Search results

Mechatronics is a very important area of research in industrial applications. The purpose of this study is to find some of the most important components of the literature on this subject.

The analysis is based on the use of the database Compendex; it was searched in the broadest way for documents related to mechatronics. In addition, subject guides from libraries of universities with mechatronics programs were studied to find resources available in those areas.

The literature of mechatronics is extensive and multidisciplinary. Based on the results from Compendex, the following data were found: most productive authors, list of leading journals and conference proceedings, publishers and grant organizations, authors’ affiliations and other minor details. Based on the analysis of subject guides, the following types of resources were found: research databases, reference books and ebook collections.

Part of the analysis is based on a search performed in one technical database, Compendex; it was the database that generated the largest number of citations as compared to Inspec and the Web of Science. The results have a strong English language focus. It is possible that by using the results from multiple data bases, some additional sources could be obtained.

Mechatronics is a relatively new technological field comprising a number of scientific and engineering areas. The results obtained summarized a significant amount of bibliographic information.

The work is original; to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no other study has analyzed the literature on this subject.

One of the greatest challenges facing academic libraries is maintaining necessary space for collections and services. Academic administrators are forced to balance the need for space to support new and expanded programs, while supporting the traditional needs of the educational enterprise. With many of these situations, the answer comes from redeploying library space for other purposes. The net result for libraries is that functions and services run for years might no longer be possible with these changes in space. This is exactly the problem faced by the Kresge Business Administration Library at the University of Michigan when a major gift led to a construction project that saw the library’s footprint decrease by over 80%. As Kresge went through this change, there was a concerted effort to retain jobs, even though many would be dramatically changed with the new world order. This chapter focuses on the response undertaken at Kresge Library to balance the changing needs of the library that accompany dramatic space reduction. Additionally, this chapter will explore the literature on staffing trends in light of major changes to our work, political posturing to generate more work or “business” for library staff, exploration of the assessment program to ensure that we have the right staffing levels.

The purpose of this study is to analyze factors affecting decision-making on libraries’ electronic resources management under the situation of tight budgets in Canadian research universities.

Interview was adopted to investigate library resources management leaders’ opinions from English-speaking university members of the Group of Canadian Research University Libraries.

A comprehensive model is developed for library resources’ management. Subject specialists are the key of the model integrating marketing roles and evaluation roles.

The main limitations of this study are the small sample size of interview candidates, which may have application limitations on other types of libraries and universities in different areas.

This study generates a comprehensive model based on past research, contributing to future library decision-making practices.

It develops a subject specialist-centric model of library resources’ value assessment and brings the element of culture into future studies of academic library.

It should come as little surprise that the technological advances in information storage and retrieval have led many in the information professions to renewed concerns for educating student users in college libraries. The introduction of electronic information retrieval methods and an explosion in the amount of information available online and across media have created a sort of instructional imperative, to which many in the academic community have responded. This move, which characterizes so many programs in public, school, and academic libraries, is consistent with contemporary models of librarianship that emphasize information access over information acquisition and storage. This agenda has important implications for 21st century library administrators, reference professionals, and LIS educators, even though the practice of “teaching the use of books and libraries” (Rothstein, 1955, p. 14) has 19th century roots. Indeed, from an early date academic librarians viewed “bibliographical information” provided by “the librarian of their college or university” (Adams, 1887, quoted in Rothstein) as key in enabling students “in all their after lives to do their individual work more readily and successfully (Barnard, 1838, quoted in Rothstein).

A report from Headland Business Information says that an increasing number of libraries are beginning to use the Internet to access business information sources. This probably won't be news to the typical reader of The Electronic Library but perhaps it needed saying to the greater public.

An agreement has been announced between UMI and Dow Interactive Publishing by which UMI gains exclusive world‐wide rights to distribute Dow Jones publications online to academic, public and school library markets, and Dow Jones gains access to text and images from thousands of UMI publications.

An outline of the public library service offered to disabled people in Glasgow, Scotland.

A descriptive account.

It is a great challenge for a public library service to be able to offer services to its large and diverse body of disabled users, who may need to use any part of the public library system at any time, and whose needs must be anticipated. This paper sketches how one particular public library service attempts to meet that challenge.

A specific account of one particular example of good practice.

Offers clearly described models for service delivery to disabled users which will be of great interest to those in public library management, and library practice generally.

The finding that, despite the range and number of disabled users catered for by a large public library service such as Glasgow, it is possible to offer services that comply with legislation and anticipate the needs of disabled users.