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Books in Social sciences

The Social Sciences collection forms a definitive resource for those entering, researching, or teaching in any of the many disciplines making up this interdisciplinary area of study. Written by experts and researchers from both Academic and Commercial domains, titles offer global scope and perspectives.

Key subject areas include: Library and Information Science; Transportation; Urban Studies; Geography, Planning, and Development; Security; Emergency Management.

  • The Evaluation of Research by Scientometric Indicators

    • 1st Edition
    • Peter Vinkler
    • English
    Aimed at academics, academic managers and administrators, professionals in scientometrics, information scientists and science policy makers at all levels. This book reviews the principles, methods and indicators of scientometric evaluation of information processes in science and assessment of the publication activity of individuals, teams, institutes and countries. It provides scientists, science officers, librarians and students with basic and advanced knowledge on evaluative scientometrics. Especially great stress is laid on the methods applicable in practice and on the clarification of quantitative aspects of impact of scientific publications measured by citation indicators.
  • The Art of People Management in Libraries

    Tips for Managing your Most Vital Resource
    • 1st Edition
    • James McKinlay + 1 more
    • English
    This book explores recent trends in human resource management practices and presents options for their application within the special context of libraries, especially academic and research libraries. It lays out a set of the most pressing HR management issues facing senior library leaders in the context of continuous organisational change in the 21st century and offers library practitioners effective tips for people management.
  • Networked Collaborative Learning

    Social interaction and Active Learning
    • 1st Edition
    • Guglielmo Trentin
    • English
    The sustainability of Networked Collaborative Learning (NCL) is a key topic of discussion amongst the institutions where it has been or may potentially be introduced. In order to determine the extent of NCL's sustainability, the added value university education may yield by adopting collaborative learning strategies must be quantified. In turn, an understanding of the implications NCL produces in terms of design and management is gained. After comparing NCL with other Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) approaches and discussing the possible reasons for adopting it, a multidimensional model for the sustainability of NCL is proposed. The model is characterized by four dimensions: pedagogical approaches, e-teacher professional development, instructional design models and valuation/assessment approaches. Each of these dimensions is examined on the basis of the author’s direct experience gained through applying NCL to his university teaching.
  • Concise Encyclopedia of Brain and Language

    • 1st Edition
    • Harry A. Whitaker
    • English
    This volume descibes, in up-to-date terminology and authoritative interpretation, the field of neurolinguistics, the science concerned with the neural mechanisms underlying the comprehension, production and abstract knowledge of spoken, signed or written language. An edited anthology of 165 articles from the award-winning Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics 2nd edition, Encyclopedia of Neuroscience 4th Edition and Encyclopedia of the Neorological Sciences and Neurological Disorders, it provides the most comprehensive one-volume reference solution for scientists working with language and the brain ever published.
  • Open Access and its Practical Impact on the Work of Academic Librarians

    Collection Development, Public Services, and the Library and Information Science Literature
    • 1st Edition
    • Laura Bowering Mullen
    • English
    This book is aimed at the practicing academic librarian, especially those working on the ‘front lines’ of reference, instruction, collection development, and other capacities that involve dealing directly with library patrons in a time of changing scholarly communication paradigms. The book looks at open access from the perspective of a practicing academic librarian and challenges fellow librarians to continue the dialogue about how the movement might be affecting day-to-day library work and the future of academic libraries.
  • Global Research Without Leaving Your Desk

    Travelling the World with your Mouse as Companion
    • 1st Edition
    • Jane Macoustra
    • English
    Provides a broad scope for research to take the frustration out of not being able to locate what you want, not just by country or region, but how to pinpoint and access reliable information on a global scale. Other issues addressed are Know-Your-Customer issues, corruption and terrorism and new Web 2.0 technologies.
  • Freedom of Information and the Developing World

    The Citizen, the State and Models of Openness
    • 1st Edition
    • Colin Darch + 1 more
    • English
    Rather than simply summarising the state of play in African countries and elsewhere, Freedom of Information and the Developing World identifies and makes explicit the assumptions about the citizen’s relationship to the state that lie beneath Freedom of Information (FoI) discourse. The book goes on to test them against the reality of the pervasive politics of patronage that characterise much of African practice.
  • Economics of Education

    • 1st Edition
    • Dominic J. Brewer + 1 more
    • English
    A collection of short, stand-alone chapters divided into five sections including overview of the field; private and social returns to human capital investments; production, costs and financing of education; teachers and teacher labor markets; and education markets, choice and incentives. The collection provides international perspectives that describe the origins of these subjects, their major issues and proponents, their landmark studies, and opportunities for future research. The 70 contributors are each well-regarded economists whose research has advanced the topic on which they write, and this book fulfills an undersupplied niche for a text in the economics of education. The chapters come from the acclaimed International Encyclopedia of Education, 3e (2010), edited by Eva Baker, Barry McGaw, and Penelope Peterson. The Encyclopedia contains over 1,350 articles in 24 sections that stretch from educational philosophies and technologies to measurement, leadership, and national systems of education.
  • Crime Scene Photography

    • 2nd Edition
    • Edward M. Robinson
    • English
    Crime Scene Photography, Second Edition, offers an introduction to the basic concepts of forensic picture-taking. The forensic photographer, or more specifically the crime scene photographer, must know how to create an acceptable image that is capable of withstanding challenges in court. The photographic theory and principles have to be well grounded in the physics of optics, the how-to recommendations have to work, and the end result must be admissible in court. Based on the author's years of experience in the field at both the Arlington County and Baltimore County Police Departments, this book blends the practical functions of crime scene processing with theories of photography to guide the student in acquiring the skills, knowledge, and ability to render reliable evidence. This text has been carefully constructed for ease of use and effectiveness in training and was class-tested by the author at George Washington University. Beginning August 2008, this book will be required reading by the IAI Crime Scene Certification Board for all levels of certification (through August 2011).
  • Web Project Management for Academic Libraries

    • 1st Edition
    • Jody Condit Fagan + 1 more
    • English
    Managing the process of building and maintaining an effective library website can be as challenging as designing the product itself. Web Project Management for Academic Libraries outlines the best practices for managing successful projects related to the academic library website. The book is a collection of practical, real-world solutions to help web project managers plan, engage stakeholders, and lead organizations through change. Topics covered include the definition and responsibilities of a web project manager; necessary roles for the project team; effective communication practices; designing project workflow; executing the project; and usability testing and quality control. The techniques recommended are drawn from the experiences of the authors and from library and project management literature. The book is an essential text for library staff working as project managers or on web teams, library administrators, library school faculty and students, and web consultants working with libraries.