Services aux adultes handicapés physiques : enquête auprès des bibliothèques publiques québécoises

Les services aux usagers des bibliothèques représentent un sujet fondamental en bibliothéconomie. Or, les usagers sont un groupe hétérogène à qui l’on doit offrir les mêmes services ou, à tout le moins, la possibilité d’obtenir des services répondant à leurs besoins en matière d’adaptation des lieux et des services. Malheureusement, les bibliothèques publiques ont parfois du mal à rendre un service adapté adéquat et les personnes concernées connaissent souvent mal les services dont elles pourraient bénéficier. Pourtant, les personnes handicapées font partie intégrante des usagers et leur présence augmente, notamment à cause du vieillissement de la population et d’une meilleure capacité d’établir des diagnostics. Notons que ces citoyens revendiquent de plus en plus leur autonomie et le fait de pouvoir profiter des mêmes services que le reste de la population. Ceci est d’autant plus vrai depuis l’apparition d’aides techniques et des outils technologiques tels les ordinateurs, les tablettes, les logiciels, etc. qui leur permettent de vivre leur vie à part entière. Aussi, les bibliothèques et leurs gestionnaires doivent impérativement s’assurer que l’accueil de ces usagers « comme les autres », mais aux besoins particuliers, sera assuré convenablement. Puisqu’il manque d’études concernant les services offerts aux personnes handicapées dans les bibliothèques publiques du Québec, nous avons décidé de procéder à une enquête, par le biais d’un questionnaire électronique administré aux employés de bibliothèques dont les fonctions sont de participer aux services aux usagers. Les réponses obtenues ont permis de dresser un portrait de la situation actuelle en matière de services aux personnes adultes handicapées dans les bibliothèques publiques québécoises et d’avancer certaines recommandations. Les résultats devraient aider les responsables de bibliothèques à déterminer où et comment concentrer leurs efforts pour rendre leurs établissements plus accueillants pour les personnes ayant des incapacités. Plus précisément, les objectifs de la recherche étaient les suivants : 1. Recenser les services offerts par les bibliothèques publiques québécoises aux usagers adultes handicapés. 2. Recenser les éléments d’accessibilité présents dans les infrastructures des bibliothèques publiques québécoises. 3. Évaluer l’impact de certaines caractéristiques des bibliothèques sur l’offre de services aux usagers adultes handicapés et les éléments reliés à l’accessibilité. 4. Comparer les résultats des enquêtes précédentes (Bibliothèque nationale du Canada 1976 ; Bergeron 1987) pour mettre en évidence les recommandations qui ont été appliquées et celles qui ne l’ont pas été.

Déterminants et inégalités d’utilisation des services obstétricaux essentiels dans les pays à revenu faible et intermédiaire

Introduction Chaque année, 289 000 femmes décèdent des complications reliées à la grossesse et à l’accouchement, et 2.9 millions de nouveau-nés décèdent avant d’atteindre 28 jours de vie. La quasi-totalité (99%) des décès maternels et néonataux ont cours dans les pays à revenu faible et intermédiaire (PRFI). L’utilisation des services obstétricaux essentiels, incluant l’assistance qualifiée à l’accouchement (AA) et les services postnataux, contribue largement à la réduction de la morbidité et de la mortalité maternelle et néonatale. Il est donc essentiel d’évaluer les déterminants et les inégalités de couverture de ces services, en vue d’informer l’élaboration de politiques et de programmes de santé dans les PRFI. Objectifs 1. Étudier systématiquement les déterminants et inégalités socioéconomiques, géographiques et démographiques dans l’utilisation des services de santé postnataux dans les PRFI. 2. Évaluer l’effet de la politique de subvention des frais aux usagers introduite au Burkina Faso en 2007 sur les taux d’utilisation de l’assistance qualifiée à l’accouchement, en fonction du statut socioéconomique (SSE). Méthodes 1. Nous avons réalisé une revue systématique sur l’utilisation des services postnataux dans les PRFI, en fonction des déterminants socioéconomiques, géographiques et démographiques. Notre étude incluait une méta-analyse de l’utilisation des services selon les quintiles de SSE et le milieu de vie (urbain vs. rural). 2. Nous avons utilisé un devis quasi-expérimental. Les sources de données consistaient en deux sondages représentatifs (n=1408 et n=1403), conduits respectivement en 2008 et 2010 auprès de femmes des districts sanitaires de Houndé et de Ziniaré au Burkina Faso, en plus d’une enquête sur la qualité structurelle des soins offerts dans les centres de santé primaire. Nous avons utilisé des modèles de régression de Poisson, multi-niveaux et segmentés, afin d’évaluer l’effet de la politique de subvention sur les taux d’AA. Nous avons estimé des ratios et différences de taux d’incidence ajustés, en fonction du SSE et du temps écoulé depuis l’introduction de la subvention. Résultats 1. Les estimés de ratio de cotes (RC) agrégés (IC 95%) pour les femmes de SSE élevé (5e quintile ou Q5), Q4, Q3 et Q2 (référence : quintile le plus pauvre, Q1) étaient respectivement : 2.27 (1.75 – 2.93); 1.60 (1.30-1.98); 1.32 (1.12-1.55); et 1.14 (0.96-1.34). La méta-analyse a aussi démontré un gradient d’utilisation des services postnataux entre les femmes urbaines et rurales : RC (IC 95%) = 1.36 (1.01-1.81). L’évaluation narrative a par ailleurs identifié une différence dans la couverture de services selon le niveau d’éducation. 2. Pour les femmes de faible SSE, le taux d’AA était 24% plus élevé (IC 95% : 4-46%) immédiatement après l’introduction de la subvention, en comparaison au taux attendu en l’absence de ladite subvention. L’ampleur de l’effet a diminué dans le temps, correspondant à des estimés (IC 95%) de 22% (3-45%) à 6 mois, 20% (1-43%) à 12 mois, et 17% (-4-42%) à 24 mois après l’introduction de la subvention. La force d’association variait selon les strates de SSE, l’effet le plus prononcé étant observé au sein du SSE le plus faible. Conclusions 1. L’utilisation des services postnataux demeure inéquitable selon le SSE et l’accessibilité géographique aux formations sanitaires dans les PRFI. 2. Notre étude suggère que l’introduction de la subvention des frais aux usagers au Burkina Faso résulte en une augmentation soutenue dans le taux d’assistance qualifiée à l’accouchement, particulièrement chez les femmes de faible SSE. Cette évidence scientifique devrait alimenter l’élaboration de programmes de santé materno-infantile, en plus de guider la planification de politiques et le renforcement des systèmes de santé des PRFI.

