Modern technology is believed to be the panacea for all issues; nevertheless, it has both merits ... more Modern technology is believed to be the panacea for all issues; nevertheless, it has both merits and demerits. Many aspects of technology of today have not been time-tested nor known for their adverse effects on the natural environment. On contrary, local knowledge had been time tested and eco-friendly, though it is slow to exert in terms of mass industrial outcome. With the growing concern for environmental protection, there needs to be hybridization of traditional knowledge with modern technologies to sustain natural resources. Having a long historical track, the eastern coastal area of Sri Lanka has unique array of cultural heritage in all its aspects, such as literature, religion, art, farming and irrigation, and food. Eastern Province showcase is enriched with many of such unique cultural heritage apart from the rest of the Island. However, these pockets of indigenous knowledge and cultural heritage were subject to threats and loss, due to man-made reasons and adverse environmental conditions. Therefore, it has been a need to discover the materials that possess cultural heritage of Batticaloa, and to document in appropriate media to take them to the posterity. The importance of gathering and documenting the body of local knowledge is not only to preserve uniqueness of society but to revive those economically and culturally valuable assets to support modern science and technology. The objectives of the survey include discovery of resources possessing heritage values, increasing the awareness of preserving indigenous knowledge and cultural entities in the district, and developing a digital repository to preserve indigenous knowledge and cultural values of local communities. Moreover, elements of cultural tourism, which is an indivisible component of eco-tourism, will be enhanced and made visible through exhibiting heritage items on digital repository. This paper elaborates on works carried out to survey the evidence for local cultural heritage, in the light of developing an electronic repository at Eastern University, Sri Lanka, to document and preserve district’s distinctive identity in terms of cultural heritage.
The paper attempts to develop an information literacy model for the problem based learning (PBL) ... more The paper attempts to develop an information literacy model for the problem based learning (PBL) process. For developing a suitable IL model, the study used the PBL process practiced at the Faculty of Health-Care Sciences of Eastern University, Sri Lanka, where, according to an earlier study, students do not apply IL models in the PBL process to access and process the information. The activities of faculty’s PBL process were divided into four phases, and skills essential for each phases were determined. Based on this information, a conceptual IL model was created. The proposed model consists of four components‑‑ analysis, locate, use and review. Each component has an array of information literacy skills and these skills should be learning outcomes when training the students in information literacy. The model may be used to train the students before commencing PBL session or by integrating the model with PBL.
7th Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries International Conference, May 26, 2015
In fast moving digital world, the importance of tapping indigenous knowledge is rarely recognized... more In fast moving digital world, the importance of tapping indigenous knowledge is rarely recognized. Significance of the influence of indigenous knowledge in evolution and development of human race cannot be underrated. And, elements of indigenous knowledge were time-tested, and had been evolving over centuries. However, abrupt changes in societal environment had seriously affected its evolution and transmission from one to another, especially, in this digital and technological era. Having a long, proven history and cultural enrichment, Batticaloa District has the potentiality of traditional knowledge to be documented. The importance of gathering and documenting the body of local knowledge is not only to preserve uniqueness of society but to revive those economically and culturally valuable assets to support modern science and technology. Proper documentation is believed to enhance the corpus of knowledge, regardless of its origin, through research and improvement. Despite the challenges in documenting these resources, there have been initiatives to be taken through digitation, establishment of knowledge management systems, and incorporating components of knowledge management in schools’ and colleges’ curricula to encourage its exploitation in future to sustain the environment. Most importantly, awareness of sustainability and conservation of natural environment is closely related to documenting indigenous knowledge. In a preliminary study, it was noticed that non-governmental organizations in the region had failed to bring up these valuable pockets of indigenous knowledge in building the economic status of dwellers in rural zones. Therefore, this paper attempts to present the fields of indigenous knowledge discovered in Batticaloa, possible means to document them, and challenges to be dealt with documentation of local knowledge.
