ScienceDirect unavailable Sunday 1st November

Please note that ScienceDirect, the full-text scientific database, will be unavailable due to scheduled maintenance for approximately 9 hours from 1:00AM GMT Sunday, 1 November to 10:00AM GMT.   The Elsevier Team apologizes for the inconvenience.  The other bibliographic databases to which the Library subscribes will be unaffected.

Roddy MacLeod
Senior Subject Librarian

The latest new books and eBooks added to the Library

Added to the library recently were books and eBooks on employment law, management research, change management, data mining, and several other topics.

For the full list of new print books, go to the New Books section of the Library Catalogue.

   

Selected titles added to the Edinburgh campus library at Riccarton include copies of Employment law, 2nd ed, by David Cabrelli, and copies of Management research, 3rd ed, by Mark Easterby-Smith, Richard Thorpe and Paul R. Jackson.

The following eBooks were recently added to the Library.  For on and off campus, an Athens username and password is required to access these eBooks.

Data mining: practical machine learning tools and techniques, by Ian H. Witten and Eibe Frank. 
Description: As with any burgeoning technology that enjoys commercial attention, the use of data mining is surrounded by a great deal of hype. Exaggerated reports tell of secrets that can be uncovered by setting algorithms loose on oceans of data. But there is no magic in machine learning, no hidden power, no alchemy. Instead there is an identifiable body of practical techniques that can extract useful information from raw data. This book describes these techniques and shows how they work. The book is a major revision of the first edition that appeared in 1999. While the basic core remains the same, it has been updated to reflect the changes that have taken place over five years, and now has nearly double the references. The highlights for the new edition include thirty new technique sections; an enhanced Weka machine learning workbench, which now features an interactive interface; comprehensive information on neural networks; a new section on Bayesian networks; plus much more. It includes algorithmic methods at the heart of successful data mining including tried and true techniques as well as leading edge methods. There is performance improvement techniques that work by transforming the input or output. It includes a downloadable Weka, a collection of machine learning algorithms for data mining tasks, including tools for data pre-processing, classification, regression, clustering, association rules, and visualizationin in a new, interactive interface.

Making sense of change management: a complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change, 2nd edition, by Esther Cameron and Mike Green.
Description: Written for students and professionals alike, “Making Sense of Change Management” is the classic text in the field of change management. It is aimed at anyone who wants to understand why change happens, how it happens and what needs to be done to make change a welcome rather than a dreaded concept. It offers considered insights into the many frameworks, models and ways of approaching change and helps the reader to apply the right approach to each unique situation. This fully updated, new edition includes new chapters on recent and emerging research in the area of change management and guidance on how to manage complex change.

Information on how to place a reservation for a print book is available.

Information on suggesting books/eBooks for the library is also available, or you can let the Subject Librarians know if you have any suggestions for new titles.

Roddy MacLeod
Senior Subject Librarian
@libram

10 websites to help you keep up-to-date with scholarly journal contents

1. SciFeeds
Sub-titled ‘Your Life Science Magazine Rack’, which is quite a good explanation, this site lets you view the most recent contents of just over 100 life science journals. You can browse recent issues by subject (e.g. Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology, etc), see the most recently updated journal Tables of Contents (TOCs), search the content of TOCs (it’s rather slow), see the most ‘popular’ articles, and if you register, you can do more. There are links to the full text of articles – access to the full text will depend on institutional or personal subscriptions.

2. ticTOCs – Journal Tables of Contents Service
ticTOCs covers all subjects – over 12,500 journal TOCs are included from more than 430 publishers. You can Search for journal titles, view the latest TOC for each journal, link to the full text of around 390,000 articles (where institutional or personal subscription allows), export TOC feeds to popular feedreaders, and select and save (by ticking them) journal titles in order to view future TOCs (You need to Register (free) to ensure your ‘MyTOCs’ are permanently saved).  Heriot-Watt University was one of the partners involved in developing this service, which was funded by JISC.

