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Article
Publication date: 1 March 1992

Manuela Vázquez and J Alvarez‐Ossorio

Analyses journal demand received by one of Spain′s two documentsupply centres in one year. Examines data in the following categories:most frequently requested subjects, age of…

Abstract

Analyses journal demand received by one of Spain′s two document supply centres in one year. Examines data in the following categories: most frequently requested subjects, age of documents, countries where the original journals are published, the most requested foreign and Spanish journals, and the fields of activity of the users.

Details

Interlending & Document Supply, vol. 20 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-1615

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 1998

Michael W. Hill

There are two categories of ethical behaviour which affect the MIP. The first and most often discussed, includes those principles which encourage working for the welfare and…

Abstract

There are two categories of ethical behaviour which affect the MIP. The first and most often discussed, includes those principles which encourage working for the welfare and prosperity of society: “Ethics for High Days”. The second consists of those principles which regulate one's everyday working practices: “Everyday Ethics”. It is with the latter that this paper is primarily concerned. Especially is it concerned with the fact that in everyday work one finds that sound ethical principles conflict with each other. Because of this, doubt arises whether it is worth establishing a formalised code of professional behaviour. After reviewing the pros and cons the author concludes that there are sufficient benefits to justify formulating a code though it will be useful mainly for public relations and for defending one's right to act in a professional manner. A number of ethical conflicts the MIP may encounter are reviewed, especially those in which modern information and communication technologies may play a part. [Since both men and women are MIPs, the words “he” and “she” will be used indiscriminately in the text] “And being exceedingly credulous would stuff his many letters sent to A.W. with fooleries and misinformations, which sometimes would guide him into the paths of error.” Richard Barber (ed.), Brief Lives by John Aubrey. London: The Folio Society, 1975, p.11. In his introduction to this recent edition of Brief Lives, a 17th century classic of English literature, Barber was quoting a description of Aubrey's work as an information searcher for one Anthony a Wood (A.W.), an Oxford antiquary. If Aubrey is a typical example of our predecessors, it is just as well that nowadays there are professional societies of information scientists and documentalists dedicated, inter alia, to maintaining proper professional standards. Indeed, as those who have read it will know, Brief Lives itself, Aubrey's masterpiece, is little but a very scrappy, not wholly reliable, set of short biographies of many eminent men of that century, Shakespeare and Sir Walter Raleigh among them. No modern information worker (or biographer) would be allowed to get away with a piece of work like it. Nor, I fear, would his more worthy product achieve such lasting fame. The problems of how thorough to be and when and whether to submit partial results are ones that affect information workers today just as much as in the 17th century, perhaps more so since professional time is very costly. So do a great many other problems which have an ethical component within them. In this paper I want to look at some of the everyday issues which members of the profession may face and to see whether the new communication technologies have made them easier or more difficult to resolve or even raise new problems.

Details

Aslib Proceedings, vol. 50 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0001-253X

Article
Publication date: 1 October 2002

Clare Beghtol

New technologies have made the increased globalization of information resources and services possible. In this situation, it is ethically and intellectually beneficial to protect…

2319

Abstract

New technologies have made the increased globalization of information resources and services possible. In this situation, it is ethically and intellectually beneficial to protect cultural and information diversity. This paper analyzes the problems of creating ethically based globally accessible and culturally acceptable knowledge representation and organization systems, and foundation principles for the ethical treatment of different cultures are established on the basis of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The concept of “cultural hospitality”, which can act as a theoretical framework for the ethical warrant of knowledge representation and organization systems, is described. This broad discussion is grounded with an extended example of one cultural universal, the concept of time and its expression in calendars. Methods of achieving cultural and user hospitality in information systems are discussed for their potential for creating ethically based systems. It is concluded that cultural hospitality is a promising concept for assessing the ethical foundations of new knowledge representation and organization systems and for planning revisions to existing systems.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 58 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 October 2008

Sirous Alidousti, Maryam Nazari and Mohammad Abooyee Ardakan

This paper aims to present the results of a study on success factors of resource sharing (RS) and cooperation in Iranian Academic Libraries (IAL), from the point‐of‐view of…

