Information Seeking and Information Sharing Behaviour in the Climate Change Community of Practice in the Pacific: Implications for Models of Library Services in Scientific and Technical Libraries

<p>Focusing on one ‘community of practice’ – climate change – this research examines the extent to which traditional concepts of library services in scientific and technical libraries (and consequently models of library development) in the Pacific region are aligned to the identified information needs and dominant modes of information seeking and information sharing behaviour of stakeholders. A quantitative survey research methodology was utilized to collect primary data from a census of the identified ‘community of practice’ in order to determine dominant behaviours, perceptions and attitudes amongst respondents towards information seeking and information sharing. The prominence of informal networks for communication and information exchange and the value still ascribed to face-to-face encounters and the development of personal relationships was a dominant theme as was the reliance on internet technologies to acquire and share information. Libraries, at both the regional and national level, were viewed as less useful than alternative pathways for both information seeking and information sharing. A detailed literature review of capacity building initiatives in libraries in the region over the preceding two decades confirms that capacity across the region remains low and the perception and status of libraries within the government sector in the region is poor. Acknowledging the rapid shifts in the information landscape towards electronic access to information and the proliferation of web 2.0 pathways for communication and information, it is argued that if capacity in library and information management in the region is to be strengthened there needs to be a re-evaluation of the role of the library not only in relation to the need for alignment with the goals and objectives of the host organisation but also in light of attitudes towards information and information seeking and information sharing behaviour. Consultations within the climate change community during 2011 have highlighted the clear need to improve access to information and data both nationally and regionally in the Pacific and the value of establishing a region-wide portal mechanism for collating and disseminating climate-related information. Within this context Pacific libraries within the government sector and at the regional level must redefine their role and the services that they offer if they are to be valued and seen as useful and relevant to stakeholders.</p>

Information Seeking and Information Sharing Behaviour in the Climate Change Community of Practice in the Pacific: Implications for Models of Library Services in Scientific and Technical Libraries

<p>Focusing on one ‘community of practice’ – climate change – this research examines the extent to which traditional concepts of library services in scientific and technical libraries (and consequently models of library development) in the Pacific region are aligned to the identified information needs and dominant modes of information seeking and information sharing behaviour of stakeholders. A quantitative survey research methodology was utilized to collect primary data from a census of the identified ‘community of practice’ in order to determine dominant behaviours, perceptions and attitudes amongst respondents towards information seeking and information sharing. The prominence of informal networks for communication and information exchange and the value still ascribed to face-to-face encounters and the development of personal relationships was a dominant theme as was the reliance on internet technologies to acquire and share information. Libraries, at both the regional and national level, were viewed as less useful than alternative pathways for both information seeking and information sharing. A detailed literature review of capacity building initiatives in libraries in the region over the preceding two decades confirms that capacity across the region remains low and the perception and status of libraries within the government sector in the region is poor. Acknowledging the rapid shifts in the information landscape towards electronic access to information and the proliferation of web 2.0 pathways for communication and information, it is argued that if capacity in library and information management in the region is to be strengthened there needs to be a re-evaluation of the role of the library not only in relation to the need for alignment with the goals and objectives of the host organisation but also in light of attitudes towards information and information seeking and information sharing behaviour. Consultations within the climate change community during 2011 have highlighted the clear need to improve access to information and data both nationally and regionally in the Pacific and the value of establishing a region-wide portal mechanism for collating and disseminating climate-related information. Within this context Pacific libraries within the government sector and at the regional level must redefine their role and the services that they offer if they are to be valued and seen as useful and relevant to stakeholders.</p>

Applying a Practice Lens to Local Government Climate Change Governance: Rethinking Community Engagement Practices

Governments commit substantial time and resources engaging individuals and households to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. These approaches, based largely upon behaviour change theories, have been criticised for their limited reach and effectiveness by practice theorists who have offered an alternative approach, broadening the focus beyond individuals. While practice theory has provided valuable insights into the energy consuming activities of households it has gained limited traction as a way to analyse and inform government practices and policy making. We address this by applying a practice lens to climate change community engagement practices performed by Australian local governments. Drawing on 29 interviews with practitioners and analysis of 37 Australian local government climate strategies, we examine the bundle of practices that constitute climate change community engagement: recruitment, engagement and evaluation. We consider how these practices are situated vis-a-vis other climate governance practices (regulation, service delivery, infrastructure provision and advocacy) as well as internal local government processes. Using a practice lens reveals the weaknesses in current engagement approaches which we contend are limiting efficacy. We draw upon Spurling et al.’s conceptualisation of re-crafting, re-integrating and substituting practices to consider how climate change community engagement practices might be reconfigured to improve their effectiveness.

Conservation Lessons from the Study of North American Boreal Birds at Their Southern Periphery

Many North American boreal forest birds reach the southern periphery of their distribution in the montane spruce–fir forests of northeastern United States and the barren coastal forests of Maritime Canada. Because the southern periphery may be the first to be impacted by warming climates, these populations provide a unique opportunity to examine several factors that will influence the conservation of this threatened group under climate change. We discuss recent research on boreal birds in Northeastern US and in Maritime Canada related to genetic diversity, population trends in abundance, distributional shifts in response to climate change, community composition, and threats from shifting nest predators. We discuss how results from these studies may inform the conservation of boreal birds in a warming world as well as open questions that need addressing.

Cap and Trade-Offs

This chapter focuses on state-level implementation of climate policy via a climate change community benefits fund. Describes how activists helped institutionalize the country’s first program to redistribute action proceeds from a cap and trade program to socially and environmentally overburdened communities.

Improving Sustainability of the Environment in a Changing Climate

The mechanism of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation plus conservation, sustainable forest management and enhancement of carbon stocks is emerging as one of the current efforts and actions being developed by the international climate change community to mitigate climate change. This chapter highlights the potentials as well as the challenges of this mechanism to reduce forest loss and improve the health and sustainability of the environment. Main potentials include its resolve to make trees worth more standing than cut, the transfer of funds to support conservation efforts and a focus on delivering social benefits. The main challenges include the less attention on unclear tenure and benefit-sharing framework; weak institutions and the complex historical, political and structural interests which have allowed powerful groups to expropriate the forest resources and trade-offs that may arise during implementation. It then outlines four broad areas where researchers can make contributions in national and local level policy-making and interventions related to REDD+.

Regional response to climate change and management: an analysis of Africa’s capacity

Purpose The mainstream climate change community has primarily concerned itself with mitigation and adaptation strategies, both of which require monitoring and prediction. These four inter-connected response actions (mitigation, adaptation, monitoring and prediction) constitute the main strategies for managing climate change. This paper aims to weigh in on policies and societal coordination for effective management of the earth’s climate with respect to these four elements in Africa because of its socioeconomic peculiarities. Design/methodology/approach The Delphi experts’ method backed by questionnaires was used to obtain relevant data for the study. The questionnaires were distributed to professionals dealing with issues related to climate change response and sustainability in various parts of the world, with a focus on Africa. Findings With respect to the strategies that are most needed for effective climate change actions in Africa, government’s policies, activities and decisions rank highest at 1.20 with a p-value of < 0.001, and financing is next at 0.93, mitigation is 0.83, prediction is 0.76 and adaptation is 0.68 (p = 0.048), at the 5 per cent cutoff. Also, for the most appropriate approaches to managing climate change across Africa, regional efforts are at least 8 times more effective than country-wide approaches, followed by continental efforts at 6.51 times, international cooperation at 3.99 times and inaction at 0.00 times. Originality/value The paper concludes that a holistic climate change management approach is important in Africa to contain the impacts of climate change in the continent.