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Books in Social sciences and humanities

    • Managing Your Library and its Quality

      The ISO 9001 Way
      • 1st Edition
      • Núria Balagué + 1 more
      • English
      This book, divided into two parts, provides an introduction to the quality management issues and gives a general overview to the use of ISO 9001 in the library environment. The second part presents the main features of ISO 9001:2008 with practical comments and examples on how to implement its clauses in libraries. Whether in the public or in the private sector, libraries can be seen as service organisations: they act in very dynamic environments where users are increasingly demanding new types of services. Thus the adoption of a quality management system helps each library in meeting the needs of the customers. This book covers some key ideas about how to approach the ISO 9001 standard in library terms, or any other information service unit. Managing Your Library and its Quality offers not only a useful approach to quality but it is also an excellent guide on how to manage knowledge within organisations and, a priori, thus should be utilised by the information professional.
    • Academic Branch Libraries in Changing Times

      • 1st Edition
      • Nevenka Zdravkovska
      • English
      Are academic branch libraries going to be extinct in the near future? In these difficult economic times, when collections are digitized rapidly, is there still a need for a separate unit within proximity to the department, school, or college with a subject-based or subject-specific collection? Academic Branch Libraries in Changing Times gives a brief historical overview of the role of a branch academic library. It reviews the current situation from a practitioner’s point of view and suggests solutions for the future.
    • From Associations to Structure

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 6
      • K.V. Wilson
      • English
      Wilson's book proposes an associationistic form of psychological theory which is opposed to the more extreme structuralist claims. It brings together a relatively novel combination of topics from psychology, computational linguistics and artificial intelligence which support a viable associationistic position.
    • Handbook of Organizational Creativity

      • 1st Edition
      • Michael D. Mumford
      • English
      Handbook of Organizational Creativity is designed to explain creativity and innovation in organizations. This handbook contains 28 chapters dedicated to particularly complex phenomena, all written by leading experts in the field of organizational creativity. The format of the book follows the multi-level structure of creativity in organizations where creativity takes place at the individual level, the group level, and the organizational level. Beyond just theoretical frameworks, applications and interventions are also emphasized. This topic will be of particular interest to managers of creative personnel, and managers that see the potential benefit of creativity to their organizations.
    • Doing Business Successfully in China

      • 1st Edition
      • Mona Chung
      • English
      Despite the overwhelming importance of the Chinese economy to the success of Western economies, there has yet to be an examination of why Western companies have had difficulties in doing business with the Chinese. A significant barrier that companies have difficulty to overcome is the effective communication with their Chinese counter parts. This major impediment is caused by no understanding of the cultural differences between the Chinese and Western business cultures. This book offers the solution to this problem: the bi-cultural personnel.
    • Comparative Osteology

      A Laboratory and Field Guide of Common North American Animals
      • 1st Edition
      • Bradley Adams + 1 more
      • English
      In the forensic context it is quite common for nonhuman bones to be confused with human remains and end up in the medical examiner or coroner system. It is also quite common for skeletal remains (both human and nonhuman) to be discovered in archaeological contexts. While the difference between human and nonhuman bones is often very striking, it can also be quite subtle. Fragmentation only compounds the problem. The ability to differentiate between human and nonhuman bones is dependent on the training of the analyst and the available reference and/or comparative material. Comparative Osteology is a photographic atlas of common North American animal bones designed for use as a laboratory and field guide by the forensic scientist or archaeologist. The intent of the guide is not to be inclusive of all animals, but rather to present some of the most common species which also have the highest likelihood of being potentially confused with human remains.
    • Technology and Knowledge Flow

      The Power of Networks
      • 1st Edition
      • Guglielmo Trentin
      • English
      This book outlines how network technology can support, foster and enhance the Knowledge Management, Sharing and Development (KMSD) processes in professional environments through the activation of both formal and informal knowledge flows. Understanding how ICT can be made available to such flows in the knowledge society is a factor that cannot be disregarded and is confirmed by the increasing interest of companies in new forms of software-mediated social interaction. The latter factor is in relation both to the possibility of accelerating internal communication and problem solving processes, and/or in relation to dynamics of endogenous knowledge growth of human resources.The book will focus specifically on knowledge flow (KF) processes occurring within networked communities of professionals (NCP) and the associated virtual community environments (VCE) that foster horizontal dynamics in the management, sharing and development of fresh knowledge. Along this line a further key issue will concern the analysis and evaluation techniques of the impact of Network Technology use on both community KF and NCP performance.
    • Understanding Librarians

      Communication is the Issue
      • 1st Edition
      • Barbara Hull
      • English
      Aimed at professionals and trainee professionals within the library and information service (LIS) fields, this book reminds the reader of the frequently ignored communication-gulf between the professional and the layman, and in particular the lack of true communication between LIS professionals and the user. It focuses especially on ‘non-standard’ users, such as non-native speakers or those with some disability. The author provides accessible examples of good practice, assesses their degree of success and suggests further ways to improve performance in information provision.
    • Qualitative Research and the Modern Library

      • 1st Edition
      • Valeda Dent Goodman
      • English
      Qualitative Research and the Modern Library examines the present-day role and provides suggestions for areas that might be suited to this type of research for the purposes of evaluation. The author discusses how the results from such research might be applied, and the overall impact of using this type of research to inform development of a more user-centred organisation. The book provides a thoughtful look at the implications of using qualitative research to inform decision-making processes within libraries and is written by an author and library researcher with international experience in various types of libraries, implementing/improvi... programs and services, and supporting user needs.
    • Cognition in Education

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 55
      • English
      Education and cognitive psychology are natural companions—they both are focused on how people think and learn. Although collaborations have occurred for many years, recently there has been a much greater interest in collaborations that bring cognitive principles into classroom settings. This renewed collaborative research has led both to new evidence-based instructional practices and to a better understanding of cognitive principles. This volume contains overviews of research projects at the intersection of cognitive science and education. The prominent contributors—cogniti... psychologists, developmental psychologists, educational psychologists, and science educators—were chosen both for the quality of their work and the variety of their contributions—genera... principles; influence of affect and motivation; and focus on math and science education.