890 research outputs found
A challenge to publish books in Zambia!
No full textGeoffrey Musonda, author and engineer, about the challenge of publishing books in Zambia and to market Zambian literature globally.</p
Citations and Citation Metrics in a Serial Assessment Using Master's Theses
No full textWe analyzed serial citations in 72 marine biology master’s theses as well as the ranking data of aquatic science serials from six global serial citation metrics, to assess serial use by marine biology graduate students from two perspectives. From 1,035 unique serials, a core of 123 titles was identified and evaluated for access. Citation ages averaged 13.5 years, with 27% of serial citations dated prior to 1996. Students cited serials from disciplines beyond marine biology, demonstrating broad title dispersion compared to several other studies. Recommendations are offered for future investigation to develop a stronger understanding of graduate students’ use of the library’s serial collection
Destroyer and Preserver, Hear, Oh Hear! Not All Uncirculated Books Must Chariotest to a Dark Wintry Bed: How We Used the OCLC WorldCat Search API to Inform Our Weeding Decisions with Holdings Data
No full textWeeding a specialized collection, such as the geography/oceanography subset of the marine science collection at the Marine Resources Library, requires thinking beyond our own walls and users. To ensure potential access to weeded items through other libraries, as well as the preservation of items unique to our own collection, we sought an efficient and free means to incorporate national holdings data into our decision-making process. The OCLC WorldCat Search API enables bibliographic data, as well as holdings from other libraries, to be obtained easily. With a Python script we obtained holdings data for most of our several thousand oceanography items, making more than 10,000 queries of the API over six minutes. We identified holdings of this collection subset within our five peer libraries, NOAA regional libraries, PASCAL (SC state consortium) libraries, LVIS member libraries, and libraries in the United States to inform (not determine) our weeding decisions
Literature, Logic and Mathematics in the Fourteenth Century
No full textThis thesis assesses the extent to which fourteenth-century Middle English poets were interested in, and influenced by, traditions of thinking about logic and mathematics. It attempts to demonstrate the imaginative appeal of the logical problems called sophismata, which postulate absurd situations while making use of a stable but evolving, and distinctly recognisable, pool of examples. Logic and mathematics were linked. The ‘puzzle-based’ approach of late-medieval logic stemmed in part from earlier arithmetical puzzle collections. The fourteenth-century application of the ‘sophismatic’ method to problems concerned with what might now be called ‘Physics’ or ‘Mechanics’ sustained the symbiotic relationship of the two disciplines. An awareness of the importance of this tradition is perhaps indicated by the prominence of logical and mathematical tropes and scenarios in the works of three authors in particular: Geoffrey Chaucer, John Gower and the Gawain-poet. It is argued that, in the poetry of all three, what may loosely be called ‘sophismatic tropes’ are used to present concerns that the poets share with the logical and mathematical thought of their time. Certain themes recur, including the following: problematic promises; problematic reference to non-existent things; problems associated with divisibility, limits and the idea of a continuum; and, most importantly, problems focused on the contingency, or otherwise, of the future. The debate over future contingency was one of the fiercest scholastic controversies of the fourteenth century, with profound implications for both logical and theological thought. It is suggested here that the scholastic debate about future contingency has a visible impact on Chauntecleer’s prophetic dream in the Nun’s Priest’s Tale, Troilus’s apparent determinism in Troilus and Criseyde, Gower’s presentation of causation in the Confessio Amantis, and the Gawain-poet’s treatment of covenants. The conclusion reached is that fourteenth-century logical and mathematical texts had a significantly wider cultural effect than is generally recognised
Comments on the book, Temiar Religion, by Geoffrey Benjamin
No full textMy comments on the book Temiar Religion, by Geoffrey Benjamin (2014. NUS Press). After testing the book with with Temiars of Pos Goob, in Kelantan, Malaysia, I discovered that many errors had been made (misunderstandings and mixed up concepts) which then led the author to make some inaccurate and false conclusions. Unfortunately, the author did not respond to my comments.
As his work is currently the leading voice on Temiar ritual traditions, I find it necessary to make my comments public, so that the Temiars might be better understood and their culture be better preserved. Without my work to balance/correct areas of the book by Benjamin, their real belief system will hardly be known by the outside world.
