Fusing research into practice: The role of research methods education

A survey was conducted among library and information science (LIS) practitioners to examine the effect of the research methods course on LIS practitioners' work. Findings suggest the research methods course is a valuable component of the master's in library and information science (MLIS) program. Taking the research methods course increases LIS practitioners' research interest and assists them by helping them critically evaluate published literature and apply it at work, provide better assistance to library patrons, produce valid and reliable data to facilitate decision making, identify problems at work and design and implement studies to solve them, and write grants and for publication. Suggestions are made to improve the research methods curriculum and enhance the educational experience for LIS practitioners.     

Collaborative knowledge construction in digital environments: Politics, policy, and communities

How individuals share information with respect to politics and policy in networked research environments is an area ripe for interdisciplinary study. In this analysis, I explore some of the more current and salient research findings from several disciplinary literatures (communications, computer science, organizational behavior, information science, and public policy) to examine how current research perceives the influence of technology-aided communications on policy-making conversations. I suggest that a community-centric view, which takes into account online and offline group affiliations and their related power dynamics, is just as important as an individual-based unit of analysis. This understanding points to directions for the thoughtful creation of digital resources that appropriately reflect and support inter- and intra-group knowledge-sharing behavior.     

The value of therapeutic reading groups organized by public libraries

This research examines the benefits of therapeutic reading groups that are run by public libraries, and explores their value from the perspective of the participants. Narrative interviews were conducted with 14 members of one of three therapeutic reading groups in order to gather empirical evidence on their experiences in the groups and to develop an understanding of their perceptions of its benefits. Participants were very positive about the value of the groups and the way that they were facilitated. The 11 benefits they discussed were clustered into two groups associated with reading and access to books, and group interaction. Many of these benefits had a positive impact on participants’ individual assurance and self-esteem; the groups also had positive consequences for social inclusion and involvement in the local community and economic activity. Benefits were shown to stem from the social nature of the groups, the texts read, and from the unique experience of shared reading as a creative, collaborative, and interpretive act. This is the first study to gather evidence from the participants of therapeutic reading groups on their perceptions of benefits. The findings support the value of therapeutic reading groups, and support the case for the further development of these groups, and further studies into their benefits.     

E-parliament: Opening the door

Parliaments around the world are becoming aware that they, and the individual members of the parliament, can use digital technologies to support greater engagement with citizens and their communities. This article reports on communication patterns of the Parliament of Australia and the community, the potential of Web 2.0 to increase engagement and accountability and research with the Australian community and members of the parliament on information needs for a new website implementing interactivity.     

e-Government readiness: Does national culture matter?

e-Government readiness varies significantly across nations. This research explored the relationship of national culture values and practice to e-Government readiness. Eighteen hypotheses were formulated and tested. With the exception of performance orientation and assertiveness, national culture values and practices correlated negatively and positively with e-Government readiness. In addition, gender egalitarianism, institutional collectivism, performance orientation, and uncertainty avoidance values were found to be key determinants of e-Government readiness. The findings of this research provide a foundation for culturally-based policies and strategies aiming at enhancing e-Government readiness across nations.     

Benchmarking e-Government: A comparison of frameworks for computing e-Government index and ranking

Countries are often benchmarked and ranked according to economic, human, and technological development. Benchmarking and ranking tools, such as the United Nation's e-Government index (UNDPEPA, 2002), are used by decision makers when devising information and communication policies and allocating resources to implement those policies. Despite their widespread use, current benchmarking and ranking tools have limitations. For instance, they do not differentiate between static websites and highly integrated and interactive portals. In this paper, the strengths and limitations of six frameworks for computing e-Government indexes are assessed using both hypothetical data and data collected from 582 e-Government websites sponsored by 53 African countries. The frameworks compared include West's (2007a) foundational work and several variations designed to address its limitations. The alternative frameworks respond, in part, to the need for continuous assessment and reconsideration of generally recognized and regularly used frameworks.     

The myth of informatization in rural areas: The case of China's Sichuan province

As one of the nation's informatization strategies, the Chinese government has set up an ambitious goal to connect all the villages via broadband by the end of 2020. Lacking an explicit and systematic universal service policy, the Chinese government initially designated the major telecommunications carriers to carry out the task, which is commonly referred as “telephone service in every village project”. So far, the project is going well and all the planned deadlines are met. In addition to connections, government and business entities are developing various information services to bring timely and useful economic, educational and agricultural information to those rural residents.The primary research question of this paper is to look at whether this government-led model is sustainable in the future. The study is conducted in Sichuan, a typical western province where the divide between the urban and rural area is very prominent while, surprisingly, the agricultural informatization service in that region has gained national attention. The study shows that the lack of vision, coherent strategy and a sustainable model are the issues that need to be addressed.     

“The Facebook Election: New Media and the 2008 Election Campaign” Special Symposium

This study examines influences on the degree to which news organizations attend to everyday readers through online feedback, or conversely via advertising and marketing data. Factors at the community level, the market level, and the organizational level are examined as predictors of editors’ exposure and attention to audiences. Results of a national survey indicate that most editors tend to pay attention to both online reader feedback and marketing data. Factors at the organizational level, such as organizational size and public ownership, were more influential than community-level factors in explaining level of attention. Community structural pluralism was not a strong predictor of attention to feedback via marketing data or online. These findings suggest a business motive in editors’ communication and reinforce previous research pointing to the importance of organizational and peer-level factors in shaping journalists’ response to audiences.