Ward Manor: Care for the Elderly and Digital Memory

The Bard College campus dormitory known as Ward Manor has a rich and fascinating history. Using ethnographic research and multimodal methodology, this study has revealed a heretofore unknown story of the residents who lived out their lives in a collective residential community and are buried in the Ward Manor Cemetery. The story of this facility is explored as part of a more significant social and philanthropic endeavor within the United States in the early twentieth century. No longer forgotten, this critical aspect of Bard College is brought to life through this research

The Family Name as Socio-Cultural Feature and Genetic Metaphor: From Concepts to Methods

A recent workshop entitled The Family Name as Socio-Cultural Feature and Genetic Metaphor: From Concepts to Methods was held in Paris in December 2010, sponsored by the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and by the journal Human Biology. This workshop was intended to foster a debate on questions related to the family names and to compare different multidisciplinary approaches involving geneticists, historians, geographers, sociologists and social anthropologists. This collective paper presents a collection of selected communications

CLICS² An Improved Database of Cross-Linguistic Colexifications : Assembling Lexical Data with the Help of Cross-Linguistic Data Formats

International audienceThe Database of Cross-Linguistic Colexifications (CLICS), has established a computer-assisted framework for the interactive representation of cross-linguistic colexification patterns. In its current form, it has proven to be a useful tool for various kinds of investigation into cross-linguistic semantic associations , ranging from studies on semantic change, patterns of conceptualization, and linguistic pale-ontology. But CLICS has also been criticized for obvious shortcomings, ranging from the underlying dataset, which still contains many errors, up to the limits of cross-linguistic colexification studies in general. Building on recent standardization efforts reflected in the Cross-Linguistic Data Formats initiative (CLDF) and novel approaches for fast, efficient, and reliable data aggregation, we have created a new database for cross-linguistic colexifications, which not only supersedes the original CLICS database in terms of coverage but also offers a much more principled procedure for the creation, curation and aggregation of datasets. The paper presents the new database and discusses its major features

Users' Perceptions on Searching, Locating, and Accessing Dispersed Materials in Archival Institutions

This study describes a semi-structured interviews of professional researchers located in the North Carolina area. This study evaluates the personal experiences and information seeking behaviors of researchers working with materials dispersed across multiple physical and digital locations. The survey was conducted to determine the strategies researchers use to identify and access all material relevant to their research questions, even if the materials are dispersed across different archival institutions.Master of Science in Library Scienc

Using Digital Mapping Techniques to Rapidly Document Vulnerable Historical Landscapes in Coastal Louisiana: Holt Cemetery Case Study

This thesis outlines a technique for rapid documentation of historic sites in volatile cultural landscapes. Using Holt Cemetery as an exemplary case study, a workflow was developed incorporating RTK terrain survey, UAS aerial imagery, photogrammetry, GIS, and smartphone data collection in order to create a multifaceted database of the material and spatial conditions, as well as the patterns of use, that exist at the cemetery. The purpose of this research is to create a framework for improving the speed of data creation and increasing the accessibility of information regarding threatened cultural resources. It is intended that these processes can be scaled and adapted for use at any site, and that the products generated can be utilized by researchers, resource management professionals, and preservationists. In utilizing expedited methods, this thesis specifically advocates for documentation of sites that exist in coastal environments and are facing imminent destruction due to environmental degradation