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。     

Glocalization and Other Challenges to Cataloging Chinese Continuing Resources

ABSTRACT

Glocalization describes the adaptation of international products around the particularities of a local culture, and extends to areas beyond political campaigns and cultural communication. Chinese continuing resources are effectively influenced by glocalization, which reflects the changing society in China and Chinese overseas communities, as well as the changing practice in Chinese studies all over the world. Glocalization brings unexpected challenges to a library's cataloging service, and a number of issues need to reach our awareness and be solved. We have to face squarely its influence, and look for an appropriate solution in handling Chinese continuing resources under glocalization.     

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.     

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.     

OSTMED.DR®, an Osteopathic Medicine Digital Library

The OSTMED.DR® database provides access to both citation and full-text osteopathic literature, including the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. Currently, it is a free database searchable using basic and advanced search features.     

Investigating married adults’ communal coping with genetic health risk and perceived discrimination

Increased genetic testing in personalized medicine presents unique challenges for couples, including managing disease risk and potential discrimination as a couple. This study investigated couples’ conflicts and support gaps as they coped with perceived genetic discrimination. We also explored the degree to which communal coping was beneficial in reducing support gaps and ultimately stress. Dyadic analysis of married adults (N?=?266, 133 couples), in which one person had the genetic risk for serious illness, showed that perceived discrimination predicted more frequent conflicts about alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency-related treatment, privacy boundaries, and finances, which, in turn, predicted wider gaps in emotion and esteem support, and greater stress for both spouses. Communal coping predicted lower support gaps for both partners and marginally lower stress.