Virtual Desk Research Articles

Labour Law: New Workplaces in the Metaverse and Opportunities for Cultural and Heritage Professions

The authoress will analyse the impact that the metaverse has and will have on the labour market, with a focus on the employment relationship, in the scenario of transitional (labour) markets that face several issues closely related to technology and digital. Microsoft's investment of nearly $70 billion in 2022 on the metaverse, along with investments by Google and Epic Games and large groups such as Gucci, Nike and Walmart - to name a few - represent the tip of the iceberg of a process that is already well underway and in which we are all involved. On the one hand, the interaction of different elements of cyberspace – used to generate immersive experiences in augmented reality through the combination of physical and digital aspects of life, three-dimensional technology, the Internet of Things, and personal avatars – may represent a form of welfare. On the other hand, the legal issues are different both with respect to aspects that are more typical of digital/technology platform property law (to give an immediate example) and with respect to the issue of blockchain-supported platforms and the impact of the metaverse on the "workplace," which we are specifically interested in. It is necessary to delve into the different issues that arise in the Italian legal system. Such issues include both the status of the worker with the applicable discipline (whether framed under the discipline of transnational posting or falling under the discipline of the relationship with elements of internationality set forth in the Regulation (ec) no 593/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 of the Rome Convention on the law applicable to contractual obligations (Rome I)) and labour control. Moreover, issues related to the protections provided in the Italian Workers' Statute (Statuto dei Lavoratori), not excluding psychosocial risks, must also be investigated. Another issue to focus on is contractual distancing. The status of the worker in the Metaverse is that of one who sits at a virtual desk in front of a virtual keyboard and screen for completely virtual work performance. Likewise, effects of social dumping arise in light of a possible labour crowdsourcing problem in Countries where labour costs are low. On the labour front, the questions that will arise are: what employment regulations and contracts will have to be applied to such professional activities? And what kind of new job profiles will emerge? Lastly, ethical questions also surface regarding the system of rules as well as the algorithms that will have to administer the labour market in a scenario in which human and artificial intelligence will have to coexist and contaminate each other. Further enquiry will be presented on the need to manage human capital and its strictly related impact on human resources to avoid social inequalities and discrimination. Finally, the impact on new job profiles and opportunities for cultural and heritage professions will be analysed. Keywords: Labour law; Labour market; Metaverse; Health & safety; Heritage professions.

What Has Been the Impact of COVID-19 on Driving Digitalization, Innovation and Crisis Management of Higher Education and Quality Assurance?-A Taiwan Case Study in Alignment with the INQAAHE Virtual Review.

The impact of COVID-19 on higher education and quality assurance (QA) has already elicited global attention and discussion. QA agencies and networks quickly learned to adapt in order to carry out assessments, accreditations, recognitions, and reviews in a full virtual mode. These practices include using shared folders for virtual desk review, video conferencing platforms for interviews, and virtual site visits. In order to respond to the 2020 pandemic, The International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) swiftly adopted a virtual mode of the GGP review exercise for the GGP alignment applicants. The Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan (HEEACT) was the first case that underwent a thorough virtual review process of GGP alignment during the 2020 pandemic. Therefore, this study aims to outline the impact of the pandemic in Taiwan higher education as well as provide the meta-analysis of the virtual review process of the INQAAHE GGP alignment by using HEEACT as a case study.

Zoombrarian: Using Zoom to provide personalized database instruction

I was recently enrolled in an excellent evidenced-based nursing course. My classmates were nursing educators. None of them were librarians. As part of the course, one of the university’s medical librarians gave us a PubMed searching lesson. In my rare role as a student of database searching rather than as a librarian, I had an epiphany. Passively watching a librarian search a database is so incredibly boring and hard to follow that even I checked out. She perfectly executed the kind of PubMed demonstration we all regularly provide for classes, and there was nothing egregiously incorrect about her presentation. Experiencing the lesson from the other side of the virtual desk, however, sharply revealed to me how ineffectual this method of instruction is. I resolved never to teach that way again.

Reflections on adapting group model building scripts into online workshops

Reflections on adapting group model building scripts into online workshops

Analyse des systèmes d'interactions à l'œuvre au sein d'un projet TI : mise en évidence d'une perspective dynamique et relationnelle

