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Books in Social sciences and humanities

Information Professionals' Career Confidential
Straight Talk and Savvy Tips
1st Edition
July 14, 2015
Ulla de Stricker
English
Based in part on a selection of the author's past blog postings, Information Professionals' Career Confidential is a convenient, browsable, and illuminating pocket compendium of insights on topics relevant for information and knowledge professionals at any stage of their careers. This book collects comments on matters of interest to new and experienced information professionals alike in 1-2 minute “quick takes,” inviting further thought. Topics range from the value of knowledge management and effective communication in organizations to assessing employers’ perception of information professionals and how best to increase one’s value through professional organizations and volunteering. This unique resource will be illuminating for anyone in library and information science, career development, or knowledge and information management.
China's Spatial (Dis)integration
Political Economy of the Interethnic Unrest in Xinjiang
1st Edition
July 13, 2015
Rongxing Guo
English
This book is intended to provide the narratives and analytics of China’s spatial (dis)integration. Indeed, the Chinese nation is far too large and spatially complicated and diversified to be misinterpreted. The only feasible approach to analyzing it is, therefore, to divide it into smaller geographical elements through which one can have a better insight into the spatial mechanisms and regional characteristics.
Digital Futures
Expert Briefings on Digital Technologies for Education and Research
1st Edition
July 10, 2015
Martin Hall + 2 more
English
A co-branded book project with Jisc (formerly the Joint Information Systems Commitee), off the back of DigiFest 2014, a digital festival run by Jisc for the first time in 2014. The aim of the book is to bring cutting-edge discussion as heard at DigiFest to the information professional/academi... librarian readership. Digital Futures will provide expert briefings to information professionals on the emerging trends in the digital technologies that are transforming teaching and research in higher education.
Informed Systems
Organizational Design for Learning in Action
1st Edition
July 10, 2015
Mary M. Somerville
English
By fostering principles of systems thinking and informed learning though an inclusive, participatory design process that advances information exchange, reflective dialogue, and knowledge creation, the Informed Systems Approach promotes conceptual change in workplace organizations. Informed Systems explores theory-based participatory action research and provides examples of agile process models for activating sustainable design, dialogue, and reflection processes in today’s organizations. This book also examines forward thinking frameworks for academic libraries, and how they can be used in the context of dynamically changing scholarly communications. Chapters further the expression of collaborative information practices that enrich information experiences by simultaneously advancing both situated domain knowledge and transferable learning capacity. Design (and redesign) activities well integrated into the workplace culture are expressed through sustainable processes and practices that produce rich information experiences. Informed learning both promotes and sustains continuous learning, including collective reflection on information sources, collaborative practices, and systems functionalities. In these ways, transferable topical understandings and information resiliency manifest action oriented intention to ensure improvements of real world situations.
A Librarian's Guide to Graphs, Data and the Semantic Web
1st Edition
July 9, 2015
James Powell
English
Graphs are about connections, and are an important part of our connected and data-driven world. A Librarian's Guide to Graphs, Data and the Semantic Web is geared toward library and information science professionals, including librarians, software developers and information systems architects who want to understand the fundamentals of graph theory, how it is used to represent and explore data, and how it relates to the semantic web. This title provides a firm grounding in the field at a level suitable for a broad audience, with an emphasis on open source solutions and what problems these tools solve at a conceptual level, with minimal emphasis on algorithms or mathematics. The text will also be of special interest to data science librarians and data professionals, since it introduces many graph theory concepts by exploring data-driven networks from various scientific disciplines. The first two chapters consider graphs in theory and the science of networks, before the following chapters cover networks in various disciplines. Remaining chapters move on to library networks, graph tools, graph analysis libraries, information problems and network solutions, and semantic graphs and the semantic web.
Managing Scientific Information and Research Data
1st Edition
July 9, 2015
Svetla Baykoucheva
English
Innovative technologies are changing the way research is performed, preserved, and communicated. Managing Scientific Information and Research Data explores how these technologies are used and provides detailed analysis of the approaches and tools developed to manage scientific information and data. Following an introduction, the book is then divided into 15 chapters discussing the changes in scientific communication; new models of publishing and peer review; ethics in scientific communication; preservation of data; discovery tools; discipline-specific practices of researchers for gathering and using scientific information; academic social networks; bibliographic management tools; information literacy and the information needs of students and researchers; the involvement of academic libraries in eScience and the new opportunities it presents to librarians; and interviews with experts in scientific information and publishing.
Strategic Human Resource Planning for Academic Libraries
Information, Technology and Organization
1st Edition
July 9, 2015
Michael A. Crumpton
English
Strategic Human Resources Planning for Academic Libraries: Information, Technology and Organization provides an in-depth discussion of human resources as a strategic element of a library organization, especially as staffing needs and competencies change. The book focuses on the impact of human resource practices in a library setting, discussing several aspects, including the role of human resources when the library is part of a larger organization, along with information on how to identify strategic objectives that are expected and related to workforce issues. In addition, the book reviews hiring practices, reorganizations of staff, use of temps or time-limited positions, and how students, volunteers, and internships can make a strategic difference overall.
Fundamentals of Polygraph Practice
1st Edition
July 9, 2015
Donald Krapohl + 1 more
English
Though polygraph has been the mainstay for government and police departments since World War II, it has undergone substantial transformation in recent years. Fundamentals of Polygraph Practice bridges the gap between the outmoded practices and today’s validated testing and analysis protocols. The goal of this reference is to thoroughly and concisely describe the evidence-based practices of polygraphy. Coverage will include: psychophysiology, testing techniques, data collection, data analysis, ethics, polygraph law, alternate technologies and much more. This text addresses the foundational needs of polygraph students, and is written to be useful and accessible to attorneys, forensic scientists, consumers of polygraph services, and the general public.
Animal Creativity and Innovation
1st Edition
July 8, 2015
English
Animal Creativity and Innovation explores theories and research on animal innovation and creativity, comparing and contrasting it with theory and research on human creativity and innovation. In doing so, it encompasses findings from psychology, biology, neuroscience, engineering, business, ecology, and education. The book includes examples of animal innovation in parrots, dogs, marine mammals, insects, and primates, exploring parallels from creative play in children. The book defines creativity, differentiating it from play, and looks at evolutionary models and neurological constructs. The book further explores applied aspects of animal innovation and creativity including tool use and group dynamics, as well as barriers to creativity. The final chapters look into how creative behavior may be taught or trained. Each chapter is followed by a commentary for integration of thoughts and ideas between animal and human research, behavioral and cognitive research, and theory and observation in real life.
Fundamentals of Forensic Science
3rd Edition
July 1, 2015
Max M. Houck + 1 more
English
Fundamentals of Forensic Science, Third Edition, provides current case studies that reflect the ways professional forensic scientists work, not how forensic academicians teach. The book includes the binding principles of forensic science, including the relationships between people, places, and things as demonstrated by transferred evidence, the context of those people, places, and things, and the meaningfulness of the physical evidence discovered, along with its value in the justice system. Written by two of the leading experts in forensic science today, the book approaches the field from a truly unique and exciting perspective, giving readers a new understanding and appreciation for crime scenes as recent pieces of history, each with evidence that tells a story.

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