“If there are no records,there is no narrative”: the social justice impact of records of Scottish care-leavers

In 2004, the Scottish Parliament commissioned an independent review of abuse in children’s residential establishments between 1950 and 1995. In 2007, the review’s findings were published in a report entitled Historical Abuse Systemic Review: Residential Schools and Children’s Homes in Scotland 1950 to 1995, also known as the Shaw Report. In this article, the Shaw Report provides the jumping off point for a case study of the social justice impact of records. Drawing on secondary literature, interviews, and care-related records, the study identifies narratives that speak to the social justice impact of care records on care-leavers seeking access to them; it also assesses the potential of the surviving administrative records to serve as a foundation on which to construct historical narratives that speak more generally to the experience of children in residential care.     

Who Will They Think We Were? Public Libraries and Records Retention Practices in Six Midwestern States

ABSTRACT

This research project investigates public records retention policies incorporated into practice in public libraries in the upper Midwest. The authors compared behaviors mandated by state legislation to practices in place based on a survey of public library administrators in the states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Indiana. The intent was not to determine actual compliance, but to elicit information about practices. While variables such as definitions of terms and standards of policies affect the interpretations of the results, the findings highlight that public librarians have an awareness about retention policies, though they vary from institution to institution. Within this article, the authors discuss these records management practices in relation to their value in the development of institutional and professional history.     

GIQ: A snapshot of the first fourteen volumes

The Discussion Forum, in the first issue (volume 1, number 1) of Government Information Quarterly (GIQ) pointed to the need for a new, high-quality, peer-reviewed journal devoted to government information policies, resources, services, and practices that would be interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary and that would attract a diverse readership and pool of contributors. That need for coverage of all levels of government, in the United States and elsewhere, has not altered since the editors of GIQ made that declaration in 1984. The journal remains committed to serving as a forum for policy and other analyses; the presentation of research findings, their implications and their practical applications; and a discussion of current policies and practices, as well as new developments.The purpose of this essay is to provide a summary profile of the contents of the first fourteen volumes. Subsequent essays in the Discussion Forum will chart future directions and the types of papers that we hope to attract and publish. For now, let me summarize GIQ's accomplishments through 14 volumes.     

Analysis of Readex's Serial Set MARC records: Improving the data for the library catalog

Colorado State University Libraries (CSUL) purchased the digitized United States Congressional Serial Set, 1817–1994 and American State Papers (1789–1838) from the Readex Division of NewsBank, Inc. and, once funds and records were available, the accompanying MARC records. The breadth of information found in the Serial Set is described, along with the difficulties in using the print version (incorporated in the literature review, which includes citations of announcements of the digital collections and reviews of the software). The digital version of the Serial Set has its advantages, but there are additional rewards (much greater discovery opportunities) when items in the digital collection are directly accessible from the library catalog. The purchased MARC records, while overall excellent, had problems that needed to be corrected before they were loaded into CSUL's Innovative Interfaces library catalog. Patron access impact was used as a criterion when determining which of the records would be fixed before loading. High impact problems were identified and solutions derived for: multiple 245 (title) fields; 245 s indicator zero with titles beginning with a, an, or the; dollar sign used in text; fixed field date; languages; subject headings; creating proxy URLs; classification numbers; and author authority control (e.g. corporate entries and presidential entry errors).     

Electronic filing of documents with the government: New technology presents new problems

The following statement is reprinted from the Congressional Record (March 14, 1984, pp. H1614–H1615). Given the importance of the topic to the development of Federal information policies, the editor believes that the 31 questions which Representative English raises merit wide attention and discussion.     

A case study of the arbitrariness of the h-index and the highly-cited-publications indicator

The arbitrariness of the h-index becomes evident, when one requires q × h instead of h citations as the threshold for the definition of the index, thus changing the size of the core of the most influential publications of a dataset. I analyze the citation records of 26 physicists in order to determine how much the prefactor q influences the ranking. Likewise, the arbitrariness of the highly-cited-publications indicator is due to the threshold value, given either as an absolute number of citations or as a percentage of highly cited papers. The analysis of the 26 citation records shows that the changes in the rankings in dependence on these thresholds are rather large and comparable with the respective changes for the h-index.     

One “Nation,” Under Stephen? The Effects of The Colbert Report on American Youth

This study examines the effect of The Colbert Report, Comedy Central's mock conservative talk show, on young adults. By fashioning his character as a hyperbolic ideologue, Colbert is mocking personalities such as Bill O'Reilly. However, this study finds that when young adults are exposed to The Colbert Report's humor, they are not led to be more critical of the far right. Instead, the opposite happens, and there is an increased affinity for President Bush, Republicans in Congress, and Republican policies. Ironically, Colbert's attempts to poke fun at conservative commentators may be helping those same commentators spread their message.     

Understanding the “Heroes” and “It Getters”: Fandom and the Colbert Nation

The Colbert Report, an innovative American satirical news show, and the show's dedicated viewers, known as “the Colbert Nation,” redefined fan engagement through audience participation, mediated culture jamming, and ironic political spectacle. Yet very little is known about this fan group. This survey of The Colbert Report's devoted followers finds that the fans are distrustful of political and media elites, highly cynical, very politically involved, not apathetic, and moderately efficacious. Further analysis reveals that viewers have different motivations, some seeing the show as primarily entertainment, some mainly as a trusted source of political information, and others as a mix of entertainment and information. The fans are also found to be highly sophisticated consumers of satire and news, and watch the show as an alternative to mainstream media and as a form of comic relief from current events. Several implications are discussed.     

政府文件管理的数字转型框架研究

政府文件管理数字转型框架的研究旨在推进电子文件管理实践与理论的发展。文章以文本分析方法对澳大利亚与美国文件管理数字转型政策与报告予以调查归纳,由此形成政府文件管理数字转型框架。进而提出了我国政府文件管理数字转型策略:从立足整体情境完备数字基础配置、面向业务与信息融合再造流程、完善顶层设计、基于需求开发数字工具、多元主体协同充实组织架构、规范持续性全面评估六方面予以建议。     

“It-Getting” in the Colbert Nation Online Forum

Previous experimental research that has found that college students exposed to a clip of the popular Comedy Central program entitled The Colbert Report were unable to distinguish its satirical intent from its stated content. To further investigate whether the show's viewers consume The Colbert Report as a satire of conservative television or construe it as a sincere expression of conservative sentiment, the present study examines the content of the program's online discussion forum. Forum posts reflect a diversity of responses to Stephen Colbert and The Colbert Report, many of them recognizing the ironic qualities of the show and its host.     

Memory, records, history: the Records of the Commission for Reception, Truth, and Reconciliation in Timor-Leste

This paper examines the implications of the context of creation on the current and potential future uses of the records produced by the Comissao de Acolhimento, Verdade e Reconciliacao de Timor-Leste (Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation, or CAVR). Given that the CAVR relied heavily on the testimony of the East Timorese people in its investigations that addressed a 25-year period, this paper considers the nature of memory and the role it played in creating and shaping the CAVR records. It also addresses the potential influences of the CAVR records, particularly the final report, Chega!, in shaping what will be known about this period by the Timorese people. The paper concludes with a discussion of the potential role of the CAVR records in contributing to the history of Timor-Leste. Although truth commissions are a problematic form of truth telling, with significant implications for the writing of history, the records of the CAVR are an invaluable source of information for Timorese history. If future users can recognize the CAVR records as the products of the context of their creation, these records will have a critical role to play in the development of history within Timor-Leste.     

Analyzing archives and finding facts: use and users of digital data records

This article focuses on use and users of data from the NARA (National Archives and Records Administration), U.S. Who is using archival electronic records, and why are they using them? It describes the changes in use and consequently user groups over the last 30 years. The changes in use are related to the evolution of reference services for electronic records at NARA, as well as to growth in the types of electronic records accessioned by NARA. The first user group consisted mainly of researchers with a social science background, who usually expected to handle the data themselves. The user community expanded when electronic records with personal value, like casualty records, were transferred to NARA, and broadened yet again when a selection of NARA’s electronic records became available online. Archivists trying to develop user services for electronic records will find that the needs and expectations of fact or information seeking data users are different from those of researchers using and analyzing data files.     

Information methods of human and veterinary medical scientists (HVMS) in Borno State,Nigeria

Human and veterinary medical scientists (HVMS) in Borno State principally use informal methods of obtaining information, as their use of formal ways is hindered by lack of relevant sources. Specifically, both human and veterinary scientists primarily use personal records, discussion with colleagues, and scanning of a wide variety of reading materials, and they often obtain information serendipitously. The findings of this survey lead to suggestions for improvement in information services to HVMS.     

Accountability for governance of liquid communication generated through the use of social media in Botswana: whose duty is it?

The continued use of social media by governments requires that the resultant records, currently termed liquid communication, be governed for accountability purposes. However, some governments worldwide and many in Africa do not have information governance policies to ensure accountability for social media generated records. Therefore, this study examines the roles and responsibilities for the governance of liquid communication generated through social media use by the Botswana government. The study adopts a qualitative approach to collect data from purposively selected participants. This study reveals that public relations officers administered the Botswana government’s social media pages. Furthermore, the Botswana National Archives and Records Services was not involved in the country’s liquid communication governance. Therefore, the study recommends a cross-functional approach to the governance of liquid communication in Botswana. All stakeholders' roles and responsibilities in government information management should be clearly spelled out and documented, which is currently not the case.

     

Stephen Colbert's Civics Lesson: How Colbert Super PAC Taught Viewers About Campaign Finance

This study tests whether exposure to The Colbert Report influenced knowledge of super PACs and 501(c)(4) groups, and ascertains how having such knowledge influenced viewers' perceptions about the role of money in politics. Our analysis of a national random sample of adults interviewed after the 2012 presidential election found that viewing The Colbert Report both increased peoples' perception of how knowledgeable they were about super PACs and 501(c)(4) groups and increased actual knowledge of campaign finance regulation regarding these independent expenditure groups. Findings suggest that the political satirist was more successful in informing his viewers about super PACs and 501(c)(4) groups than were other types of news media. Viewing The Colbert Report also indirectly influenced how useful his audience perceived money to be in politics.     

The CONSER Editing Guide

The CONSER Editing Guide (CEG) gives extensive information about the nature of the CONSER Project, as well as comprehensive instructions and copious examples for content designation and input of serial records cataloged according to AACR2 and CONSER policy The reasons for creating the guide, its method of preparation. and the basis for some of the decisions reflected in it are discussed. Part II of the CEG, to a great extent, replaces the MARC Serials Editing Guide. Second CONSER Edition (MSEG); a comparison is made with the MSEG to reveal what is new and different in the CEG. The contents of the yet to be published Part I, made up of current policies and procedures as applied in the project, are summarized.     

Creating information and records for development work: Working through the lens of information and records continuum models

Information studies characterize the beginning of information as creation, a point of origin. Adapting a continuum approach, this study focuses on the create dimension of the Information and Records Continuum models developed by Frank Upward and his colleagues (Upward, 2000). The context of this study is humanitarian aid and how the interactions of actors within the not-for-profit sector create information used to develop campaigns, design strategies for fundraising, and support beneficiaries, the recipients of aid. Semi-structured interviews and participatory observation were conducted in an international non-governmental organization working with vulnerable communities in Bangladesh. Applying the two continuum models provides insights into the development of aid workers' complex information ecosystem. Using the continuum models in analyzing the data for information and records creation suggest the potential use for these models to provide a theoretical framework in further information behavior studies.     

The Value of Serials in Academic and Special Libraries

Megan Oakleaf is an Associate Professor of Library and Information Science in the iSchool at Syracuse University and provides consultancy services on academic library value, outcomes assessment, evidence-based decision making, information literacy instruction, and information services. She is the author of the Value of Academic Libraries Comprehensive Review and Report. Her research areas include outcomes assessment, evidence-based decision making, information literacy instruction, and academic library impact and value. In this presentation Megan discusses the evolution of library services and the corresponding changes in how a library’s value may be measured and assessed within the larger context of an organization.     

Alternative user survey and group process methods nominal group technique applied to U.S. depository libraries

Understanding user needs need not be based on guesswork, yet there may be shortcut data collection alternatives to traditional expensive and timeconsuming library user surveys. Depository libraries are required to select useful materials to provide government information meeting the needs of area users. Assessing user needs is vital to library planning and to the development of library collection and public services policies. In any planning or assessment process, it is critical to define the specific planning purpose before determining the data to be collected and the methods of collection. There are various qualitative techniques for obtaining user information. Community surveys, published documents, library internal reports, and databases also yield user information. Alternatives to traditional user surveys provide the increased utility of improving communication among area information users and providers. A group process, which allows participants to hear each other, may be more effective and efficient than a written survey. The Nominal Group Technique (NGT), creates a listening forum, providing library administrators with information for planning.