputational gains, improved supply chain management, and risk management attainments. The results also present limitations, such as internal limitations of organizations concerning how their executives and general staff incorporate sustainability issues into their organizations’ strategic planning and operational decisions.
Originality/value of paper
Market pressures toward greener and more responsible operations equally affected organizations in both countries, without differentiation in operation between an emerging country such as Brazil and a developed country such as New Zealand. Directions for future research are presented. These are based on how organizations measure sustainability outcomes of management practices and collaborative alliances, and how organizations map upcoming market demands and opportunities to deliver more value to society as the sustainable development debate continues to evolve.
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Zac S.C. Chen, Stephen J.H. Yang and Jeff J.S. Huang
The purpose of this study was to present a pilot electronic portfolio (e-portfolio)-integrated learning environment by integrating library resources into an e-portfolio system for…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to present a pilot electronic portfolio (e-portfolio)-integrated learning environment by integrating library resources into an e-portfolio system for its application, and to explore reader’s satisfaction of the integrated system.
Design/methodology/approach
This study develops a research model by modifying the information success model to explore reader satisfaction to the understanding of the adoption of integrated system. The sample consisted of 289 graduate and undergraduate students. In total, 189 were considered useful and used for analysis. A regression analysis was then conducted to identify key causal relationships.
Findings
The findings show that reader-perceived benefits, information quality and system quality are critical factors for the reader’s satisfaction. Overall, the model explained 84 per cent of the variance in reader satisfaction. Thus, the results show that the proposed model does satisfactorily explain the reader’s satisfaction of the integrated system.
Originality/value
There is scant research available in the literature on user satisfaction of pilot e-portfolio-integrated learning environment from a reader perspective. The findings of this research provide some useful insights into a reader’s satisfaction toward adoption of the integrated system. In addition, it will be valuable for better understanding of factors affecting the determinants of reader’s satisfaction, which improve the reader’s satisfaction of the integrated system and thereby boost realization of collaborative learning environment.
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Robert John Atkinson, Maheshi Tennakoon and Gayan Wedawatta
The lack of collaborative working within the UK construction industry is a long-standing issue that has often been highlighted. As a result, the construction industry in the UK is…
Abstract
Purpose
The lack of collaborative working within the UK construction industry is a long-standing issue that has often been highlighted. As a result, the construction industry in the UK is encouraged to use novel procurement methods to create a collaborative working environment. This study aims to explore the collaborative features of the three new models of construction procurement introduced by the UK Government Construction Strategy in 2012.
Design/methodology/approach
Existing research/literature was reviewed to establish the key collaborative features of the new procurement models, and a questionnaire survey was adopted to obtain views of industry practitioners. A Relative Importance Index was used to analyse the collected data.
Findings
The sample of construction practitioners surveyed largely agrees with the effectiveness of collaborative features integrated within the models, with the benefits offered by early contractor involvement being seen as the most effective feature allowing collaboration. Contractual incentives, improved communication procedures and constant reflection and feedback can be used as effective strategies to enable greater collaboration in projects that use these new procurement models.
Research limitations/implications
Findings reported in the paper could help achieve greater collaboration in construction projects executed using the new models of construction procurement.
Originality/value
This study sheds light on the scepticism and/or conviction of industry practitioners regarding the collaborative benefits offered by the new procurement models, which have not yet been subjected to significant academic scrutiny.
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