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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 Future of Post-Human Knowledge

    A Preface to a New Theory of Methodology and Ontology
    • 1st Edition
    • Peter Baofu
    • English
    Why should inquiry be possible, only if some knowledge is required to guide it, as conventionally understood? Contrary to the conventional wisdom held by many thinkers in all human history hitherto existing, there are some fundamental dialectic principles hidden behind any categories of understanding in knowing. And these principles impose some constraints, at both methodological and ontological levels, together with other levels in culture, society, nature, and the mind - on how reality is to be understood. Furthermore, the specific categories of understanding (as conventionally understood), even if valid at all (which are often not the case), are often not that important, when compared with these more fundamental dialectic principles hidden behind them. The focus on understanding the nature of knowledge has been much misplaced, in this sense, in the intellectual history hitherto existing, and much time and talent have been wasted for something less important. If true, this thesis will alter the way of how knowledge is to be understood across the board.
  • The Politics of Libraries and Librarianship

    Challenges and Realities
    • 1st Edition
    • V. Kerry Smith
    • English
    This book covers aspects of the political environment which surrounds and engages libraries and their librarians. It includes anecdotes on the role of the political sphere in the business of library associations.
  • Never Mind the Web

    Here Comes the Book
    • 1st Edition
    • Miha Kovac
    • English
    This key book examines the role of the printed book in contemporary societies, its demographics and its relation to the other media. It analyzes the differences among various national book industries throughout Europe and the USA, and the reasons and impact of the differences. Both the effect of digital technologies and the reasons why e-books did not substitute the printed book, as predicted in mid-nineties, are explored.
  • Information Literacy Education: A Process Approach

    Professionalising the Pedagogical Role of Academic Libraries
    • 1st Edition
    • Maria-Carme Torras + 1 more
    • English
    From a traditional role of information gatekeepers, librarians have been challenged to become pedagogues who teach and counsel students in information literacy. The aim of this book is to professionalise the educational role of academic libraries. It helps information professionals design and carry out information literacy education programmes. The book puts forward a process-oriented approach to information literacy user education. Practical ways are outlined in which librarians’ pedagogical involvement in higher education can be enhanced. By applying two general didactic models, the book meets the information professionals’ needs to make theoretically founded and independent choices in her teaching and supervisory practices as well as critically reflecting on them. Examples of best and less good practice are drawn upon to provide scenarios for reflection which can inspire and enrich the information professional’s work.
  • Test and Measurement: Know It All

    • 1st Edition
    • Jon S. Wilson + 4 more
    • English
    The Newnes Know It All Series takes the best of what our authors have written to create hard-working desk references that will be an engineer's first port of call for key information, design techniques and rules of thumb. Guaranteed not to gather dust on a shelf!Field Application engineers need to master a wide area of topics to excel. The Test and Measurement Know It All covers every angle including Machine Vision and Inspection, Communications Testing, Compliance Testing, along with Automotive, Aerospace, and Defense testing.
  • Building the Agile Enterprise

    With SOA, BPM and MBM
    • 1st Edition
    • Fred A. Cummins
    • English
    In the last ten years IT has brought fundamental changes to the way the world works. Not only has it increased the speed of operations and communications, but it has also undermined basic assumptions of traditional business models and increased the number of variables. Today, the survival of major corporations is challenged by a world-wide marketplace, international operations, outsourcing, global communities, a changing workforce, security threats, business continuity, web visibility, and customer expectations. Enterprises must constantly adapt or they will be unable to compete. Fred Cummins, an EDS Fellow, presents IT as a key enabler of the agile enterprise. He demonstrates how the convergence of key technologies—includi... SOA, BPM and emerging enterprise and data models—can be harnessed to transform the enterprise. Cummins mines his 25 years experience to provide IT leaders, as well as enterprise architects and management consultants, with the critical information, skills, and insights they need to partner with management and redesign the enterprise for continuous change. No other book puts IT at the center of this transformation, nor integrates these technologies for this purpose.
  • Forensic Victimology

