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Article
Publication date: 31 July 2007

Jeffrey Pomerantz and Gary Marchionini

The purpose of this paper is to present a high‐level investigation of the physical‐conceptual continuum occupied by both digital and physical libraries.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a high‐level investigation of the physical‐conceptual continuum occupied by both digital and physical libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

A framework is provided for thinking about the notions of place and library. The issue of materials and the ideas they represent is considered. Places for people are considered, including issues of people's sense of place in physical and digital spaces. The issue of physical and digital spaces as places for work, collaboration, and community‐building is considered.

Findings

As more digital libraries are built, and as more physical libraries offer electronic access to parts of their collection, two trends are likely to result: the role of the library as a storage space for materials will become decreasingly important; and the role of the library as a space for users, for individual and collaborative work, and as a space for social activity, will become increasingly important.

Research limitations/implications

Digital libraries are unable to fulfill some of the functions of the physical library as physical spaces, but are able to offer functions beyond what the physical library can offer as cognitive spaces.

Practical implications

Areas of likely future development for digital libraries are suggested, as vehicles for enhancing cognitive space by augmenting representations of ideas in materials.

Originality/value

This paper argues that in many ways digital libraries really are places in the conceptual sense, and will continue to broaden and enrich the roles that libraries play in people's lives and in the larger social milieu.

Article
Publication date: 18 February 2020

Paul F. Gorczynski, Sarah Edmunds and Ruth Lowry

Canadian long-haul truck drivers lead sedentary lives, but are receptive to receiving physical activity information to address health risks. This study examined how Canadian…

Abstract

Purpose

Canadian long-haul truck drivers lead sedentary lives, but are receptive to receiving physical activity information to address health risks. This study examined how Canadian long-haul truck drivers would like to receive physical activity information in order to improve their overall health. The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) explore barriers Canadian long-haul truck drivers have to receiving and using physical activity information and 2) understand how physical activity information should be structured and delivered to these drivers to overcome these barriers.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 Canadian long-haul truck drivers. Drivers had, on average, 14.3 years of professional long-haul driving experience.

Findings

Few drivers had received any physical activity information. Drivers discussed a culture where they perceived both employers and drivers to be lacking awareness of the importance of physical activity and its impact on health. Drivers explained they were too busy, stressed or tired to be active or to learn about physical activity. Information received by some drivers on this topic was too general to be helpful in changing physical activity behaviours. Drivers mentioned that personalized and accessible physical activity information should be provided to them through multiple methods by their employers, as an aspect of occupational health and safety.

Practical implications

Future physical activity information strategies should use both passive and interactive mediums to promote physical activity to Canadian long-haul truck drivers.

Originality/value

This is the first study to assess how Canadian long-haul truck drivers would like to receive trustworthy information that can lead to healthful improvements in physical activity behaviour.

Details

International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8351

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 March 2014

Paul Gorczynski and Hiren Patel

Most long-haul truck drivers are physically inactive. Despite being identified as a source of health information, online physical activity and exercise information has not been…

Abstract

Purpose

Most long-haul truck drivers are physically inactive. Despite being identified as a source of health information, online physical activity and exercise information has not been evaluated for this population. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the accessibility, accuracy, technical and theoretical quality, and readability of online physical activity, exercise, and sport information for long-haul truck drivers.

Design/methodology/approach

A standardized protocol was followed to identify and evaluate web sites. Web sites were included in the review if they met the following criteria: first, presented information on physical activity, exercise, or sport; second, provided information for long-haul truck drivers; and finally, provided information in English. Each web site was evaluated independently by the two study authors. After evaluating the web sites independently, the authors then met to discuss each construct for each web site.

Findings

Overall, 44 web sites were reviewed. Nine web sites provided information based on physical activity guidelines. Most web sites scored poorly on technical and theoretical quality. In total, 28 web sites provided information that was written above the recommended grade 8 reading level.

Research limitations/implications

Research has shown that theoretically designed physical activity and exercise interventions are more successful than those with no theoretical underpinnings. Creating web sites or online applications using behavioral theory and improving the readability of online health information may help increase levels of physical activity and improve overall health for this population.

Originality/value

No previous research has examined the quality of online physical activity, exercise, or sport information for long-haul truck drivers. This is the first study to examine how online health information for this population can be improved.

Details

International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 7 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8351

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 November 2021

Anas Maazu Kademi and Ahmet Hasan Koltuksuz

This paper aims to establish a theoretic framework to provide a fundamental understanding of cyberspatial objects, their existence and their identification scheme while providing…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to establish a theoretic framework to provide a fundamental understanding of cyberspatial objects, their existence and their identification scheme while providing a connection between cyber-enabled spaces and cyberspace. It develops an avenue to quantify general philosophical and theoretical questions, precisely, inherently spatial basis that produces an unprecedented space–time continuum, in which cyber-enabled relations evolve.

Design/methodology/approach

Multidisciplinary theoretical approaches are needed to describe complex systems, which in this paper are integrated in a quest for the principles underlying the structural organization and dynamics of cyberspace. A theoretic framework is presented, and the spatial conception of cyber-enabled physical, social, information and thinking spaces and entities existence are provided.

Findings

With spatial objects and spatial properties, cyberspace is inherently spatial. Its basic constructs are founded on its spatial qualities and producing radical space–time compression, cyber-enabled spaces in which dynamic relations develop and thrive. The cyberspatial object operations are primarily built on foundations that depend on physical space and other spatial metaphors. Information space, basically missing in the literature, is an important part of cyberspace.

Research limitations/implications

This work suggested a novel analytical approach to describing cyberspace from broader perspectives and fields. Due to the novelty and divergence of cyber concepts, an interdisciplinary study and methodology are needed. Thus, more research toward theoretical direction could help many of the practical implementations of concepts.

