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。     

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.     

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.     

我国文化金融研究领域文献分析——来自2002-2016年CSSCI来源数据库的证据

随着文化产业的快速发展,文化金融成为新兴的研究领域。本文选择2002-2016年CSSCI数据库收录的文化金融相关研究文献,运用词频统计法、可视化知识图谱法、内容分析法等多种文献计量研究方法全面分析国内有关金融支持文化产业发展的研究现状。研究发现:现阶段有关金融支持文化产业发展的研究文献逐年增加,分布期刊和研究机构众多,研究范围较广,研究内容包含国际经验比较、经验分析和实证分析;但目前该领域的研究主题相对分散,研究不够深入,缺乏微观数据支撑和模型研究,缺乏构建金融支持体系操作层面的分析,缺乏对具象产业的差异化分析,这些是未来进一步研究的方向。     

复旦大学图书馆数学类英文图书引进及保障数据集

运用引文分析法,选取国内外高校使用的数学类经典教材所引用的参考文献,并对这些参考文献中的英文图书进行引文量统计。继而分别对复旦大学图书馆及CALIS中心数学类英文图书的保障率进行排查检索和测评。共有引文记录10519条,去重后共计8166条英文图书书目信息。本数据集可以对目前我国高等院校图书馆的专业学科类英文图书资源引进和利用提供有效评估和国际参考。     

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。     

民国时期中美图书馆交流史序说:研究综述、理论基础与历史分期

民国时期的中美图书馆交流史不仅是理解中国图书馆与图书馆学缘起的重要议题,在回应图书馆领域史学研究的“双重困境”方面,也具有其特殊的价值。梳理民国时期中美图书馆交流史的相关文献和研究主题发现,本课题难点在于庞杂的线索、社群与诸多政治、经济因素的介入等。由此,本研究吸收“世界体系理论”“书籍交流圈”等跨学科的思想和方法,提出一个由宏观、中观和微观三个层次组成的理论视角,并阐述这一理论视角如何转化为具体的研究方法,以提高学界对民国时期中美图书馆交流史研究的整体理解和把控能力。研究发现,“专业交往”到“文化外交”的视角渐变是民国时期中美图书馆交流的核心轴线,以此可以将这段历史分为四个时期,帮助我们把握不同时期的交往脉络、主要成就和基本特点。表1。参考文献73。     

谢拉的文献工作教育思想与实践

在1952—1970年担任西储大学图书馆学院院长期间,谢拉积极探索文献工作教育:在学科理论方面,进行文献工作学科理论建设;在学术研究方面,设立美国图书馆学院第一个专门的文献工作研究中心“文献工作与交流研究中心”;在教学活动方面,在图书馆学教育项目中引入文献工作相关课程,强化以文献工作为重点的专业图书馆人才培养。谢拉的文献工作教育是对传统图书馆学教育的改造,适应了图书馆学教育专门化的发展趋势,其立足点是以文献工作提升图书馆职业的社会价值,服务于图书馆人才培养,体现出明显的图书馆本位立场。谢拉领导下的西储大学图书馆学院的文献工作教育是一种过渡形态的早期情报学教育,促进了20世纪美国图书馆学教育向图书情报学教育格局的转型。参考文献62。