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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.

  • Optimizing Academic Library Services in the Digital Milieu

    Digital Devices and their Emerging Trends
    • 1st Edition
    • September 30, 2013
    • Brendan Ryan
    • English
    The digital is the new milieu in which academic libraries must serve their patrons; but how best to utilize the slew of digital devices and their surrounding trends? Optimizing Academic Library Services in the Digital Milieu identifies best practices and strategies for using digital devices (such as tablets, e-readers, and smartphones) and copyrighted materials in academic libraries. Special consideration is given to e-books, iBooks, e-journals, and digital textbooks. This title describes how academic libraries can remain current, nimbly addressing user needs. An introduction gives an overview of technology in academic libraries, including the foundations of copyright law and user behavior in relation to digital content. Three parts then cover: digital rights management (DRM); practical approaches to e-content for librarians; and emerging pedagogy and technology. Finally, the book concludes by telling libraries how to remain agile and adaptable as they navigate the digital milieu.
  • The Theory and Practice of the Dewey Decimal Classification System

    • 2nd Edition
    • September 30, 2013
    • M. P. Satija
    • English
    The Dewey Decimal Classification system (DDC) is the world’s most popular library classification system. The 23rd edition of the DDC was published in 2011. This second edition of The Theory and Practice of the Dewey Decimal Classification System examines the history, management and technical aspects of the DDC up to its latest edition. The book places emphasis on explaining the structure and number building techniques in the DDC and reviews all aspects of subject analysis and number building by the most recent version of the DDC. A history of, and introduction to, the DDC is followed by subject analysis and locating class numbers, chapters covering use of the tables and subdivisions therein, multiple synthesis, and using the relative index. In the appendix, a number of academically-interes... questions are identified and answered.
  • Leadership in Academic and Public Libraries

    A Time of Change
    • 1st Edition
    • September 30, 2013
    • Petra Düren
    • English
    In a time when libraries have to face constant change, this book provides examples and advises on how to lead when change is needed (for example, when quality management is implemented or when libraries have to merge or to relocate). Engaging with how constant change affects leadership in libraries and how leaders in libraries act in times of change, this book is aimed at practitioners and students of Library and Information Science (LIS) alike, and is based on both theory and expert interviews from leaders in academic and public libraries that are in the midst, or are now coming out of a process of change.
  • Conflict Management for Security Professionals

    • 1st Edition
    • September 28, 2013
    • Andrew A. Tufano
    • English
    Effectively resolving conflict prevents violence, reduces incidents, improves productivity, and contributes to the overall health of an organization. Unlike the traditionally reactive law enforcement approach to resolving conflict, Conflict Management for Security Professionals provides a proven, reliable, business-focused approach that teaches security personnel to diffuse situations before they escalate when dealing with uncooperative, dangerous, or violent individuals. Covering everything from policies and procedures to security tactics and business impact, Conflict Management for Security Professionals uniquely addresses conflict resolution from a security perspective for managers, policy makers, security officials, or anyone else who interacts with people every day. This book helps organizations create and maintain safe environments without interfering with their ability to remain profitable, competitive, and relevant.
  • The Illusory Freedom

    The Intellectual Origins and Social Consequences of the Sexual 'Revolution'
    • 1st Edition
    • September 24, 2013
    • Graham Heath
    • English
    The Illusory Freedom: The Intellectual Origins and Social Consequences of the Sexual "Revolution" describes the profound changes in sexual attitudes and sexual behavior in Britain and other Western countries. The book examines the reliability of the basis for the sexual revolution and whether its benefits outweigh the damages it has brought on society. The author reviews the influence of Dr. Alfred Kinsey's reports on over 12,000 humans subjects where Kinsey claims there is no "normality" or "abnormality" as regards sexual behavior. The author notes that some sexual studies involved some bias, the need to protect the family as an institution if society is to survive, and faithfulness has its long term rewards. His other findings show that no evidence points to sexual experimentation or promiscuity as causing long-term happier relationships, that media tends to present sexual anarchy as the norm, and that guidelines for adolescent and ideals for adults should be established. He notes, quite interestingly, that as the forces of sexual freedom are released by new regimes of generations, it become more apparent that sexual freedom is an illusory freedom. This book can prove interesting reading for feminists, psychiatrists, psychologists, parents, professionals and administrators of educational institutions, as well as heads of public commutations and media.
  • Perceptual Ecology