4th International Conference of Asian Special Libraries (ICoASL 2015), Apr 22, 2015
Having a long historical track, the eastern coastal area of Sri Lanka has unique array of cultura... more Having a long historical track, the eastern coastal area of Sri Lanka has unique array of cultural heritage in all its aspects, such as literature, religion, art, farming and irrigation, and food. Eastern Province showcase is enriched with many of such unique cultural heritage apart from the rest of the Island. However, these pockets of indigenous knowledge and cultural heritage were subject to threats and loss, due to man-made reasons and adverse environmental conditions. Therefore, it has been a need to discover the materials that possess cultural heritage of Batticaloa, and to document in appropriate media to take them to the posterity. The objectives of the survey include discovery of resources possessing heritage values, increasing the awareness of preserving indigenous knowledge and cultural entities in the district, and developing a digital repository to preserve cultural values of local communities. Moreover, elements of cultural tourism, which is an indivisible component of eco-tourism, will be enhanced and made visible through exhibiting heritage items on digital repository. This paper elaborates on works carried out to survey the evidence for local cultural heritage, in the light of developing an electronic repository at Eastern University, Sri Lanka, to document and preserve district’s distinctive identity in terms of cultural heritage.
Academic Session -2014 of University Librarian's Association, Feb 6, 2015
The university ranking system is mainly based on the quality of research output of the particular... more The university ranking system is mainly based on the quality of research output of the particular university. Hence all universities in Sri Lanka try to uplift their research output. Library service is highly influential on the quality of research output of the university. Eastern University Sri Lanka (EUSL) is also working towards to increase its rank. It is observed that the research outcome of EUSL is lower than expected, especially publishing in renowned and peer-reviewed journals seems to be less than other leading local universities. On the other hand most of undergraduates’ dissertations are below in academic standards and it is found that students have difficulties in selecting research problems, employing appropriate research design and analyses, and in academic writings. Collectively, academics and undergraduates are in great need to move up the research standards and publications. Moreover, the UGC e-Journals Consortium and INASP have offered considerable number of valuable databases, with the expenses of huge amount of fund to proliferate the research output in all universities in Sri Lanka. These electronic resources seem to be underutilized in EUSL due to unawareness of available resources and inability to access.
Therefore, to address all these issues the library of EUSL has introduced a new service called “Research Support Service” (RSS) with the motto of “Library’s & Librarians’ role in the success of research and academic publications”. The key objective of this service is to enhance the quality of research out of the institution via support the students and academics in their research activities and guide them to use the available e-resources effectively. The service includes a series of workshops to group users, specially targeted at final year students who are involved in research work and junior academic staff of the institution. The workshop series covered the areas such as effective use of e-resources & internet for literature search, searching techniques, academic writing, copyright and plagiarism issues, referencing styles, use of EndNote reference management system, use of Ms-Office applications to assist thesis writings and introduction to statistical packages such as SPSS and Minitab. At the end of the workshop, the participants were requested to fill a feedback form, which consisted of 18 statements with five point Likert scale. The results showed that 98 % of participants were highly agreed that the ‘workshop was worth attending’. 92% of them expressed that ‘they were aware of more e-resources than they were before’. 78 % of participants were highly agreed that ‘Research ethics are vital to their research field’ while 88% of them were satisfied of the ‘citations in research’. 92% of them were highly agreed that ‘Endnote is going to enhance the quality of their publications’. It was observed that after having the workshop, the students are frequently consulting librarians than ever before to get assistance for their research activities. Moreover, faculty staffs have approached the librarians to organize this workshop for their faculty students separately. The study recommends to continue and further develop this service apply to subject disciplines and measure the effectiveness of the programme.
The university ranking system is mainly based on the quality of research output of the particular... more The university ranking system is mainly based on the quality of research output of the particular university. Hence all universities in Sri Lanka try to uplift their research output. Library service is highly influential on the quality of research output of the university. Eastern University Sri Lanka (EUSL) is also working towards to increase its rank. It is observed that the research outcome of EUSL is lower than expected, especially publishing in renowned and peer-reviewed journals seems to be less than other leading local universities. On the other hand most of undergraduates’ dissertations are below in academic standards and it is found that students have difficulties in selecting research problems, employing appropriate research design and analyses, and in academic writings. Collectively, academics and undergraduates are in great need to move up the research standards and publications. Moreover, the UGC e-Journals Consortium and INASP have offered considerable number of valuable databases, with the expenses of huge amount of fund to proliferate the research output in all universities in Sri Lanka. These electronic resources seem to be underutilized in EUSL due to unawareness of available resources and inability to access.
