Monday 22 August 2011

Library Saved!: The Marine Professional Article

As well as the press release I posted here previously - and as way of a second in what will be a trilogy of IMarEST library press pieces on this blog - here is the article I was requested to write for the IMarEST Members newsletter, 'The Marine Professional', which goes out quarterly to our 15'000 Members...

Since the founding of the IMarEST – then the IMarE – in 1889, the provision of a library has been synonymous with the Institute’s promotion of academic disciplines in marine engineering, science and technology, our role in furthering the knowledge of Members central to the very definition of a ‘learned society’.

However, researcher needs continually evolve and now, as we push on into what is sometimes called the ‘digital age’, their expectations of libraries – or what we often refer to as ‘information services’ – have adapted in-line with the wider onset of mobile web technologies globally.

Researchers expect ‘real-time’ access to the full-text of books, journals and conference proceedings online and direct from their desktop or mobile device. They demand the ability to adapt and refine their searches with usable ‘Google’ style tools and interactive social media, ever increasing the relevance of the information they retrieve.

For the IMarEST this paradigm shift offers an opportunity to provide new online information services to all Members worldwide - especially significant as the IMarEST targets international Membership growth.

Already we’ve begun providing Member only access to a small but growing number of eBooks (for eBook access visit - http://www.imarest.org/knowledge), whilst also investigating the digitisation of our IMarEST serials archive in a fully-indexed and searchable online solution.

Furthermore, we are scoping the potential to provide Member only access to external research databases and discovery technologies that unlock a vast resource of full-text, 3rd party published material online.

Of course, amidst the clamour for new technologies, it’s important not to overlook the wealth of valuable knowledge still inherent to physical collections - especially when the content is not otherwise available online due to copyright restrictions or feasibilities of scale.

Therefore, with the relocation of HQ to Aldgate House, the IMarEST is delighted to have found a new custodian for its library in Lloyd’s Register of Shipping, who, in agreement with IMarEST, have transported our holdings to their historic building at 71 Fenchurch Street. There, in fittingly grand surroundings, IMarEST Members will be permitted access to an extraordinary knowledge base of research.

In securing the future of this unique and historically significant maritime resource, we have ensured the 122 year legacy of the Institute remains intact whilst opening up avenues for the provision of new online Member services on an international scale.

For more information visit The IMarEST Collection at Lloyd’s Register

Wednesday 10 August 2011

"People getting angry"

There's been an overwhelming amount of comment - some considered, some reactionary and some just down right idiotic - on the riots and looting across the UK over the last few days, but when considering the causes, I think Dorian Lynskey in his piece on 'crisis music' actually sums up my feelings quite neatly.

Importantly, he distinguishes between the original protest in Tottenham at the weekend and the mindless, meaningless, looting and violence of the the following days...

A riot is a weapon of last resort; a cry for help; a public form of self-harming. The spark in Tottenham was political: the shooting of Mark Duggan by the police, the incompetence of the police in explaining to the community what had happened, and – reports currently suggest — at least one instance of heavy-handed policing during a demonstration on Saturday. The fuel was the pervasive frustration and anxiety of a suffering neighbourhood: record levels of youth unemployment, social services (especially youth services) slashed to the bone, the Education Maintenance Allowance scrapped, a damaged relationship between the police and the community, and collapsing faith in the political class. But a lot of the behaviour, especially the looting, had no political impetus and the immediate outcome makes the lives of deprived residents even worse than they were last week. There are no winners.