Preservation management modelling in archival and library collections

As cultural heritage institutions, libraries and archives are responsible for managing collections in order to ensure access for present and future generations, and sustainable preservation. In pursuing these two goals, institutions face the challenge of determining to what extent preservation actions are beneficial in the context of their own collections. This project contributes to the complex decision-making processes of collections management by developing a mathematical model that shows, quantitatively, the effects of different preservation decisions during a collection’s lifetime. The novelty of this research lies in its approach to preservation management not as single, independent measures, but as a process that is part of a complex system: preservation management is not seen in isolation, but in relation to the other archival and library functions in the broader context of collections management. To meet this aim, complex systems modelling and simulation paradigms, such as system dynamics (SD) and agentbased modelling (ABM), are applied. Applying simulation to model preservation management decisions has the potential to develop into an integrated approach for evaluating and comparing the potential benefits of different preservation measures, which, so far, is lacking. This model will support collection keepers in the complex decision-making process of collection management by comparing different strategies, and therefore finding potential synergies as well as counter-intuitive decision outcomes which otherwise might not have been identified

The end of the reading room? Simulating the impact of digitisation on the physical access of archival collections

Digitisation has become an essential part of archival and library strategies to enhance access to collections. As the digital content is increasing due to large-scale digitisation projects, it is expected that providing digital access to the analogue collections will eventually reduce the number of archival records accessed in the reading room. In this paper, we investigate this issue using two approaches: system dynamics and agent-based modelling. We first analyse real data in order to identify the dynamic hypothesis of the model. Then, a sensitivity analysis is conducted on two baseline models to identify scenarios that match the real dataset. Although the two approaches suceed to simulate the number of requests in the reading room, the experimental results show that a better fit is obtained in the agent-based model when not only the number of records that have been accessed and digitised is taken into account, but also the number of times that such records have been accessed before digitisation. The proposed model can be used to explore the impact of different digitisation strategies on the decrease in access requests in the archival and library reading rooms

An experience of educational technology reported from other times and spaces.

En este artículo narramos nuestra experiencia con alumnas y alumnos de Tecnología Educativa en el curso 2005-2006 de la Facultad de Pedagogía de la Universidad de Barcelona. Se describe el modo en el que confluyen y divergen los tiempos subjetivos, de docentes y estudiantes, los tiempos del grupo clase, los tiempos sociales y de cómo una asignatura como Tecnología educativa nos ayuda a cuestionar, desmontar y proponer alternativas a los tiempos objetivados desde el plan de estudios para permitir la entrada de otros tiempos y espacios.In this article we narrate our experience with students of Educational Technology of the Faculty of Pedagogy of the University of Barcelona in the course 2005-2006. There is described the way in which the subjective times of teachers and students come together and diverge, the times of the group class, the social times and of how a subject as Educational Technology helps us to question, to dismantle and to propose alternatives to the times from the curriculum to allow the entry of other times and spaces

Doce años después.... recuperamos el saber acumulado y elaboramos una nueva propuesta docente para los estudiantes de Tecnología educativa de la Universidad de Barcelona

En este artículo se relatan los cambios introducidos en nuestra propuesta docente de la asignatura de Tecnología Educativa en la Universidad de Barcelona y se intenta mostrar el trabajo, el conocimiento y el saber acumulado en todos estos años. El texto se divide en dos bloques. El primero, describe la propuesta actual y el recorrido realizado desde el curso 1993/94. Es una síntesis – con las limitaciones que conlleva – donde se destaca el sentido y algunos cambios significativos para las profesoras y profesores de la asignatura, en su intento de alejarse de una práctica docente de tradición reproductora, que la mayoría de las alumnas y los alumnos habían experimentado en propuestas educativas anteriores. El segundo, recoge algunas de sus voces y nos muestra como se han apropiado y han significado el trabajo realizado durante este curso 2004/05. La valoración de los alumnos y alumnas, es un mosaico de testimonios que nos permite comprender o, al menos, intuir el sentido que ha podido tener para ellas y ellos esta vivencia. Algunos de éstos son reveladores en cuanto confirman o desmienten tópicos o creencias, asumidas por el profesorado, y por mostrar elementos sutiles que quizás durante las sesiones de clase pasaron desapercibidos.In this article we describe the changes introduced in our educational proposal of the subject of Educational Technology in the University of Barcelona and we show the work and the knowledge accumulated in every year. The text is divided in two blocks. The first one, describes the current proposal and the journey carried out from the course 1993/94. It is a synthesis, where he/she stands out the sense and some significant changes for the teachers of the subject, in their intent of moving away from an educational practice of reproductional tradition that most of the students had experienced in previous educational proposals. The second, it picks up some of their voices and it shows us like they have appropriated and they have meant the work carried out during this course 2004/05. The valuation of the students, it is a mosaic of testimonies that allows us to understand this experience

