information services
It is argued that welfare reform will have a significant impact on benefit claimants and the supports that vulnerable people in society receive. Access to quality and consistent information will be important in ensuring that people are prepared for the changes that will ensue.
Higher education repositories are on-line spaces where university staff can deposit their research outputs, making them available for anyone to access for free. This report explores the potential for higher education repositories in Scotland to make a greater contribution to improving access to research for the social services. This report is based on primary research undertaken between February-May 2012 by Fiona Sherwood-Johnson who was based at IRISS during this period as part of the ESRC student internship scheme.
Summary of what we found
In today's information rich world finding your way around can be daunting and you can easily become disoriented or lost. Here is quick guide.
The Learning Exchange is IRISS’s digital library of multimedia learning materials, audio and video, policy documents and research findings. Specialist organisations - for example, Shared Care Scotland and SCLD - are invited to contribute material to their own collections, which makes the Learning Exchange a great way for these organisations to publish and share material on the web. Link: lx.iriss.org.uk
Over the last few years we have redesigned the Learning Exchange, adding new features and generally improving the way it works.
We would appreciate if you could spare a moment to answer a few questions: it shouldn’t take more than five minutes.
As well as Advanced Search, Google also offers a number of other search tools such as Scholar, books, blogs, videos and images. You can even go shopping if you wish!
According to Jane Hart, the author of the Social Learning Handbook, working is "no longer about knowing how to do things, but knowing where to find out how to do things". Google is where most people go to find information about people, places and 'how to do things' (Hart, 2011).
SWAPBox is a digital repository that brings together open educational resources – social work and social policy learning and teaching materials – that can be freely used and repurposed for use with students in the classroom or in working practice. Examples of some of these materials includes handouts, exercises, podcasts and videos.