Notre recherche vise a approfondir la comprehension de l’issue des projets TI (echec ou reussite) par une prise en compte du role actif des objets (la technologie, notamment) et de leurs interactions avec les humains formant le projet. Face a cet enjeu, cet article souhaite poser une premiere pierre en repondant aux deux questions suivantes : Comment observer les interactions entre acteurs et technologie dans une perspective ontologique relationnelle au sein d’un projet TI donne, en accord avec les principes de l’ANT ? Dans quelle mesure cette nouvelle grille de lecture permet d’expliquer les resultats obtenus ? Le projet donne est un projet TI d’industrialisation d’une technologie (le Pupitre Virtuel) qui s’est solde par un echec (l’abandon du projet). Ainsi, pour repondre a ces questions, nous proposons une methode de visualisation du projet a partir d’une analyse reticulaire fondee sur la theorie de l’acteur-reseau (ANT). Cette methode d’observation des projets TI est appliquee a l’etude longitudinale et en temps reel du projet Pupitre Virtuel. Cette recherche presente deux contributions. La premiere, d’ordre theorique, devoile un mode d’operationnalisation de l’ANT visant a ameliorer la lecture et la comprehension de l’issue des projets TI, et permet en partie, de repondre aux limites de son operationnalisation dans sa dimension ontologique. Le modele developpe rend compte des interactions dynamiques entre les entites du projet et permet ainsi de comprendre l’evolution du reseau selon un continuum convergent/divergent. Il montre alors la necessite de renoncer aux chaines lineaires de relation cause-effet et l’importance de creer et de maintenir une « symbiose technologique » entre humains et non-humains pour favoriser la reussite du projet TI. La seconde contribution, d’ordre methodologique, s’inscrit dans des travaux recents visant a ameliorer la cartographie des controverses, et propose une premiere methode de visualisation (graphiques) des reseaux socio-techniques et de leur evolution.

Editorial: A Bittersweet Transition: Some Final Thoughts

“Parting is such sweet sorrow. . . ” It was true for Juliet in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and it is true for Editors-in-Chief of great journals. I write my final editorial for Endocrinology with some sadness and of course a touch of relief as I hand over my duties to incoming Editor-in-Chief, Andrea Gore. Although immensely rewarding in many ways, the job of the Editor-in-Chief and editors of a journal like Endocrinology, which receives over 1500 submissions per year, is demanding in terms of time. Both as an editor and then as Editor-inChief, it always seemed that just as I was clearing off my virtual desk for a day of rest, all of our authors and reviewers decided to do the same thing, pushing what was on their virtual desks onto our desks to be handled as expediently as possible. With this editorial, I would like to discuss some journal issues and some changes we have made, and I would like to thank the people who make this journal as great as it is. First, I will confess to some regret. My biggest regret is that as editors, we cannot make all of our authors and all of our readers happy all the time. Close to two thirds of the authors who submit manuscripts to Endocrinology get disappointing news. This is often a surprise; few of our colleagues submit manuscripts to Endocrinology that they do not think are worthy of publication in this journal. But with a journal size that allows us to publish about one third of submitted manuscripts, as with all journals, there are going to be “winners” and unfortunate “losers.” And the Journal is not going to be correct on picking those winners and losers 100% of the time. Do reviewers make mistakes in the papers that they recommend for acceptance (or not), and do editors make mistakes in the papers that they accept (or not)? The answer to both questions is an emphatic yes. Although it may seem to unhappy authors that we only make type I errors, that is, rejecting a meritorious manuscript (and we undoubtedly do), we also make type II errors, that is, accepting a paper that really was not as strong as other papers that we did not accept. Unfortunately, this is the nature of a review process that is inherently somewhat subjective. Truth be told, there are times when we choose reviewers who are not as knowledgeable about a topic as we thought they were, and sometimes the most appropriate reviewers are already overcommitted, so they turn down our request to review. I offer my apologies to authors whose papers should have been accepted. I also offer my empathy, because the same thing has happened to me and each and every scientist that I know. Endocrinology is a journal owned by The Endocrine Society. The fact that it is a society-owned journal is a feature that I did not fully appreciate when I took over the reins 5 yr ago. That puts the Journal in a completely different class from nonsociety-owned journals. Like other journals, Endocrinology generates revenue from subscriptions, page charges, and advertisements. Much of this revenue is spent publishing the Journal. The difference between Endocrinology and its sister Endocrine Society journals vs. privately owned journals is that the Journal’s revenue is returned to members of The Endocrine Society in the form of amazing programs that benefit them. For this reason alone, I urge my colleagues to keep The Endocrine Society’s journals among the finest in the field by continuing to submit their best work to the Society’s journals and to make every effort to review manuscripts when asked. By the way, I make a distinction between a society journal and a society-owned journal. A journal that is endorsed, but not owned, by a society does not necessarily generate substantial revenue for that society.