Accumulation of wear and tear in archival and library collections. Part I: exploring the concepts of reliability and epidemiology

Abstract Wear and tear is the outcome of degradation most frequently reported in assessments of archival and library collections. It is also problematic to study in controlled experiments, due to the difficulty in reproducing the conditions in which original objects are kept and used in archives and libraries. Hence, data collected from actual collections, for instance during surveys, could provide the evidence on how wear and tear occurs. However, to be useful, such data need to be purposely collected and analysed: unlike the usual collection surveys, the aim is not to quantify the prevalence of a certain damage type but to provide evidence on how such damage occurs. In this paper we explore whether two approaches used in other disciplines could be useful: reliability engineering, the method that deals with failure in complex systems, and epidemiology, which explores diseases in defined populations. We show that based on reliability engineering we can decide which data related to the causes of mechanical failure should be collected during collection surveys, while using epidemiology we can develop the study design and the data analysis needed to study the relationship between mechanical failure, and the factors that might affect the degree of failure. The results of epidemiological studies in heritage collections could provide quantitative evidence of patterns of decay in collections, and corroborate the qualitative analysis provided by reliability. The results can directly support collection management decisions or can be used in mathematical models in which the effect of preservation measures is explored

Una experiencia de Tecnología Educativa relatada desde otros tiempos y espacios

En este artículo narramos nuestra experiencia con alumnas y alumnos de Tecnología Educativa en el curso 2005-2006 de la Facultad de Pedagogía de la Universidad de Barcelona. Se describe el modo en el que confluyen y divergen los tiempos subjetivos, de docentes y estudiantes, los tiempos del grupo clase, los tiempos sociales y de cómo una asignatura como Tecnología educativa nos ayuda a cuestionar, desmontar y proponer alternativas a los tiempos objetivados desde el plan de estudios para permitir la entrada de otros tiempos y espacios.In this article we narrate our experience with students of Educational Technology of the Faculty of Pedagogy of the University of Barcelona in the course 2005-2006. There is described the way in which the subjective times of teachers and students come together and diverge, the times of the group class, the social times and of how a subject as Educational Technology helps us to question, to dismantle and to propose alternatives to the times from the curriculum to allow the entry of other times and space

Accumulation of wear and tear in archival and library collections. Part II: an epidemiological study

Abstract This paper proposes a new approach to collection surveying based on epidemiology, the discipline that describes and explains disease patterns in populations. In epidemiology the focus of attention lies not only on the occurrence of a disease but also on the characteristics of the individuals which might play a role in the occurrence of the disease. To explore the applicability of epidemiology to heritage collections, we take as example the study of the occurrence and accumulation of wear and tear in archive collections, which so far has only been studied in controlled experimental studies. We designed an observational study (survey) in which the assessment of mechanical failure is understood as the outcome variable, and the factors that might affect the degree of failure are defined as exposure variables. To evaluate the relevance of the assessed factors in relation to the observed mechanical failure, exploratory data analyses were conducted by comparing groups of objects that differ regarding their level of exposure to different factors. Although highly scattered data is not unusual in this type of studies and confounding has to be taken into account during the data analysis, this paper shows that through an epidemiological approach to surveys, the factors that have a greater effect on mechanical failure can be identified. Moreover, the rate of failure can also be determined for certain groups of objects. Also patterns of decay emerge which show the vulnerability of certain groups of objects. In this paper the practical aspects of the design and analysis of observational epidemiological studies for heritage collections are discussed. As a final note, the applicability and relevance of this approach to support collection management is briefly discussed

