Abstract
Details
Keywords
Abstract
Details
Keywords
Patricia C. Franks and Gillian C. Oliver
Experiential learning incorporated into library and information science education in the form of a practical placement has long been accepted as important. However, it is not…
Abstract
Purpose
Experiential learning incorporated into library and information science education in the form of a practical placement has long been accepted as important. However, it is not always possible for students to undertake a traditional internship because of constraints associated with the physical location of internship sites. The purpose of this paper is to explore virtual alternatives, in the context of digital curation.
Design/methodology/approach
Surveys exploring the internship experience were conducted of students and supervisors, leading to the development of a pilot study. In addition, discussions were held with possible supervisors in a country with a small population, faced with the challenge of building capability in digital curation.
Findings
The concept of a virtual internship is entirely appropriate given the focus on digital tools, information and systems in digital curation. A new dimension to the traditional internship experience is the potential for sharing expertise internationally, in diverse settings.
Research limitations/implications
Although the paper describes activities taking place through the School of Library & Information Science at San Jose State University, the findings can be used to justify virtual internship programs and develop strategies to be employed by other Schools at the University and other Universities within and outside the USA.
Practical implications
This paper includes implications for the development of successful virtual internship programs on the Master's degree level, including those for students preparing for careers in digital curation.
Originality/value
The paper provides insight into the practical issues associated with incorporating experiential learning into digital curation curricula and signals the potential for approaching internships from a global perspective.
Details
Keywords
Ragna Kemp Haraldsdottir, Fiorella Foscarini, Charles Jeurgens, Pekka Henttonen, Gillian Oliver, Seren Wendelken and Viviane Frings-Hessami
The purpose of this paper was to investigate how recordkeepers in Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Iceland and Italy experienced accomplishing their tasks from home…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper was to investigate how recordkeepers in Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Iceland and Italy experienced accomplishing their tasks from home over varying lengths of time during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
A multilingual survey including 44 questions was designed and administered to the six countries identified above in 2022. This research was preceded by an environmental scan looking at existing studies considering archival and records management responses to the pandemic.
Findings
The impact of working from home on recordkeeping and, more generally, work performance was perceived differently by the survey respondents depending on various factors. The study also identified a number of similarities across countries, such as an increased awareness of the importance of records management shared by organizational actors. Surprisingly, the pandemic did not appear to have a great impact on the perceived quality of records management.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study aiming to capture records professionals’ perceptions of their role while working from home during the pandemic.
Details
Keywords
Zhiying Lian, Ning Wang and Gillian Oliver
The purpose of this paper is to report findings from an investigation on the information culture and recordkeeping in two Chinese companies, exploring the interaction between…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report findings from an investigation on the information culture and recordkeeping in two Chinese companies, exploring the interaction between information culture and recordkeeping.
Design/methodology/approach
On the basis of systematic literature review, this research investigates the information culture and recordkeeping in two Chinese companies by conducting in-depth interviews with the staff of the two companies.
Findings
The attitude of the leadership and the staff towards records and information is different in the result-oriented information culture and rule-following culture. If a company aims to stay innovative and competitive, an information culture that can facilitate the good governance of records and information should be developed, and information professionals can play a key role in working towards this.
Originality/value
As a qualitative study of information culture and recordkeeping in Chinese companies, this paper provides the insight into the interaction between information culture and recordkeeping, demonstrates the impact of information culture on information governance and identifies the factors influencing information culture in an organization.
Details
Keywords
Zhiying Lian and Gillian Oliver
The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of information culture in Mainland China and apply the information culture framework to an organizational setting.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of information culture in Mainland China and apply the information culture framework to an organizational setting.
Design/methodology/approach
The foundation for the research is provided by a review of Chinese and English language literature and a case study of a university library was conducted, involving semi-structured interviews.
Findings
The information culture framework facilitated identification of factors not recognized in previous information culture research, including uniquely Chinese factors of egocentrism, guanxi (relationships), mianzi (face), hexie (harmony) and renqing (mutual benefit). A further finding highlighted the profound differences between archives and library institutions in China.
Originality/value
The paper provides the first step toward further exploring features of Chinese organizational culture which will not only influence information management practices but also highlight the issues relating to collaboration between libraries and archives in China.
Details
Keywords
Misita Anwar, Gillian Oliver, Viviane Frings-Hessami, Manika Saha and Anindita Sarker
The purpose of this paper is to report on the exploration of women farmers' information literacy (IL) in the context of rural Bangladesh within the context of an ICT-based women…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report on the exploration of women farmers' information literacy (IL) in the context of rural Bangladesh within the context of an ICT-based women empowerment project.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses thematic analysis of qualitative data collected during a culturally sensitive workshop on IL with a group of project participants.
