Cleaners don’t need computers : bridging the digital divide in the workplace

Purpose: To report the findings of research into the extent and impact of restricted access by specific groups of staff to ICT-based communications in UK Further and Higher Education Institutions. Design / methodology / approach: An exploratory approach combining quantitative and qualitative methods. A questionnaire survey was distributed to all HEFCE-funded institutions in the UK. Six institutions acted as case study sites for in-depth qualitative investigation using documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews. Findings: Lack of hardware and network infrastructure posed less of a barrier than lack of ICT skills, lack of motivation either to use computers or to gain ICT skills, and line manager resistance to staff using computers or accessing ICT training in work time. Job function was the factor most associated with lack of access, with cleaning, catering and estates staff least likely to have access. However, there were also many examples of good practice to extend staff access, particularly with regard to ICT training. The research concludes that one of the main concerns for institutions is to ‘win the hearts and minds’ of non-desk staff and their managers. The development of an institutional communication strategy is identified as being of critical importance. Research limitations / implications: Provides a ‘snapshot’ of the prevailing situation at the point of data collection rather than a longitudinal insight into developments in access over time. Originality / value of the paper: The first comprehensive analysis of staff access to ICT in UK further and higher education. In addition to highlighting examples of good practice for dissemination across the sector, the research provides information about gaps in provision to inform the targeting of future initiatives

ICT in the workplace: access for all or digital divide?

The paper presents the findings of research into the extent and impact of restricted access to ICT based communications for specific groups of staff in UK further and higher education organisations. Educational institutions disseminate key corporate information internally via email, intranets and Virtual Learning Environments. However, the extent to which access to electronic communications is available to all personnel within such institutions in the UK has not previously been established. The research arose from a concern that a significant proportion of staff were being routinely excluded from access, thus perpetuating and extending existing inequalities among personnel and creating a digital divide between the ‘information rich’ and the ‘information poor’. A questionnaire survey was used to quantify the extent of restrictions on staff access across the sector, whilst case study research was used to conduct a qualitative analysis of its impact on individuals and institutions. The findings indicate that lack of hardware and network infrastructure pose less of a barrier to access than does lack of ICT skills, lack of motivation either to use computers or to gain ICT skills, and line manager resistance to staff using computers or accessing ICT training in work time. Job function was the factor most associated with lack of access, with cleaning, catering and estates staff least likely to have access. However, there were also examples identified of effective practice in extending the range of personnel with access and ensuring inclusive communication with all personnel. These insights into good practice should be transferable to a wide range of workplace contexts

PEER behavioural research: authors and users vis-à-vis journals and repositories. D4.2 final report.

The Behavioural research project is one of three independent research projects commissioned and managed by PEER as part of the PEER Observatory. The aim of the Behavioural research project was to address the role of stage-two manuscript repositories in the scholarly and scientific communication system by exploring perceptions, motivations and behaviours of authors and readers. The research was carried out between April 2009 and August 2011 by the Department of Information Science and LISU at Loughborough University, UK

Economic implications of alternative scholarly publishing models : exploring the costs and benefits. JISC EI-ASPM Project. A report to the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC)

A knowledge economy has been defined as: “…one in which the generation and exploitation of knowledge has come to play the predominant part in the creation of wealth. It is not simply about pushing back the frontiers of knowledge; it is also about the more effective use and exploitation of all types of knowledge in all manner of economic activities” (DTI 1998). In a knowledge economy, innovation and the capacity of the system to create and disseminate the latest scientific and technical information are important determinants of prosperity (David and Foray 1995; OECD 1997). Scholarly publishing plays a key role, as it is central to the efficiency of research and to the dissemination of research findings and diffusion of scientific and technical knowledge. But, advances in information and communication technologies are disrupting traditional models of scholarly publishing, radically changing our capacity to reproduce, distribute, control, and publish information. The key question is whether there are new opportunities and new models for scholarly publishing that would better serve researchers and better communicate and disseminate research findings (OECD 2005, p14)

The status of health librarianship and libraries in the Republic of Ireland (SHELLI): an account of a mixed methods review to inform future strategy and sustainability

In 2010 the Health Sciences Libraries Group (HSLG), a special interest group of the Library Association of Ireland (LAI), commissioned a review of the status of health librarianship and libraries in Ireland (SHELLI) (Harrison, Creaser & Greenwood 2011). The aims of the review were to gain a broad understanding of what was happening in practice in the Republic of Ireland, to acquire knowledge about international best practice, and to inform strategic plans to develop and sustain health libraries and librarianship in Ireland. The review was timely, given the socioeconomic situation prevailing in Ireland, the wider changes in the Irish health and public sector, and the six year gap since the publication of the government report Health information: a national strategy. This paper highlights the main findings of the review which was undertaken by the Department of Information Science and the Library and Information Statistics Unit (LISU), Loughborough University, during 2010-2011

Staff access to ICT in UK Further & Higher Education

Staff access to ICT in UK Further & Higher Educatio

Authors’ awareness and attitudes toward open access repositories

This article investigates the awareness of scholarly authors toward open access repositories and the factors that motivate their use of these repositories. The article reports on the findings obtained from a mixed methods approach which involved a questionnaire returned by over 3000 respondents, supplemented by four focus groups held across Europe in the summer 2009. The research found that although there was a good understanding and appreciation of the ethos of open access in general, there were clear differences between scholars from different disciplinary backgrounds in their understanding of open access repositories and their motivations for depositing articles within them. This research forms the first part of a longitudinal study that will track the changing behaviors and attitudes of authors toward open access repositories