Digital Curation Vignettes: Personal, Academic, and Organizational Digital Information

This panel presents variations on the theme of digital curation by examining the digital information management and preservation practices of three different populations. Personal digital information management, personal collections transferred to institutional repositories, and a digital archiving case in a private organization, offer a wide view of the types of contexts in which digital material is being produced “in the wild.” Across the cases we found that digital record-keeping and preservation practices are not well understood or established, and that a vast amount of digital content created currently is at risk. Other issues, such as an individual’s perception of digital information value, and the feasibility of preservation beyond an individual’s or organization’s lifetime, surfaced as determinants of the current situation. The findings have important implications for appraisal and post-custodial archival strategies. They are also useful for identifying critical decision points when digital curation issues are best addressed

Exploration of the knowledge of and motivation for learning preservation practices for personal digital information

This research investigated preservation practices related to personal digital information. It sought to answer three main research questions: 1. What kinds of personal digital information do public library users collect and why? 2. What are the cognitive, affective, and psycho-social influences that contribute to the preservation of personal digital information? 3. How can individuals improve their digital preservation practices and what would motivate them to make improvements to these practices?Twenty-six participants were recruited from public library friends groups from a large metropolitan region on the east coast of the United States. Three areas within the study of information behavior informed the research design: everyday life information seeking (ELIS); information horizons and information source horizons; and cognitive and affective issues in information behavior. Data analysis entailed the use of the constant comparison method and descriptive statistics.Data analysis led to the creation of a theoretical model of personal digital preservation practices. The model shows the effects of social, cognitive, and affective conditions on personal preservation decisions, as well as the effects of memory loss and technological advances over time, combined with information escalation over time. Because the preservation of personal digital information is the result of personal, social, and technological interactions, the integration of these factors in the study of digital preservation practices is necessary for a viable solution to the digital preservation problem. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of implications for future research.Ph.D., Information Studies -- Drexel University, 200

Examination of the Internet Public Library as dynamic, collaborative teaching laboratory

The Internet Public Library (www.ipl.org) is a collaborative online learning environment that involves LIS faculty and students as well as working librarians around the world. Over the past twelve years, the IPL has become more collaborative with the introduction of new technologies and cultural changes. The IPL team consists of a variety of people from around the world: LIS faculty, IPL staff librarians, masters and doctoral students, working librarians, and technology specialists. Through the IPL, library and information professionals are being prepared to meet the challenges and opportunities of the digital environment: the dynamic nature of information technology, changing social and cultural norms, and an abundance of freely available content are presented in the digital reference environment. Extensive training material has been prepared by the IPL staff and feedback is provided to students by IPL staff, faculty and volunteers. In addition to the learning environment, the IPL also offers a test bed for research related to collaborative online learning environments. For examples, questions such as the role of Web 2.0 resources such as Wikipedia, Facebook, MySpace and other social computing sites will be explored

Pathologic RFC1 repeat expansions do not contribute to the development of inflammatory neuropathies

Biallelic expansions of the AAGGG repeat in the replication factor C subunit 1 (RFC1) have recently been described to be responsible for cerebellar ataxia, peripheral neuropathy and vestibular areflexia syndrome. This genetic alteration has also allowed genetic classification in up to one-third of cases with idiopathic sensory neuropathy. Here, we screened a well-characterized cohort of inflammatory neuropathy patients for RFC1 repeat expansions to explore whether RFC1 was increased from background rates and possibly involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory neuropathy. A total of 259 individuals with inflammatory neuropathy and 243 healthy controls were screened for the AAGGG repeat expansion using short-range flanking PCR and repeat-primed PCR. Cases without amplifiable PCR product on flanking PCR and positive repeat-primed PCR were also tested for the mostly non-pathogenic expansions of the AAAGG and AAAAG repeat units. None of the patients showed biallelic AAGGG expansion of RFC1, and their carrier frequency for AAGGG was comparable with controls [n = 27 (5.2%) and n = 23 (4.7%), respectively; P > 0.5]. Data suggest that the pathologic expansions of AAGGG repeats do not contribute to the development of inflammatory neuropathies nor lead to misdiagnosed cases. Accordingly, routine genetic screening for RFC1 repeat expansion is not indicated in this patient population

A neighborhood analysis of public library use in New York City

The use of 200 public libraries in New York City was analyzed according to their neighborhood characteristics. In addition to demographic, economic, and cultural factors traditionally considered, the social and spatial interactions within a neighborhood were related to public library use. Correlation and regression analyses were implemented for all the libraries. The research found that traditional factors are not enough to explain public library use, especially in a cosmopolitan area such as New York City. Social connections and racial diversity and integration stimulate public library use. Based on these findings, suggestions were made for improving the underutilized library branches in disadvantaged neighborhoods

PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND SOCIAL CAPITAL IN THREE NEW YORK CITY NEIGHBOURHOODS

This study uses the social capital concept to explain geographical variation in public library use. Applying Putnam's social capital theory, we examine how social capital in three New York City neighbourhoods affects usage of local branch libraries. A survey was conducted to understand differences in public library use and social capital in the neighbourhoods. Diversity and segregation indices were included as additional measures of social capital. The study found that neighbourhoods with higher levels of social capital, especially bridging social capital, tend to have higher public library use. Copyright (c) 2008 by the Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG.