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Article
Publication date: 1 May 1997

David M. Nichols and Michael B. Twidale

This paper describes how an area of computer science research, Computer Supported Cooperative Work, can be applied to world of libraries. Collaborative activities can be described…

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Abstract

This paper describes how an area of computer science research, Computer Supported Cooperative Work, can be applied to world of libraries. Collaborative activities can be described by whether they occur in the same time and in the same place. These activities can be broadly arranged into three groups depending on the participants: staff‐staff, user‐staff and user‐user interactions. Applying computer technology to these activities requires careful consideration of the work practices involved and the costs and benefits of any changes.

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VINE, vol. 27 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0305-5728

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Article
Publication date: 30 September 2014

Vandana Singh

– This paper compares the technical support-related experiences with the expectations of librarians using open source Integrated Library Systems (ILS).

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper compares the technical support-related experiences with the expectations of librarians using open source Integrated Library Systems (ILS).

Design/methodology/approach

A combination of surveys and triangulating interviews was conducted to obtain the results presented.

Findings

The results of this study indicate that there are many channels of technical support available to librarians who use open source ILS. Also, these channels of technical support perform at acceptable levels according to the expectations of librarians using open source software.

Research limitations/implications

The results presented in this study are self-reported expectations and experiences of librarians and not observed experiences.

Practical implications

The results from this study will provide an insight to librarians contemplating adoption or migration to open source ILS. The results presented here will be useful in decision-making as well as developing a strategy for technical support based on the presented options.

Originality/value

The interest in open source ILS has been observed and studied in the last decade, but the technical support of open source systems, which is a critical component of the adoption process, has not received much attention. This paper focuses specifically on the technical support for open source ILS and provides insight into the experiences of librarians.

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The Electronic Library, vol. 32 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-0473

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Article
Publication date: 14 August 2009

Jutta Treviranus

The purpose of this paper is to chronicle new user experience (UX) design approaches being pioneered in an international, multi‐institution, multi‐sector, cross‐project initiative

908

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to chronicle new user experience (UX) design approaches being pioneered in an international, multi‐institution, multi‐sector, cross‐project initiative called the Fluid Project, covering the strengths and shortcomings of these approaches and the lessons learned about design and development in distributed communities.

Design/methodology/approach

Open source and community source software development projects have not fulfilled their promise of innovation and natively optimized tools and applications in large part due to a lack of integrated UX design and development processes. Fluid has developed a UX approach that aims to address the need to accommodate the huge diversity of users and contexts in academic communities as well as the critical need to improve the user experience.

Findings

It has been found that the Fluid approach challenges common or traditional notions integral to teaching in higher education, software design, user interaction design methods, usability research and accessibility strategies. It proposes greater individual control over the UX than most users may be ready to assume despite obvious benefits. An unexpected UX challenge is creating tools and applications that prompt and support users in configuring their systems to their personal needs and contexts.

Originality/value

Fluid has designed and prototyped new UX design methods, pedagogical practices, and usability and accessibility approaches to suit the context of distributed academic communities and open source development, while at the same time producing a UX system of benefit to the mashup or integration of any set of disparate tools.

Details

On the Horizon, vol. 17 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1074-8121

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Article
Publication date: 1 September 2004

Timothy W. Cole and Sarah L. Shreeves

In the fall of 2002, the University of Illinois Library at Urbana‐Champaign received a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to implement a collection…

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Abstract

In the fall of 2002, the University of Illinois Library at Urbana‐Champaign received a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to implement a collection registry and item‐level metadata repository for digital collections and content created by or associated with projects funded under the IMLS National Leadership Grant (NLG) program. When built, the registry and metadata repository will facilitate retrieval of information about digital content related to past and present NLG projects. The process of creating these services also is allowing us to research and gain insight into the many issues associated with implementing such services and the magnitude of the potential benefit and utility of such services as a way to connect, bring together, and make more visible a broad range of heterogeneous digital content. This paper describes the genesis of the project, the rationale for architectural design decisions, challenges faced, and our progress to date.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. 22 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-8831

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Book part
Publication date: 4 December 2012

Sue Myburgh and Anna Maria Tammaro

Purpose – Changes in the environment – political, economic, social, educational and technological – have demanded changes in many areas of work, most particularly in the roles and…

Abstract

Purpose – Changes in the environment – political, economic, social, educational and technological – have demanded changes in many areas of work, most particularly in the roles and tasks of those involved in the preservation and transmission of cultural heritage, and interpersonal information intervention. Sending, storing and receiving digital information are commonplace activities, and now formally constructed digital libraries constitute an important component of this virtual information environment. Similar to traditional physical libraries, digital libraries are constructed for particular purposes, to serve particular clienteles or to collect and provide access to selected information resources (whether text documents or artefacts). Information intermediaries – or digital librarians – in this transformed information environment must learn new skills, play different roles and possess a new suite of competencies.

