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

Digitalization of revenue mobilization in an emerging economy: the new Institutional Theory perspective

This study sought to explore how the institutional environment comprising regulative, normative, and cognitive factors influences the use of technology in revenue mobilization in the public sector of an emerging economy. The study used the new institutional theory as a theoretical lens and a qualitative case study as a methodological stance. Data was collected from the agency in charge of revenue mobilization in the developing economy through interviews. The study established that regulative, normative and cognitive factors influence the digitalization of revenue mobilization. With regards to the regulative pillar, it was revealed that legislation for a revenue authority with a focus on digitalization, legislation for taxpayer identification and legislation for electronic transactions were laws that governed the use of the system and played essential roles in ensuring that the system was used effectively to fully realize its benefits. The cognitive pillar, on the other hand, revealed some challenges faced with the implementation and use of the digital system. The study contributes to the literature on the digitalization of revenue mobilization, which has arguably seen very few studies conducted in Africa, especially in Ghana, hence calling for more future studies on the use of e-revenue systems in developing economies

Digitalization of revenue mobilization in an emerging economy: the new Institutional Theory perspective

This study sought to explore how the institutional environment comprising regulative, normative, and cognitive factors influences the use of technology in revenue mobilization in the public sector of an emerging economy. The study used the new institutional theory as a theoretical lens and a qualitative case study as a methodological stance. Data was collected from the agency in charge of revenue mobilization in the developing economy through interviews. The study established that regulative, normative and cognitive factors influence the digitalization of revenue mobilization. With regards to the regulative pillar, it was revealed that legislation for a revenue authority with a focus on digitalization, legislation for taxpayer identification and legislation for electronic transactions were laws that governed the use of the system and played essential roles in ensuring that the system was used effectively to fully realize its benefits. The cognitive pillar, on the other hand, revealed some challenges faced with the implementation and use of the digital system. The study contributes to the literature on the digitalization of revenue mobilization, which has arguably seen very few studies conducted in Africa, especially in Ghana, hence calling for more future studies on the use of e-revenue systems in developing economies

Assessing digital library effectiveness of selected Iranian Universities / Ismail Samadi and Mohamad Noorman Masrek.

Given that digital libraries (DL) have been implemented in most Iranian universities and academic higher learning institutions, knowledge regarding users’ usage behaviour is still very limited. Not much is really known about the extent users; especially students exploit the DL for the purpose of enhancing their performance and productivity. Similarly, little is really known about the factors that shape Iranian students’ DL usage behavior from users’ lenses. To this effect, this study is aimed to investigate the usage behavior of users in a DL environment in selected Iranian universities. In addition, it is also aimed at investigating the determinants of DL usage behavior. The study used the survey research methodology and questionnaire as the tool for collecting data. A total of 750 valid responses was analyzed to test the developed hypotheses and the findings suggest that information quality, systems quality and service quality are significant predictor of DL usage. In addition, DL usage was found to have significant impact on personal sense of accomplishment, satisfaction and talks productivity. The contribution of the study can viewed from both theoretical and practical perspectives. From the theoretical viewpoint, it has developed an empirical based framework depicting the determinants and impacts of DL use. From the practical viewpoint, the developed instrument can be used to gauge the performance of the DL

Social media and journalism: how twitter impacts news coverage in Kenya

Twitter had been extensively adopted by the public, journalists, and news organizations as a new digital tool for disseminating information. Therefore, if Twitter is considered a new and effective way of gathering information that makes up news content, an investigation on how it impacts news coverage, journalists, and newsroom practices is significant. The present study conducted said investigation and came up with findings that significantly contributed to the available information about the relationship between Twitter and news dissemination. It particularly investigated how Twitter impacts news content and coverage, journalistic routines, and newsroom practices in Kenya. This study draws its data from a review of journalists from four major media organizations in Kenya. The results suggest that Twitter has had a significant impact on both news content and coverage and journalistic routine. However, the platform was found to not have a significant impact on newsroom practices. Further explanation of the results is provided in the document

Mapping the Evolving Intellectual Structure of Digital Innovation Research on the Public Sector: a Document Co-citation Analysis

This paper uses document co-citation analysis (DCA) to explore the underlying and evolving structure of research on digital innovation (DI) in the public sector. As such, the DCA examines (1) what streams of scientific literature have been used in scholarly practices of citation in the study of innovation in the domain of e-government; (2) which are the central documents in the identified research streams and; (3) whether the emerging academic contributions around DI has had an impact on this field of research. Through the DCA of 1082 peer-reviewed papers three clusters of citation are identified, mapped, and categorized as: E-government diffusion and effects; Technology acceptance and adoption; and Digital innovation and infrastructures. The first two clusters are found to be tightly coupled while the last is found to currently be infrequently connected to either clusters. Implications for research and practice are presented and discusse