    Examining Violent Crime Victims in Investigative and Legal Contexts
    • 1st Edition
    • Brent E. Turvey + 1 more
    • English
    This new textbook provides students with the basic principles and practice standards of forensic victimology--the scientific study of victims for the purposes of addressing investigative and forensic issues. It provides case-based coverage with original insights into the role that victimology plays in the justice system, moving beyond the traditional theoretical approaches already available. The purpose of this textbook is to distinguish the investigative and forensic aspects of victim study as a necessary adjunct to the field of victimology. It identifies forensic victimologists in the investigative and forensic communities and provides them with methods and standards of practice needed to be of service. This book is intended to educate students on the means and rationale for performing victimological assessments with a scientific mindset. Forensic Victimology is designed specifically for teaching the practical aspects of this topic, with “hands on” real-life case examples.
  • GFI Network Security and PCI Compliance Power Tools

    • 1st Edition
    • Brien Posey
    • English
    Today all companies, U.S. federal agencies, and non-profit organizations have valuable data on their servers that needs to be secured. One of the challenges for IT experts is learning how to use new products in a time-efficient manner, so that new implementations can go quickly and smoothly. Learning how to set up sophisticated products is time-consuming, and can be confusing. GFI's LANguard Network Security Scanner reports vulnerabilities so that they can be mitigated before unauthorized intruders can wreck havoc on your network. To take advantage of the best things that GFI's LANguard Network Security Scanner has to offer, you'll want to configure it on your network so that it captures key events and alerts you to potential vulnerabilities before they are exploited.In this book Brien Posey has pinpointed the most important concepts with examples and screenshots so that systems administrators and security engineers can understand how to get the GFI security tools working quickly and effectively. His straightforward, no nonsense writing style is devoid of difficult to understand technical jargon. His descriptive examples explain how GFI's security tools enhance the security controls that are already built into your server's operating system.* Secure Your Network Master the various components that make up the management console and prepare to use it for most tasks.* Analyze Scan Results View detected vulnerabilities, save and print results, query open ports, and filter your results.* Install and Use the ReportPack Learn how to build custom reports and schedule reports. See how filters allow you to control the information that is processed when a reports is run.* Perform a Hardware Inventory and Compile a Software Inventory Use GFI to do your inventories and perform audits. See how to blacklist and whitelist applications to make your reports more meaningful.* Manage Patches Effectively See how to deploy a specific patch, perform a scan comparison, uninstall a patch, and deploy custom software.* Use GFI EndPointSecurity to Lock Down Hardware Be prepared for users trying to install unauthorized software, copy sensitive data onto removable media, or perform other actions to try and circumvent your network's security.* Create Protection Policies Control the level of device access allowed on a system and create separate protection policies; one for servers, one for workstations, and one for laptops. Learn how to deploy agents.* Regulate Specific Devices Master some of the advanced features of GFI: locking device categories, blacklisting and whitelisting devices, and using file type restrictions.* Monitor Device Usage Keep tabs on your network by setting logging options, setting alerting options, and generating end point security reports.
  • Handbook for the Assessment of Driving Capacity

    • 1st Edition
    • Maria T. Schultheis + 2 more
    • English
    This is a resource for professionals involved in determining the driving capacity of individuals with neurological involvement and or trauma. While much work has been completed in this new and growing field, this is the first attempt to bring together clinical work on assessing driving capacity for different clinical populations and conditions. Specific topics include, traumatic brain injury, stroke, dementia, normal aging, medications, retraining, interventions, medical conditions, legal issues, practical issues, assessment instruments, simulators, research and epidemiology. Each chapter will address clinically relevant issues specific to the clinical population. This comprehensive compilation of driving assessment of cognitively compromised populations is the first of its kind and Dr. Schultheis is regarded as a leader in the field.
  • Knowledge Management

    Systems Implementation: Lessons from the Silicon Valley
    • 1st Edition
    • Hind Benbya
    • English
    This book brings together the results of several years of analysis of knowledge management systems (KMS) implementations and the experience of leading organisations in the Silicon Valley, to provide a practical guide on key strategic, technical and economic aspects of knowledge management systems implementations. It provides a comprehensive and methodological approach to support managers in their implementations of KMS. It is intended to equip current and future managers with some of the knowledge and practical skills to help them navigate their organisations towards knowledge management. Managers must be actively engaged in the emergent process of KMS implementation in a way that does not simply offer exhortations or ensure that the infrastructure is working. This book also goes beyond the implementation process and suggests how to deal with KMS along the maturity process and how to assess and measure the results achieved from KMS. These issues are illustrated in a series of case studies from leading organisations in the Silicon Valley, including Hewlett Packard, IBM, Cisco, Protiviti and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati.