The restructuring of the national archives of New Zealand: An ideological experiment?

This article examines the proposal for restructuring of the National Archives of New Zealand using the functional model in which policy advice and service delivery are separated, a public sector reform principle in widespread use. The proposal results from a report in 1994 by consultants, McDermott Miller Ltd., commissioned by the Treasury and the Department of Internal Affairs. Its contents, recommendations, and later amendments are examined in some detail. Particular attention is paid to the effectiveness and appropriateness of the model for a public archives agency, and the constitutional and legal implications.     

The Eight Percent Problem: Authors of Colour in the British Young Adult Market (2006–2016)

The conversations surrounding ‘diversity’ in the Anglo-American book publishing industry have increased in recent years, and often centre around the lack of representation of publishing professionals, authors, and characters of colour. This paper contextualises these discussions within British YA, a market that has grown in popularity since 2006. Through an analysis of the corpus of all Young Adult fiction titles published, in the UK, during the 2006–2016 period, this paper will investigate what percentage of the titles were created by authors of colour; to determine whether this number has risen over the years, and to pinpoint any patterns and anomalies that emerge over the time period.     

‘This nation under God’: The broadcast and film commission of the national council of churches and the new medium of television

Throughout American history that form of Protestantism that designates itself and is publicly conceived as “old‐time religion” has regularly been the innovator in the area of media. In stark contrast, its more staid establishment counterpart has tended to be antagonistic to these new media, dismissing them with harsh theological and aesthetic judgments. In this process, the self‐proclaimed theological conservatives actually behaved in remarkably adaptive and imaginative ways, while the self‐proclaimed liberal establishment often acted as the cultural conservator, pressing for the preservation of the status quo. This article seeks to understand why those Protestants who define themselves as “modernist” and “adaptive” have been far less successful in using the media than their conservative “anti‐modernist” counterparts. The focus is upon a case study—the reception of television by the Broadcast and Film Commission of the National Council of Churches. The conclusion is ironic: those Protestants who depended upon “modern,” “social scientific” criterion to guide their television policies fundamentally misunderstood the power of television and its impact upon society.     

Archives as networks: the geography of record-keeping in the Society of Jesus (1540–1773)

This paper examines the archives of a major Catholic order, the Society of Jesus. The quality and amount of Jesuit sources allows a very detailed reconstruction not only of how the archives were meant to function, but also of how they were used in daily life. While the Jesuits and their archives resemble many other early modern institutions, the wealth of documentation nevertheless makes them particularly suitable for a case study of early modern archival practice. The paper argues that the order consciously developed a network of archives that closely mirrored the institutional framework of the Jesuit bureaucracy. Ideally, smooth and swift movement of papers within this network was meant to provide easy access to relevant documents for users at all hierarchical levels. In reality, however, Jesuit record keeping remained far from this ideal. Papers were misplaced or simply got lost in the maze of archives.     

The materials and techniques used in the paintings of Francis Bacon (1909–1992)

Abstract

Materials from 38 paintings by Francis Bacon (1909–1992), including 21 complete works and 17 partially destroyed canvases are investigated. Observations are made of the artist's technique and details are compiled of the supports used. Samples of paint and priming were taken for analysis using polarized light microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), pyrolysis–GC–MS (Py–GC–MS), and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM–EDX). Analysis of priming layers appears to show that the priming composition correlates well with particular ranges of dates. A fairly limited range of materials are found, with many of the same pigments found in works spanning Bacon's career, though other pigments were introduced at different stages in his career. Oil paints were used consistently for the painting of figures, but household paints were increasingly used in backgrounds from the 1960s onwards. A variety of different synthetic media are found in later works, including household acrylic paints and spray paints. Increased knowledge of Bacon’s materials is expected to be of great value to conservators caring for the work of this highly significant artist, and is already helping in the authentication of works attributed to him.     

The Origins of the Russian Collection at the Library of Congress (1800–1906)

This article traces the development of the Russian collection at the Library of Congress during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Library of Congress, which was intended to be a small legislative library, initially added books about Russia in English translation and on limited subjects. The purchase of the Jefferson library brought the first Russian-language books to the collection, but the Russian collection would not truly begin to grow until the 1866 Smithsonian Deposit and the development of international exchanges in the latter part of the nineteenth century. The author made heavy use of the many printed Library of Congress catalogs and supplements, as well as archival sources, in the course of this research.     

The Role of Legal Deposit of Books in the Polish Library Scheme: The Case of Poznań University Library

This article discusses the legal deposit system in Poland, outlining important issues, legal regulations, cooperation with publishers, and the importance of delivering books for academic environment. It emphasizes the significance of legal deposit for shaping collections and improving institutional quality. Poznań University Library is presented as an example of the Polish approach to the issue of book acquisition, including the library’s mission statement and elements of its collection development policy. The author also writes about tasks for the Legal Deposit Office and the library in the near future, including implementation of electronic legal deposit in Poland.     

The emergence of the anti‐hero in the contemporary drama

A brief discussion of the protagonist as he appears in the Western Theatre of today. An examination of new conditions of heroism as envisioned by playwrights in the Contemporary theatre.     

The Scullery of the Broadcasting House: Female Writers and the Literary Features of the Dutch Broadcasting Organization KRO (1928–1940)

Departing from the claim that media actively co-construct gender relations in a society, this article focuses on the interwar literary features of the Dutch Catholic radio broadcaster KRO. Similar to all broadcasting organizations in the Dutch Interbellum, the KRO aired these literary features in order to contribute to the cultural elevation of its listeners. Remarkable about the KRO, however, is that it created a division between an official literary feature, which was aired on Sunday afternoons, and a series composed of literary contributions aimed specifically at women, which was broadcast on Tuesday afternoons. Specifically focusing on their repertoires, this article primarily aimed to analyze the differences between these two features. It appears that the books of female writers were underrepresented in the official feature and overrepresented in the women’s feature, which indicates that Dutch radio reflected the hegemonic gender relations in the interwar literary field.     

“Glocal” patterns of communication-information convergences in Internet use: Cross-cultural behavior of international teaching assistants in a culturally alien information environment

There is minimal research on the cross-cultural needs, priorities, and behaviors of international participants immersed in contemporary culturally alien information environments. Through a quantitative analysis of Internet use patterns of international teaching assistants (ITA) studying in graduate school at a representative university in the United States, the authors discover communication-information convergences in ITAs’ use of the Internet as a “glocal” network, connecting the “global” and “local” dimensions in their everyday lives. The paper identifies dual functions of the Internet considered meaningful to the ITAs in the diaspora, namely: (1) to engage in various communication activities with friends and family in their home countries (the “global”), thereby providing psychological comfort and overcoming social isolation; and (2) to conduct information gathering activities that establish coping mechanisms for ITAs in their new homes in the United States (the “local”). The paper presents empirical data highlighting correlations between communication and information intersections in ITAs’ use of the Internet. Findings extend past Internet research and user studies in traditional communication and information research, which only alluded to these communication-information convergence processes, to better understand how international people use the Internet in present-day cross-cultural contexts of interaction.     

The media and the crisis of democracy in the age of Bush‐2

In this study, I demonstrate the consequences of the triumph of neoliberalism and media deregulation for democracy. I argue that the tremendous concentration of power in the hands of corporate groups who control powerful media conglomerates has intensified a crisis of democracy in the United States and elsewhere. Providing case studies of how mainstream media in the United States have become tools of conservative and corporate interests since the 1980s, I discuss how the corporate media helped forge a conservative hegemony, failed to address key social problems, and promoted the candidacy of George W. Bush in the 2000 US presidential election.     

