Establishing Branch Libraries

published or submitted for publicatio

Map-Based Navigation in a Graphical MOO

Traditional MUDs and MOOs lack support for global wareness and simple navigation. These problems can be addressed by the introduction of a map-based navigation tool. In this paper we report on the design and evaluation of such a tool for MOOsburg, a graphical 2D MOO based on the town of Blacksburg, Virginia. The tool supports exploration and place-based tasks in the MOO. It also allows navigation of a large-scale map and encourages users to develop survey knowledge of the town. An evaluation revealed some initial usability problems with our prototype and suggested new design ideas that may better support users. Using these results, the lessons learned about map-based navigation are presented

Beyond Being Social: Prospects for Transformative Social Computing

An important analytical lens for considering future trajectories and research issues for social computing is the perspective of positive design, that is, the perspective that asks how collaborative technologies like wikis, e-mail, instant messaging, blogging, microblogging, tagging, social bookmarking, collaborative filtering, social networking services, and online communities of various sorts could support social endeavor in ways never before possible, how they can strengthen the extant strengths of human social interaction. This perspective contrasts with the approach of investigating how inherent limitations of collaborative technology can be ameliorated. This article describes recent design work addressing the challenge of supporting activity awareness in new ways with social computing technologies

"Because Some Sighted People, They Don't Know What the Heck You're Talking About:" A Study of Blind TikTokers' Infrastructuring Work to Build Independence

There has been extensive research on the experiences of individuals with visual impairments on text- and image-based social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter. However, little is known about the experiences of visually impaired users on short-video platforms like TikTok. To bridge this gap, we conducted an interview study with 30 BlindTokers (the nickname of blind TikTokers). Our study aimed to explore the various activities of BlindTokers on TikTok, including everyday entertainment, professional development, and community engagement. The widespread usage of TikTok among participants demonstrated that they considered TikTok and its associated experiences as the infrastructure for their activities. Additionally, participants reported experiencing breakdowns in this infrastructure due to accessibility issues. They had to carry out infrastructuring work to resolve the breakdowns. Blind users' various practices on TikTok also foregrounded their perceptions of independence. We then discussed blind users' nuanced understanding of the TikTok-mediated independence; we also critically examined BlindTokers' infrastructuring work for such independence.Comment: Accepted at CSCW'24, 29 pages, 2 figures, and 2 table

Receipt, Property tax, 20 February 1860

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aldrichcorr_c/1238/thumbnail.jp

Receipt, Property tax, 23 February 1861

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aldrichcorr_d/1008/thumbnail.jp

Relief tax receipt, 16 April 1868

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aldrichcorr_d/1164/thumbnail.jp

Land Deed, Marshall County, MS, 18 May 1849

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aldrichcorr_b/1208/thumbnail.jp