Culture and evidence: or what good are the archives? Archives and archivists in twentieth century England

Archives have the potential to change people’s lives. They are created to enable the conduct of business and accountability, but they also support a democratic society’s expectations for transparency and the protection of rights, they underpin citizen’s rights and are the raw material of our history and memory. This paper examines these issues in the context of the historical development of archives and archivists in twentieth century England. The research lays the foundations for understanding how and why the modern archives and records management profession developed in England. This paper will investigate the historical conflict (or is it a continuum?) between archives as culture and as evidence. The story identifies and highlights the contributions made by many fascinating individuals who established archives services and professional practice in England in the twentieth century. They shaped the archive in a very real way, and their individual enthusiasms, interests and understandings set the course of the English archival profession. To a great extent, it was these individuals, rather than government or legislation, that set the boundaries of English archives, they decided what was included (acquired) and what was not (of archival value.) The conclusion will consider the more fundamental questions: what are archives and what are they for, or perhaps, ‘what good are the archives’?     

Breaking Health Barriers: How Can Public Libraries Contribute?

This article focuses on the health information needs of the State of Oklahoma, which ranks 45th among all 50 states in the health status of its citizens. A deficit in collections technology, a lack of knowledge about medical information in service staff, and poor marketing and outreach efforts in lightly populated counties and towns have worked against the provision of solid health information to the populace. The author points out how grants have provided funding for collaboration, partnerships, and training to certification (Medical Library Association’s Consumer Health Information Specialist Certification [CHIS]) for many staff as health information specialists. Although the issue of health information is still significant in Oklahoma, the Oklahoma library community has made inroads in handling a severe community problem in which the author believes that U.S. public libraries should be heavily involved.     

Why digitise? Principles in planning and managing a successful digitisation project

This paper builds on workshops delivered by the Arts and Humanities Data Service (AHDS) to assist anyone considering a digitisation project. Benefits to user communities are cited to demonstrate the value of going digital, before the practical work involved throughout the lifecycle of the project is outlined. Planning needs to address what should be digitised and how, covering issues such as selection, preparation, capture, storage, retrieval and distribution of the data. Implementation should include a pilot study to test decisions about standards and best practices. Questions about data preservation and re‐use require consideration, and evaluation procedures need to be put in place from early on in the project plan. Planning needs to take account of the inter‐relationship of decisions throughout the project cycle. Expertise within the UK higher education community is available to help a project team through some of the complex choices which need to be made. The article contains two case studies to support the theoretical content.     

How good is a model based on bibliometric indicators in predicting the final decisions made by peers?

This paper shows how bibliometric models can be used to assist peers in selecting candidates for academic openings.Several studies have demonstrated that a relationship exists between results from peer-review evaluations and results obtained with certain bibliometric indicators. However, very little has been done to analyse the predictive power of models based on bibliometric indicators. Indicators with high predictive power will be seen as good instruments to support peer evaluations. The goal of this study is to assess the predictive power of a model based on bibliometric indicators for the results of academic openings at the level of Associado and Catedrático at Portuguese universities. Our results suggest that the model can predict the results of peer-review at this level with a reasonable degree of accuracy. This predictive power is better when only the scientific performance is assessed by peers.     

How Are Teacher-Librarians Finding Resources for Coursework?

Abstract

Providing distance learners access to library services does not automatically translate into usage of those resources. The literature on information-seeking behaviour of distance learners has indicated that they prefer to use local resources, as well as Web-based resources. This study investigates perspectives on library services and available resources for distance learners in the Teacher-Librarianship by Distance Learning program at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. The findings suggest that distance learners in this program tend to rely on local and familiar resources, have a lack of awareness or understanding of certain library services provided to them, rely heavily on electronic full-text availability, and may feel isolated from fellow students, resulting in low collaboration in the process of accessing information. The researchers suggest developing effective marketing strategies and collaborating with faculty to promote usage of library services provided to distance learners.     

Live Reporting in Television News: Breaking News or Black Holes?