3. CiteULike Current Issues
CiteULike currently has details of over 13,000 journals. You can search or browse for journal titles, and then scan recent articles in these journals.  If you know about RSS feeds, you can get a CiteULike feed for each journal TOC.  Access to the full text will depend on institutional or personal subscriptions.

4. FeedNavigator
From the University of Helsinki, FeedNavigator downloads medical RSS feeds published by numerous websites and aggregates their content into a single feed, latest news first. This gives access to over 4,000 medical sources, including numerous many Tables of Contents, which are updated continuously.  You can also get a list of journals covered.  Access to the full text will depend on institutional or personal subscriptions.

5. MyJournals.org
Displays details of the latest articles in issues of over 570 popular science journals. You can also select from various subject areas.  Access to the full text will depend on institutional or personal subscriptions. There’s also a Twitter feed of new items.

6. Zetoc RSS
Zetoc RSS enables you to set up RSS feeds for journals included in the Zetoc service. You can find over 27,000 journal TOC RSS feeds by journal name or by words or phrases in journal titles. Zetoc includes details of more journals than the other services mentioned above.  Zetoc RSS is free to use for members of JISC-sponsored UK higher and further education institutions and research councils. It is also available to all of NHS England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. A number of other institutions are eligible to subscribe to Zetoc.

7. My Favorite Journals
You can select journals of interest from over 10,000 titles, and these are then added to ‘My Favorite Journals’, then you can select any of these favourites to view the latest Table of Contents.  Access to the full text will depend on institutional or personal subscriptions.

8. jOPML
If you know about RSS and OPML, then you can use this site to get journal Tables of Contents RSS feeds as OPML files, and then, for example, load these into your favourite feedreader.  Access to the full text will depend on institutional or personal subscriptions.

9. Ebling Library, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have produced a list of journal feeds by topic consisting of RSS feeds for 3000+ biomedical and health sciences.  You can view the latest Table of Contents for each journal.

10. SUNCAT: Serials Union CATalogue for the UK research community includes links to TOCs, where available. The TOCs appear on the SUNCAT search result screen and at the top of the full record display.

Roddy MacLeod
Senior Subject Librarian
@libram

Latest news from Research Information

Read the latest news from Research Information magazine:

Student support grows for open access

Guide reviews open-access income models

US grants support digitisationsearc

Web 2.0 fails to excite today’s researchers 

Roddy MacLeod
Senior Subject Librarian

Recent published articles from the School of the Built Environment

This is an update on previous posts (e.g. here and here) which identified recent articles from members of the School of the Built Environment at Heriot-Watt, using ScienceDirect.

Embedding sustainability in the design of water supply and drainage systems for buildings
Renewable Energy, Volume 34, Issue 9, September 2009, Pages 2061-2066
L.B. Jack, J.A. Swaffield

Can numerical computer modelling aid innovation, efficiency and cost reduction in sanitation provision?
Desalination, Volume 248, Issues 1-3, 15 November 2009, Pages 286-290
M. Gormley

A systemic analysis of the Edge Hill railway accident
Accident Analysis & Prevention, Volume 41, Issue 6, November 2009, Pages 1133-1144
Jaime Santos-Reyes, Alan N. Beard

Urban upgrading interventions and engaging residents in fuzzy management: Case studies from Novos Alagados, Salvador, Brazil
Habitat International, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 19 August 2009
Paul Jenkins, Alex Abiko, Alexandre Apsan Frediani, Odair Moraes

Quantifying schedule risk in construction projects using Bayesian belief networks
International Journal of Project Management, Volume 27, Issue 1, January 2009, Pages 39-50
Van Truong Luu, Soo-Yong Kim, Nguyen Van Tuan, Stephen O. Ogunlana

Water infrastructure, the UN MDGs and sustainable development
Desalination, Volume 248, Issues 1-3, 15 November 2009, Pages 510-516
Paul W. Jowitt

Effect of activation conditions of a kaolinite based waste on rheology of blended cement pastes
Cement and Concrete Research, Volume 39, Issue 10, October 2009, Pages 843-848
P.F.G. Banfill, O. Rodríguez, M.I. Sánchez de Rojas, M. Frías

Development, calibration and evaluation of two mathematical models for pollutant transport in a small river
Environmental Modelling & Software, Volume 24, Issue 10, October 2009, Pages 1139-1152
Elisabeta-Cristina Ani, Steve Wallis, Andrzej Kraslawski, Paul Serban Agachi

Field study on indoor thermal environment in an atrium in tropical climates
Building and Environment, Volume 44, Issue 2, February 2009, Pages 431-436
Abd.Halid Abdullah, Qinglin Meng, Lihua Zhao, Fan Wang

Fire safety in tunnels
Fire Safety Journal, Volume 44, Issue 2, February 2009, Pages 276-278
Alan N. Beard

Towards automated progress assessment of workpackage components in construction projects using computer vision
Advanced Engineering Informatics, Volume 23, Issue 1, January 2009, Pages 93-103
Y.M. Ibrahim, T.C. Lukins, X. Zhang, E. Trucco, A.P. Kaka

A comparison of NRBCs for PUFEM in 2D Helmholtz problems at high wave numbers
Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 11 August 2009
O. Laghrouche, A. El-Kacimi, J. Trevelyan

Beyond the ‘iron triangle’: Stakeholder perception of key performance indicators (KPIs) for large-scale public sector development projects
International Journal of Project Management, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 9 June 2009
Shamas-ur-Rehman Toor, Stephen O. Ogunlana

The relative utility of regression and artificial neural networks models for rapidly predicting the capacity of water supply reservoirs
Environmental Modelling & Software, Volume 24, Issue 10, October 2009, Pages 1233-1240
Adebayo Adeloye

Automating progress measurement of construction projects
Automation in Construction, Volume 18, Issue 3, May 2009, Pages 294-301
Xiaonan Zhang, Nick Bakis, Timothy C. Lukins, Yahaya M. Ibrahim, Song Wu, Mike Kagioglou, Ghassan Aouad, Ammar P. Kaka, Emanuele Trucco

Tunnel safety, risk assessment and decision-making
Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 18 September 2009
Alan N. Beard

If you’d like to see a more complete listing, go to the ScienceDirect service and search within the Affiliation field.

Roddy MacLeod
Senior Subject Librarian

If you need help using the Web of Knowledge

If you use the Web of Knowledge, one of the most popular of the various bibliographic databases available to members of Heriot-Watt University through the Library, then you may find the following of interest. 

Web of Knowledge lets you search the contents of over 9,200 journals from over 45 different languages across the sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities in order to find high quality research relevant to your area of interest.

There’s an ISI Web of Knowledge Documentation page that lists various helpful tools, in particular the Web of Science Quick Reference Card.  This card explains how to do basic searches in the Web of Science, what the various parts of full references found in the database  consist of, it explains all about Cited References, how to refine searches when you end up with a long list of results, and how to manage references using EndNote Web.  EndNote Web is freely available to members of Heriot-Watt. On the Documentation page there’s also a short (four minute) video introduction to the Web of Knowledge.

The Subject Librarians can also help you use Web of Knowledge.

Roddy MacLeod
Senior Subject Librarian

Web design, housing markets, accounting information systems – and other new books in the Library

Added to the library recently were books on web design, housing markets, accounting, and several other topics.

For the full list of new books, go to the New Books section of the Library Catalogue.

  

Selected titles added to the Edinburgh campus library at Riccarton include Housing, markets and policy, edited by Peter Malpass and Rob Rowlands, and another copy of Accounting information systems, by James A. Hall.  This book has been placed on 3 Hour Loan.

 

Added to the Scottish Borders Campus Library at Galashiels was a copy of Blogs, Wikipedia, Second Life and beyond: from production to produsage, by Axel Bruns.  There’s a website associated with this book.

Information on how to place a reservation for a book is available.

Information on suggesting books for the library is also available, or you can let the Subject Librarians know if you have any suggestions for new titles.

Roddy MacLeod
Senior Subject Librarian

New eBooks in the Library on Project management, strategic management in construction, and more…

The following eBooks were recently added to the Library.  For on and off campus, an Athens username and password is required to access these eBooks.

Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling, 10th edition, by Harold Kerzner.  From the website: “This is the latest edition of the bestselling ‘bible’ of project management. This Tenth Edition maintains the streamlined approach of the prior editions while moving the content closer to the forthcoming fourth edition of “PMI’s Project Management Body of Knowledge” (PMOBOK). Changes to this edition include adding new sections on ’scope changes,’ ‘exiting a project’, ‘collective belief,’ ‘managing virtual teams,’ and many more. Increased sidebars align with the PMOBOK and the PMP Exam, and a new table informs students how to best use this book to study for the Exam.”

Strategic management in construction, by David Langford and Steven Male.  From the website: “This book reviews the general theory of strategy, relates it to the particular circumstances of the construction industry, and shows how it can be applied in practice. It brings together ideas from economics, marketing, management, business and politics to develop strategic management for both contractors’ firms and the associated professions. Substantial changes have occurred in the industry since the book was first published in 1991. This Second Edition reflects the major developments that have followed the Latham and Egan reports, and includes new chapters on international strategy and marketing, showing how they can contribute to the strategic planning of construction organizations. The book will provide a valuable tool for the strategic development of construction firms. “Ten years separate the editions during which period a significant number of British, (and other), construction firms which had survived generations of proprietors merged, changed beyond recognition or ceased trading. One can not but wonder if publication of a work on strategic planning some twenty year earlier might have saved some of them.” Construction Manager “The book presents the essential elements for managing at this higher level and should be a must for any construction professional who aspires to an executive position in industry as well as any student for construction management, project management and organizational management in construction. It comes highly recommended” Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management”

Sustainable practices in the built environment, 2nd edition, edited by Craig A. Langston and Grace K.C. Ding. From the website: “Sustainability is a key issue and its impact on the construction industry, as one of the major users of the Earth’s resources, is starting to take hold. This book deals with sustainability as it affects the construction industry, looking at the techniques and issues which designers, engineers, planners and construction managers will have to deal with in their day-to-day activities. It covers methods of analysis such as environmental impact assessment and cost-benefit analysis as well as topics on design and energy regulation and conservation. The book is an important introduction to the subject for senior undergraduate and postgraduate students. Given the importance and novelty of the subject, professionals in the construction industry will also find the book valuable. It addresses a wide range of subjects providing an overview and introduction to the subject. It is the first book to address this important subject for those working in the construction industry.”

Contracting for project management, edited by J. Rodney Turner.  From the website: “In all but the smallest of projects the project sponsor inevitably has to buy-in the services of other suppliers. Goods and services must be bought, and this requires people to make contracts so that they know the basis on which they are working with each other and to deal with any disagreements that subsequently arise. This means that a knowledge of contracting specifically for project management is necessary if a project is to avoid difficulties and reach a successful conclusion. This volume – which stems from the third edition of the “Gower Handbook of Project Management” – concentrates specifically on the contracting issues that surround projects of any size.”

Roddy MacLeod
senior Subject Librarian

Open Access Week – October 19-23, 2009

Open Access Week, Oct 19-23, 2009, is an opportunity to broaden awareness and understanding of Open Access to research, including access policies from all types of research funders, within the international higher education community and the general public.

Roddy MacLeod
Senior Subject Librarian

New eBooks in the library on resource management, cost studies of buildings, strategic change, and more…

The following eBooks were recently added to the Library.  For on and off campus, an Athens username and password is required to access these eBooks.

Human resource management, 7th edition, by Derek Torrington, Laura Hall and Stephen Taylor.  From the website: “This market-leading text provides thorough coverage of all the main areas of human resource management practice. The book is written from a practical perspective in a clear and engaging style. It includes full coverage of operational issues and introduces the major academic debates of relevance to the field. It is written as an introduction for students of HRM at all levels.”

Cost studies of buildings, 4th edition, by Allan Ashworth.  From the website: “This practical guide to cost studies of buildings has been updated and revised throughout for the 4th edition. An additional chapter has been added examining new directions, techniques and research that is being undertaken, together with an analysis of industry and practice needs. This book is a core text for undergraduate courses in quantity surveying, building surveying and Building and EDEXCEL courses. It is also an excellent reference text for professionals in the building industry.”

