Library-Information Centers in the 21st Century——For the 40th Anniversary of Library and Information Service

Ontheeveofthe21stcentury,advancednewtechnologyisdramaticallychangingthewaypeoplelivingandstronglypromotingthemodeofproduc-tion.Menhavetofrequentlygiveupthewaysandideastheyhavealreadyaccustomedtoandareal-wayspreparedanddeterminedtocompletelybreakawaywiththeoutdatedconventionalideasandthoughts.Convention-stickersandoutmoded-cher-isherswilleventuallybediscardedbytimeunderthisinexorablesocialpsychologytrend.　　Whenwelookintothefutureoflibrary-infor-mationcentersinthe21stcentury,theNIIProgramwhi…     

The Prokudin-Gorskii Collection of Early 20th Century Color Photographs of Russia at the Library of Congress: Unexpected Consequences of the Digitization of the Collection, 2000–2017

The article describes activities in Russia related to the Library of Congress’ Prokudin-Gorskii collection of early 20th century color photographs. The collection was digitized in 1999/2000 and is freely available on the Internet. Russian interest in the photographs has resulted in websites, blogs, documentary films, dissertations, exhibitions, and books about the collection and the photographer and his work.     

Stealing From the Rich to Entertain the Poor?: A Survey of Literature on the Ethics of Digital Piracy

The backlash against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)/Protect IP Act (PIPA) legislation brings to light a battle that has been raging between Hollywood and Silicon Valley ever since technology made it easy to illegally copy and distribute copyrighted material. Many studies have been done on digital pirates in order to create a demographic, psychological, and ethical profile of them. This article compares these studies and examines the assumption that many of them are based on; namely, that digital piracy is always unethical or criminal in today's world. It also discusses alternative delivery methods that have been used by content creators and the implications for the future.     

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 powerful image and the imagination of power: the ‘new visual turn’ of the CPC’s propaganda strategy since its 18th National Congress in 2012

This paper adopts the academic tool of discourse analysis to examine the ‘new visual turn’ of the Communist Party of China’s propaganda work since the 18th CPC National Congress when Xi Jinping was inaugurated as the leader of Chinese Communists. A thorough review of the new visual means the Party uses for photojournalism, TV news, animated cartoons and online promotional videos points to three developments markedly different from traditional discursive strategies: a full embrace of Confucian ethics, articulation of the Internet-based popular culture and subcultures, and an effort to fortify Xi’s personal authority as a political idol. The paper concludes that the ‘new visual turn’ of CPC propaganda after the 18th Party Congress suggests that the Communist discourse has evolved to a new stage where sophisticated manipulation of sleek technological tools substantiates a rigorous, dynamic CPC discursive system more at ease with itself and more powerful than ever in shaping the mainstream political culture in China.     

Changing partnerships? Government documents departments at the turn of the millennium

During the 1990s the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) has undergone a transition from collections comprised exclusively of tangible print on paper or fiche publications to a mix of print and electronic materials. This article examines the impact of this transition on depository library operations—both collections and services—at the turn of the millennium. The discussion of reference service on depository materials is considered within the context of G. K. Zipf’s law, that is, people will tend to seek the path of least effort in gathering information. Given this tendency, the extensive use of the Web to deliver electronic depository materials redirects depository library users away from depository shelves to Web workstations, and leads depository librarians to build Web pages to direct their patrons. The conclusion is that for depository libraries the new collection mix poses a management paradox—the FDLP receives thousands of tangible documents each year, yet it must maintain new services for patrons turning increasingly to Web-based resources.     

The Florida State Libraries Resource Sharing Initiative: Did the Predictions Pan Out?

This article revisits discussion from “The Florida State Libraries Resource Sharing Initiative: Unity Among a Disparate Group” (Schmidt & Smith, 2012) on the implementation of a new resource sharing program within the Florida State University Libraries called UBorrow. The program and its effects are assessed after 2 years with comparison to the project launch's original predictions.     

The Razor's Edge: Louisiana's State Budget and the Serials Crisis of 2010–2012

Offered as a piquant contrast to strategy sessions that presume a surfeit of resources, this presentation focuses on coping with massive budget cuts to higher education and libraries in one of the poorest states in the union. Sara Zimmerman focused on the response to the funding emergency and the long-range strategies involved in gaining financial and political support to weather the coming storm of 2011. Karen Niemla played a critical role in publicizing the LOUIS emergency and discussed how Web 2.0 tools provided an economical and effective means of communicating the value of libraries. Michael Matthews discussed the long-term effects of shrinking academic journal collections and how academic libraries are adjusting their collection development policies to cope with the prospect of vanishing resources.     