In the early days of television, it was thought that live coverage of news events would be extremely rare. Instead, live coverage has become pervasive. Results from this study showed that stations in sampled-markets aired more stories containing a live element than they aired standard reporter packages. Most of the time, there was no apparent journalistic justification for going live, adding evidence to the contention that technology drives journalism in television newsrooms today.     

Personal records on the web: Who's in charge of archiving, Hotmail or archivists?

This examination of how the general public uses commercially provided e-mail and blog services to keep their personal documents and history supports exploration into how information professionals can assist the general public in archiving their data, with a view to preservation for future generations and historians. An online survey was conducted to gather data on the current status of e-mail and blog usage, users’ perceptions on archiving their contents in e-mail and blogs, and the expectations for and functionalities of archiving tools users find useful or necessary. A total of 345 e-mail and blog users participated in the survey. Participants were found to be well aware of the risk of losing their content in e-mail and blogs, and of the fact that most e-mail and blog services do not provide any method of backing up content. Participants valued the content related to their personal history highly and would have liked to have it preserved; however, they had not located many acceptable tools for preservation. Despite this, information professionals have not been actively engaged in meeting such users' needs.     

How can we build an impactful future for science in conservation? Essential next steps

This paper presents the outcomes of reflection and debate within the ICCROM Forum (2013) which explored how to build an impactful future for science in conservation. It sets out a number of recommendations to support a vibrant heritage science community with an impactful future. Key recommendations include: adopting the term heritage science as this reflects the growing use of the term in domains not exclusively conservation-focussed, positioning ICCROM as a leader in setting a vision for the heritage science community which would grow capacity, and support a high standard of academic research to underpin an impactful future for this growing discipline.     

Opportunity or risk? How news organizations frame social media in their guidelines for journalists

Guided by regulatory focus theory and framing, the present study analyzes how U.S. and British mainstream news organizations (N = 12) frame the current social media environment in their social media guidelines. The results indicate that news organizations dominantly frame the new environment as a risk to guard against, warning of the possible harm to their reputations and journalism norms such as accuracy and objectivity (prevention-focused), rather than as an opportunity to actively take advantage of (promotion-focused).     

Online scholarly publishing in China: Who? What? How?

This overview describes the general situation of online scholarly publishing in China from both the supply and demand points of view. Based on desk research, online survey, and face‐to‐face interviews, we identify scholars' perceptions as well as expectations of the current online publishing system. We offer some personal recommendations for change. We then provide a list of business models for stakeholders.     

Do researchers collaborate in a similar way to publish and to develop projects?

The aim of this paper is to establish the similarities and differences between the way of collaboration and the production of researchers when dealing with publications or with the development of projects and whether the collaboration patterns change across disciplines.We have studied the networks of researchers formed through the collaborations in papers or in projects in a research institution (the University of Zaragoza) and we have analyzed a series of individual and global magnitudes. As a general result, we have observed that the laws governing the individual productivity are similar for the cases of publications and projects but, however, the behavior is different when analyzing more complex magnitudes such as the collaborations or other structural variables. We consider also the subnetworks defined by the researchers of the different disciplines and characterize their topologies and compare the corresponding collaboration patterns.Because of the general approach, we expect most of the conclusions to be applicable to other universities or research centers.     

How Real is Too Real for the Law? Realism versus Right of Publicity in Video Game Design

Realistic elements in video game design can inspire an appropriation claim, trademark dispute, or similar lawsuits, even when the underlying immaterial property from the real world was licensed. Video games can be First Amendment-protected expression, however, as in other media, there’s tension between the speech rights of creators and the personal rights of subjects. Furthermore, there’s disagreement from one jurisdiction to another regarding how much mimicry loses protection and how many dissimilarities are transformative enough to be lawful. Analysis of case law reveals a balancing act between protecting video games as expressive works and protecting individuals’ right of publicity.     

How will net neutrality be played out in Korea?

The network neutrality debate is closely related to social, political, and economic debates over the public information network and the duties of its private carriers. The paper begins by defining network neutrality before discussing the technology underpinning network neutrality. It then contextualizes the issue in terms of policy, innovation, values, and society of Korean context. It compares the different approaches adopted by other countries to the regulation of network neutrality. Regulatory approaches to net neutrality can be either devising a comprehensive regulatory framework or abandoning the option of regulatory intervention altogether. We propose a careful combination of government intervention and market forces as a Korean model for allowing networks to remain a free and open marketplace of ideas and economic, political, and social interactions. The results offer useful references on net neutrality in other countries.     

