Fwd: British Library Research & Innovation Centre - new reports]

[Marloth _at__ t-online.de (Heinz Marloth)]

Liebe KollegInnen,
die folgende mitteilung aus grossbritannien leite ich deshalb
gerne an sie weiter, weil es in deutschland ausser in der
bundeshauptstadt berlin (ifb an der humboldt-uni) professionelle
bibliotheksforschung kaum gibt und teilweise noch immer die 
auffassung von thomas hilberer herumgeistert, eine bibliotheks-
wissenschaft koenne es ueberhaupt nicht geben.

>      Six new reports based on research funded by the Research and 
>      Innovation Centre are now available. Further details, including 
>      ordering information, are available from the Centre's web pages: 
>      www.bl.uk/services/ric/. 
>      
>      ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
>      Public libraries & ethnic diversity: a baseline for good practice 
>      ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
>      Following on from the major study "Public libraries, ethnic diversity 
>      and citizenship", this guide aims to provide library managers and 
>      staff with some practical guidance to enable them to establish 
>      improved relationships with ethnic minority communities. The document 
>      contains good practice guidance and examples in relation to: setting 
>      aims and objectives which engender support from different ethnic 
>      communities; conducting performance reviews which take account of 
>      ethnicity and racial equality; undertaking research and consultation 
>      within ethnically diverse settings; promoting library services to 
>      ethnic minority communities. The guide also highlights the importance 
>      of: creating a racial equality culture within public libraries; 
>      meeting the needs of ethnic minorities through the use of technology; 
>      developing strategies to support the lifelong learning needs of ethnic 
>      minority communities. 
>      
>      -------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>      Report into the effects of the abandonment of the Net Book Agreement 
>      -------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>      The report examines the degree and nature of discounting since the 
>      abandonment of the NBA, consumer response to discounting, the impact 
>      on bookselling, the impact on publishers, the impact on authors and 
>      provides an analysis of changes in the library market. The findings 
>      indicate that discounting is an inducement for some consumers to 
>      switch their location of purchase, but evidence about leading titles 
>      at different major retailers show this inducement to be only moderate. 
>      The network of stockholding booksellers has remained intact, to a 
>      greater degree than was predicted by many observers when the NBA 
>      was abandoned. In surveys, most booksellers disagreed that they were 
>      benefiting from the end of the NBA but most also disagreed that they 
>      had experienced a decline in profitability. The number of new titles 
>      fell in 1997 for the first time in 16 years. Opportunities for new 
>      authors do not appear to have been diminished although there may be 
>      greater problems for mid-list authors. Library suppliers appear 
>      largely to have weathered the storm of intense competition, mainly by 
>      cost cutting with a substantial decline in employment. The report 
>      concludes by placing the findings within the context of the continuing 
>      debate about resale price maintenance (RPM). It concludes that it 
>      still may be too early to say definitively whether the abandonment of 
>      RPM has overall been in the public interest. 
>      
>      ------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>      Evaluating information access initiatives in primary health care: a 
>      feasibility study
>      ------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>      This brief study conducted between January and March 1998 sought to 
>      examine the extent to which useful methods of evaluating the 
>      effectiveness, benefits and value of information access initiatives 
>      within a primary care setting already exist. In addition, the study 
>      sought to examine the literature of evaluation, generally, to explore 
>      innovative means of evaluation that would be practical and 
>      transferable for use in primary care settings. Another important 
>      factor was that the method of evaluation was seen to be credible by 
>      health service managers, health care professionals and funding bodies. 
>      The project derived some possible models of evaluation based on 
>      different approaches to outcomes measurement. These models were tested 
>      through a focus group consisting of health services researchers, 
>      primary health care staff and information professionals. Conclusions 
>      were that it is likely to be feasible to develop novel methods of 
>      evaluation. However, the evaluator must decide whether they want to 
>      measure gains in access, knowledge or patient health gain. 
>      Determination of this will lead to the appropriate choice of outcome 
>      measures, which may include: impact on health of patients; knowledge 
>      of the primary health care team (PHCT); tasks of the PHCT; impact on 
>      factors critical to the process of providing information.
>      
>      ------------------------------------------------------------ EDI - 
>      electronic trading in the book world: six case studies 
>      ------------------------------------------------------------
>      The objectives of this research were to look across the UK book world 
>      covering booksellers, publishers, libraries both public and academic, 
>      library suppliers and wholesalers and to: review current experience of 
>      electronic trading (EDI); identify best practice; track business 
>      benefits against costs where possible; highlight the lessons learned 
>      in planning, implementation and roll-out of electronic trading. The 
>      research was conducted by identifying one key player in each sector 
>      who is active in electronic trading and by interviewing the 
>      individual(s) responsible for that organisation's electronic trading. 
>      
>      ------------------------------------------------------ A standard 
>      identifier for book items and contributions 
>      ------------------------------------------------------
>      The purpose of this work was to propose the definition of a standard 
>      identifier for parts of books. The work is presented in two parts. 
>      Part two is structured as a draft standard, modelled closely on the 
>      latest version of the SICI standard. Part one details the background 
>      and scope of the work and provides a detailed commentary on the draft 
>      standard, explaining the alternatives which were considered, and the 
>      reasons for the choices which are embodied in Part 2.
>      
>      ------------------------------------------------------------------- In 
>      search of the unicorn: the Digital Object Identifier from a user 
>      perspective
>      ------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>      This study was prompted by a number of questions which have been raised 
>      about the extent to which the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) meets, or 
>      can be developed to meet, the real requirements of the marketplace for 
>      a unique identifier of digital content. The report develops a series of 
>      scenarios which explore the ways in which digital information may be 
>      accessed and used in the future and considers the role of unique 
>      identification of content in each of them. The business models that 
>      have been selected for the scenarios must represent to some extent a 
>      subjective forecast of what the future might look like. The scenarios 
>      may not be entirely consistent one with another but there has been an 
>      attempt to make them internally consistent - and as far as possible 
>      coherent with current technological and market developments as 
>      understood by the authors. Their purpose is simply to attempt to 
>      illuminate some generic aspects of unique identification that appear 
>      likely to be important in future.

>      --    
>      Simon Matty,  Information Officer
>      Research and Innovation Centre,  The British Library
>      2 Sheraton Street,  London W1V 4BH
>      email: simon.matty _at__ bl.uk

mfg   H.M.
--
Heinz Marloth   Seehofstraße 15   D-60594  Frankfurt, Germany
Tel.  069 - 61 23 94              eMail:  marloth _at__ t-online.de
~~
Wie waere es eigentlich, wenn die Deutsche Bibliothek, unterstuetzt
von Boersenverein, BDB, DGD, DFG und anderen, die auch guten Willens
sind, ein deutsches Forschungs- und Innnovationszentrum fuer den
Bibliotheks- und Informationsbereich einrichtet ??