A Digital Library for Research Data and Related Information in the Social Sciences

In the social sciences, researchers search for information on the Web, but this is most often distributed on different websites, search portals, digital libraries, data archives, and databases. In this work, we present an integrated search system for social science information that allows finding information around research data in a single digital library. Users can search for research data sets, publications, survey variables, questions from questionnaires, survey instruments, and tools. Information items are linked to each other so that users can see, for example, which publications contain data citations to research data. The integration and linking of different kinds of information increase their visibility so that it is easier for researchers to find information for re-use. In a log-based usage study, we found that users search across different information types, that search sessions contain a high rate of positive signals and that link information is often explored

Strategic Information Access Tools for Dissemination of Information in Academic Libraries in a Digital Era in Nigeria.

This study examines strategic information access tools for dissemination of information in academic libraries in a digital era in Nigeria, using the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Library, Abia State, as a case study. The study was guided by four (4) specific research objectives. The descriptive survey design was adopted with a population of forty-six (46) library staff; comprising academic librarians, para-professional staff and library assistants. The complete census sampling technique was used due to the size of the population. A-4 point structured questionnaire with closed-ended questions was adopted to generate data for the study, and out of the forty-six (46) copies of the questionnaire distributed, 43 copies representing 96% were completed and retrieved with valid information. The data collected were analysed using the descriptive statistics to determine the mean scores and frequency counts in accordance with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM-SPSS Version 23). The criterion mean of 2.50 was used to ascertain the level of agreement or disagreement in each case. The finding reveals that strategic information access tools for dissemination of information in academic libraries in a digital era include: library catalogue, indexes, abstracts, bibliographies, Internet search engines, online databases/CD-ROMs, etc. It also reveals that strategic information access tools assist in the acquisition of information resources, the speed of disseminating information, promote accuracy in the dissemination of information, enhances effective management of information resources, and facilitates convenience in the dissemination of information. The findings also points out that inadequate trained staff to handle technical services, lack of current digital information access tools such as: OPAC, MARC 21, Dublin Core, etc., inadequate computers and related ICT facilities, epileptic power supply, poor Internet connectivity, etc. are the problems confronting strategic information access tools for dissemination of information. Based on the findings of this study, some measures such as: adequate training of staff on technical services, including ICT training on how to handle web-based access tools; provision of adequate funding to academic libraries, provision of adequate functional computers and related facilities, provision of effective internet connectivity, provision of constant power supply in academic libraries, etc., were recommended. Finally, this study concludes that academic libraries and librarians need to rise up to their responsibilities by ensuring that strategic information access tools are not only acquired but effectively put to use, through improved skills, in order to enhance timely dissemination of information to users

Piloting access to the Belgian web-archive for scientific research: a methodological exploration

The web is fraught with contradiction. On the one hand, the web has become a central means of information in everyday life and therefore holds the primary sources of our history created by a large variety of people (Milligan, 2016; Winters, 2017). Yet, much less importance is attached to its preservation, meaning that potentially interesting sources for future (humanities) research are lost. Web archiving therefore is a direct result of the computational turn and has a role to play in knowledge production and dissemination as demonstrated by a number of publications (e.g. Brügger & Schroeder, 2017) and research initiatives related to the research use of web archives (e.g. https://resaw.eu/). However, conducting research, and answering research questions based on web archives - in short; ‘using web archives as a data resource for digital scholars’ (Vlassenroot et al., 2019) - demonstrates that this so-called ‘computational turn’ in humanities and social sciences (i.e. the increased incorporation of advanced computational research methods and large datasets into disciplines which have traditionally dealt with considerably more limited collections of evidence), indeed requires new skills and new software. In December 2016, a pilot web-archiving project called PROMISE (PReserving Online Multiple Information: towards a Belgian StratEgy) was funded. The aim of the project was to (i) identify current best practices in web-archiving and apply them to the Belgian context, (ii) pilot Belgian web-archiving, (iii) pilot access (and use) of the pilot Belgian web archive for scientific research, and (iv) make recommendations for a sustainable web-archiving service for Belgium. Now the project is moving towards its final stages, the project team is focusing on the third objective of the project, namely how pilot access to the Belgian web archive for scientific research. The aim of this presentation is to discuss how the PROMISE team approached piloting access to the Belgian web-archive for scientific research, including: a) reviewing how existing web-archives provide access to their collections for research, b) assessing the needs of researchers based on a range of initiatives focussing on research-use of web-archives (e.g. RESAW, BUDDAH, WARCnet, IIPC Research Working Group, etc. and c) exploring how the five persona’s created as part of the French National Library’s Corpus project (Moiraghi, 2018) could help us to explore how different types of academic researchers that might use web archives in their research. Finally, we will introduce the emerging Digital Research Lab at the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR) as part of a long-term collaboration with the Ghent Centre for Digital Humanities (GhentCDH) which aims to facilitate data-level access to KBR’s digitised and born-digital collections and could potentially provide the solution for offering research access to the Belgian web-archive

