Engaging with leadership development in Irish academic libraries: some reflections of the Future Leaders Programme (FLP)

Four librarians from Irish university libraries completed the U.K. Future Leaders Programme (FLP) in 2010. In this article they recount their experience and assess the effect of the programme on their professional practice and the value for their institutions. The programme is explored in the context of the Irish higher education environment, which is facing significant challenges due to the demise of the Celtic Tiger economy. A brief review of the literature relating to structured programmes to prepare librarians for senior positions, is presented. The structure and content of the FLP and the learning methodologies, theories, tools and techniques used throughout are discussed. The article suggests that the programme has real value for both individuals and institutions and that it can play a significant role in succession planning and the leadership development of librarians

Dr. Richard Caulfield: antiquarian, scholar and academic librarian

The history of higher learning in Cork can be traced from its late eighteenth-century origins to its present standing within the extended confines of the Neo-Gothic architecture of University College, Cork. This institution, founded in 1845 was the successor and ultimate achievement of its forerunner, the Royal Cork Institution. The opening in 1849 of the college, then known as Queen's College, Cork, brought about a change in the role of the Royal Cork Institution as a centre of education. Its ambition of being the 'Munster College' was subsumed by the Queen's College even though it continued to function as a centre of learning up to the 1805. At this time its co-habitant, the School of Design, received a new wing under the benevolent patronage of William Crawford, and the Royal Cork Institution ceased to exist as the centre for cultural, technical and scientific learning it had set out to be. The building it occupied is today known as the Crawford Municipal Art Gallery.

Planning the deployment of fault-tolerant wireless sensor networks

Since Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are subject to failures, fault-tolerance becomes an important requirement for many WSN applications. Fault-tolerance can be enabled in different areas of WSN design and operation, including the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer and the initial topology design. To be robust to failures, a MAC protocol must be able to adapt to traffic fluctuations and topology dynamics. We design ER-MAC that can switch from energy-efficient operation in normal monitoring to reliable and fast delivery for emergency monitoring, and vice versa. It also can prioritise high priority packets and guarantee fair packet deliveries from all sensor nodes. Topology design supports fault-tolerance by ensuring that there are alternative acceptable routes to data sinks when failures occur. We provide solutions for four topology planning problems: Additional Relay Placement (ARP), Additional Backup Placement (ABP), Multiple Sink Placement (MSP), and Multiple Sink and Relay Placement (MSRP). Our solutions use a local search technique based on Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search Procedures (GRASP). GRASP-ARP deploys relays for (k,l)-sink-connectivity, where each sensor node must have k vertex-disjoint paths of length ≤ l. To count how many disjoint paths a node has, we propose Counting-Paths. GRASP-ABP deploys fewer relays than GRASP-ARP by focusing only on the most important nodes – those whose failure has the worst effect. To identify such nodes, we define Length-constrained Connectivity and Rerouting Centrality (l-CRC). Greedy-MSP and GRASP-MSP place minimal cost sinks to ensure that each sensor node in the network is double-covered, i.e. has two length-bounded paths to two sinks. Greedy-MSRP and GRASP-MSRP deploy sinks and relays with minimal cost to make the network double-covered and non-critical, i.e. all sensor nodes must have length-bounded alternative paths to sinks when an arbitrary sensor node fails. We then evaluate the fault-tolerance of each topology in data gathering simulations using ER-MAC.