Therefore, to address all these issues the library of EUSL has introduced a new service called “Research Support Service” (RSS) with the motto of “Library’s & Librarians’ role in the success of research and academic publications”. The key objective of this service is to enhance the quality of research out of the institution via support the students and academics in their research activities and guide them to use the available e-resources effectively. The service includes a series of workshops to group users, specially targeted at final year students who are involved in research work and junior academic staff of the institution. The workshop series covered the areas such as effective use of e-resources & internet for literature search, searching techniques, academic writing, copyright and plagiarism issues, referencing styles, use of EndNote reference management system, use of Ms-Office applications to assist thesis writings and introduction to statistical packages such as SPSS and Minitab. At the end of the workshop, the participants were requested to fill a feedback form, which consisted of 18 statements with five point Likert scale. The results showed that 98 % of participants were highly agreed that the ‘workshop was worth attending’. 92% of them expressed that ‘they were aware of more e-resources than they were before’. 78 % of participants were highly agreed that ‘Research ethics are vital to their research field’ while 88% of them were satisfied of the ‘citations in research’. 92% of them were highly agreed that ‘Endnote is going to enhance the quality of their publications’. It was observed that after having the workshop, the students are frequently consulting librarians than ever before to get assistance for their research activities. Moreover, faculty staffs have approached the librarians to organize this workshop for their faculty students separately. The study recommends to continue and further develop this service apply to subject disciplines and measure the effectiveness of the programme.
Rebuilding of Tsunami Affected Areas in the Southern and the Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka: Workshop Proceeding, Mar 28, 2009
Mangroves are one of the rich ecosystems in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. They provide both economical a... more Mangroves are one of the rich ecosystems in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. They provide both economical and ecological benefits to the people and their surroundings. The present paper discusses the rehabilitation of mangroves and preservation of existing mangrove vegetation in the two villages such as Paalameenmadu (Manmunai North DS division) and Puthukudiyeruppu (Manmunaipattu DS division). These two villages (which are selected under the CIDA Restore Project) are located along the Batticaloa lagoon and hence they have mangrove patches. Both areas consist of several true mangrove species such as Rhizophora mucronata, Aegiceras corniculata, Avicennia sp., Lumnitzera racemosa, Sonneratia caseolaris, Excoecaria agallocha, and mangrove associate species such as Acanthus ilicifolius, Acrostichum aureum, Clerodendron inerme, Dolichandrone spathacea, Sesuvium portulacastrum, and Derris trifoliate. Though there are several species, Lumnitzera racemosa is dominant species in Palameenmadu while Excoecaria agallocha is dominant in Puthukudiyeruppu. As mangrove fauna, Cerithidea cingulata, Nerita sp, Saccostrea sp, Gelonia sp, Anadara granosa, Balanus sp, Penaeus monodon, Penaeus semisulcatus, Scylla serrata, and Periophthalmus koelreuteri are present in both areas but species diversity is rich in Paalameenmadu. Mangrove forests in these two villages are being destroyed at an alarming rate due to several anthropogenic activities such as over extraction by local community, destruction for security purposes and destruction by the mismanagement of district administrators. Therefore, it is very essential to preserve the mangrove forest in the two villages. In this regard, a multifaceted approach is pivotally important to preserve the pristine mangrove ecosystem in Batticaloa district. This multifaceted approach should include identification of the mangrove forest, formulation of suitable regulation, conserving existing forests by applying strict and suitable measures to control further destruction, launching public awareness programmes, carrying out mangrove re-vegetation programme, which are properly planned with the participation of general public. As a part of this multifaceted approach, the CIDA Restore project has established a mangrove nursery with community participation to supply the needed saplings for mangrove afforestation in those villages.
Any effort to managing the Batticaloa lagoon well should begin with understanding its dynamics as... more Any effort to managing the Batticaloa lagoon well should begin with understanding its dynamics as a key contributor to flood mitigation and control. Of particular concern in these regards are the inputs from major and minor irrigation tanks (that are connected to the lagoon) that disturb the natural stability of the Batticaloa Lagoon. Understanding the interconnected mechanics of the tanks and the lagoon could be enhanced by the exploration of the processes through conceptual/mathematical simulation models. In this respect, a tutorial simulation model: TIL 1.0 was developed using in the STELLA® v7.03-modelling platform to imitate the interconnectivities between and irrigation tanks and Batticaloa Lagoon. The Model TIL 1.0 presents an easy to way to simulate different processes of the problem of concern and generate various outputs such as water raise in lagoon, water levels, excess water in lagoon, salinity drop, chance of flooding, and Bar-Mouth condition/s. The unique aspect of the TIL 1.0 is that it is less technical savvy, and, provides the opportunity to non-scientists (i.e. administrators and bureaucrats) to understand the lagoon system in a logical manner and consequently take sustainable decisions in managing the said system.