Design, methodology and approach – Myburgh and Tammaro have, for several years, examined the new knowledge, skills and competencies that are now demanded, in order to design and test a curriculum for digital librarians which has found expression in the Erasmus Mundus Master's in Digital Library Learning (DILL), now in its sixth year.

Findings – The chief objective of the Digital library program is to prepare information intermediaries for effective contribution to their particular communities and societies, in order to assist present and future generations of digital natives to negotiate the digital information environment effectively. This includes, for example, the necessity for digital librarians to be able to teach cultural competency, critical information literacies and knowledge value mapping, as well as understanding the new standards and formats that are still being developed in order to capture, store, describe, locate and preserve digital materials.

Research limitations – In this chapter, we propose describing the work we have done thus far, with special reference to the development of a model of the role of the digital librarian, including competencies, skills, knowledge base and praxis.

Social implications – Amongst the various issues that have arisen and demanded consideration and investigation are the importance of a multidisciplinarity dimension in the education of digital librarians, as information work is orthogonal to other disciplinary and cultural categorisations; that a gradual convergence or confluence is being identified between various cultural institutions which include libraries, archives and museums; the new modes of learning and teaching, with particular regard to knowledge translation and the learner-generated environment or context; and possibly even a reconsideration of the role of the information professional and new service models for their praxis.

Originality/value – The chapter tries to evidence the present debate about digital librarianship in Europe.

Details

Library and Information Science Trends and Research: Europe
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78052-714-7

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Article
Publication date: 12 April 2013

Samuel Kai Wah Chu, Felix Siu, Michael Liang, Catherine M. Capio and Wendy W.Y. Wu

This study aims to examine users’ experiences and perceptions associated with the use of two wiki variants in the context of collaborative learning and knowledge management in…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine users’ experiences and perceptions associated with the use of two wiki variants in the context of collaborative learning and knowledge management in higher education.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants included two groups of postgraduate students from a university in Hong Kong who used MediaWiki (n=21) and TWiki (n=16) in completing course requirements. Using a multiple case study approach and a mixed methods research design, data logs on the wiki platforms were downloaded and the contents were analysed. Students’ perceptions were examined through a survey.

Findings

The findings indicate that both wikis were regarded as suitable tools for group projects, and that they improved group collaboration and work quality. Both wikis were also viewed as enabling tools for knowledge construction and sharing.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides insights that may inform the decisions of educators who are considering the use of wikis in their courses as a platform to enhance collaborative learning and knowledge management.

Originality/value

Previous research has shown that wikis can be effectively used in education. However there are a number of wiki variants and it may be difficult to identify which variant would be the best choice. There is a dearth of research comparing the effectiveness of different types of wikis. This study compares two wiki variants on a number of outcomes which may provide some insights to teachers who are in the process of selecting an appropriate wiki for teaching and learning.

Details

Online Information Review, vol. 37 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1468-4527

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Article
Publication date: 30 September 2019

Alyssa Russo, Amy Jankowski, Stephanie Beene and Lori Townsend

This paper argues that information containers provide valuable context clues that can help students make choices about how to engage with information content. The authors present…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper argues that information containers provide valuable context clues that can help students make choices about how to engage with information content. The authors present a strategic approach to source evaluation rooted in format and authority threshold concepts.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors developed a source evaluation strategy with the objective of deciding whether to trust an information source. This strategy involves a set of cues to help readers mindfully engage with both the container and content of a given source.

Findings

When conducting research, non-experts are asked to evaluate content in the absence of relevant subject expertise. The cues presented in this paper offer practical tactics informed by the concepts of authority (to help make an accessible judgment of intellectual trust) and format (to help make more informed decisions about the content they find in a browser).

Originality/value

While librarians have produced many evaluative models and checklists to help students evaluate information, this paper contributes a unique strategic approach grounded in two information literacy threshold concepts – format and authority – and enacted through a series of actions drawn from website evaluation models, fact-checking, and metacognitive exercises.

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