A new study of the personal, political, and institutional impacts of social movements.

Data Collection Data Collection is the second of six books in the Measurement and Evaluation Series from Pfeiffer. The proven ROI Methodology--developed by the ROI Institute--provides a practical system for evaluation planning, data collection, data analysis, and reporting. All six books in the series offer the latest tools, most current research, and practical advice for measuring ROI in a variety of settings. Data Collection offers an effective process for collecting data that is essential to the implementation of the ROI Methodology. The authors outline the techniques, processes, and critical issues involved in successful data collection. The book examines the various methods of data collection, including questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, observation, action plans, performance contracts, and monitoring records. Written for evaluators, facilitators, analysts, designers, coordinators, and managers, Data Collection is a valuable guide for collecting data that are adequate in quantity and quality to produce a complete and credible analysis.

Given the increasing attention to managing, publishing, and preserving research datasets as scholarly assets, what competencies in working with research data will graduate students in STEM disciplines need to be successful in their fields? And what role can librarians play in helping students attain these competencies? In addressing these questions, this book articulates a new area of opportunity for librarians and other information professionals, developing educational programs that introduce graduate students to the knowledge and skills needed to work with research data. The term "data information literacy" has been adopted with the deliberate intent of tying two emerging roles for librarians together. By viewing information literacy and data services as complementary rather than separate activities, the contributors seek to leverage the progress made and the lessons learned in each service area. The intent of the publication is to help librarians cultivate strategies and approaches for developing data information literacy programs of their own using the work done in the multiyear, IMLS-supported Data Information Literacy (DIL) project as real-world case studies. The initial chapters introduce the concepts and ideas behind data information literacy, such as the twelve data competencies. The middle chapters describe five case studies in data information literacy conducted at different institutions (Cornell, Purdue, Minnesota, Oregon), each focused on a different disciplinary area in science and engineering. They detail the approaches taken, how the programs were implemented, and the assessment metrics used to evaluate their impact. The later chapters include the "DIL Toolkit," a distillation of the lessons learned, which is presented as a handbook for librarians interested in developing their own DIL programs. The book concludes with recommendations for future directions and growth of data information literacy. More information about the DIL project can be found on the project's website: datainfolit.org.

The International Food Policy Research Institute’s IMPACT model is a robust tool for analyzing global and regional challenges in food, agriculture, and natural resources. Continuously updated and refined, IMPACT version 3.6 is the latest update to the model for continuously improving the treatment of complex issues, including climate change, food security, and economic development. IMPACT 3.6 multimarket model integrates climate, crop simulation, and water models into a comprehensive system, providing decision-makers with a flexible platform to assess the potential impacts of various scenarios on biophysical systems, socioeconomic trends, technologies, and policies.

The proceedings of ECML/PKDD 2004 are published in two separate, albeit - tertwined, volumes:theProceedingsofthe 15thEuropeanConferenceonMac- ne Learning (LNAI 3201) and the Proceedings of the 8th European Conferences on Principles and Practice of Knowledge Discovery in Databases (LNAI 3202). The two conferences were co-located in Pisa, Tuscany, Italy during September 20-24, 2004. It was the fourth time in a row that ECML and PKDD were co-located. - ter the successful co-locations in Freiburg (2001), Helsinki (2002), and Cavtat- Dubrovnik (2003), it became clear that researchersstrongly supported the or- nization of a major scienti?c event about machine learning and data mining in Europe. We are happy to provide some statistics about the conferences. 581 di?erent papers were submitted to ECML/PKDD (about a 75% increase over 2003); 280 weresubmittedtoECML2004only,194weresubmittedtoPKDD2004only, and 107weresubmitted to both. Aroundhalfofthe authorsforsubmitted papersare from outside Europe, which is a clear indicator of the increasing attractiveness of ECML/PKDD. The Program Committee members were deeply involved in what turned out to be a highly competitive selection process. We assigned each paper to 3 - viewers, deciding on the appropriate PC for papers submitted to both ECML and PKDD. As a result, ECML PC members reviewed 312 papers and PKDD PC members reviewed 269 papers. We accepted for publication regular papers (45 for ECML 2004 and 39 for PKDD 2004) and short papers that were as- ciated with poster presentations (6 for ECML 2004 and 9 for PKDD 2004). The globalacceptance ratewas14.5%for regular papers(17% if we include the short papers).

Too many organizations are currently caught in a “green slump,” struggling to engage in sustainability projects and making far less progress than they should be. Some businesses are striving to lead the way by equipping their facilities with new, energy-saving technologies or creating projects that contain post-consumer materials, whereas others may be just now implementing company-wide recycling programs. No matter which green initiative you choose, in order to succeed companies must adopt a results-based, return on investment (ROI) focus that helps them to identify, develop and implement green projects that add value—from an economic, environmental and societal perspective. In The Green scorecard, business leaders—from CEOs and CFOs to project managers and engineers—receive a reliable measurement and evaluation system that delivers credible data for decision makers. The valuable book, based on the ROI Institute’s internationally renowned methodology, gives you clear steps for determining the overall worth of green projects—for both the environment and the bottom line.