The h-index: A case of the tail wagging the dog?

From the way that it was initially defined (Hirsch, 2005), the h-index naturally encourages focus on the most highly cited publications of an author and this in turn has led to (predominantly) a rank-based approach to its investigation. However, Hirsch (2005) and Burrell (2007a) both adopted a frequency-based approach leading to general conjectures regarding the relationship between the h-index and the author's publication and citation rates as well as his/her career length. Here we apply the distributional results of Burrell, 2007a, Burrell, 2013b to three published data sets to show that a good estimate of the h-index can often be obtained knowing only the number of publications and the number of citations. (Exceptions can occur when an author has one or more “outliers” in the upper tail of the citation distribution.) In other words, maybe the main body of the distribution determines the h-index, not the wild wagging of the tail. Furthermore, the simple geometric distribution turns out to be the key.     

Who pays the piper? The political economy of freedom of information

If freedom of information is fundamental to contemporary democracy, why have democratic countries differed so markedly in their willingness to pass laws enshrining formal rights of access to government files? This article demonstrates that an analysis grounded in comparative political economy can provide a compelling answer to this question. Specifically, it demonstrates that the more highly coordinated a country's economy, the less transparent it is likely to be. Through a comparison of the United States and Germany, this article argues that in coordinated market economies, ongoing negotiations between the state and the peak representative bodies provide privileged access to information about the government, and indeed privileged channels of influence over government action. Public access to official files threatens this privileged access. In less coordinated economies, however, firms lack this privileged access; they are likely to favor access laws as a partial substitute, especially since such laws are more consistent with the highly fragmented and competitive environment in which they operate. By further comparing Sweden and the United Kingdom, it also demonstrates the limits of this explanation, suggesting that historical sequences and classic political variables should also be taken into account.     

A post-American world? Assessing the cognitive and attitudinal impacts of challenges to American exceptionalism

A number of voices have emerged in U.S. political discourse questioning the legitimacy of American exceptionalism, suggesting we are in a “post-American world.” Our research examines the effects that political messages that explicitly challenge American exceptionalism can have on U.S. public opinion. Drawing upon social identity theory, we find that explicit challenges to American exceptionalism significantly impact Americans’ views toward their own nation, their willingness to denigrate foreign publics, and their broader foreign policy preferences.     

The bigger,the better? Measuring the financial health of media firms

Abstract

This study examined the degrees of product diversification of media conglomerates since the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and tested the impact of product diversification of the firms on their financial health. The strategy of related product diversification enables firms to gain market power and synergy effect, then improves financial performance. Based on that assumption, for a sample of 26 media firms from 1996 to 2002, this study conducted a regression analysis to test the hypotheses. The results showed two contradictory curvilinear models. First, revenue, EBITDA and sales growth rates revealed a U‐shaped relationship with diversification. That is, performance decreased as firms shifted from concentrated business strategies to related diversification, but performance increased as firms changed from related diversification to unrelated diversification. On the other hand, financial efficiency variables measuring management effectiveness or profitability (ROS, ROA and ROE) and stock market evaluation (earnings per share) showed an inverted U‐shape relationship. Thus, the unrelated diversification led to a decrease in financial efficiency.     

Pop-Up Library at the University of Birmingham: Extending the Reach of an Academic Library by Taking “The Library” to the Students

ABSTRACT

Aligning with student engagement and promotional strategies, a Pop-Up Library project was initiated at the University of Birmingham. This involved setting up temporary, staffed stalls in different locations across campus in order to informally communicate with students and effectively take “the Library” to them. This article discusses the planning and implementation of the Pop-Up Library, including the rationale for the initiative. Details are given of the stalls themselves, the wide range of staff involved, the many locations trialed, the promotional materials used, and the ways in which the venture was advertised and subsequently evaluated. Results of a questionnaire used on the stalls are presented. Conclusions are drawn as to the effectiveness of the Pop-Up Library as a communication tool, with particular emphasis on breaking down barriers between students and library staff, and proactively raising students' awareness of the many ways Library Services can enhance their learning.     

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.