Communication, Collaboration and Enhancing the Learning Experience: Developing a Collaborative Virtual Enquiry Service in University Libraries in the North of England

This paper uses the case study of developing a collaborative ‘out of hours’ virtual enquiry service by members of the Northern Collaboration Group of academic libraries in the north of England to explore the importance of communication and collaboration between academic library services in enhancing student learning. Set within the context of a rapidly changing UK higher education sector the paper considers the benefits and challenges of collaboration and the contribution of library services to the student experience. The project demonstrated clear benefits to student learning and evidence of value for money to individual institutions as well as showing commitment to national shared services agendas. Effective communication with students, with colleagues and stakeholders in our own and other Northern Collaboration member institutions, and with OCLC, our partner organisation, was a critical success factor in the development, promotion and uptake of the new service

Understanding student information behavior in relation to electronic information services:Lessons from longitudinal monitoring and evaluation Part 2

This second part of a two-part article establishes a model of the mediating factors that influence student information behavior concerning the electronic or digital information sources used to support learning. This part discusses the findings of the Joint Information Systems Committee User Behavior Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (1999-2004) and development of a model that includes both the individual (micro) and organizational (macro) factors affecting student information behavior. The macro factors are information resource design, information and learning technology infrastructure, availability and constraints to access, policies and funding, and organizational leadership and culture. The micro factors are information literacy, academics' information behavior, search strategies, discipline and curriculum, support and training, and pedagogy. We conclude that the mediating factors interact in unexpected ways and that further research is needed to clarify how those interactions, particularly between the macro and micro factors, operate

Books in a virtual world

The Composed Parabolic Collector (CPC) is made up of two parabolic surfaces whose center is the same. In such a center, a black-painted copper tube is placed to transform the sunlight that comes to the copper surface heating it; the CPC concentrates the light in the center, and it can even receive rays with oblique incidence according to its angle of acceptance, the one that could be increased with copper fins welded to the copper tubes. This set also allows to receive and to concentrate diffuse light in a cloudy day. Four Collectors of 1.00 m x 1.25 m are connected to an electrical therma of 500 liters, that will store the water warmed up by the collectors, and through the thermosiphon effect, this one has also has electrical resistance in case there were several non-sunny days.El Colector Parabólico Compuesto (CPC) está constituido de 2 superficies parabólicas cuyo foco es el mismo, en ese foco se coloca un tubo de cobre que se pinta de negro para transformar la luz solar que llega a la superfície de cobre en calor; el CPC concentra la luz en el foco y puede aún recibir rayos con incidencia oblicua de acuerdo a su ángulo de aceptación el que puede ser aumentado con aletas de cobre soldadas a los tubos de cobre. Este conjunto permite tambien recibir y concentrar luz difusa de un día nublado. 4 Colectores de 1,00 m x 1,25 m son conectados a una therma eléctrica de 500 litros la que almacenará el agua calentada por los colectores, por efecto termosifón ésta tiene también resistencia eléctrica por si hay varios días sin sol