1073

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present the results of a study on success factors of resource sharing (RS) and cooperation in Iranian Academic Libraries (IAL), from the point‐of‐view of librarians who have direct experience of such activities. It investigates and compares the librarians' experiences of, and opinions on, the importance of the success factors in the current and desirable situations in the IALs.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a comprehensive review of the relevant literature, 58 success factors of RS were identified from the previous studies. Using Likert scale technique, the importance of the factors in the current and desired situations of the RS programs were explored and ranked, based on the experiences and opinions of a sample of “key informants” who had direct experience of RS activities in the context of IALs. Then the consistency and/or inconsistency between the current and desired situations of the success factors were identified, using gap analysis method.

Findings

The findings revealed that almost all of the success factors mentioned in previous studies are considered important by the respondents. However, only eight factors received high rankings in the current and desired situations of the RS programs in the IALs.

Research limitations/implications

The research focuses on factors identified in previous studies. This may ignore certain, especially cultural, factors, which are effective in the context of IALs.

Practical implications

The study highlights the importance of success factors in development or improvement of any RS activity. The factors would provide both researchers and practitioners with a rich framework to examine the current situation of their RS programs and develop informed strategic plans to improve that. In particular, the findings inform the RS planners and policy makers that particular attention needs to be given to the factors that are identified as very important by the study participants. These factors would alert them to the causes and impacts of such a deficiency in the RS and library cooperation systems.

Originality/value

There is no comprehensive study on the success factors of RS in libraries and, as such, no investigation of the factors in some real‐life contexts of RS activities. Both researchers and practitioners in the field of RS may value the novelty and results of this study.

Details

Library Management, vol. 29 no. 8/9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-5124

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1998

Stuart Hannabuss

Acting ethically presents challenges to professional people in an age where there is little consensus on moral beliefs and where competitive practices are increasingly commonplace…

3644

Abstract

Acting ethically presents challenges to professional people in an age where there is little consensus on moral beliefs and where competitive practices are increasingly commonplace in the workplace. Professionals dealing with information face particular challenges since information is often regarded as a public good, freely available to everyone as part of a free society. However, information can also be sensitive, confidential and wrong. The dilemmas which arise in this professional area are examined with reference to the wider and deeper ethical issues involved.

Details

Library Review, vol. 47 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0024-2535

Keywords

Abstract

Details

European Origins of Library and Information Science
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78756-718-4

Abstract

Details

European Origins of Library and Information Science
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78756-718-4

Article
Publication date: 9 November 2021

Jorge Asencio Juncal, José Manuel López-Osorio and Carlos Rosa-Jiménez

This study aims to present the uniqueness of the mountain oasis at the High Atlas (Morocco) and is part of a more extensive study about the landscape, the architecture and the…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to present the uniqueness of the mountain oasis at the High Atlas (Morocco) and is part of a more extensive study about the landscape, the architecture and the tourist development in the Mgoun Valley. Several natural and anthropogenic factors, such as new environmental conditions and socio-cultural realities, are testing the balance of the system and its adaptive capacity. A sustainable use of water, a key element of the oasis and source of life in the region, and an optimal management of farmland will allow this culture to be perpetuated. The study of the values of this territory and its transformation vectors constitute a first step for valuing this ecosystem and being able to establish management and conservation policies.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based on the fieldwork carried out over six campaigns, between September 2011 and January 2020, when interviews to the local population and graphic and photographic records of the Aït Mrau oasis were carried out. The work started from the literature review and the study of the origin of the settlement, analyzing the transformation processes, both in the cultivated plots and in the built habitat, where the urban evolution of the settlements and the characteristics of the architecture have been analyzed.

Findings

The study has revealed the existence of social, environmental and economic imbalances that affect the status of the oasis, the landscape and the architecture of the study area. The research has characterized the habitat and has identified those elements that must be preserved to guarantee the permanence of the heritage values in a way that the future development of the region was not conditioned.

Originality/value

The research delves into the study of a case that is paradigmatic in the context of the Moroccan High Atlas, since it shows the dynamics of transformation of a region directly affected by the climate change and by the abandonment of the traditional habitats.

Details

Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-1266

Keywords

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