Modern technology is believed to be the panacea for all issues; nevertheless, it has both merits ... more Modern technology is believed to be the panacea for all issues; nevertheless, it has both merits and demerits. Many aspects of technology of today have not been time-tested nor known for their adverse effects on the natural environment. On contrary, local knowledge had been time tested and eco-friendly, though it is slow to exert in terms of mass industrial outcome. With the growing concern for environmental protection, there needs to be hybridization of traditional knowledge with modern technologies to sustain natural resources. Having a long historical track, the eastern coastal area of Sri Lanka has unique array of cultural heritage in all its aspects, such as literature, religion, art, farming and irrigation, and food. Eastern Province showcase is enriched with many of such unique cultural heritage apart from the rest of the Island. However, these pockets of indigenous knowledge and cultural heritage were subject to threats and loss, due to man-made reasons and adverse environmental conditions. Therefore, it has been a need to discover the materials that possess cultural heritage of Batticaloa, and to document in appropriate media to take them to the posterity. The importance of gathering and documenting the body of local knowledge is not only to preserve uniqueness of society but to revive those economically and culturally valuable assets to support modern science and technology. The objectives of the survey include discovery of resources possessing heritage values, increasing the awareness of preserving indigenous knowledge and cultural entities in the district, and developing a digital repository to preserve indigenous knowledge and cultural values of local communities. Moreover, elements of cultural tourism, which is an indivisible component of eco-tourism, will be enhanced and made visible through exhibiting heritage items on digital repository. This paper elaborates on works carried out to survey the evidence for local cultural heritage, in the light of developing an electronic repository at Eastern University, Sri Lanka, to document and preserve district’s distinctive identity in terms of cultural heritage.
The paper attempts to develop an information literacy model for the problem based learning (PBL) ... more The paper attempts to develop an information literacy model for the problem based learning (PBL) process. For developing a suitable IL model, the study used the PBL process practiced at the Faculty of Health-Care Sciences of Eastern University, Sri Lanka, where, according to an earlier study, students do not apply IL models in the PBL process to access and process the information. The activities of faculty’s PBL process were divided into four phases, and skills essential for each phases were determined. Based on this information, a conceptual IL model was created. The proposed model consists of four components‑‑ analysis, locate, use and review. Each component has an array of information literacy skills and these skills should be learning outcomes when training the students in information literacy. The model may be used to train the students before commencing PBL session or by integrating the model with PBL.
7th Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries International Conference, May 26, 2015
In fast moving digital world, the importance of tapping indigenous knowledge is rarely recognized... more In fast moving digital world, the importance of tapping indigenous knowledge is rarely recognized. Significance of the influence of indigenous knowledge in evolution and development of human race cannot be underrated. And, elements of indigenous knowledge were time-tested, and had been evolving over centuries. However, abrupt changes in societal environment had seriously affected its evolution and transmission from one to another, especially, in this digital and technological era. Having a long, proven history and cultural enrichment, Batticaloa District has the potentiality of traditional knowledge to be documented. The importance of gathering and documenting the body of local knowledge is not only to preserve uniqueness of society but to revive those economically and culturally valuable assets to support modern science and technology. Proper documentation is believed to enhance the corpus of knowledge, regardless of its origin, through research and improvement. Despite the challenges in documenting these resources, there have been initiatives to be taken through digitation, establishment of knowledge management systems, and incorporating components of knowledge management in schools’ and colleges’ curricula to encourage its exploitation in future to sustain the environment. Most importantly, awareness of sustainability and conservation of natural environment is closely related to documenting indigenous knowledge. In a preliminary study, it was noticed that non-governmental organizations in the region had failed to bring up these valuable pockets of indigenous knowledge in building the economic status of dwellers in rural zones. Therefore, this paper attempts to present the fields of indigenous knowledge discovered in Batticaloa, possible means to document them, and challenges to be dealt with documentation of local knowledge.
