Sylvie Davies

Multilingual thesauri for the modern world ‐ no ideal solution?

In the 21st century, multilingual tools are gaining importance as increasingly diverse user groups from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds seek access to equally diverse pieces of information. The authors of this paper believe that most current forms of multilingual information access are inadequate for this role, and that a new form of multilingual thesaurus is required. The core of this paper introduces their pilot thesaurus InfoDEFT as a possible model for new online thesauri, which are semantically structured, encyclopedic and multilingual. The authors conclude that while the manual construction of such thesauri is labour intensive and hence costly, pilot thesauri can be used as training sets for artificial learning programmes, thus increasing their volume considerably at relatively little extra cost.

The use of customer language in international marketing communication in the Scottish food and drink industry

This paper reports the results of case studies of Scottish food and drink exporters which sought to explore the use of customer language in marketing and exporting products to France. The findings provide evidence for three levels of language orientation, illustrating differing attitudes to the impact of customer language use, despite consensus that such is good practice and “courteous” in responding to customers. Given the diverse import community, language is more influential in certain contexts and at certain points in the marketing process. Changes in the exporter/importer dynamic may indicate greater need for customer language skills amongst exporters, but this was regarded with mixed feelings by the case study companies. Trends such as the increased demand for product information and the growing reliance on electronic communication had an impact on language of communication, in particular with the shift to processed products. A number of paradigms of Internet usage are identified, with the more proactive companies employing a multi‐level, multilingual approach.

The information needs and information‐seeking behaviour of the users of the European Parliamentary Documentation Centre: A customer knowledge study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the results of a customer knowledge study commissioned by the Parliamentary Documentation Centre (PDC) of the European Parliament in order to elicit a better understanding of the views and needs of its actual and potential client base.Design/methodology/approach – The study consisted of in‐depth, face‐to‐face interviews with 72 clients and 11 staff (83 individuals) in Brussels in February 2004. The paper explores the significance of information in the parliamentary context and summarises the activities which respondents described as being information‐dependent. The paper also highlights the evolutionary nature of information need during the course of the legislative process.Findings – The information‐seeking behaviour and skills of the PDC clients are discussed, as are the criteria by which they assess information quality. The study revealed that users were frequently uncritical and pragmatic in use of the most readily available information, sacrificing qu...

The European information needs of secondary school teachers in Scotland: recent developments in the provision of information to schools and colleges

European Union (EU) education policy encourages the integration of a European dimension across the curriculum to prepare young people for participation in the EU. This article discusses the findings of a survey investigating the European information needs of secondary school teachers in relation to the teaching of the European dimension. Interviews were undertaken with a small sample of teachers and school librarians in selected schools of Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire. The article discusses three main issues: inconsistency in the implementation of the European dimension at school level, ambivalent perception of what it actually means, and need for appropriate resources to enable teachers to include the European dimension in their teaching. The European Commission Representation Office in the UK has responded to the needs of the school sector by establishing a network of European Resources Centres for Schools and Colleges. Further research is required to assess the impact of these developments.

The language strategies of Scottish exporters in the food and drink sector

Analysis of results from exploratory research into the attitudes of exporters of the food and drink industry of north‐east Scotland towards the value of foreign language skills suggests a certain degree of ambivalence, which, together with the lack of resources and available skills can explain the absence of systematic language strategies. It also demonstrates the case for a questionnaire survey focusing on the various aspects of international marketing communication in the context of that particular industry sector across Scotland. Findings provided information on a range of practices and attitudes as well as a better knowledge of the nature of communication barriers; the means and tools of international marketing communication; the context of use of foreign languages; criteria for export success, perception of the impact of the customer’s language use on marketing success; significance of skills for international marketing success; perception of impact of educational policies on opportunities in the global market.

The pattern of provision of European Union information in France and the United Kingdom: a comparative study of services

Compares the selective European information services in France and the UK, stating that whereas France gathers information from official documentation and its representations in the EC in Paris and Marseille, the UK got its European information from three surveys, including two degree surveys. Maintains that French academic librarians are Civil Servants employed by central government and have limited access to European Documentation Centres (EDC), unlike their British counterparts whose libraries, over hundreds of years, have evolved into a self‐governing institution, much better funded and able to provide information at local authority level where European responsibility has been significantly added to since the signing of the Single European Act in 1986.

The Mitterrand Library in Context: The Bibliothèque Nationale de France and Library Provision in France

On 17 December 1996, President Chirac inaugurated a public reference library situated in the largest, costliest and most debated building erected in Paris in modern times. This building is part of a wider project, launched in 1988 by the late President Mitterrand, to create a library of a ‘wholly new conception’ which should cover all aspects of knowledge, be accessible to all and be electronically linked to the rest of the European library network. This project subsequently included the modernisation of the Bibliotheque Nationale and became the project of the Bibliotheque Nationale de France. This review aims to clarify the purpose of the building in the context of the existing French national library and the pattern of information services in France. The paper reviews the contextual elements before focusing on the building itself. These elements include the concept of national libraries in the modern information environment; an overview of the French library scene; the history of the project highlighting the factors which influenced the planning strategy; the legacy of the old Bibliotheque Nationale as well as the associated programme towards the creation of an online library service. The new building is described from a structural and operational view point and is evaluated in terms of its functionality as a library and in terms of its place in the context of the French national library. The review emphasises that the construction of such a building had a political purpose and suggests that its substantial operating cost combined with the policies of strict austerity imposed by the current French government are likely to jeopardise not only the efficiency of the new library itself, but also the modernisation of French library services.