Applied Epistemology and Understanding in Information Studies

Introduction. Applied epistemology allows information studies to benefit from developments in philosophy. In information studies, epistemic concepts are rarely considered in detail. This paper offers a review of several epistemic concepts, focusing on understanding, as a call for further work in applied epistemology in information studies. Method. A hermeneutic literature review was conducted on epistemic concepts in information studies and philosophy. Relevant research was retrieved and reviewed iteratively as the research area was refined. Analysis. A conceptual analysis was conducted to determine the nature and relationships of the concepts surveyed, with an eye toward synthesizing conceptualizations of understanding and opening future research directions. Results. The epistemic aim of understanding is emerging as a key research frontier for information studies. Two modes of understanding (hermeneutic and epistemological) were brought into a common framework. Conclusions. Research on understanding in information studies will further naturalistic information research and provide coherence to several strands of philosophic thought

Ethical Issues In Digitization Of Cultural Heritage

The growing number of case studies on the ethical issues faced in cultural heritage digitization calls for a discussion of this generally neglected dimension of digitization. The importance of the ethical dimension is also supported by implicit and explicit assumptions that well-established approaches to ethics in archives, libraries, and museums do not work with digitization. The aim of this paper is to determine what ethical issues arise in cultural heritage digitization and how they affect methods of decision-making and organizing digitization. The paper identifies and discusses several areas of concern that have caused ethical issues in digitization. They include contextual factors, such as the emergence of digital community archives that have stimulated changes in approaches to digitization in memory institutions; new ways of organizing digitization activities, such as introducing new funding models; and specific features of digital content, such as ease of sharing and manipulation of digital content and online engagement with heritage items in a global digital environment. Biases in selection and interpretation, access, privacy, online engagement with heritage content, and authenticity were identified. It is concluded that ethical issues in digitization encouraged a deeper understanding of memory institutions’ roles in higher level social processes. These changes have shifted the focus of digitization from heritage objects to people who create, own, or use them, or who are their subjects. Memory institutions increasingly realize that digital technologies can have both inclusive and exclusive effects on heritage services and practice participatory approaches to ethical decision-making. The paper recognizes the challenges in realizing the idea of participatory and empathetic institutions as well as managing digitization in terms of organization, time, and costs

AN ASSESSMENT INTO INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS AMONG FINE AND APPLIED ARTS UNDERGRADUATES IN SOUTH-EAST FEDERAL UNIVERSITIES IN NIGERIA

The study aims to investigate Information Literacy Skills among Fine and Applied Arts Undergraduate Students in South-East Federal Universities, Nigeria. It is understandable that many undergraduate students including those in fine and applied art department need information literacy skills in order to progress academically. The study is worth of investigation because information literacy is gateway for laudable academic achievement especially among those for art creativity or abstract representation into real life symbols. Therefore, there is need to employ balance means or strategy in gaining information literacy which would earn undergraduate students of fine and applied arts a favourable landing in their field of study. It is to this obvious needs that information literacy skills among fine and applied arts undergraduates in South-East Federal universities, Nigeria has merit of examination

Influencia del paradigma tecnológico en la organización de la información

A technological paradigm supports the so called information society. Starting with an approximation to the informational reality, the presence of such paradigm in the development of the theory and practice of Information Science is exposed. A characterization is made on the influence of such paradigm at a sub disciplinary level in the organization of the information. The meaning of the social and cognitive dimension in the conception of the Web semantics is emphasized, in the present technological context

Understanding the library as a commemorative exhibition space

This research responds to calls to further our understanding of exhibitions in the library context (Rogatchevskaia, 2018; Fouracre, 2015) by exploring the significance of a commemorative exhibition staged in a public library. Employing a qualitative methodology, it centres on the ‘Goodbye Dublin: The War of Independence in the City’ commemorative exhibition, staged by Dublin City Pearse Street Library, between August 14th and October 31st, 2019. The findings show that the commemorative nature of the exhibition appealed to a variety of new, lapsed and frequent library users, connecting with Irish and non-Irish residents, as well as tourists visiting the city. In this regard, the exhibition was effective in its objective of appealing to a new and wide-ranging audience, however, the findings underline the need for more diverse and varied marketing, if this aim is to be entirely successful. The staging of the exhibition as an active authoring and articulation of the past by the library is highlighted, and the use of multimedia is seen to transform the library into an emotionally charged, dynamic and multisensory space. This facilitates an immersive encounter, involving interplays between the exhibition narratives and visitors’ personal memories and interests. This offers different ways for visitors to engage with the library, inspiring them to find new meanings, explore issues of personal, collective and national identities, and to reassess contemporary events. Overall, the research makes an important contribution by highlighting the complexity and importance of commemorative exhibitions in the context of public libraries

“Se alzi un muro, pensa a ciò che resta fuori!”: le discipline del libro e del documento e la cultura digitale in Italia

È stato mostrato da parte di vari studiosi come le scienze del libro e del documento (Library and information science, LIS) e la cultura digitale (o Digital humanities, DH) abbiano alcuni importanti punti di contatto che non si fermano ai vari temi di interesse comune e agli intenti condivisi. Data la loro forte componente ‘pratica’, sia le scienze del libro e del documento sia le digital humanities condividono una condizione, non sempre risolta, a metà tra la disciplina accademica a sé stante e il supporto alla ricerca per altri settori scientifici; partendo dalla teoria del caos delle discipline formulata da Andrew Abbott, in particolare, la natura della LIS è stata definita ‘interstiziale’, tendente cioè a occupare spazi tra altre aree scientifiche, caratteristica da cui deriva la difficoltà di definire con esattezza l’identità del campo di studio. Purtroppo, soprattutto in Italia l’applicazione di schemi talvolta troppo rigidi di definizione dei singoli settori disciplinari nelle procedure valutative per l’assegnazione dei fondi di ricerca e l’avanzamento nella carriera rischiano di penalizzare aree con confini sfumati come la LIS e le DH. I numerosi elementi in comune esistenti e il fatto che molti progetti di Digital humanities avvengono e coinvolgono archivi e biblioteche fanno ipotizzare la possibilità di una maggiore sinergia tra le due discipline da cui attingere nuove forze e nuovi spunti per entrambi i campi