Management of the postal services en India: a study with reference to Kerala circle

School of management studies, Cochin university of Science and Technology

Librarians' perceptions on the use of electronic resources at Catalan academic libraries: results of a focus group

The aim of this paper is to expand on previous quantitative and qualitative research into the use of electronic information resources and its impact on the information behaviour of academics at Catalan universities.

Financial Information Mediation: A Case Study of Standards Integration for Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment Using the COIN Mediation Technology

Each player in the financial industry, each bank, stock exchange, government agency, or insurance company operates its own financial information system or systems. By its very nature, financial information, like the money that it represents, changes hands. Therefore the interoperation of financial information systems is the cornerstone of the financial services they support. E-services frameworks such as web services are an unprecedented opportunity for the flexible interoperation of financial systems. Naturally the critical economic role and the complexity of financial information led to the development of various standards. Yet standards alone are not the panacea: different groups of players use different standards or different interpretations of the same standard. We believe that the solution lies in the convergence of flexible E-services such as web-services and semantically rich meta-data as promised by the semantic Web; then a mediation architecture can be used for the documentation, identification, and resolution of semantic conflicts arising from the interoperation of heterogeneous financial services. In this paper we illustrate the nature of the problem in the Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment (EBPP) industry and the viability of the solution we propose. We describe and analyze the integration of services using four different formats: the IFX, OFX and SWIFT standards, and an example proprietary format. To accomplish this integration we use the COntext INterchange (COIN) framework. The COIN architecture leverages a model of sources and receivers’ contexts in reference to a rich domain model or ontology for the description and resolution of semantic heterogeneity.

Electronic Business Contracts between Services

Electronic contracts mirror the paper versions exchanged between businesses today, and offer the possibility of dynamic, automatic creation and enforcement of restrictions and compulsions on service behaviour that are designed to ensure business objectives are met. Where there are many contracts within a particular application, it can be difficult to determine whether the system can reliably fulfil them all, yet computer-parsable electronic contracts may allow such verification to be automated. In this chapter, we describe a conceptual framework and architecture specification in which normative business contracts can be electronically represented, verified, established, renewed, and so on. In particular, we aim to allow systems containing multiple contracts to be checked for conflicts and violations of business objectives. We illustrate the framework and architecture with an aerospace aftermarket example.

Ah, Libraries: How I Love the Smell of... Electronic Access?!

In the olden days, we Baby-Boomers would walk into our university or college libraries and pause just long enough to take in that wonderful smells of high grade cowhide leather and aging papyrus before rushing off to study. There was something about opening any leather bound edition of anything and being transported by the smell to some distant land, not unlike Charles Swann in Marcel Proust’s famous French novel, A La Recherché du Temps Perdu, Remembrance of Things Past.

