Environmental scan: A methodological framework to initiate digital library development for communities in Canada’s North
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose an evidence-based environmental scanning model that will provide a methodological framework for conducting community-engaged and community-focused research, with a particular emphasis on northern communities in Canada.
Design/methodology/approach
The study has adopted a multifaceted environmental scanning approach to understand the Inuvialuit Settlement Region communities. The research design is informed by various environmental models as discussed in literature from a broad range of domains such as business, library and information science (LIS), and a sophisticated multimethod data gathering approach that included field trips, observations, surveys, as well as informal methods of community engagement.
Findings
The paper proposes an environmental scan model as a novel approach to community-focused digital library (DL) development. The paper identifies both macro- and micro-environmental landscapes as applicable to the development of a DL for communities in Canada’s North. The macro-environmental landscapes include: geographical, historical and sociocultural, political and regulatory, economic, technological, competition, and human resource. The micro-environmental landscapes include: stakeholder and community, linguistic, information resource, and ownership.
Originality/value
The environmental scanning model and its key components presented in this paper provide a novel and concrete example of a project that aims to organize information for increased access and to create value through the design and implementation of an infrastructure for a cultural heritage DL. The environmental scan model will also contribute to both research and practice in the field of Library and Information Science (LIS), particularly in the area of DL development for rural, remote, and indigenous communities.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada Insight Grant. The authors would like to convey special thank to Robyn Stobbs, Sandy Campbell, Sharon Farnel, Anastasia Piltingsrud and Elaine Maloney for their invaluable contributions.
Citation
Rathi, D., Shiri, A. and Cockney, C. (2017), "Environmental scan: A methodological framework to initiate digital library development for communities in Canada’s North", Aslib Journal of Information Management, Vol. 69 No. 1, pp. 76-94. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-06-2016-0082
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited