2010 Awards for Excellence

Citation

(2011), "2010 Awards for Excellence", OCLC Systems & Services: International digital library perspectives, Vol. 27 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/oclc.2011.16427aaa.002

2010 Awards for Excellence

Article Type: 2010 Awards for Excellence From: OCLC Systems & Services: International digital library perspectives, Volume 27, Issue 1

The following article was selected for this year's Outstanding Paper Award for OCLC Systems & Services: International digital library perspectives

"Exposing the history of Europe: the creation of a structure to enable time-spatial searching of historical resources within a European framework''

Paula J. AucottAlexander von Linen andHumphrey SouthallDepartment of Geography, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of a knowledgebase supporting a prototype Europe-wide time-spatial search interface for historical resources. It discusses how this structure could be used to access other types of digital heritage content.Design/methodology/approach - By using a relational database with spatial capabilities, a multi-lingual search structure has been created which supports a temporal map and a facetted browser, collaborative facilities and a heritage resource viewer, with links to online catalogues.Findings - Combining data from three states with very different histories identified the strengths and weaknesses of the approach. The framework's flexibility means it could easily be re-purposed to support front ends to other types of cultural content.Research limitations/implications - Due to the variability in the administrative unit source data, its initial integration required significant manipulation to achieve consistency; however, the benefits of data assimilation ensure the base framework is as efficient as possible.Practical implications - Usage levels of on-line cultural resources will be far higher if ordinary users can access them via access routes which have meaning for them, such as by locality/place. Ontology-based geographical frameworks are much easier to search by place name than are conventional GIS systems, and vastly more accessible to search engines.Originality/value - This interface demonstrates the potential for integrating data from any number of different national organisations into a single user tool. It also highlights the potential for utilising the underlying structure in multiple contexts.

Keywords: Europe, History, Search output, Visual media www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/10650750911001851

This article originally appeared in Volume 25 Number 4, 2009, pp. 270-286, OCLC Systems & Services: International digital library perspectives

The following articles were selected for this year's Highly Commended Award

Open access and institutional repositories in Greece: progress so far

Elisavet Chantavaridou

This article originally appeared in Volume 25 Number 1, 2009, OCLC Systems & Services: International digital library perspectives

Open access dissemination challenges: a case study

Philip Young

This article originally appeared in Volume 25 Number 2, 2009, OCLC Systems & Services: International digital library perspectives

Usability analysis for redesign of a Caribbean academic library web site: a case study

Richard RogersHugh Preston

This article originally appeared in Volume 25 Number 3, 2009, OCLC Systems & Services: International digital library perspectives