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Small libraries are often more successful at effective automation than the large resource‐rich research libraries. One reason is that their pragmatic attitudes turn many of the small libraries' disadvantages in the areas of collection, staff and budget size to their advantage. Small collections are more readily automated and easily accessed, they have limited automation budgets and measurable improvements in basic services and operations receive top priority. This creates a results‐oriented accountability which pressures smaller libraries to make their systems work or to look elsewhere. Large libraries, by contrast, are often disappointed when overly ambitious automation projects flounder. Bringing software development in‐house often only compounds the problem. This paper argues that large libraries should follow the lead of their less prestigious neighbors by focusing on a more practical approach to automation.

The successful implementation of an automated library system depends on many factors. While systems and libraries vary greatly, an area that can never be overlooked is staff training. By its very nature automation training differs from other types of in‐house library instruction. This article identifies seven critical issues in implementing and maintaining a staff training program. Issues discussed include timing, modularity location, documentation, follow‐up and continuity.

Power conditioning measures are taken to ensure the supply of ‘clean’ electrical power for electrical and electronic installations. This article looks at the circumstances that create a need for power conditioning, with particular reference to library installations. The first part of the paper examines the causes and effects of power problems, treating some of the basic issues and problems associated with clean power, while the later sections focus on preventative measures and solutions to allow an installation to operate with clean power. Finally, the question of static electricity is briefly addressed and some protective measures are suggested.

The following annotated bibliography of materials on orienting users to libraries and on instructing them in the use of reference and other resources covers publications from 1981. A few items from 1980 have been included because information about them was not available in time for the 1980 listing. A few items have not been annotated because the compiler was unable to secure copies of these items.

This paper aims to examine the relationship between law enforcement agency domestic violence standard operating procedures (SOPs) and Florida's model policy for domestic violence, as well as type of police agency and policing management model.

Data for this study include the SOPs and self‐reported policing model for Florida law enforcement agencies (n=72), which were collected through an e‐mail request to all Florida agencies. The policing model was dichotomized into “traditional policing” and “community oriented policing” styles. Content analysis was used to analyze each agency's SOPs.

Findings suggest there are no differences in SOP content across “traditional” versus “community oriented policing” policing models. Agencies self‐reporting as community oriented policing agencies were not necessarily any more likely to include preventative or long‐term goals within their domestic violence SOPs than agencies self‐reporting as “traditional” policing agencies. There were also no differences in SOP content across type of police agency.

This research suggests that although SOPs are used to formalize policy for officer decision making, they may not be representative of the policing management model of an agency.

Agencies that identify as community policing agencies should examine whether written policies demonstrate an adherence to the core tenets of community policing.

There is no research that examines the link between written domestic violence policies and agency policing models. This paper adds to the extant literature and suggests topics for future research in this area.

This study aims to use the servicescape model of higher education environments to measure the students’ perceptions of the learning environment (classroom) and the effect this has on students’ learning ability.

The present study follows the stimulus-organism-response paradigm framework. A self-administered and well-structured survey questionnaire is used to collect data. The snowball sampling technique is used to collect samples of 403 students belonging to Maldivian higher education institutions.

Findings show that the physical appearances of these higher education institutions greatly influenced the pleasure dimension. Furthermore, pleasure is found to have a significant and positive relationship with the approach behaviour and engagement/involvement of the students.

The main contribution of the study is that it successfully tests the “Eduscape” model adopted from the servicescape model, and thus helps to extend existing knowledge on the critical elements in the Maldivian higher education learning environments and student’s behaviour within them. The findings have implications for higher education institutions to improve their learning environments and better engage with their students.

This paper introduces an alternative use of an existing learning mechanism to aid in gaining acceptance of others' roles within a supply chain. This view places an emphasis on role‐playing as a means to improve supply chain integration.

This paper is conceptual and introduces a learning technique to enable both “hard” and “soft” systems orientated participants to be better understood between chain partners.

The findings presented in this paper are conceptual. However, the technique offered has partially proven success in other management scenarios and yet to be tested in supply chain management.

By embracing role‐playing, practitioners have opportunities to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation about other roles that participate in the same supply chain as themselves, creating an opportunity for enhanced integration between roles within their supply chain.

The value of this paper is to invite the reader to consider role‐playing as a mechanism to encourage and educate supply chain participants in the roles of others who participant in the same chain from another perspective. This learning technique will contribute towards integration internally between functions of the organization and in an inter‐organizational capacity along the supply chain.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of a staged cumulative learning mechanism as part of a role‐play model for the teaching of supply chain concepts.

This paper presents the preliminary testing of an alternative model for the facilitation of supply chain learning within organizations. Following on from this, initial feedback is discussed before future stages of development are considered.

Through the structured implementation of complex supply chain interactions, practitioners can provide effective training that leads to deeper understanding of the interactions and communication skills necessary to balance an organizations successful operation in a modern supply chain.

The value of this paper is to invite the reader to consider the use of extended role‐playing as a mechanism to facilitate the development of cumulative learning outcomes which provide employees with a toolbox of understanding to better approach interaction activities within and between supply chain partners.

The ‘interview’ undergone by the young prince in W F Yeames' well known painting shown on our front cover this month, was more painful than most. But job interviews are more often than not rather harrowing—at least in prospect—and we have asked four authors, each representing a different part of the interviewing spectrum, to give us their views about the process, its importance, and how best to approach something which happens to most of us at least once in our professional careers.

The Corporation of the City of London are about to appoint a Public Analyst, and by advertisement have invited applications for the post. It is obviously desirable that the person appointed to this office should not only possess the usual professional qualifications, but that he should be a scientific man of high standing and of good repute, whose name would afford a guarantee of thoroughness and reliability in regard to the work entrusted to him, and whose opinion would carry weight and command respect. Far from being of a nature to attract a man of this stamp, the terms and conditions attaching to the office as set forth in the advertisement above referred to are such that no self‐respecting member of the analytical profession, and most certainly no leading member of it, could possibly accept them. It is simply pitiable that the Corporation of the City of London should offer terms, and make conditions in connection with them, which no scientific analyst could agree to without disgracing himself and degrading his profession. The offer of such terms, in fact, amounts to a gross insult to the whole body of members of that profession, and is excusable only—if excusable at all—on the score of utter ignorance as to the character of the work required to be done, and as to the nature of the qualifications and attainments of the scientific experts who are called upon to do it. In the analytical profession, as in every other profession, there are men who, under the pressure of necessity, are compelled to accept almost any remuneration that they can get, and several of these poorer, and therefore weaker, brethren will, of course, become candidates for the City appointment.