Understanding Landscape: Cultural Perceptions of Environment in the UK and China

Different philosophical traditions in China and the UK have contributed to the establishment of a multi-dimensional discussion of perceptions of nature. This has influenced the approach of landscape architects and planners in the design and planning of the built environment and continues to affect the treatment of private and public space design. With rapid urbanisation in the twentieth century, there has been a growing discussion (emanating from North America but also permeating discussions in the UK, Europe and more recently East Asia) of how we create places that satisfy the need and desire from the public for contact with ‘nature’. This chapter presents a comparative discussion of historical perceptions of landscape within urban development located within the UK and China. We reflect on how urban ecology has been integrated into development practices, debate the interaction of people with urban landscape and consider responses to demands for nature in cities. The chapter concludes with a review on the current practice surrounding the development and management of urban public space in China and the UK, reflecting the cultural context of nature in cities and the work of urban planning and design authorities

Use of historical documents in a digital world: comparisons with original materials and microfiche

The paper reports on a user study of a digital library collection of Early Canadiana material, with comparisons to the use of the material in original paper and microfiche formats. The study included a survey of individuals who had used Early Canadiana in original paper, microfiche or WWW format, focus group sessions, and server log analysis. The purpose of the study was to compare use and user satisfaction across the three formats to identify ways to improve the WWW format. Although, as expected, many people liked the paper format the best, over half of those who had experience with all three formats thought that the WWW format would be most useful in their work.  However, some users expressed concerns about the authenticity of the WWW format.  This raises questions for digital libraries to make explicit the relationship between the original paper and digital formats. The research led to 26 recommendations. To date, over half have been implemented or are in the process of being implemented.  The paper concludes with suggestions for future research

Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Concept-Based Computer Tutorial for OPAC Users

published or submitted for publicatio

Finding and Using Archival Resources: A Cross-Canada Survey of Historians Studying Canadian History

This paper reports the results of a 2001 postal questionnaire (English and French) that gathered information about historians' use of archival resources. The population for this report consisted of faculty members in history departments in degree-granting institutions in Canada whose area of interest is the history of Canada. The survey probed their current information-seeking practices in archives, invited assessment of their experience doing archival research, and sought their preferences for developments in the future. The conclusions indicate that finding and using sources in the early twenty-first century continues to invoke the knowledge and expertise of archivists.RÉSUMÉLes auteures présentent dans cet article les résultats d'un questionnaire postal de 2001 (en anglais et en français) sur l'usage par les historiens des ressources d'archives. La population ciblée par cette étude était constituée de professeurs dans les départements d'histoire d'universités canadiennes ayant pour domaine de recherche l'histoire du Canada. Le sondage a exploré leurs pratiques en recherche d'information au sein des institutions d'archives, les a invité à évaluer leur expérience de recherche et à faire connaître leurs préférences quant aux développements futurs. Les conclusions indiquent que, pour trouver et utiliser des sources dans ce début de 21e siècle, les connaissances et l'expertise des archivistes sont toujours nécessaires

Reaching Out, Reaching In: A Preliminary Investigation into Archives’ Use of Social Media in Canada

This paper reports on two preliminary studies that investigated aspects of archives’ use of social media: an environmental scan of Canadian archives and a focus group study of archival users. The environmental scan examined the use of social media by 648 archives and noted the degree of user engagement with a selection of social media services. The data were collected over a two-month period, from 11 November 2011 to 10 January 2012. The focus group study consisted of five sessions, each with four to seven participants, for a total of twenty-eight participants. The studies found that, with a few exceptions, archives were making minimal use of social media to attract users, user engagement was still relatively low, and the participants in the study had a number of concerns about contributing to social media. However, the participants in the focus groups also saw the potential for social media to democratize the archives, contribute to the public good, allow for a richer historical record showing different points of view, and, ultimately, increase their engagement with archives. RÉSUMÉ Ce texte rend compte de deux enquêtes préliminaires qui ont examiné des aspects de l’utilisation que font les archives des médias sociaux : un bilan de l’environnement des archives canadiennes et une étude d’un panel d’utilisateurs des archives. Le bilan s’est penché sur l’utilisation des médias sociaux par 648 centres d’archives et a noté le degré d’engagement des utilisateurs avec une sélection de services des médias sociaux. Les données ont été recueillies sur une période de deux mois, du 11 novembre 2011 au 10 janvier 2012. Le panel d’utilisateurs des archives comprenait cinq sessions, chacune avec quatre à sept participants, pour un total de vingt-huit participants. Les enquêtes ont révélé qu’à quelques exceptions près les centres d’archives font une utilisation minime des médias sociaux pour attirer des utilisateurs des archives, l’engagement des utilisateurs demeure toujours relativement bas et des participants à cette étude ont un certain nombre de préoccupations par rapport à leur contribution aux médias sociaux. Cependant, les participants du panel voient aussi le potentiel des médias sociaux pour démocratiser les archives, pour contribuer au bien public, pour donner aux documents d’archives une plus grande richesse en permettant différents points de vue et ultimement, pour augmenter leur engagement avec les archives