92,636 research outputs found
Digital aging in romanian public libraries
In the past years, libraries have become vibrant community places where people
of all ages and from all social strata access technology in order to solve personal
problems and live better lives. Since 2009 the Progress Foundation works with
public libraries across Romania in order to introduce Digital Storytelling (DS) as
a permanent library service, to train librarians and library users in this
methodology, especially senior citizens and third sector organization
representatives, working with vulnerable citizens.
However, DS in libraries is not a new activity. Conrad (2013) examines the way
in which storytelling can contribute to the documentation of local history, while
some research has been carried out already on why participants in DS workshops
carried out in Romanian libraries choose to tell a certain story (Crisan and
Dunford, 2014).
The initial format of the DS workshop has been changed by the Romanian
librarians based on the first round of implementation, the feedback from the
elderly participants and by comparison with how other partners implement their
DS workshops. This has led us to putting together a lessons learned document
emphasizing what we have done right, and what needed change for future
implementation. These lessons and the path that lead us to changes in facilitation
techniques and in the quality of the stories will be the focus of our presentation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
We are archivists, but are we OK?
Purpose â The purpose of this paper is to show that the digital
environment of the early twenty-first century is forcing the information
sciences to revisit practices and precepts built around paper and physical
objects over centuries. The training of archivists, records managers,
librarians and museum curators has had to accommodate this new reality.
Often the response has been to superimpose a digital overlay on existing
curricula. A few have taken a radical approach by scrutinising the
fundamentals of the professions and the ontologies of the materials they
handle.
Design/methodology/approach â The article explores a wide range of the
issues exposed by this critique through critical analysis of ideas and
published literature.
Findings â The authors challenge archive and records management educators
to align their curricula with contemporary need and to recognise that
partnership with other professionals, particularly in the area of
technology, is essential.
Practical implications â The present generation owe it to future
generations of archivists and records managers to ensure that the
education that they get to prepare them for professional life is
forward-looking in the same way.
Originality/value â This paper aims to raise awareness of the educational
needs of twenty-first century archives and records professionals
Towards personalization in digital libraries through ontologies
In this paper we describe a browsing and searching personalization system for digital libraries based on the use of ontologies for describing the relationships between all the
elements which take part in a digital library scenario of use. The main goal of this project is to help the users of a digital library to improve their experience of use by means of two complementary strategies: first, by maintaining a complete history record of his or her browsing and searching activities, which is part of a navigational user profile which includes preferences and all the aspects related to community involvement; and second, by reusing all the knowledge which has been extracted from previous usage from other users with similar profiles. This can be accomplished in terms of narrowing and focusing the search results and browsing options through the use of a recommendation system which organizes such results in the most appropriate manner, using ontologies and concepts drawn from the semantic web field. The complete integration of the experience of use of a digital library in the learning process is also pursued. Both the usage and information organization can be also exploited to extract useful knowledge from the way users interact with a digital library, knowledge that can be used to improve several design aspects of the library, ranging from internal organization aspects to human factors and user interfaces. Although this project is still on an early development stage, it is possible to identify all the desired functionalities and requirements that are necessary to fully integrate the use of a digital library in an e-learning environment
Evaluation of SCRAN subscription to Scottish public libraries
This report commissioned by the Scottish Library and Information Council evaluates the year-long Scottish Executive-funded project to give all public libraries in Scotland access to the SCRAN service. The implementation of the project was supported by a Project Steering Group with both SLIC and SCRAN representation, and a wider steering group with membership from Heads of Service, Scottish Executive, and SCRAN and chaired by Elaine Fulton of SLIC
Merging Special Collections with GIS Technology to Enhance the User Experience
This analysis evaluates how PhillyHistory.org merged their unique special collection materials with geospatial-based progressive technology to challenge and educate the global community. A new generation of technologically savvy researchers has emerged that expect a more enhanced user experience than earlier generations. To meet these needs, collection managers are collaborating with community and local institutions to increase online access to materials; mixing best metadata practices with custom elements to create map mashups; and merging progressive GIS technology and geospatial based applications with their collections to enhance the user experience. The PhillyHistory.org website was analyzed to explore how they used various geospatial technology to create a new type of digital content management system based on geographical information and make their collections accessible via online software and mobile applications
- âŠ