Inquiring into perspective transformation in university education

My Portfolio of Exploration tackles the difficult question as to whether adult mental development can be accelerated and if so how. Rooted in constructive-developmental ideas, adult mental development is explained as an evolutionary unfolding of human capability. Going beyond this I look at the possibility of advancing development as transformational growth in adulthood in the belief that a broader perspective leads to increased effectiveness in professional life. Initially I explored my own meaning making, to make sense of my experiences, knowledge, relationships and my own motivations. This exploration has provided me with a ‘developmental bridge’ between my current way of knowing and a new more enlightened way. I have come to view my way of making meaning in the world as an evolving and progressive sequence of emotional and cognitive development. Through the formation of new stretching experiences, increased self - awareness and reflection my previous perspective has been overtaken by a more complex form of being aware of myself, others and the world. I refer to this process of growth as transformation. As part of my own transformational work I have conducted an inquiry into transformational growth and learning in the early academic life of university undergraduates. The result shows how accelerated adult mental development can be achieved in an academic environment ably preparing students for the workplace. This new model of education is part of a truly unique and exciting model signalling ground-breaking change for the undergraduate experience. The overhaul of a traditional BA degree in Economics into a world-class transformational programme is discussed through-out my Portfolio. Central to my broadening awareness is the challenge and nurturing required to awaken the student’s ‘internal authority’ . This involves stimulating students to take ownership for their own thinking, steering them away from the passivity and complacency of thinking through the minds of others. In doing so, the ultimate aim of renewing the BA is to narrow the developmental ‘mismatch’ which exists for m any college students between them and the world of work, by encouraging and inviting them to take on the challenge of thinking independently. Mindfulness, awareness, and personal authority are treated with reverence throughout the exploration as I consider them core parts of the students engaging with development. Engagement is construed as an active and open-minded process of awareness involving planning and reviewing one’s own goals and performance, engaging in constructive feedback, reflection and new action. I conclude with a view that the journey of adult mental development is relentless and that undergraduate education represents a crucial beginning. The value and relevance of transformational education rooted in developmental principles provides a significant opportunity in advancing development and perspectives at the start of adult life.

Can population-level variation in early childhood development be measured in a manner that supports service planning and intervention?

Background: The Early Development Instrument (EDI) is a population-level measure of five developmental domains at school-entry age. The overall aim of this thesis was to explore the potential of the EDI as an indicator of early development in Ireland. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 47 primary schools in 2011 using the EDI and a linked parental questionnaire. EDI (teacher completed) scores were calculated for 1,344 children in their first year of full-time education. Those scoring in the lowest 10% of the sample population in one or more domains were deemed to be 'developmentally vulnerable'. Scores were correlated with contextual data from the parental questionnaire and with indicators of area and school-level deprivation. Rasch analysis was used to determine the validity of the EDI. Results: Over one quarter (27.5%) of all children in the study were developmentally vulnerable. Individual characteristics associated with increased risk of vulnerability were being male; under 5 years old; and having English as a second language. Adjusted for these demographics, low birth weight, poor parent/child interaction and mother’s lower level of education showed the most significant odds ratios for developmental vulnerability. Vulnerability did not follow the area-level deprivation gradient as measured by a composite index of material deprivation. Children considered by the teacher to be in need of assessment also had lower scores, which were not significantly different from those of children with a clinical diagnosis of special needs. all domains showed at least reasonable fit to the Rasch model supporting the validity of the instrument. However, there was a need for further refinement of the instrument in the Irish context. Conclusion: This thesis provides a unique snapshot of early development in Ireland. The EDI and linked parental questionnaires are promising indicators of the extent, distribution and determinants of developmental vulnerability.

Response to the review of the white paper on Irish aid. The urbanisation of poverty: drawing on the skills and techniques of spatial planning to support the aid programme

Submission on behalf of UCC to the Government Consultation on the White paper on Irish Aid

Planning a portfolio of controls for software development

A growing number of software development projects successfully exhibit a mix of agile and traditional software development methodologies. Many of these mixed methodologies are organization specific and tailored to a specific project. Our objective in this research-in-progress paper is to develop an artifact that can guide the development of such a mixed methodology. Using control theory, we design a process model that provides theoretical guidance to build a portfolio of controls that can support the development of a mixed methodology for software development. Controls, embedded in methods, provide a generalizable and adaptable framework for project managers to develop their mixed methodology specific to the demands of the project. A research methodology is proposed to test the model. Finally, future directions and contributions are discussed.

Innovation and evolution: challenges and opportunities for 21st century academic and research libraries

A report from the inaugural CONUL (Consortium of National & University Libraries) conference held in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Athlone, June 3rd & 4th 2015.