Exploring strategic change, 2nd edition, by Julia Balogun and Veronica Hope Hailey.  From the website: “The second edition of Exploring Strategic focuses on the implementation of organisational change and the management of organisational transitions. It seeks to move beyond the formulation of strategy by taking the planning stage through to implementation. The first half of the book introduces a framework, the change kaleidoscope, which can be used to develop the most appropriate implementation approach for a particular organisational context. The second half of the text focuses on managing the transition. Representing a departure from the notion that change management can be a formulaic and linear process, Exploring Strategic Change approaches the topic with originality by focusing on the fundamental importance of context-specific analysis. The text takes the reader through the change process from the examination of context and the diagnosis of needs through the stages of transition and transference to a tangible reality. Practical examples and illustrations apply the concepts to actual organisational change issues.The reader is encouraged to develop their “change judgement”: the ability to understand what is critical about a certain change context and, therefore, what is and is not possible as part of an implementation approach. Ideally suited for upper level undergraduate and postgraduate students on HRM and Strategy-based modules covering the management of change. Published in the Exploring Corporate Strategy series, the book can be used either as a stand-alone text or as a complement to other titles in the series.”

Structure and fabric: Part 2, 7th edition, by Jack Stroud Foster, Raymond Harington and Roger Greeno. From the website: “Structure and Fabric Part 2 consolidates and develops the construction principles introduced in Part 1. With generous use of illustrations this book provides a thorough treatment of the techniques used in the construction of various types of building. This new edition has been thoroughly reviewed and updated with reference to recent changes in building regulations, national and European standards and related research papers. The comprehensive presentation provides guidance on established and current practice, including the administrative procedures necessary for the construction of buildings. Key features *updated text explains the nature of buildings and building, including contract planning and site organisation, foundations, walls and piers, multi-storey structures, floor structures, chimney shafts, flues and ducts, stairs, ramps and ladders, roof structures, fire safety and temporary works. *new illustrations have been added and existing details have been updated where appropriate. *new procedures and legislative references are provided alongside traditional practices that are retained as a reference source for maintenance and alterations to existing buildings. *end of chapter notes and reference sources for supplementary reading and further research have been updated where appropriate. This new edition of, Structure and Fabric Part Two is appropriate for students of architecture, construction management, facilities management, construction technology, surveying, structural engineering and other building related programmes of study. It is also a useful industry practice guide and reference resource. The lateJack Stroud Foster was a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects and was formerly Principal Lecturer in Architecture at the University of Westminster, where he was responsible for the co-ordination and development of Construction Studies. Raymond Harrington was formerly Director of Architectural Studies at the Mackintosh School of Architecture, University of Glasgow Roger Greeno is a consultant, examiner and established author of many construction papers and publications.”

Value management of construction projects, by John Kelly, Steven Male and Drummond Graham.  From the website: “This book presents an integrated value philosophy, methodology and tool kit for improving project delivery for construction clients. The book draws together insights from over 200 value studies conducted by the authors across a range of projects varying in size from GBP1m to over GBP1bn and procurement routes including partnering, PFI, prime contracting and Procure 21. This practical experience is integrated with extensive research and analysis of standards and best practice worldwide. The standards include specifically the British Standard on value management, BS EN 12973:2000, and SAVE International’s Standard for the Value Methodology.The book examines in detail the value process, function analysis and team dynamics, proposes a method for determining the client’s value system, and presents solutions to undertake value studies at different stages of the project. Value management has become a well established tool in the construction industry; it has been endorsed in “Rethinking Construction”, the Egan Report, published in 1998, in “Modernising Construction”, published by the National Audit Office in 2001, and in “Accelerating Change”, the Egan update, published in late 2002. Now is an appropriate time to take stock and summarise the developments in value management and record robust models for its practice in construction. The book will be of interest to clients in the private and public sectors, consultants, VM practitioners, researchers, and senior undergraduates and postgraduates across all the construction disciplines.”

Roddy MacLeod
Senior Subject Librarian