4th International Conference of Asian Special Libraries (ICoASL 2015), Apr 22, 2015
Having a long historical track, the eastern coastal area of Sri Lanka has unique array of cultura... more Having a long historical track, the eastern coastal area of Sri Lanka has unique array of cultural heritage in all its aspects, such as literature, religion, art, farming and irrigation, and food. Eastern Province showcase is enriched with many of such unique cultural heritage apart from the rest of the Island. However, these pockets of indigenous knowledge and cultural heritage were subject to threats and loss, due to man-made reasons and adverse environmental conditions. Therefore, it has been a need to discover the materials that possess cultural heritage of Batticaloa, and to document in appropriate media to take them to the posterity. The objectives of the survey include discovery of resources possessing heritage values, increasing the awareness of preserving indigenous knowledge and cultural entities in the district, and developing a digital repository to preserve cultural values of local communities. Moreover, elements of cultural tourism, which is an indivisible component of eco-tourism, will be enhanced and made visible through exhibiting heritage items on digital repository. This paper elaborates on works carried out to survey the evidence for local cultural heritage, in the light of developing an electronic repository at Eastern University, Sri Lanka, to document and preserve district’s distinctive identity in terms of cultural heritage.
Academic Session -2014 of University Librarian's Association, Feb 6, 2015
The university ranking system is mainly based on the quality of research output of the particular... more The university ranking system is mainly based on the quality of research output of the particular university. Hence all universities in Sri Lanka try to uplift their research output. Library service is highly influential on the quality of research output of the university. Eastern University Sri Lanka (EUSL) is also working towards to increase its rank. It is observed that the research outcome of EUSL is lower than expected, especially publishing in renowned and peer-reviewed journals seems to be less than other leading local universities. On the other hand most of undergraduates’ dissertations are below in academic standards and it is found that students have difficulties in selecting research problems, employing appropriate research design and analyses, and in academic writings. Collectively, academics and undergraduates are in great need to move up the research standards and publications. Moreover, the UGC e-Journals Consortium and INASP have offered considerable number of valuable databases, with the expenses of huge amount of fund to proliferate the research output in all universities in Sri Lanka. These electronic resources seem to be underutilized in EUSL due to unawareness of available resources and inability to access.
Therefore, to address all these issues the library of EUSL has introduced a new service called “Research Support Service” (RSS) with the motto of “Library’s & Librarians’ role in the success of research and academic publications”. The key objective of this service is to enhance the quality of research out of the institution via support the students and academics in their research activities and guide them to use the available e-resources effectively. The service includes a series of workshops to group users, specially targeted at final year students who are involved in research work and junior academic staff of the institution. The workshop series covered the areas such as effective use of e-resources & internet for literature search, searching techniques, academic writing, copyright and plagiarism issues, referencing styles, use of EndNote reference management system, use of Ms-Office applications to assist thesis writings and introduction to statistical packages such as SPSS and Minitab. At the end of the workshop, the participants were requested to fill a feedback form, which consisted of 18 statements with five point Likert scale. The results showed that 98 % of participants were highly agreed that the ‘workshop was worth attending’. 92% of them expressed that ‘they were aware of more e-resources than they were before’. 78 % of participants were highly agreed that ‘Research ethics are vital to their research field’ while 88% of them were satisfied of the ‘citations in research’. 92% of them were highly agreed that ‘Endnote is going to enhance the quality of their publications’. It was observed that after having the workshop, the students are frequently consulting librarians than ever before to get assistance for their research activities. Moreover, faculty staffs have approached the librarians to organize this workshop for their faculty students separately. The study recommends to continue and further develop this service apply to subject disciplines and measure the effectiveness of the programme.
The university ranking system is mainly based on the quality of research output of the particular... more The university ranking system is mainly based on the quality of research output of the particular university. Hence all universities in Sri Lanka try to uplift their research output. Library service is highly influential on the quality of research output of the university. Eastern University Sri Lanka (EUSL) is also working towards to increase its rank. It is observed that the research outcome of EUSL is lower than expected, especially publishing in renowned and peer-reviewed journals seems to be less than other leading local universities. On the other hand most of undergraduates’ dissertations are below in academic standards and it is found that students have difficulties in selecting research problems, employing appropriate research design and analyses, and in academic writings. Collectively, academics and undergraduates are in great need to move up the research standards and publications. Moreover, the UGC e-Journals Consortium and INASP have offered considerable number of valuable databases, with the expenses of huge amount of fund to proliferate the research output in all universities in Sri Lanka. These electronic resources seem to be underutilized in EUSL due to unawareness of available resources and inability to access.