ETHNOGRAPHY AND PHENOMENOLOGY APPLIED TO GAME RESEARCH: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

Ethnography and Phenomenology are qualitative research methods, frequently adopted in the field of social and human sciences and also in the field of human computer interaction, but not in game research. In order to identify how computer science research uses and adapts phenomenological and ethnographic methods to the context of games, we proceeded a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) in papers published between 2015 and 2016 at ACM Digital Library and also at Proceedings of SBGames. There were two search strings: (ethnograph* and game) and (phenomenolog* and game) . The initial search returned 140 scientific articles for phenomenology and 425 for ethnography that, after applying the search filters and the inclu- sion criteria, were reduced to 6 articles related to phenomenology and 17 to ethnography. This SLR process provided information about research goals and reasons for choosing the method, samples size, target public, research duration, procedures applied for data collection and data analysis. We highlight that articles reporting similar research were not found in the literature. Considering the relevance of qualitative research methods for research in which the focus is on the human factor (which includes some studies in the field of games) the results of this work can contribute for the understanding of how the methods of phenomenology and ethnography can be applied. Consequently, game researchers know when they can choose each method to improve the methodological approach, the conduction of data collection of their studies and finally, the reliability of the results of their work

Exploring Regional Development of Digital Humanities Research: A Case Study for Taiwan

This study analyzed references and source papers of the Proceedings of 2009-2012 International Conference of Digital Archives and Digital Humanities (DADH), which was held annually in Taiwan. A total of 59 sources and 1,104 references were investigated, based on descriptive analysis and subject analysis of library practices on cataloguing. Preliminary results showed historical materials, events, bureaucracies, and people of Taiwan and China in the Qing Dynasty were the major subjects in the tempo-spatial dimensions. The subject-date figure depicted a long-low head and short-high tail curve, which demonstrated both characteristics of research of humanities and application of technology in digital humanities. The dates of publication of the references spanned over 360 years, which shows a long time span in research materials. A majority of the papers (61.41%) were single-authored, which is in line with the common research practice in the humanities. Books published by general publishers were the major type of references, and this was the same as that of established humanities research. The next step of this study will focus on the comparison of characteristics of both sources and references of international journals with those reported in this article.Comment: 25 pages, 10 tables, 5 figure

Research Data Management and the Canadian Academic Library: An Organizational Consideration of Data Management and Data Stewardship

Research data management (RDM) has become a professional imperative for Canada’s academic librarians. Recent policy considerations by our national research funding agencies that address the ability of Canadian universities to effectively manage the massive amounts of research data they now create has helped library and university administrators recognize this gap in the research enterprise and identify RDM as a solution. RDM is not new to libraries, though. Rather, it draws on existing and evolving organizational functions in order to improve data collection, access, use, and preservation. A successful research data management service requires the skills and knowledge found in a library’s research liaisons, collections experts, policy analysts, IT experts, archivists and preservationists. Like the library, research data management is not singular but multi-faceted. It requires collaboration, technology and policy analysis skills, and project management acumen. This paper examines research data management as a vital information, technical, and policy service in academic libraries today. It situates RDM not only as actions and services but also as a suite of responsibilities that require a high level of planning, collaboration, and judgment, thereby binding people to practice. It shows how RDM aligns with the skill sets and competencies of librarianship and illustrates how RDM spans the library’s organizational structure and intersects with campus stakeholders allied in the research enterprise