An initial approach to the integration of Web 2.0 technologies in the research environment

PurposeThe paper comprises an extended discussion of the possibilities that Web 2.0 applications offer to doctoral researchers, and where such applications fit in the early twenty‐first century in the research environment. It explores the main issues associated with their use by doctoral researchers, and how these factors have influenced the design of a series of four information and communication technologies (ICT) development courses.Design/methodology/approachOver 29 Web 2.0 applications were reviewed and grouped into 13 subject categories in terms of how they might support the activities of doctoral researchers. The resulting categories were then themed into four different groups to facilitate the delivery in order to address where and how Web 2.0 applications can enhance doctoral researchers' activities.FindingsFour groups of applications emerged: social networking, online project collaboration, online virtual desks and reusable multi‐media. The four groups were developed into four courses that together comprise a new ICT skills development module intended for doctoral researchers.Social implicationsIn terms of portability, the 13 categories of web‐based applications identified could, when taken together, comprise the infrastructure for a complete research environment that can be accessed anywhere in the world on an internet‐connected PC or laptop. The aim of the module is to enhance the research experience of doctoral researchers by raising awareness of the potential and possibilities associated with using Web 2.0 applications in the research environment.Originality/valueThe paper offers both ICT developers and doctoral researchers insights into the possibilities and problems of using Web 2.0 applications in the process of academic research.

From the virtual desk of the editor

From the virtual desk of the editor

Best Practices in Chat Reference Used by Florida's Ask a Librarian Virtual Reference Librarians

Chat reference has presented a unique set of problems for reference librarians. Lacking the visual and auditory cues of face-to-face or telephone reference interactions, librarians providing service for the virtual desk have developed digital techniques and resourceful maneuvers to help them navigate this new frontier. Still, many chat librarians find it difficult to conduct a meaningful transaction using just words, software components, and a mastery of online resources. Technical and communication problems further complicate their efforts. However, virtual reference librarians are rising to the occasion and engaging in exemplary chat transactions that conform to the highest standards of service.

A Socio-technical Analysis of Electronic Reserves in Academic Libraries: Approaching the Virtual Desk

A Socio-technical Analysis of Electronic Reserves in Academic Libraries: Approaching the Virtual Desk

The Birth Cries of Digital Reference

An Introduction to this Special Issue the May 1999 issue of American Libraries, David Tyckoson wrote, In practice, e-mail reference service is far from adequate. Despite all of our publicity and promotion, patrons simply do not use it.(1) While it would be hyperbole to say that this statement alone led to this special issue on digital reference, it would hold a grain of truth. This comparison will illustrate. The AskERIC service of the National Library of Education averages more than one thousand reference inquiries per week to trained librarians and education information specialists; in operation since 1992, this service has seen a sustained 20 percent annual growth since its inception. This increase stands in sharp contrast to the reported 10 percent decline in face-to-face reference transactions occurring at our public and academic libraries.(2) The National Library of Education is not alone in the growing use of digital reference. The Library of Congress has seen similar growth in its digital reference services. Morris County Library in New Jersey and the Internet Public Library have paved the way in providing reference resources and services on the Internet in a public library setting. The National Museum of American Art Desk and the American Association of School Librarians' KidsConnect service have demonstrated the power of serving special populations at a distance. These library-based services answer more than one hundred thousand reference inquiries a year. This figure represents only a portion of the inquiries received by so-called services and other digital reference services currently struggling with an overwhelming demand. This demand has led to the emergence of several concerns, including: * how to manage the overwhelming use of digital reference services; * how digital reference changes library practice, such as the reference interview; and * software and customer service operations that provide real-time service. These concerns are considered in this special issue of & User Services Quarterly. Taken as a whole, the articles in this issue demonstrate that e-mail reference and, more broadly, digital reference, are not only adequate but are important factors to be considered in the larger reference context. These papers are based on papers solicited for or presented at the Virtual Desk First Annual Conference, Reference in the New Millennium: Evolving Roles for the Information Professional, held October 14-15, 1999. Nearly 250 participants gathered at Harvard from across the globe to take part in presentations and workshops about how to reinvent reference in the age of the Internet. the first article in this issue, Quality Standards for Digital Consortia, Kasowitz et al. demonstrate that digital reference has gone beyond an e-mail address read at a reference desk. The authors explore the creation of a digital reference consortium of AskA services and libraries. This consortium was formed not to encourage patron use, but rather as a way to survive overwhelming use and success. One of the outcomes is a set of standards that can serve as a model for digital reference consortia and cooperation in general. Bernie Sloan's statistic that only one reference question in one thousand is received from the Internet reminds me of the makers of horsedrawn carriages in 1900.(3) As these craftsmen looked at the number of automobiles on the road, they concluded that horse power would remain the predominant form of transportation for the foreseeable future. Certainly one or two automobiles amongst the horses could not portend a new way of getting from one place to another. Just as our society and institutions had to adjust to cars, so must we, the libraries and librarians, adjust to the new paradigm of networked information and services. Unlike those carriage makers, librarians see the future. …