In the book, he seemed determined to prove that good vs evil is rooted in the culture (when actually it is human vs the wild), and to prove his theory that rituals produce morals (which I find they don't in Temiar society), thus clouding the real social concepts from view. His theory of multiple souls existing in the Temiar makeup, the heart soul, head soul, grave soul, eye soul, tiger soul and any other soul, also doesn't hold up well to real Temiar belief. And his description of spirit mediums making a pretense, dreaming what they want to and having fake experiences does little to promote respect.
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Holding Our Ground at the Edge: Influencing Perceptions of Library Value
No full textWho judges the value of our libraries? Administrators look at costs and benefits, so librarians
generate reports about the use of library spaces, resources, and services to demonstrate return
on investment. But potential library users simply decide if we can satisfy their needs. Some
people form a judgment based upon an initial perception or brief encounter, some hold fleeting
opinions, and others become entrenched in a specific perspective – sometimes for years. A
perception may be opposite to reality, but it is owned by the perceiver. Influencing perceptions
is a strategy that can support the success of a library. If researchers do not perceive that the
library can help them achieve their goals, they will not use it; if administrators perceive that the
library is not supporting the institutional mission, they will not fund it. Managing a library in
which perceived value is struggling is challenging, especially for a solo librarian who recognizes
that “I am the library, the library is me, and as such we are both judged.” Strategies to create
positive perceptions include demonstrating commitment and relevance, which are often
necessary to establish recognition of value. Perceptions may be formed at orientation and they
can be made or unmade in a passing conversation with an administrator. Here we explore some
strategies used at the Marine Resources Library in Charleston, South Carolina to demonstrate
relevance and commitment, and to create a positive perception of the library’s worth to
graduate students, professional researchers, and administrators.2020-02-1
Microplastic Pollution in the Library! A Collaborative Investigation into the Curious Case of a Crumbling Waterproof Field Guide
No full textSynthetic paper is waterproof and durable, but the discovery of the crumbling synthetic paper pages of a 37-year-old waterproof library monograph raised concern both about its longevity and its potential to contribute to environmental pollution. The page substrate was identified as polypropylene, a polymer known to deteriorate over time and still widely used today. I alerted and surveyed libraries holding waterproof copies of the field guide and determined that over 50% of library copies have deteriorated, but at different rates. Statistically, the number of circulations is not a significant factor in predicting the extent of deterioration, suggesting that ambient environmental conditions and chemical transformations of the polymer are the leading initiators of the deterioration observed. While the specific phenomenon observed with this one book may be a relatively rare occurrence, the collection management implications of plastic materials found within library collections are also discussed
GEOFFREY CHAUCER IS THE GREATEST ENGLISH LITERATURE REPRESENTATIVE
No full text<p>Geoffrey Chaucer lived in England from the late 1340s until his death on October 25, 1400, and he is best remembered for his work on The Canterbury Tales. He has been referred to as the "father of English literature" or, alternately, the "father of English poetry". He was the first author to be laid to rest in Westminster Abbey's Poets' Corner, which is now known as such. As a philosopher and astronomer who wrote the academic A Treatise on the Astrolabe for his 10-year-old son Lewis, Chaucer also rose to popularity. He continued his public service career as a bureaucrat, courtier, diplomat, and lawmaker.</p>
Towards the tumble resistant microlight
No full textThe tumble mode is a pitching departure from controlled flight which leads to a pitch autorotation that is generally unrecoverable – resulting in vertical ground impact, usually preceded by in-flight breakup (the mechanism for which, surprisingly, can sometimes prevent loss of life). This was identified in work led by the British Microlight Aircraft Association beginning in 1997 as a response to a number of fatal accidents in Rogallo winged microlight aeroplanes, although the tumble is also known to occur to hang-gliders. This paper explains how this class of aeroplane is controlled, and how it has been found that they can enter the tumble mode. The mechanism by which the tumble can be entered is described. This has led to work showing how flight testing can be used to establish and demonstrate resistance to tumble entry – particularly important with increasing number of very high performance flexwings. These flight tests will be explained, together with the significance of the results. Recent accident investigation work has also shown a new mechanism of tumble entry, through partial failure of the A-frame structure and the pitch-trimmer mechanism. Also described is a possible relevance to well known historical accidents to flying wing aeroplanes– specifically the YB-49 and dH-108, and discovered data on the characteristics of the BKB-1flying wing glider; are also described
REVIEW: Court-Martial at Parris Island: The Ribbon Creek Incident
No full textReview of the non-fiction book Court-Martial at Parris Island: The Ribbon Creek Incident, by John C. Stevens III
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