Introduction : user studies for digital library development

Introductory chapter to the edited collection on user studies in digital library development. Contains a general introduction to the topic and biographical sketches of the contributors.peer-reviewe

The University Digital Library as a Center for Increasing the Digital Competences of Students

This paper aims to outline the advantages of increasing the quality of education at the University by describing some important organizational approaches and methodological guidelines for the development of digital competences among students. The study focuses on the level of digital (library) competencies among students and their need to use scientific information sources in the University Library. A survey was conducted using the direct individual inquiry method through a pre-designed questionnaire comprising 20 questions. The statistical apparatus includes statistical methods - frequency, mean value and confidence level – 95 %. The survey results suggest that in today's digital society it is particularly important for the Library to become an information-communicative center for improving the students' skills by using the rich collection of information and digital resources and increasing the quality of education and training at the University. The presented study seeks to offer new approaches and ways to motivate students toward effective use of digital information and of new tools for working in the digital environment

Analysis and Synthesis of Metadata Goals for Scientific Data

The proliferation of discipline-specific metadata schemes contributes to artificial barriers that can impede interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research. The authors considered this problem by examining the domains, objectives, and architectures of nine metadata schemes used to document scientific data in the physical, life, and social sciences. They used a mixed-methods content analysis and Greenberg’s (2005) metadata objectives, principles, domains, and architectural layout (MODAL) framework, and derived 22 metadata-related goals from textual content describing each metadata scheme. Relationships are identified between the domains (e.g., scientific discipline and type of data) and the categories of scheme objectives. For each strong correlation (\u3e0.6), a Fisher’s exact test for nonparametric data was used to determine significance (p \u3c .05). Significant relationships were found between the domains and objectives of the schemes. Schemes describing observational data are more likely to have “scheme harmonization” (compatibility and interoperability with related schemes) as an objective; schemes with the objective “abstraction” (a conceptual model exists separate from the technical implementation) also have the objective “sufficiency” (the scheme defines a minimal amount of information to meet the needs of the community); and schemes with the objective “data publication” do not have the objective “element refinement.” The analysis indicates that many metadata-driven goals expressed by communities are independent of scientific discipline or the type of data, although they are constrained by historical community practices and workflows as well as the technological environment at the time of scheme creation. The analysis reveals 11 fundamental metadata goals for metadata documenting scientific data in support of sharing research data across disciplines and domains. The authors report these results and highlight the need for more metadata-related research, particularly in the context of recent funding agency policy changes

Transformative Effects of NDIIPP, the Case of the Henry A. Murray Archive

This article comprises reflections on the changes to the Henry A. Murray Research Archive, catalyzed by involvement with the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP) partnership, and the accompanying introduction of next generation digital library software. Founded in 1976 at Radcliffe, the Henry A. Murray Research Archive is the endowed, permanent repository for quantitative and qualitative research data at the Institute for Quantitative Social Science, in Harvard University. The Murray preserves in perpetuity all types of data of interest to the research community, including numerical, video, audio, interview notes, and other types. The center is unique among data archives in the United States in the extent of its holdings in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed quantitativequalitative research. The Murray took part in an NDIIPP-funded collaboration with four other archival partners, Data-PASS, for the purpose of the identification and acquisition of data at risk, and the joint development of best practices with respect to shared stewardship, preservation, and exchange of these data. During this time, the Dataverse Network (DVN) software was introduced, facilitating the creation of virtual archives. The combination of institutional collaboration and new technology lead the Murray to re-engineer its entire acquisition process; completely rewrite its ingest, dissemination, and other licensing agreements; and adopt a new model for ingest, discovery, access, and presentation of its collections. Through the Data-PASS project, the Murray has acquired a number of important data collections. The resulting changes within the Murray have been dramatic, including increasing its overall rate of acquisitions by fourfold; and disseminating acquisitions far more rapidly. Furthermore, the new licensing and processing procedures allow a previously undreamed of level of interoperability and collaboration with partner archives, facilitating integrated discovery and presentation services, and joint stewardship of collections.published or submitted for publicatio