Molecular computers have existed on our planet
for more than 3.5 billion years. Molecular computing
devices, composed of biological substances such as nucleic
acids, are responsible for the logical ...processing of a variety
of inputs, creating viable outputs that are key components
of the cellular machinery of all living organisms. We have
begun to adopt some of the structural and functional
knowledge of the cellular apparatus in order to fabricate
nucleic-acid-based molecular computers in vitro and in
vivo. Nucleic acid computing is directly dependent on
advances in DNA and RNA nanotechnology. The field
is still emerging and a number of challenges persist.
Perhaps the most salient among these is how to translate
a variety of nucleic-acid-based logic gates, developed
by numerous research laboratories, into the realm of
silicon-based computing. This mini-review provides some
basic information on the advances in nucleic-acid-based
computing and its potential to serve as an alternative that
can revolutionize silicon-based technology.
Describes an applied research project which builds on a perceived need for community information and through exploiting the professional know-how of library science, takes the initiative in inventing ...and designing an information product and service to meet that need. Discusses cooperative planning and describes seven main components of the work. (AEF)
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The state of remote reference services in the United States was assessed by surveying remote reference availability at 100 U.S. public libraries, examining remote reference in the syllabi of American ...Library Association (ALA)-accredited library and information science (LIS) courses in the U.S., and analyzing national competencies and guidelines. Findings indicated that the telephone was the most common medium in use for remote reference services at public libraries, followed by e-mail and chat. In teaching, however, syllabi at LIS programs addressed digital remote reference media far more often than the telephone. Reference standards and guidelines primarily focused on general practices applicable to both remote and face-to-face reference work, rather than on specifics relevant to differing remote reference media types. Included in this study are recommendations to address this apparent disconnect among reference practices, teaching, and professional guidelines.
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26.
Who disseminates academic library information on Twitter? Kim, Hae Min; Abels, Eileen G.; Yang, Christopher C.
American Society for Information Science and Technology. Meeting. Proceedings of the ... ASIST Annual Meeting,
2012, 2012-01-00, 20120101, Volume:
49, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Open access
The purpose of this study is to investigate information dissemination by academic libraries through an analysis of retweet users on Twitter. Academic libraries have posted a variety of information ...for their patrons on Twitter; however, we know little about who has an interest in academic library tweets and to whom the information is disseminated. To this end, we explored a network of academic libraries by analyzing categories of users who are involved in retweet activity. The results show which user groups disseminate academic library information. We collected 571 retweets and 506 retweet users from 10 academic libraries' Twitter accounts, and categorized them into 12 groups. The results indicate that the primary groups disseminating the tweets of academic libraries are units within universities and students.
As electronic reference services continue to broaden in scope and complex requests are negotiated via e-mail, the e-mail reference interview will become commonplace. The difficulties of conducting ...e-mail reference interviews have been noted in the literature, but research in this area is lacking. A three-phased project at the College of Library and Information Services (CLIS) at the University of Maryland was undertaken to begin to explore the e-mail reference process. This paper, which focuses on the e-mail reference interview, discusses differences between e-mail reference interviews and those conducted using other media, presents a taxonomy of approaches to e-mail reference interviews, proposes the use of a systematic approach to e-mail reference interviews, and introduces a model e-mail reference interview. The results suggest that reference interviews can be conducted via e-mail for some complex questions. However, further testing is required by experienced intermediaries working under the pressures of client deadlines and institutional constraints.
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Faced with a time of change, academic business librarians and library administrators can benefit from learning about current practices and trends in resources and services provided by their peers at ...other libraries. Using Web site analysis, a mail survey, and analysis of College and University Business Library (CUBL) data collected by Cornell University, this study examined libraries associated with 20 top-rated business schools in the United States. The study identifies current practices and trends in the following areas: relative expenditures on resources, commercial databases provided, content of library Web sites, user education or library instruction, and reference services. Despite extensive variation in organizational structure and sources of funds, the libraries provide services and resources that are similar in many ways.
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