Findings
The findings showed that women understood their information needs and where to find information, which indicates that participants had some basic IL skills. However, the online environment presented challenges for them to evaluate the quality of the information and its relevance to their daily activities. The cultural complexity of IL was observed with the rural women’s information practices affected by family patterns, community and religion, amongst other social factors. Collective practices are made highly evident by the women’s natural tendency to share phones and information and by the way information is maintained. While the collective practices are very useful in utilising information for daily needs, the downside is that women are potentially vulnerable to threats in an online environment when sharing confidential information.
Originality/value
This article shows that in the context of rural Bangladesh, women farmers’ information-seeking behaviour and practices of sharing and creating information are influenced by sociocultural characteristics. It describes how the women’s situational context of collectivity and power relations influence their ways of handling information.
Details
Keywords
Viviane Frings-Hessami and Gillian Oliver
Records management has been heavily influenced by practice in English-speaking countries but is often seen as a foreign import in non-Anglophone countries. This study aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
Records management has been heavily influenced by practice in English-speaking countries but is often seen as a foreign import in non-Anglophone countries. This study aims to investigate how using English terminology or translating records management terminology into French in a Francophone environment impacts on the success of recordkeeping strategies.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Francophone archivists and records managers in Switzerland to assess their communication strategies and the language used to communicate recordkeeping objectives.
Findings
The research findings indicate that in a Francophone environment, archivists and records managers who use French terminology are more successful in promoting recordkeeping objectives than those who use English terminology. Given that research was limited to one Swiss canton, more research is needed to test these findings in other Francophone cantons, provinces and countries.
Originality/value
This study is important for the success of recordkeeping initiatives in non-Anglophone countries. It highlights the need to take into account the local information culture and use terminology with which people are most familiar.
Details
Keywords
Gillian Oliver, Fiorella Foscarini, Craigie Sinclair, Catherine Nicholls and Lydia Loriente
The purpose of this paper is to report on the application of information culture analysis techniques in the workplace. The paper suggests that records managers should use…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report on the application of information culture analysis techniques in the workplace. The paper suggests that records managers should use ethnographic sensitivity, if they want to have a constructive dialogue with records creators and users, and effect positive change in their organisations.
Design/methodology/approach
Two pilot studies were conducted in university settings for the purpose of testing an information culture assessment toolkit. The university records managers who carried out the investigation approached the fieldwork ethnographically, in the sense that they were interested in the perspectives of their end users, and tried to understand their information cultures, rather than imposing their recordkeeping concepts and procedures.
Findings
Information culture analysis was of practical utility in large complex organisations, providing an insight into behaviours, motivations, and most importantly promoted reflection and dialogue among organisational actors.
Originality/value
The paper raises awareness of the diversity of professional skills and knowledge required by records practitioners. It emphasises that to remain relevant to their organisations, records managers have to be receptive and sensitive to cultural influences.
Details
Keywords
Chern Li Liew, Gillian Oliver and Morgan Watkins
The relatively under-documented “dark side” of participatory activities facilitated by memory institutions through social media is examined in this study. The purpose of this…
Abstract
Purpose
The relatively under-documented “dark side” of participatory activities facilitated by memory institutions through social media is examined in this study. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the risks and perception of risks resulting from using social media for public engagement and participation.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fourteen representatives from the New Zealand information and cultural heritage sector who at the time of the study were holding the main responsibilities of overseeing the social media and participatory activities of the institutions they represented.
Findings
It is not evident that the growth of social web has significantly changed the way the heritage sector seeks participation. Only a small minority of the sample institutions appear to be using social web tools to build community and to enhance their heritage collections. For the majority, institutional use of social media is for creating a “chattering space”. The main concerns identified by interviewees were reputation management and the risk management process followed by most institutions appeared to be reactive, responding to problems as and when they occurred, rather than proactive about risk identification and avoidance.
Research limitations/implications
Findings are not generalisable as the sample size of thirteen institutions is relatively small and is limited to one national context.
Originality/value
Findings provide insight into largely unexplored issues relating to the development of participatory cultures by memory institutions. The paper highlights a key area where further research is needed, namely to explore whether participatory heritage should primarily be about curated viewpoints or whether it should encompass capturing living dialogues, even when conversations are potentially offensive.