New e-crime figures announced.

This is an interesting one.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) released a report this morning showing a big increase in electronic crime (or e-crime) in the UK. The most common type of e-crime involved some form of identity deception in purchasing goods.

One thing I learned from the report is that the UK has the biggest internet spend per-capita of any nation, so the potential for online fraud is huge.

The report isn't huge, but it's fact with good stats and you can find it here.

New research proposes link between the increase in suicide rates and the recession

Firstly, I want to acknowledge that suicide is quite a difficult subject to discuss. I know that many issues within your subject area are tough but that clearly isn't a reason for me to steer clear of them on Bedtimes and Deadlines. So when I heard this morning of new research looking at the link between increases in suicide rates and current unemployment/recession figures, I thought it worth sharing.

You can read The Guardian's account of the research, published in the British Medical Journal, by clicking here.

If you'd prefer to just head straight to the report then go here.

There are a few recommendations in there that seem quite reasonable; none more so than a call for support staff in job centres to be aware of customers showing worrying levels of depression. As always, if you'd like me to show you how to access mental health research then just ask.

The Riots: In Their Own Words

Tonight (August 13th) will see the first of a two part series of programmes being broadcast on BBC2 at 9pm covering last summer's UK riots. Tonight's show features the words of people who took part in the rioting (their words are voiced by actors) whereas next week will feature interviews with the police.

It promises to be an engaging and insightful account of what occurred. Have a look here for some trailers and further information on how the programmes came to be made.

The UK riots: one year on.

A year ago I blogged in the immediate aftermath of the UK riots by highlighting the 'broom army'. Slowly, more analysis emerged; sometimes biased , sometimes contradictory, always troubling. The one year anniversary of the rioting has provided another opportunity to reflect. It is a particularly interesting time to reflect on such upsetting events whilst in the midsts of what has (so far!) been a wildly successful London Olympics.

On this morning's Today programme there were two pieces on the 2011 riots.
One gave a voice to the rioters themselves, whereas the other interviewed Chief Constable, Ian Learmonth.

I've got more pieces I'd like to share with you on the analysis of the 2011 riots, but I'll spread them out over the next few weeks.

The library catalogue is dead; long live Discover.

First thing's first-nobody panic. OK?

Take deep breaths and put the kettle on if that'll help.

Ready?

Now. I've got some big news for you-the library catalogue is being replaced by a newer, better, simpler, smarter and sexier interface called Discover. It's all coming via one simplified search box, courtesy of EBSCO.

And it's really good.

If you've used any of EBSCO's databases before then the look of Discover won't phase you in the slightest. But the advantages are that you can search across books and journals via one search box.

If you're a returning first or second year I'll be demonstrating Discover to you in induction sessions when you return. I'm just mentioning it now so it's less of a shock come the new term and rest assured that although it's new it's also very easy to use - you'll be finding things within minutes! If you want to email me with any concerns or questions at this stage then feel free. I really don't mind.

New domestic violence statistics

On Saturday 23rd The Guardian reported that domestic violence conviction rates are at an all time high by writing this. The improvement has in part been explained by the efforts of Keir Starmer, the director of public prosecutions, who when appointed instigated a four year plan to improve things.

There are some interesting statistics mentioned in there so I'd take a look if it's an area that interests or concerns you.

Major new report on household income published

Any long term readers of this blog will know I'm a big fan of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, an organisation focussing on poverty in the UK and publishing many high quality reports on related topics.

Well they've produced another very interesting piece of work, examining wages and how it relates to standards of living. What the new report does is look at how much money a family of four requires to maintain a Minimum  Income Standard (MIS) and predicts how forthcoming changes to tax credits will put more families under financial strain.

The research method involved talking to 21 focus groups and reveals some very interesting data concerning what are considered 'essentials' to modern life. To take a look at the full-text just click here and follow the links. There was also a debate on the Today Programme this morning and you can listen to the discussion from here.

It's well worth a look and listen.