Are e-readers suitable tools for scholarly work?

This paper aims to offer insights into the usability, acceptance and limitations of e-readers with regard to the specific requirements of scholarly text work. To fit into the academic workflow non-linear reading, bookmarking, commenting, extracting text or the integration of non-textual elements must be supported. A group of social science students were questioned about their experiences with electronic publications for study purposes. This same group executed several text-related tasks with the digitized material presented to them in two different file formats on four different e-readers. Their performances were subsequently evaluated by means of frequency analyses in detail. Findings - e-Publications have made advances in the academic world; however e-readers do not yet fit seamlessly into the established chain of scholarly text-processing focusing on how readers use material during and after reading. Our tests revealed major deficiencies in these techniques. With a small number of participants (n=26) qualitative insights can be obtained, not representative results. Further testing with participants from various disciplines and of varying academic status is required to arrive at more broadly applicable results. Practical implications - Our test results help to optimize file conversion routines for scholarly texts. We evaluated our data on the basis of descriptive statistics and abstained from any statistical significance test. The usability test of e-readers in a scientific context aligns with both studies on the prevalence of e-books in the sciences and technical test reports of portable reading devices. Still, it takes a distinctive angle in focusing on the characteristics and procedures of textual work in the social sciences and measures the usability of e-readers and file-features against these standards.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Online Information Revie

Shifting Paradigms: Innovations in Teaching History in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

In the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, characterized by rapid technological advancements and widespread digitization, this paper delves into the evolving paradigms of historical education. Traditional teaching methods are becoming obsolete, given the tech-savvy nature of current learners. This study explores innovative pedagogical approaches that integrate technology, catering to the unique needs of this generation. By reviewing contemporary literature and gathering expert insights, we offer an overview of emerging trends in historical education. Notably, technology is poised to redefine how history is learned. Modern learners gravitate towards boundary-less learning experiences, enabled by resources like ebooks, ICT-based apps, websites, android platforms, VR, and virtual tours. To stay relevant, a significant shift in historical education is imperative. This paper concludes by emphasizing the profound implications of this transition and proposes actionable recommendations for educators and policymakers

Don’t Throw Out Paper And Pens Yet: On The Reading Habits Of Students

This paper focuses on students’ reading habits — whether traditional reading habits (print books) or modern reading habits (using a computer screen). We review the changes in students’ reading habits over time, as part of other global changes, and explore whether corresponding digital pedagogies have evolved to address these changes. We examine generation Y students’ motivations and study habits, a generation that shows indications of changes in its academic values and priorities, and cracks in its research skills for a global world. We focus on a case study of the reading habits of students in one academic institution and discuss the implications of the findings for academic teaching and the academia’s traditional role of training researchers.

Take Me Out: Space and Place in Library Interactions

Information interactions are strongly affected by the place where they occur. Specific locations are ofen associated with searches on particular topics, and individual users perform different tasks in habituated places. A classic example of habituated space is the commuter who regularly reads the news on the train. This paper investigates these associations through four user studies that examine different uses of place in information interaction. Through this, we reveal the ways in which the location of information interactions makes them effective or ineffective. This extends our interpretation of the role of place in information interaction beyond established foci such as location-based search

Transmedia Storytelling for the Digital Generation: A Guide for Self-Publication with the Adobe® Digital Publishing Suite.

Despite educational reforms, the annual results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress continue to indicate that the majority of American fourth-graders struggle to master the crucial skill of reading. In the last decade, the percentage of students who read at or above a proficient level hovers around 30 percent, which draws attention to the fact that the academic institutions may not be fully to blame for the decline of reading competency (NAEP, 2011). The real reason for the incompetency could be attributed to the amount of time that children spend reading as average fourth-graders spend less than two hours a week reading (Juster, Ono, & Stafford, 2004, p. 11). This Digital Generation lives in a world full of distractions in which reading cannot compete. Although the American educational system is stressing reading instruction, children are not putting what they are learning into practice outside of school. Instead of reading, children immerse themselves into the world of interactive digital media and electronic devices. If children do not increase the time they spend reading, their proficiency will not improve. To revive reading within the Digital Generation, authors of children’s literature may need to reevaluate their role in the literacy problem because their traditional print-form content appears to be unsuccessful in reaching their young audience. To create reading material that children are eager to read, authors need to produce content in a format that will entice a response from the newest generation. One way children’s authors can accomplish this is by publishing transmedia storytelling ecosystems. By combining storytelling with digital media to meet the modern literary needs of today\u27s children reading proficiency should begin to improve, along with a renewed interest in literature. This research provides insight into today’s “digital children” and suggests a methodology for creating transmedia literature using the Adobe® Digital Publishing Suite

The Official Student Newspaper of UAS

Editorial / Whalesong Staff -- Study Abroad: Seville, Spain -- UAS In Brief / Alt-Textbooks at UAS -- Git Hayetsk First Performance in Juneau at UAS -- Developmental Classes Endemic / Interview with Alfie Price -- Cutting a Rug for a Cause -- College of Education on the Horizon -- Bloody April -- "Power Rangers:" Same Cheese, Different Decade -- Lt. Kris Sell on the Year of Kindness -- Calendar and Comics

EBSLG Annual General Conference, 18. - 21.05.2010, Cologne. Selected papers

Am 18.-21. Mai 2010 fand in der Universitäts- und Stadtbibliothek (USB) Köln die „Annual General Conference“ der European Business Schools Librarians Group (EBSLG) statt. Die EBSLG ist eine relativ kleine, aber exklusive Gruppe von Bibliotheksdirektorinnen und –direktoren bzw. Bibliothekarinnen und Bibliothekaren in Leitungspositionen aus den Bibliotheken führender Business Schools. Im Mittelpunkt der Tagung standen zwei Themenschwerpunkte: Der erste Themenkreis beschäftigte sich mit Bibliotheksportalen und bibliothekarischen Suchmaschinen. Der zweite Themenschwerpunkt Fragen der Bibliotheksorganisation wie die Aufbauorganisation einer Bibliothek, Outsourcing und Relationship Management. Der vorliegende Tagungsband enthält ausgewählte Tagungsbeiträge