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The purpose of this paper is to encourage caution when considering plans to migrate from physical materials to e‐materials.

The author's argument to encourage caution when considering plans to migrate from physical materials to e‐materials is based on published statistics and personal observation.

When considering current usage of e‐books in comparison to physical materials, the usage of e‐books is statistically insignificant.

Offers statistical evidence that e‐books will not supplant, now or in the foreseen future, the demand for physical materials.

The purpose of this article is to encourage public librarians to consider replacing two service desks with one.

The author interacts with his experience of providing library services from a two‐story Carnegie library and a multi‐desk one‐story library to make an argument for a single service desk.

Providing one service point creates a seamless experience for patrons and necessitates teamwork from all service staff – professional and non‐professional.

Offers a “common‐sense” perspective on providing reference and circulation services.

The purpose of this paper is to encourage annual dramatic visual change.

The author incorporates principles of retail merchandising and his experience in retail grocery to make the argument for annual dramatic visual change.

A recent reset of the children's collection led to increased circulation, improved staff contact with patrons, and a project narrative to share with elected officials.

The paper offers anecdotal evidence from a unique experience as a grocery retail clerk that annual dramatic visual change boosts the library's status in the community.

The purpose of this paper is to encourage substantive personal interaction with public library patrons.

The argument for implementing a service model based on personal interaction is presented.

By using the story of a library cat, library staff can replicate a similar emotional bond and loyalty with its patrons.

Affectionate animals can teach us a lot about ourselves and help to improve service to library patrons.

The purpose of this article is to encourage public librarians to reconsider the future value of their paper book collections.

The author interacts with developing trends to make an argument for supporting paper book collections in the digital age.

The liquidation of Borders Group Inc. provides the public library with an opportunity to market its paper collections to publishers and paper book buyers.

The article offers a contrarian perspective on the enduring value physical book collections will play in the digital age.

An empirical advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) taxonomy with three groups was identified from cluster analysis. The analysis was based on a survey of Swedish metal‐working industries and 324 relevant responses were received (response rate of 38 percent). The first group, “the traditionalists” is characterised by firms of relatively small size with low levels of investments in AMT. “The hard integrators” emphasise computerised transactions between sub‐units and processes to a larger extent than the investment in administrative, design and manufacturing technologies. “The high investors” group contains relatively large firms that have invested in most technologies and have computerised their transactions significantly more than both the other groups. Companies with heavy investments in AMT had developed the infrastructure (worker empowerment, improvement programmes and organisational design) and maintenance (prevention and integration) aspects to a greater extent than low investors. They also performed better.

The purpose of this paper was to assess the magnitude of the impact of construction-related rework on selected project budgets and schedule in public building construction in Uganda. The magnitude of construction-related rework was the mean determined over construction contracts under a selected project and expressed as a percentage of the construction contract sum.

A single case multi-unit study approach was adopted. A case study protocol was prepared that included a checklist, observation schedules and an interview guide. The three instruments were used to collect data from building contractors and end-users (the teaching staff and medical assistants). Representatives of the client entity and the end-users provided sufficient project documentation and related supplementary information for the study.

Construction-related rework was predominantly attributable to design information omissions, unacceptable workmanship and inadequate supervision of the contractor. Lightning conductor, electrical and roofing installations were the building elements that had the highest frequency of rework. It was further determined that the mean percentage of rework related impact on project budget and schedule was approximately 4.53 and 8.42 per cent, respectively.

The findings inform policy makers about likely areas that contribute to significant wastage and value loss in quality management of public sector projects. The research advocates for improved data collection protocols, integration of adequate design management and a whole life value philosophy during the public building construction process.

This paper aims to explore the potential of ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM) to incorporate the direct printing of electrical materials and arrangements (conductors and insulators) at the interlaminar interface of parts during manufacture to allow the integration of functional and optimal electrical circuitries inside dense metallic objects without detrimental effect on the overall mechanical integrity. This holds promise to release transformative device functionality and applications of smart metallic devices and products.

To ensure the proper electrical insulation between the printed conductors and metal matrices, an insulation layer with sufficient thickness is required to accommodate the rough interlaminar surface which is inherent to the UAM process. This in turn increases the total thickness of printed circuitries and thereby adversely affects the integrity of the UAM part. A specific solution is proposed to optimise the rough interlaminar surface through deforming the UAM substrates via sonotrode rolling or UAM processing.

The surface roughness (Sa) could be reduced from 4.5 to 4.1 µm by sonotrode rolling and from 4.5 to 0.8 µm by ultrasonic deformation. Peel testing demonstrated that sonotrode-rolled substrates could maintain their mechanical strength, while the performance of UAM-deformed substrates degraded under same welding conditions ( approximately 12 per cent reduction compared with undeformed substrates). This was attributed to the work hardening of deformation process which was identified via dual-beam focussed ion beam–scanning electron microscope investigation.

The sonotrode rolling was identified as a viable methodology in allowing printed electrical circuitries in UAM. It enabled a decrease in the thickness of printed electrical circuitries by ca. 25 per cent.

GLASGOW was later by about one hundred and thirty years than some of the Scotch towns in establishing a printing press. Three hundred years ago, though Glasgow contained a University with men of great literary activity, including amongst others Zachary Boyd, there does not appear to have been sufficient printing work to induce anyone to establish a printing press. St. Andrews and Aberdeen were both notable for the books they produced, before Glasgow even attempted any printing.