Therefore, to address all these issues the library of EUSL has introduced a new service called “Research Support Service” (RSS) with the motto of “Library’s & Librarians’ role in the success of research and academic publications”. The key objective of this service is to enhance the quality of research out of the institution via support the students and academics in their research activities and guide them to use the available e-resources effectively. The service includes a series of workshops to group users, specially targeted at final year students who are involved in research work and junior academic staff of the institution. The workshop series covered the areas such as effective use of e-resources & internet for literature search, searching techniques, academic writing, copyright and plagiarism issues, referencing styles, use of EndNote reference management system, use of Ms-Office applications to assist thesis writings and introduction to statistical packages such as SPSS and Minitab. At the end of the workshop, the participants were requested to fill a feedback form, which consisted of 18 statements with five point Likert scale. The results showed that 98 % of participants were highly agreed that the ‘workshop was worth attending’. 92% of them expressed that ‘they were aware of more e-resources than they were before’. 78 % of participants were highly agreed that ‘Research ethics are vital to their research field’ while 88% of them were satisfied of the ‘citations in research’. 92% of them were highly agreed that ‘Endnote is going to enhance the quality of their publications’. It was observed that after having the workshop, the students are frequently consulting librarians than ever before to get assistance for their research activities. Moreover, faculty staffs have approached the librarians to organize this workshop for their faculty students separately. The study recommends to continue and further develop this service apply to subject disciplines and measure the effectiveness of the programme.
Rebuilding of Tsunami Affected Areas in the Southern and the Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka: Workshop Proceeding, Mar 28, 2009
Mangroves are one of the rich ecosystems in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. They provide both economical a... more Mangroves are one of the rich ecosystems in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. They provide both economical and ecological benefits to the people and their surroundings. The present paper discusses the rehabilitation of mangroves and preservation of existing mangrove vegetation in the two villages such as Paalameenmadu (Manmunai North DS division) and Puthukudiyeruppu (Manmunaipattu DS division). These two villages (which are selected under the CIDA Restore Project) are located along the Batticaloa lagoon and hence they have mangrove patches. Both areas consist of several true mangrove species such as Rhizophora mucronata, Aegiceras corniculata, Avicennia sp., Lumnitzera racemosa, Sonneratia caseolaris, Excoecaria agallocha, and mangrove associate species such as Acanthus ilicifolius, Acrostichum aureum, Clerodendron inerme, Dolichandrone spathacea, Sesuvium portulacastrum, and Derris trifoliate. Though there are several species, Lumnitzera racemosa is dominant species in Palameenmadu while Excoecaria agallocha is dominant in Puthukudiyeruppu. As mangrove fauna, Cerithidea cingulata, Nerita sp, Saccostrea sp, Gelonia sp, Anadara granosa, Balanus sp, Penaeus monodon, Penaeus semisulcatus, Scylla serrata, and Periophthalmus koelreuteri are present in both areas but species diversity is rich in Paalameenmadu. Mangrove forests in these two villages are being destroyed at an alarming rate due to several anthropogenic activities such as over extraction by local community, destruction for security purposes and destruction by the mismanagement of district administrators. Therefore, it is very essential to preserve the mangrove forest in the two villages. In this regard, a multifaceted approach is pivotally important to preserve the pristine mangrove ecosystem in Batticaloa district. This multifaceted approach should include identification of the mangrove forest, formulation of suitable regulation, conserving existing forests by applying strict and suitable measures to control further destruction, launching public awareness programmes, carrying out mangrove re-vegetation programme, which are properly planned with the participation of general public. As a part of this multifaceted approach, the CIDA Restore project has established a mangrove nursery with community participation to supply the needed saplings for mangrove afforestation in those villages.
Any effort to managing the Batticaloa lagoon well should begin with understanding its dynamics as... more Any effort to managing the Batticaloa lagoon well should begin with understanding its dynamics as a key contributor to flood mitigation and control. Of particular concern in these regards are the inputs from major and minor irrigation tanks (that are connected to the lagoon) that disturb the natural stability of the Batticaloa Lagoon. Understanding the interconnected mechanics of the tanks and the lagoon could be enhanced by the exploration of the processes through conceptual/mathematical simulation models. In this respect, a tutorial simulation model: TIL 1.0 was developed using in the STELLA® v7.03-modelling platform to imitate the interconnectivities between and irrigation tanks and Batticaloa Lagoon. The Model TIL 1.0 presents an easy to way to simulate different processes of the problem of concern and generate various outputs such as water raise in lagoon, water levels, excess water in lagoon, salinity drop, chance of flooding, and Bar-Mouth condition/s. The unique aspect of the TIL 1.0 is that it is less technical savvy, and, provides the opportunity to non-scientists (i.e. administrators and bureaucrats) to understand the lagoon system in a logical manner and consequently take sustainable decisions in managing the said system.