The University and its libraries: Reactions and resistance to scientific publishers

This paper addresses the relationship of copyright and the right of universities on scientific production. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are causing many changes in the system of scientific communication, such as the creation of Institutional Repositories that aim to gather scientific production in digital format. The University needs quicker ways of spreading academic production and many questions are emerging due to contexts such as the Open Access movement. Thus, this paper questions the positioning of Universities, especially Public Universities, which despite having policies related to intellectual property to protect the transferring forms of research results to society; many times do not have a positioning or a mechanism that regulates the self-deposit of scientific production in these Institutional Repositories. In order to develop this paper, the following issues are addressed: lack of interest of the University in storing scientific production; reports on the relationship of the library with scientific publishing houses; the participation of faculty members and students in supporting the Free Access movement; and initiatives aimed at greater flexibility of copyright to the context of scientific production. In order to follow the development of these issues at international level, it was opted for qualitative research with non-participating direct observation to carry out the identification and description of copyright policy of important publishers from the ROMEO SHERPA site; therefore, it can be observed that there are changes regarding the publishers' flexibility before self-archiving of authors in open access institutional repositories in their universities. Given this scenario, we presente reflections and considerations that involve the progress and mainly the integration of the University and its faculty members; the institution should recommend and guide its faculty members not to transfer their copyrights, but to defend their right of copy to Institutional Repositories along with Publishing Houses.

Serviço de referência e informação para smartphones: análise de acesso e uso

Pós-graduação em Ciência da Informação - FFC

Serviço de referência digital: uma análise apoiada em agentes de interface

Pós-graduação em Ciência da Informação - FFC

Multifunctional current reference generation strategy for grid-tied power electronic converter

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

What Business Reference Librarians Need to Know about Intellectual Property: Presentations sponsored by the Patent and Trademark Depository Library Association (PTDLA) at the American Library Association Annual Conference, New Orleans, June 25, 2006

Presentations sponsored by the Patent and Trademark Depository Library Association (PTDLA) at the American Library Association Annual Conference, New Orleans, June 25, 2006 Speaker #1: Nan Myers Associate Professor; Government Documents, Patents and Trademarks Librarian Wichita State University, Wichita, KS Title: Intellectual Property Roundup: Copyright, Trademarks, Trade Secrets, and Patents Abstract: This presentation provides a capsule overview of the distinctive coverage of the four types of intellectual property – What they are, why they are important, how to get them, what they cost, how long they last. Emphasis will be on what questions patrons ask most, along with the answers! Includes coverage of the mission of Patent & Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDLs) and other sources of business information outside of libraries, such as Small Business Development Centers. Speaker #2: Jan Comfort Government Information Reference Librarian Clemson University, Clemson, SC Title: Patents as a Source of Competitive Intelligence Information Abstract: Large corporations often have R&D departments, or large numbers of staff whose jobs are to monitor the activities of their competitors. This presentation will review strategies that small business owners can employ to do their own competitive intelligence analysis. The focus will be on features of the patent database that is available free of charge on the USPTO website, as well as commercial databases available at many public and academic libraries across the country. Speaker #3: Virginia Baldwin Professor; Engineering Librarian University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE Title: Mining Online Patent Data for Business Information Abstract: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) website and websites of international databases contains information about granted patents and patent applications and the technologies they represent. Statistical information about patents, their technologies, geographical information, and patenting entities are compiled and available as reports on the USPTO website. Other valuable information from these websites can be obtained using data mining techniques. This presentation will provide the keys to opening these resources and obtaining valuable data. Speaker #4: Donna Hopkins Engineering Librarian Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY Title: Searching the USPTO Trademark Database for Wordmarks and Logos Abstract: This presentation provides an overview of wordmark searching in www.uspto.gov, followed by a review of the techniques of searching for non-word US trademarks using codes from the Design Search Code Manual. These codes are used in an electronic search, either on the uspto website or on CASSIS DVDs. The search is sometimes supplemented by consulting the Official Gazette. A specific example of using a section of the codes for searching is included. Similar searches on the Madrid Express database of WIPO, using the Vienna Classification, will also be briefly described.

Groups of services delivered by Brazilian branchless banking and respective network integration models

Over the last decade, Brazil has pioneered an innovative model of branchless banking, known as correspondent banking, involving distribution partnership between banks, several kinds of retailers and a variety of other participants, which have allowed an unprecedented growth in bank outreach and became a reference worldwide. However, despite the extensive number of studies recently developed focusing on Brazilian branchless banking, there exists a clear research gap in the literature. It is still necessary to identify the different business configurations involving network integration through which the branchless banking channel can be structured, as well as the way they relate to the range of bank services delivered. Given this gap, our objective is to investigate the relationship between network integration models and services delivered through the branchless banking channel. Based on twenty interviews with managers involved with the correspondent banking business and data collected on almost 300 correspondent locations, our research is developed in two steps. First, we created a qualitative taxonomy through which we identified three classes of network integration models. Second, we performed a cluster analysis to explain the groups of financial services that fit each model. By contextualizing correspondents' network integration processes through the lens of transaction costs economics, our results suggest that the more suited to deliver social-oriented, "pro-poor'' services the channel is, the more it is controlled by banks. This research offers contributions to managers and policy makers interested in understanding better how different correspondent banking configurations are related with specific portfolios of services. Researchers interested in the subject of branchless banking can also benefit from the taxonomy presented and the transaction costs analysis of this kind of banking channel, which has been adopted in a number of developing countries all over the world now. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.