Una experiencia de Tecnología Educativa relatada desde otros tiempos y espacios

En este trabajo narramos nuestra experiencia con alumnas y alumnos de Tecnología Educativa en el curso 2005-2006 de la Facultad de Pedagogía de la Universidad de Barcelona. Esta vez, el hilo de la narración no será los contenidos específicos que abordamos, ni la metodología en sí misma, que ha sido objeto de otros trabajos (Alonso, et al. 2005) En esta ocasión, el eje conductor y a la vez núcleo problematizador del relato será el tiempo, pero no será un tiempo objetivo en el que ordenamos cronológicamente nuestras vivencias docentes con estudiantes de Pedagogía, o el período, también objetivo, en que comienza y se da parte de esta relación en el marco de la universidad. En este texto, queremos manifestar el modo en el que confluyen y divergen los tiempos subjetivos, de docentes y estudiantes, los tiempos del grupo clase, los tiempos sociales, y de cómo una asignatura como Tecnología educativa nos ayuda a cuestionar, desmontar y proponer alternativas a los tiempos objetivados desde el plan de estudios para permitir la entrada de otros tiempos y espacios. Nuestra intención es reflexionar sobre la propuesta pedagógica que presentamos en el año 2006, diseño que transita por un escenario social caracterizado, entre otros aspectos, por la vertiginosidad con que desarrolla la información, la presencia de las imágenes en el entorno vital cotidiano, la proliferación y velocidad en la transmisión de datos, es decir, un escenario social complejo y dinámico, enmarcados en una institución estática y probablemente, pensada en y para otro tiempo. ¿Cómo atravesar estos límites de lo instituido y poder dar espacio a lo instituyente? ¿Cómo sortear los determinantes duros de la práctica escolar y entreabrir espacios desde la propuesta pedagógica por donde circulen estos tiempos subjetivos, más allá de la carga horaria de la asignatura, de su principio y fin acorde al ciclo lectivo? Estos interrogantes nos acompañaron en el transcurso de este año, no exentos de tensiones y fracturas con los tiempos organizativos prescriptos desde la administración universitaria. Se fueron delineando diferentes respuestas con la propuesta de actividades concretas y dejando lugar a nuevas dudas sobre el devenir en el tiempo. En este tiempo, nuestros estudiantes, van marcando otras posturas, otros tiempos, que inclusive son diferentes a los nuestros, aunque vivamos en la misma época

RELATEC : revista latinoamericana de tecnología educativa

Resumen en inglésResumen basado en el de la publicaciónSe narra la experiencia de los autores con alumnas y alumnos de Tecnología Educativa en el curso 2005-2006 de la Facultad de Pedagogía de la Universidad de Barcelona. Se describe el modo en el que confluyen y divergen los tiempos subjetivos, de docentes y estudiantes, los tiempos del grupo clase, los tiempos sociales y de cómo una asignatura como Tecnología educativa nos ayuda a cuestionar, desmontar y proponer alternativas a los tiempos objetivados desde el plan de estudios para permitir la entrada de otros tiempos y espaciosES

An experience of educational technology reported from other times and spaces.

En este artículo narramos nuestra experiencia con alumnas y alumnos de Tecnología Educativa en el curso 2005-2006 de la Facultad de Pedagogía de la Universidad de Barcelona. Se describe el modo en el que confluyen y divergen los tiempos subjetivos, de docentes y estudiantes, los tiempos del grupo clase, los tiempos sociales y de cómo una asignatura como Tecnología educativa nos ayuda a cuestionar, desmontar y proponer alternativas a los tiempos objetivados desde el plan de estudios para permitir la entrada de otros tiempos y espacios.In this article we narrate our experience with students of Educational Technology of the Faculty of Pedagogy of the University of Barcelona in the course 2005-2006. There is described the way in which the subjective times of teachers and students come together and diverge, the times of the group class, the social times and of how a subject as Educational Technology helps us to question, to dismantle and to propose alternatives to the times from the curriculum to allow the entry of other times and spaces