Paying for What? How Much? And Why (Not)? Predictors of Paying Intent for Multiplatform Newspapers

Propelled by the recent economic recession that caused substantial declines in advertising revenue, some major newspapers have renewed their efforts to find alternative revenue models. This renewed interest in paid content strategy triggered another round of debates on the viability of the “paywall.” To address the recurring industry debate, this study, based on a national survey of 767 U.S. online adults, systematically evaluated users' paying intent for different newspaper formats, the amount they are willing to pay, as well as users' responses to various payment models being considered by the industry. Results showed the print edition outperforms other formats (Web & “apps”) in terms of usage, preference, and paying intent; and is perceived as the most valuable platform. Paying intent for the online formats (Web & apps) was weak, and so was people's response to each of the 6 payment models under study. Therefore, how users are charged does not make much difference—whether they are charged does. The analysis also identified the predictors of paying intent for newspaper formats and different payment models. Although multiplatform news delivery has become a reality, paying intent for digital news content remains elusive.     

Up in the air: Are airlines following the new DOT rules on equal pricing for people with disabilities when websites are inaccessible?

This paper details the findings from a study of airline compliance with Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations requiring that persons with disabilities not be discriminated against in the pricing of airline travel. These regulations mandate that if an airline website is inaccessible for persons with disabilities, the airline must charge the same price that is available on the website and may not charge a fee for purchasing tickets over the phone. To evaluate compliance, the websites of leading airlines were examined for accessibility in terms of the ability to check flight schedules and order tickets. Among the four airlines with barriers to accessibility on their websites, a series of phone calls were made by researchers to assess whether the DOT regulations would be followed. Two of the airlines, USAirways and United, practiced discriminatory pricing, even after being made aware of the regulations, in over one-third of the phone calls. This paper details the findings from the study and analyzes the data in terms of website accessibility, civil rights for travelers with disabilities, and policy implications.     

How Much Is Enough? New Recommendations for Using Constructed Week Sampling in Newspaper Content Analysis of Health Stories

Researchers frequently use constructed week samples to approximate content for larger populations of textual data in content analysis projects. To date, this sampling method has not been validated in longitudinal contexts necessary for the conduct of large-scale health communication research. This study uses Monte Carlo bootstrap sampling to determine the number of constructed weeks necessary to accurately estimate one- and five-year population values for different types of variables in a quantitative content analysis. Five years (1999–2004) of four different daily newspapers were coded for four variables that varied on type (count vs. rating), amount of missing data, and distribution (normal vs. nonnormal). Results suggest that sampling a minimum of six constructed weeks was most efficient for both time frames. Missing data lowers sampling precision, although a correction can be calculated if the amount of missing data can be estimated. Using an efficient method of sampling newspapers such as constructed week sampling can help communication researchers to more easily study health coverage in the media.     

How Can Music Majors Increase Their Success in the Market for Over-the-Air Downloads?—The Case of Germany

Music majors, who have been suffering from dwindling revenues in their core business, are placing extraordinary hopes on the new market of over-the-air (OTA) downloads. However, until now there has been no broad academic discussion about this market. In particular, two central questions have not yet been addressed: (a) Which factors influence the success of music majors in the OTA-download market?, and (b) How can music majors increase their success in this market? To answer these questions, this study used a holistic research approach, which combines an economical and a sociological perspective. This study first identified the drivers for the success in the OTA-download market and analyzed these factors in 1 large-scale survey (n = 1,780) in Germany and a series of expert interviews. Subsequently, a mathematical Excel-based tool was constructed and data optimization techniques from operations research were applied to derive the optimal mix of strategic measures that maximizes the success of music majors in the German OTA-download market. Finally, recommendations for implementing these strategic measures are presented. This explorative study provides a systematic understanding of the general factors driving success in any OTA-download market. Therefore, there is hope that it will be relevant for both German and international scholars and managers.