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the growing concern for environmental protection, there needs to be hybridization of traditional knowledge with modern technologies to sustain natural resources. Having a long historical track, the eastern coastal area of Sri Lanka has unique array of cultural heritage in all its aspects, such as literature, religion, art, farming and irrigation, and food. Eastern Province showcase is enriched with many of such unique cultural heritage apart from the rest of the Island. However, these pockets of indigenous knowledge and cultural heritage were subject to threats and loss, due to man-made reasons and adverse environmental conditions. Therefore, it has been a need to discover the materials that possess cultural heritage of Batticaloa, and to document in appropriate media to take them to the posterity. The importance of gathering and documenting the body of local knowledge is not only to preserve uniqueness of society but to revive those economically and culturally valuable assets to support modern science and technology. The objectives of the survey include discovery of resources possessing heritage values, increasing the awareness of preserving indigenous knowledge and cultural entities in the district, and developing a digital repository to preserve indigenous knowledge and cultural values of local communities. Moreover, elements of cultural tourism, which is an indivisible component of eco-tourism, will be enhanced and made visible through exhibiting heritage items on digital repository. This paper elaborates on works carried out to survey the evidence for local cultural heritage, in the light of developing an electronic repository at Eastern University, Sri Lanka, to document and preserve district’s distinctive identity in terms of cultural heritage.
Therefore, to address all these issues the library of EUSL has introduced a new service called “Research Support Service” (RSS) with the motto of “Library’s & Librarians’ role in the success of research and academic publications”. The key objective of this service is to enhance the quality of research out of the institution via support the students and academics in their research activities and guide them to use the available e-resources effectively. The service includes a series of workshops to group users, specially targeted at final year students who are involved in research work and junior academic staff of the institution. The workshop series covered the areas such as effective use of e-resources & internet for literature search, searching techniques, academic writing, copyright and plagiarism issues, referencing styles, use of EndNote reference management system, use of Ms-Office applications to assist thesis writings and introduction to statistical packages such as SPSS and Minitab. At the end of the workshop, the participants were requested to fill a feedback form, which consisted of 18 statements with five point Likert scale. The results showed that 98 % of participants were highly agreed that the ‘workshop was worth attending’. 92% of them expressed that ‘they were aware of more e-resources than they were before’. 78 % of participants were highly agreed that ‘Research ethics are vital to their research field’ while 88% of them were satisfied of the ‘citations in research’. 92% of them were highly agreed that ‘Endnote is going to enhance the quality of their publications’. It was observed that after having the workshop, the students are frequently consulting librarians than ever before to get assistance for their research activities. Moreover, faculty staffs have approached the librarians to organize this workshop for their faculty students separately. The study recommends to continue and further develop this service apply to subject disciplines and measure the effectiveness of the programme.
Therefore, to address all these issues the library of EUSL has introduced a new service called “Research Support Service” (RSS) with the motto of “Library’s & Librarians’ role in the success of research and academic publications”. The key objective of this service is to enhance the quality of research out of the institution via support the students and academics in their research activities and guide them to use the available e-resources effectively. The service includes a series of workshops to group users, specially targeted at final year students who are involved in research work and junior academic staff of the institution. The workshop series covered the areas such as effective use of e-resources & internet for literature search, searching techniques, academic writing, copyright and plagiarism issues, referencing styles, use of EndNote reference management system, use of Ms-Office applications to assist thesis writings and introduction to statistical packages such as SPSS and Minitab. At the end of the workshop, the participants were requested to fill a feedback form, which consisted of 18 statements with five point Likert scale. The results showed that 98 % of participants were highly agreed that the ‘workshop was worth attending’. 92% of them expressed that ‘they were aware of more e-resources than they were before’. 78 % of participants were highly agreed that ‘Research ethics are vital to their research field’ while 88% of them were satisfied of the ‘citations in research’. 92% of them were highly agreed that ‘Endnote is going to enhance the quality of their publications’. It was observed that after having the workshop, the students are frequently consulting librarians than ever before to get assistance for their research activities. Moreover, faculty staffs have approached the librarians to organize this workshop for their faculty students separately. The study recommends to continue and further develop this service apply to subject disciplines and measure the effectiveness of the programme.
