Naude's political thought follows the empiricist positivist approach of Machiavelli, and makes the same presuppositions-on political man- polarised into active ruler and passive ruled- and the state- subject to the cycle of history. Order the defence of the status quo, is Naude's main preoccupation, and his concern is with the Art of Government. He advisees the ruler to acquire by right study, especially history, and by experience, the all important-political virtue of Prudence, which may be "ordinary", respectful of Law, or "extraordinary", above both Law and Christian Ethics. In this case it will take the form of "coups d'etat". Their nature, fields of application, and rules:: of use, are examined in detail by Naude , who aims to justify them by Raison d'Etat, the supreme political value and a.. combination of the normative and the "organic". "Necesseite" and "le bien public" justify the use of religion and all efficient means to achieve this value. The ruler should appoint a minister and protect him from court factions. He should realise the power of the populace and understand how to use it for his own ends by the forces of religion and eloquence. Naude's Humanist erudition was immense; and he desired the setting up of a lending library in Paris for erudites-. He upheld the general superiority of the Humanist Era against the Ancient and the Medieval epochs. These are the three periods of-his cyclic theory of history which subjects all phenomena, human and natural, to the law of-eternal recurrence- a purely natural law in which psychological causation plays a large part. Wisdom consists in detachment from the cosmic-flux-by the exercise of free judgement; which can discover truth by revealing error--due to the various passions. A critical historical method, based on a. common-sense view of man and nature which has-its philosophical formulation in the Alexandrist interpretation of Artistotle, reveals that the purported facts, the of magic; the occult sciences, prophecies, miracles and other supernatural phenomena, are merely natural facts misrepresented by the credulous and the deceiving. And Naude implies that Christianity is, like Paganism, an epiphenomenon. Knowledge starts from particulars given by sense experience; the real is what-is amenable to research. Naude does-not formulate an ontology, or indeed any philosophy in the systematic sense, but aims to establish norms of judgment which will enable the accumulation of reliable knowledge. To the methodology of empirical research his contribution is considerable and lasting.

Previous research has been carried out concerning the conservation of both historic buildings and library and archive collections. Little work has, however, been undertaken to look at the interface between the two. The following research has been carried out in the context of an interdisciplinary project linking key disciplines in an examination of the issues relating to conservation problems in historic buildings used for library and archive purposes. This thesis presents a comprehensive literature review, evaluating published data on both the preservation of paper-based collections in libraries and archives, and preventive conservation of historic buildings and monuments. Emphasis is given to the interface between the two. Furthermore, a survey of British archives and libraries has been carried out, including the evaluation of questionnaire and site data. The survey focuses on preventive conservation measures as well as past and present problems of dampness. This survey proved problems with dampness to be often misdiagnosed and the consequences of damage underestimated. From the surveyed collections, two case studies have been selected for environmental monitoring in order to investigate macro- and micro-climates under different environmental conditions. Resulting data suggest that the micro-environment of a confined space is influenced by the amount of paper housed within it. This has assisted in explaining the interaction between paper and the immediate environment. At the same time, data has confirmed that the overall surface area of paper available for environmental interaction is more important than paper type or book size, with respect to the overall conditions within the storage space. Although degradation mechanisms of paper with respect to cycling conditions are not entirely clear, results of this study emphasise the importance of ventilation and dehumidification in order to avoid mould germination and/or growth. The data have been used to determine whether the internal environment of enclosed bookcases, and hence the immediate environment of the collection, can be adequately predicted from ambient data taken within the room. Mathematical models have been developed for both metal and wooden bookcases, and have shown that even when the ambient conditions are unstable, the relationship between ambient RH and the RH inside a book in an enclosed bookcase can be predicted within a 5% margin (1% for a stable environment).

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Digital technology is challenging traditional copyright principles. Despite suggestions from a number of commentators that copyright cannot survive the challenge, this thesis aims to demonstrate that copyright can evolve and adapt rather than face elimination. This hypothesis is tested and illustrated by means of an examination of law in conjunction with technology, and by means of concrete examples. Analysis of the author's position in the face of digital technology requires firstly, an investigation of the way in which the existence and exercise of the author's copyright itself is affected by such technology, and secondly, an examination of how the author's standing in relation to dissemination of works generally is concerned (e.g. as regards freedom of speech). It is with the first of these aspects that this thesis is mainly concerned, although, for the sake of a more comprehensive view, some considerations on the second aspect are also advanced. This thesis examines challenges raised in the copyright field by digital technology and the consequential problems in relation to classification of subject matter, identification of authors, fixation and reproduction, the criterion of originality, the meaning of publication, recognition of moral rights, recognition of economic rights, exceptions and limitations, liability of service providers, authenticity of works, infringement, feasibility of enforcement and conflict of laws. Broader issues relating to Government and private control of access to the new media are also analysed. The analysis is focused on copyright subsistence as well as infringement. Furthermore, both the legal and the technological aspects are considered (with the aid of a comprehensive glossary of technological terms). The approach is one of law and technology in equal measure. In the context of these problems there follows a critical examination and comparison of the main national systems, the main international instruments, and the main regional instruments. This systematic survey seeks to encapsulate the work of learned authors in a concise manner, leading to certain proposals. The approach is one of criticism and selection of feasible and practical solutions. Nearly all elements of the proposed solutions exist already, albeit in a fragmented way. These solutions are based on law and on technology, and are formulated to apply in both the analogue and digital worlds. The thesis concludes that for an effective solution of the problems raised by digital technology, an international standard for copyright protection must be adopted, one apposite for the digital world. The thesis puts forward detailed suggestions towards the adoption of an International Digital Copyright Protection System, in the form of definitional, obligational, conflict of laws and technological proposals, whose common denominator is the will to find new answers for the digital challenges. The definitional proposals will clarify conceptual questions arising from the digital revolution. The obligational proposals will regulate the issue of exemptions from liability and duties of Internet service providers. The conflict of laws proposals will address the problems arising in connection with jurisdiction and applicable law on the Internet. The technological proposals will give practical effect to the system by focusing on deterrence and tracing of copyright infringement.

Scholarly research is the sum of diverse activities and leads to the dissemination of a large amount of material. Traditional approaches to exploring and becoming proficient within an esoteric research field rely on slow and sometimes ineffective discourse, and depend more on a scholar's detective skill, effort, and perseverance. However, the Web has introduced the potential for improved accessibility, interconnectivity, and more efficient and effective communication; we are becoming e-Scholars. Current efforts on the Web have focussed mainly on improving the accessibility of on-line research material and as a result, researchers have yet to realise the full implications of the new medium. Consequently, the emphasis must shift to improving and enhancing access to scholarly material; this research proposes a novel approach by presenting researchers with the facility to comprehensively, extensively, and rationally explore their research field and ask intricate questions about it and the individual facts and issues raised by it. This is realised through the integration of principles from the hypertext, Semantic Web, and digital library fields to interconnect and analyse all scholarly material in the academic domain. The e-Scholar Knowledge Inference Model (ESKIMO) demonstrates the approach and provides a platform for evaluation and further research.

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