CROWDSOURCING AS A MOBILE SERVICE - CASE STUDY: PUBLISHING PHOTOGRAPHY

Crowdsourcing- a method for companies to utilize the power of the crowd through internet-based platforms- is a relatively new phenomenon. When offered as a mobile service, crowdsourcing transcends the spatial, temporal and contextual barriers of traditional job requirements, offering an ubiquitous service and access, and providing a suite of both utilitarian and hedonic functions. IS literature indicates that users? extrinsic motivation is a stronger determinant to use utilitarian systems, while intrinsic motivation is a stronger determinant for hedonic systems. However, when the crowdsourced service, such as photography, is both hedonic and utilitarian by nature, users? perceptions of the service are unclear. Earlier research reports mixed results: while some studies suggest that tangible rewards can have an impact on the intrinsic motivation, other studies suggest the opposite. Hence, our study focuses on how the users perceive mobile crowdsourcing services, what motivates them to participate, and how the financial reward affects their intention to participate. In this paper, we outline an ongoing study of a company in Finnish publishing industry crowdsourcing photography. After interviews with the company executives, we will next conduct a series of interviews with the users, and finally, conduct a quasi-experiment to test the developed theoretical model

Conceptual and Adoption of Technology Acceptance Model in Digital Information Resources Usage by Undergraduates: Implication to Higher Institutions Education in Delta and Edo of Nigeria

The article paper was on conceptual and theoretical framework of digital information resources usage by undergraduates: Implication to higher institutions education in Delta and Edo of Nigeria.. It revealed the concept of digital information resources and model theory that related to the study. Finding shows that DIRs are use to low extent in all the university libraries.  The finding also shows   negligence on the part of university management of Federal University of Petroleum Resources Library that have no digital information resources at all. Another findings showed that constraints to students effective use of Digital Information Resources in the University Libraries are epileptic power supply;   non-availability of online databases; inadequate number of computers to access digital information resources; inadequate bandwidth; Network problems; lack of skill to access digital information resources in local and foreign databases; Lack of formal training on internet use; Server slowness and frequent breakdown of digital resources. The implications to higher institutions education in Delta and Edo States include: It has been empirically proved that three university libraries in Delta and Edo state used for the study made DIRs available for their undergraduates. This implies that the institutions moved with current trends of digital age in higher institution. The study has revealed that the Digital Information Resources are used to low extent by undergraduates in UNIBEN; AAU; DELSU and FUPR.  The implication is that undergraduates that   utilized digital information resources to low extent will lag behind in their research, learning and assignment process in this digital age. The students could not compare themselves with other institutions of higher learning that   use DIRs to a very great extent. Keywords: Digital resources, Higher institutions, Undergraduates, Information, Services

COPYRIGHT, FAIR USE, AND THE TEACH ACT: OPINIONS AND PRACTICES OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES AND LIBRARIANS

Problem: The law of copyright in the United States represents a balancing of creative and commercial protection for copyright holders against the freedom and needs of others to use copyrighted resources including academic libraries, faculty, and students. Although a significant body of literature exists that describes and analyzes the course and mechanics of copyright through its long and storied history, few researchers have gathered statistics relating to academic librarians’ opinions concerning the efficacy of present-day United States copyright laws including the TEACH Act, their understanding of them, and their everyday resource use within the confines of these laws in the area of provision of digital resources. The views and practices of academic librarians are valuable in determining whether the TEACH Act is accomplishing its intended purpose of extending copyright exceptions beyond the classroom to digitally based academic course materials. Methodology: Based in grounded theory, data collection emanated from two sources – an online survey to all American academic members of the Association of Research Libraries and a content analysis of the websites of twenty-five randomly selected American academic members of the Association of Research Libraries. Summary of findings: Survey results indicate that academic librarians are dissatisfied with current copyright law and the realities of resource licensing. Fifty-four percent of the institutions in which the libraries are situated appear to be using the TEACH Act. Compliance with the Act’s requirements could not be definitively ascertained. The content analysis of websites indicate that a conflicting higher percentage of institutions are using the TEACH Act than what was reported through the survey. These perceived usages, however, could be the result of negligent linking to online information outside of the library’s own institution. Conclusions: Academic institutions are utilizing the benefits of the TEACH Act. Suggestions for statutory revision are made based upon findings made in this study