the growing concern for environmental protection, there needs to be hybridization of traditional knowledge with modern technologies to sustain natural resources. Having a long historical track, the eastern coastal area of Sri Lanka has unique array of cultural heritage in all its aspects, such as literature, religion, art, farming and irrigation, and food. Eastern Province showcase is enriched with many of such unique cultural heritage apart from the rest of the Island. However, these pockets of indigenous knowledge and cultural heritage were subject to threats and loss, due to man-made reasons and adverse environmental conditions. Therefore, it has been a need to discover the materials that possess cultural heritage of Batticaloa, and to document in appropriate media to take them to the posterity. The importance of gathering and documenting the body of local knowledge is not only to preserve uniqueness of society but to revive those economically and culturally valuable assets to support modern science and technology. The objectives of the survey include discovery of resources possessing heritage values, increasing the awareness of preserving indigenous knowledge and cultural entities in the district, and developing a digital repository to preserve indigenous knowledge and cultural values of local communities. Moreover, elements of cultural tourism, which is an indivisible component of eco-tourism, will be enhanced and made visible through exhibiting heritage items on digital repository. This paper elaborates on works carried out to survey the evidence for local cultural heritage, in the light of developing an electronic repository at Eastern University, Sri Lanka, to document and preserve district’s distinctive identity in terms of cultural heritage.
Therefore, to address all these issues the library of EUSL has introduced a new service called “Research Support Service” (RSS) with the motto of “Library’s & Librarians’ role in the success of research and academic publications”. The key objective of this service is to enhance the quality of research out of the institution via support the students and academics in their research activities and guide them to use the available e-resources effectively. The service includes a series of workshops to group users, specially targeted at final year students who are involved in research work and junior academic staff of the institution. The workshop series covered the areas such as effective use of e-resources & internet for literature search, searching techniques, academic writing, copyright and plagiarism issues, referencing styles, use of EndNote reference management system, use of Ms-Office applications to assist thesis writings and introduction to statistical packages such as SPSS and Minitab. At the end of the workshop, the participants were requested to fill a feedback form, which consisted of 18 statements with five point Likert scale. The results showed that 98 % of participants were highly agreed that the ‘workshop was worth attending’. 92% of them expressed that ‘they were aware of more e-resources than they were before’. 78 % of participants were highly agreed that ‘Research ethics are vital to their research field’ while 88% of them were satisfied of the ‘citations in research’. 92% of them were highly agreed that ‘Endnote is going to enhance the quality of their publications’. It was observed that after having the workshop, the students are frequently consulting librarians than ever before to get assistance for their research activities. Moreover, faculty staffs have approached the librarians to organize this workshop for their faculty students separately. The study recommends to continue and further develop this service apply to subject disciplines and measure the effectiveness of the programme.
Therefore, to address all these issues the library of EUSL has introduced a new service called “Research Support Service” (RSS) with the motto of “Library’s & Librarians’ role in the success of research and academic publications”. The key objective of this service is to enhance the quality of research out of the institution via support the students and academics in their research activities and guide them to use the available e-resources effectively. The service includes a series of workshops to group users, specially targeted at final year students who are involved in research work and junior academic staff of the institution. The workshop series covered the areas such as effective use of e-resources & internet for literature search, searching techniques, academic writing, copyright and plagiarism issues, referencing styles, use of EndNote reference management system, use of Ms-Office applications to assist thesis writings and introduction to statistical packages such as SPSS and Minitab. At the end of the workshop, the participants were requested to fill a feedback form, which consisted of 18 statements with five point Likert scale. The results showed that 98 % of participants were highly agreed that the ‘workshop was worth attending’. 92% of them expressed that ‘they were aware of more e-resources than they were before’. 78 % of participants were highly agreed that ‘Research ethics are vital to their research field’ while 88% of them were satisfied of the ‘citations in research’. 92% of them were highly agreed that ‘Endnote is going to enhance the quality of their publications’. It was observed that after having the workshop, the students are frequently consulting librarians than ever before to get assistance for their research activities. Moreover, faculty staffs have approached the librarians to organize this workshop for their faculty students separately. The study recommends to continue and further develop this service apply to subject disciplines and measure the effectiveness of the programme.