The possibility of using the Google Patents search tool in patentometric analysis (based on the example of the world’s largest innovative companies)

The possibility of using the Google Patents search tool in patentometric analysis based on the world largest innovative companies is substantiated. Of these companies, the dynamics of issued patents for 2-year intervals over a 10-year period (2001?C2010) were analyzed; with this method it was possible to classify these companies according to their patent activity. It is shown that along with the very high patent activity (from 1.0 to 1.2 mln patents in 10 years) of the Sony, Samsung Electronics, Intel, Hewlett-Packard, and Siemens companies, 76% of the most innovative companies of the world that are included in the TOP-50 Business Week 2010 have very low patent activities (from 0 to 0.2 mln patents in 10 years). The conclusion is that most patent active innovation companies have stably growing or established dynamics of patent activity.     

Investigation of the materials found in the studio of Francis Bacon (1909–1992)

Abstract

The investigation of materials found in Bacon's studio is reported. The contents of the studio are examined and interpreted to identify the materials and colours most favoured by Bacon, and the range of media used. A small number of colours appear to have been heavily used. Some objects used as tools in the painting process are also investigated and explain textures seen in paint in his works. Samples of selected materials from the studio are analysed to identify the components of paints (pigments, extenders, and binders) used by Bacon. This investigation is part of a wider project examining his materials and techniques. The analytical information obtained here from the studio helps to clarify the statements made by Bacon in interviews regarding his use of materials and is proving useful in the identification of materials in his paintings, in order to help with the conservation and authentication of his works.     

The University of Fort Hare’s (UFH) corporate memory in the spotlight: retracing the institution’s centenary history through visual documentation

University records constitute an integral element of an academic institution’s corporate memory. This business information needs to be well managed throughout its life cycle for the purpose of accountability, transparency, good governance and for reference purposes. This paper reports on a qualitative study that was undertaken at the University of Fort Hare in South Africa by examining an exhibition developed to mark the institution’s centenary. The purpose of the study was to evaluate and trace the provenance of the collections on display to gain an overall assessment of the extent of archival development at the UFH. It cannot be over-emphasized that organizations often struggle to write their centenary history due to lack of supporting documentation as the information is either incomplete, missing or misfiled, rendering it unusable. One of the key findings emanating from this study was that much of the material used for the displays is copyrighted to sister heritage institutions and private individuals, demonstrating the consequences of lack of development and preservation by the UFH of its own archives. Consequently, the need to revamp the institution’s records and archives management systems is mandatory. An encouraging development is that in 2018 there are plans to appoint a records manager, an institutional archivist and a manager of student records. The centenary exhibition has therefore been an opportunity to demonstrate the value of archives to the University of Fort Hare.     

The Idea of the Comprehensive Research Collection,The Perils of “Linguistic Impoverishment,” and Print Publications in the Turkic Languages of the North Caucasus, 1806–2017 (Part I)

Publications in the Turkic languages of the North Caucasus (Kumyk, Karachai-Balkar, Nogai, and a few others) are intelligible to readers of Turkish, Tatar, Kazakh, and other more commonly taught Turkic languages, but have suffered from serious neglect as sources for Western scholarship and, concomitantly, as materials that Western libraries might want to acquire. This is largely due to three factors: a lack of awareness on the part of scholars and librarians that publications in these languages exist; a lack of awareness that these publications have scholarly value at least as high as that of publications commonly cited in scholarly works about Islam in the Russian Empire and Soviet Union, etc.; and the difficulty (especially in the past) of acquiring materials in these languages via the established acquisitions networks of Western libraries. Part of a planned series of articles exploring the publication history of and bibliographic record for the languages of the North Caucasus, this article will use language family (e.g., Turkic) as the unit of analysis, rather than the ethnoterritorial units created during the Soviet period (i.e., Kabardino-Balkaria) or in earlier eras (i.e., Daghestan). More broadly, the (quite understandable) failure of Western libraries to amass comprehensive collections in the vernacular languages of the North Caucasus raises interesting questions regarding the nature and purpose of the contemporary research library, which will be explored as well.