Practical implications

The research is of particular significance in cyberspatial mechanics to describe the dynamics and behavior of cyber physical systems. For example, object-based analysis functions like spatial query, node pattern analysis, cluster analysis, spatial similarity analysis and location modeling.

Originality/value

Complementing the existing literature and defining information space to the research sphere, a theoretical framework providing a fundamental understanding of cyberspatial objects and the general cyberspace foundation has been proposed, resulting in a formalized concept of existence, interactions and applications and services, with respect to philosophy, science and technology, respectively.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 52 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 July 2007

David Bawden

The paper seeks to outline an approach to a unified framework for understanding the concept of “information” in the physical, biological and human domains, and to see what links…

2780

Abstract

Purpose

The paper seeks to outline an approach to a unified framework for understanding the concept of “information” in the physical, biological and human domains, and to see what links and interactions may be found between them. It also aims to re‐examine the information science discipline, with a view to locating it in a larger context, so as to reflect on the possibility that information science may not only draw from these other disciplines, but that its insights may contribute to them.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper takes the form of an extensive literature review and analysis, loosely based on the approaches of Stonier, Madden and Bates, and including analysis of both scientific and library/information literature.

Findings

The paper identifies the concept of information as being identified with organised complexity in the physical domain, with meaning in context in the biological domain, and with Kvanvig's concept of understanding in the human domain. The linking thread is laws of emergent self‐organised complexity, applicable in all domains. Argues that a unified perspective for the information sciences, based on Popperian ontology, may be derived, with the possibility of not merely drawing insights from physical and biological science, but also of contributing to them. Based on Hirst's educational philosophy, derives a definition for the information sciences around two poles: information science and library/information management.

Originality/value

This is the only paper to approach the subject in this way.

Details

Aslib Proceedings, vol. 59 no. 4/5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0001-253X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 1999

Allyson Carlyle

This paper examines a user categorisation of documents related to a particular literary work. Fifty study participants completed an unconstrained sorting task of documents related…

Abstract

This paper examines a user categorisation of documents related to a particular literary work. Fifty study participants completed an unconstrained sorting task of documents related to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas carol. After they had finished the sorting task, participants wrote descriptions of the attributes they used to create each group. Content analysis of these descriptions revealed categories of attributes used for grouping. Participants used physical format, audience, content description, pictorial elements, usage, and language most frequently for grouping. Many of the attributes participants used for grouping already exist in bibliographic records and may be used to cluster records related to works automatically in online catalogue displays. The attributes used by people in classifying or grouping documents related to a work may be used to guide the design of summary online catalogue work displays.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 55 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 1972

Richard Lancioni and John Grashof

The physical distribution function of a firm is a complex process. It consists of all the activities involved in the flow of goods from the raw material supplier to the final…

Abstract

The physical distribution function of a firm is a complex process. It consists of all the activities involved in the flow of goods from the raw material supplier to the final consumer and incorporates the major activity centres of purchasing, warehousing, transportation, order processing, and inventory control. The goal of a firm's distribution operation is to insure that established customer service levels are achieved at a minimum total cost.

Details

International Journal of Physical Distribution, vol. 3 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0020-7527

Article
Publication date: 1 July 1997

Richard Lancioni and John Grashof

Reveals that physical distribution organization and information system development among US manufacturing firms is still in a period of transmission. Concludes that many problems…

1092

Abstract

Reveals that physical distribution organization and information system development among US manufacturing firms is still in a period of transmission. Concludes that many problems have arisen because of the move towards the formalization of physical distribution management as an integral part of a firm’s management organization.

Details

International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, vol. 27 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-0035

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 December 2006

Cecilia Challiol, Gustavo Rossi, Silvia Gordillo and Valeria De CristÓfolo

In this paper we present a model‐based approach for the development of physical hypermedia applications, i.e. those mobile (Web) applications in which physical and digital objects…

Abstract

In this paper we present a model‐based approach for the development of physical hypermedia applications, i.e. those mobile (Web) applications in which physical and digital objects are related and explored using the hypermedia paradigm. We describe an extension of the Object‐Oriented Hypermedia Design Method (OOHDM) and present an improvement of the popular Model‐View‐Controller (MVC) metaphor to incorporate the concept of located object we illustrate the idea with a framework implementation using Jakarta Struts. We first review the state of the art of this kind of software systems, stressing the need of a systematic design and implementation approach we briefly present a light extension to the OOHDM design approach, incorporating physical objects and “walkable” links. We next present a Web application framework for deploying physical hypermedia software and show an example of use. We evaluate our approach and finally we discuss some further work we are pursuing.

Details

International Journal of Web Information Systems, vol. 2 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-0084

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 2000

Ellen Christiaanse and Kuldeep Kumar

Increasingly, two key trends – value‐ and cost‐conscious customers, and globalization of markets and supply sources – are shifting the competitive focus from the competitive…

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Abstract

Increasingly, two key trends – value‐ and cost‐conscious customers, and globalization of markets and supply sources – are shifting the competitive focus from the competitive advantage of firms to competitive advantages of entire supply chains. At the same time, the possibilities for flexibility and coordination inherent in modern information and communication technologies are making it possible to design and follow a much greater variety of organization and governance strategies for delivering customer value. Contributes primarily to the development of general principles for ICT‐enabled redesign of supply chains. Rather than examine the individual impact and design implications of each new ICT innovation, proposes principles of abstraction that can be used to frame supply‐chain redesign options and decisions. Concludes with how these principles lead to flexibility in the design of various supply chain options, thereby providing cost and value advantages for the supply chain.

Details

International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, vol. 30 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-0035

Keywords

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