    • 1st Edition
    • September 24, 2013
    • Edward C. Carterette + 1 more
    • English
    Handbook of Perception, Volume X: Perceptual Ecology, deals with perceptual aspects of the study of interaction of persons with their environment. The book is organized into six parts. Part I examines an ecological approach to the perceptual systems and cultural differences in perception. Part II is devoted to impaired perception and action. It includes studies on perception by the deaf and blind, and outlines the intellectual principles necessary for understanding sensory aids. Part III on aesthetics covers central problem of aesthetic theories and the generation and measurement of aesthetic forms. Part IV on architecture, music, art, and cinema discusses the perceptual aspects of architecture; the psychology of music; and the perception of art and motion pictures. Part V deals with the role of olfactory hedonics in perfumery and the assessment and abatement of noxious odors; and food habits, gastronomy, and analysis of flavors and foods. Part VI focuses on parapsychology. It reviews experimental evidence on telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, and psychokinesis in order to assess the status of parapsychology and show why it is paradoxy, outside of accepted opinion, after some 100 years of psychic research.
  • Physical Security Strategy and Process Playbook

    • 1st Edition
    • September 23, 2013
    • John Kingsley-Hefty
    • English
    The Physical Security Strategy and Process Playbook is a concise yet comprehensive treatment of physical security management in the business context. It can be used as an educational tool, help a security manager define security requirements, and serve as a reference for future planning. This book is organized into six component parts around the central theme that physical security is part of sound business management. These components include an introduction to and explanation of basic physical security concepts; a description of the probable security risks for more than 40 functional areas in business; security performance guidelines along with a variety of supporting mitigation strategies; performance specifications for each of the recommended mitigation strategies; guidance on selecting, implementing, and evaluating a security system; and lists of available physical security resources. The Physical Security Strategy and Process Playbook is an essential resource for anyone who makes security-related decisions within an organization, and can be used as an instructional guide for corporate training or in the classroom. The Physical Security Strategy and Process Playbook is a part of Elsevier’s Security Executive Council Risk Management Portfolio, a collection of real world solutions and "how-to" guidelines that equip executives, practitioners, and educators with proven information for successful security and risk management programs.
  • Job Reconnaissance

    Using Hacking Skills to Win the Job Hunt Game
    • 1st Edition
    • September 20, 2013
    • Josh More
    • English
    There is considerably more skill in the IT and security communities than is reflected in the jobs people are able to attain. Most people's limiting factor in their ability to get better jobs is not technical skills or even the soft skills necessary to do well in a new job. It is that getting a job is a completely different skill set and one that most people only practice every few years. Job Reconnaissance: Using Hacking Skills to Win the Job Hunt Game explains the job hunting process, why the most commonly followed models fail and how to better approach the search. It covers the entire job hunt process from when to decide to leave your current job, research new possible job opportunities, targeting your new boss, controlling the job interview process and negotiating your new compensation and the departure from your current job. This is not a complete all-in-one job-hunting book. This book assumes that the reader is reasonably competent and has already heard most of the "standard" advice, but is having difficulty putting the advice into practice. The goal is to fill in the gaps of the other books and to help the readers use their technical skills to their advantage in a different context. The emphasis in Job Reconnaissance is for infosec and IT job seekers to leverage the same skills they use in penetration testing and recon toward job-hunting success. These skills include targeting, reconnaissance and profiling combined with a technical look at skills other career search books commonly miss.
  • CCTV

    From Light to Pixels
    • 3rd Edition
    • September 18, 2013
    • Vlado Damjanovski
    • English
    The new edition of CCTV, a high-level professional reference, is expanded to cover all video compression techniques used in the ever-increasing assortment of digital video recorders (DVRs) available on the market today. In addition to demystifying DVR technology, the third edition also clarifies the technology of data networking and explains various compression techniques. Along with all this, the book retains the particulars that made the previous editions convenient and valuable, including details of CCD cameras, lenses, coaxial cables, fiber-optics, and system design.
  • The Future of the Arab Spring

    Civic Entrepreneurship in Politics, Art, and Technology Startups
    • 1st Edition
    • September 17, 2013
    • Maryam Jamshidi
    • English
    Civic entrepreneurship lies at the heart of the Arab Spring. From the iconic image of an occupied Tahrir Square to scenes of dancing protesters in Syria and politically conscious hip hop in Tunisia, people across the Middle East and North Africa continue to collaborate and experiment their way out of years of dictatorship and political stagnation. The Future of the Arab Spring examines the spirit of civic entrepreneurship that brought once untouchable dictators to their knees and continues to shape the region's political, artistic, and technology sectors. Through interviews with some of the region's leading civic entrepreneurs, including political activists, artists, and technologists, Maryam Jamshidi broadens popular understandings of recent events in this misunderstood region of the world. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.c... frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>&...