The use of information and communication technologies in public libraries in South Africa as tools for bridging the digital divide: the case of the Kempton Park public library

ABSTRACT

The information and knowledge society has resulted in the exponential growth of information and communication technologies (ICTs), thus creating a gap between those who use ICTs and those who do not; hence the emergence of the term “digital divide” in the 1990s. One of the milestones of South Africa’s National Development Plan, a policy that charts the country’s development up until 2030, is to ensure that high-speed broadband internet is universally available at competitive prices. Notwithstanding the importance of ICTs in public libraries, the provision of such is still taking place on a limited scale in South Africa. This article investigates the use of ICTs in public libraries in South Africa as a tool in bridging the digital divide. It also examines the inequalities in access and use and suggests ways in which ICTs may be used to reduce the digital divide. A qualitative research methodology was adopted. In order for public libraries to function as an important tool in bridging the digital divide, there is a need to standardize the provision of public library services with regard to the digital divide.     

网络舆情场中信息受众观点测度的机理及路径分析

[目的/意义]整合定性与定量的舆情研究视角,统一多模态研究对象,实现网络舆情信息受众的观点测度,可修复网络舆情分析与治理的理论与实践裂痕。[方法/过程]通过引入网络舆情场的概念,对网络舆情信息受众、受众观点测度的内涵进行诠释,就网络舆情场与信息受众观点测度的逻辑关系加以辩证讨论。[结果/结论]提出网络舆情场内舆情受众观点测度机理和具体测度路径,为后续网络舆情场中的网络舆情信息分析、多维度信息受众观点测度,受众认知规律发现,网络舆情监督和管控限制等层面的研究做相应铺垫。     

Creating Better Learners Through Learning Science: A Sample of Methods

This article proposes the incorporation of learning science into the programming and operation of public libraries. Learning science, a multidisciplinary field spanning cognitive science, psychology, neuroscience, economics, anthropology, and linguistics, has identified proven methods for enhancing learning at any age. The article highlights some of the tools and insights that are most relevant to libraries in their role as centers for informal learning.     

A pillar of the Youngstown community: The Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County engages in the Harwood practice

ABSTRACT

The Harwood Institute arrived in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1999; and today, over 18 years later, its teachings have made a profound effect upon the city. The Youngstown Public Library, through the leadership of Carlton Sears and Heidi Daniel, has wholeheartedly embraced the methods and ideology of the Harwood Institute, helping to reinvigorate and power a city working its way back to prosperity.     

Update: The Invisible Farmer: securing Australian farm women’s history

This article reviews the Invisible Farmer project – the largest study of Australian women on the land – a third of the way through its three year funding period. It introduces the aims of this collaborative and multidisciplinary project, focusing on the role of records and oral histories in the creation of new narratives, and the task of raising public awareness of the important historical and contemporary contributions made by Australian women farmers. We examine the way digital platforms work to curate records and promote research, and outline the important role that the Australian Women’s Register, a core project of the Australian Women’s Archives Project, will play in achieving outcomes.     

Risk,affect, and policy support: public perception of air pollution in China

Air pollution is a critical environmental problem that has spurred great public concern in China. This study examines how issue salience, environmental value, risk perception, and affective response influence information seeking, objective knowledge, and policy support related to this issue. The recent release of a controversial environmental documentary on Chinese social media, Under the Dome, also prompted us to explore the impact of exposure to this documentary on Chinese social media users’ information seeking and policy support related to air pollution. Results showed that risk perception and negative affect influenced information seeking and policy support both directly and indirectly. Also, exposure to the documentary moderated the effects of key variables on information seeking and policy support. However, contrary to our expectations, no significant relationship was found between information seeking and objective knowledge. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings were discussed.     

Search boundaries: human flesh search,privacy law,and internet regulation in China

This research examines privacy law and Human Flesh Search (HFS) on the Chinese Internet. HFS is spontaneous, widely participated search and publication of targeted individuals’ personal information on the Internet. This research sees HFS as an important form of non-institutional information gathering and publication, and argues that the regulation of HFS is not only about privacy but also line-drawing for information collection and dissemination in the digital setting. Therefore, legal instruments and court cases in relation to HFS and online privacy must be assessed as important components of the Chinese state’s Internet regulatory scheme. This research finds that the paired concepts of ‘flexibility and populism,’ key features of legal reform and development in contemporary China, are highly relevant to analyze the growth of digital privacy laws in China. The political-legal authorities’ experimentation and innovation in the development of the law shed important light on how China’s Internet governance adapts to changing circumstances and strives to keep pace with profound social transformations in new technological environments.     

The Effects of Darkness and Lightness Cues in the Visual Depiction of Political Actors Involved in Scandals: An Experimental Study

Reports about political scandals have increased lately. Yet the general impact of news visuals and the specific role of lightness and darkness cues in images of scandalized politicians remain unclear. With the help of an experiment, the present pilot study examined the influence of candidate images and the effects of particular image backgrounds (light versus dark). While the foreground of the image depicting a politician involved in a scandal remained unchanged, the background was systematically altered. The results revealed that a light background had a positive effect on recipients’ attitudes toward the politician. In contrast, participants exposed to a dark image background demanded a more severe punishment for the politician.     

从名籍到谱牒:中古中国的皇族档案

秦汉时期的皇族档案,主要是宗室名籍和根据名籍编撰而成的帝王诸侯世谱、年谱。至中古时期（魏晋南北朝隋唐）,皇族档案的形式和编撰制度出现了新进展：在魏晋南北朝,皇族档案呈现出“谱牒化”和“士族化”倾向;至唐代,皇族谱牒编撰又展现出“制度化”和“多样化”特点。     

数字人文视角:基于符号分析法的宋代政治网络可视化研究

数字人文的兴起引发了社会人文历史领域的广泛关注,海量的数据资源与新兴的数据分析技术为更高效和宏观地解决人文研究中长期存疑和讨论的主题提供了全新的思维范式。尽管有关数字人文的合理性仍存在诸多争议,但是数据驱动下的跨领域人文计算在人文主义重构活动深度与广度上所展现出的高效性已经被大量项目与实践所证明。本文以宋代政治为例,从数字人文视角出发,借助符号分析方法对哈佛大学“中国历代人物资料库”进行实证探索与可视化分析,结合已有的史学问题和相关观点,从宋代政治整体网络分布特征、核心人物的地位与结构拓扑以及不同时期宋代政治网络的时序政治关系演化模式三个层次,进行逐一分析与讨论,为研究宋代党争政治格局提供了一种新的思考方式,同时也展现了数字人文技术在人文历史领域研究中的可行性与巨大潜能。图8。表5。参考文献40。