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Article
Publication date: 11 October 2022

Carly Dearborn and Michael Flierl

This paper begins to construct a theoretical foundation for using a diplomatic-informed pedagogy that specifically addresses common concerns in archival instruction in a higher…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper begins to construct a theoretical foundation for using a diplomatic-informed pedagogy that specifically addresses common concerns in archival instruction in a higher education environment. The authors utilize self-determination theory (SDT) to define student-centeredness and provide empirical guidance for creating a learning environment supporting student motivation, persistence and academic achievement. The proposed framework provides both structure and theoretical grounding for the archivist while also cultivating a learning environment which effectively motivates novice researchers.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors draw on diplomatics and archival instructional literature to propose an instructional framework utilizing SDT.

Findings

A diplomatic-informed pedagogy is a new, theoretically viable approach to archival instruction for novice researchers intending to replace common archival orientation and competency-based instruction. This pedagogical approach also provides a reproducible structure to the instructional archivist, helping to organize classroom learning outcomes, assessments and activities in alignment with evidence-based research and well-established archival theory.

Research limitations/implications

This is a conceptual paper and based on subjective analysis of existing literature and theory. The proposed framework has not been tested in a practical application, but it is based in the pedagogical foundations of diplomatics and SDT's focus on student perceptions and motivations.

Originality/value

Diplomatics, the foundation of archival science and legal theory, can be applied pedagogically to provide concrete guidance to teach students to use archives in more intentional, creative and disciplinary authentic ways. Diplomatics gives the instructional archivist a pedagogical foundation, structure and guiding methodology to approaching novice researchers in the archives, while SDT presents how to implement such an approach.

Article
Publication date: 19 June 2023

Jinfang Niu

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the archives management practices and needs of corporations that do not employ professional archivists and propose strategies for…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the archives management practices and needs of corporations that do not employ professional archivists and propose strategies for helping corporations manage and preserve their archives.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was distributed to non-profit and for-profit corporations located in the XX area, USA.

Findings

The majority of surveyed corporations did not have archivists on staff and were not satisfied with their archives management practices. Many of them have unaddressed archives management needs and preferred no-cost or low-cost approaches to address those needs. Most surveyed corporations had digital archives but lacked knowledge about digital archiving. Free archiving resources and services provided by libraries/archives were dramatically less well known than commercial archiving resources and services.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is one of the very few empirical studies on corporate archives not under professional control. Findings from this study inspired thoughts on how archival education programs, professional associations, cultural heritage organizations and other relevant parties could help corporations better manage and preserve their archives.

Details

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9342

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 November 2022

Saqib Sheikh, Anne J. Gilliland, Philipp Kothe and James Lowry

This article delineates the pilot implementation of the Rohingya Archive (R-Archive). The R-Archive seeks to both confront and exploit the roles of documentation and recordkeeping…

Abstract

Purpose

This article delineates the pilot implementation of the Rohingya Archive (R-Archive). The R-Archive seeks to both confront and exploit the roles of documentation and recordkeeping in forced displacement of Rohingya people through targeted physical and bureaucratic violence in Myanmar. This grassroots activist intervention is located at the intersection of technology, rights, records, jurisdictions and economics. Using Arweave's blockweave, the R-Archive secures copies of records, such as identity documentation, land deeds and personal papers, carried into diaspora by Rohingya refugees against unauthorised alteration, deletion and loss, providing a trust infrastructure for accumulating available evidence in support of rights claims and cultural preservation.

Design/methodology/approach

Iterative development of functional requirements, data collection processes and identification of a technological solution for the community-based, post-custodial, blockchain-inspired R-Archive; design and testing of the R-Archive pilot; and analysis of trust and economic concerns arising.

Findings

A complex set of interconnecting considerations is raised by this use of emerging technologies in service to a vulnerable and diasporic community. Hostile governments and volatile cryptocurrencies are both threats to the distributed post-custodial R-Archive. However, the strength of the community bonds that form the archive and articulated in its records speak to the possibility of perdurance for a global Rohingya archive, and working through the challenges surfaced by its development offers the possibility to serve as a model that might be adaptable for other grassroots archival activist projects initiated by oppressed, marginalised and diasporic communities.

Research limitations/implications

Personal and community safety and accessibility concerns, especially in refugee camps and under Covid-19 restrictions, presented particular challenges to carrying out the research and development that are addressed in the research design and future research plans.

Practical implications

The goal of this pilot was to collect and store examples of a range of documents that demonstrate different aspects of Rohingya culture and links to the homeland as well as those that record formal evidentiary relationships between members of the Rohingya community now in diaspora and the Burmese state (e.g. acknowledgements of citizenship). The pilot was intended to demonstrate the viability of using a blockchain-inspired decentralised archival system combined with a community-driven approach to data collection and then to evaluate the results for potential to scale.

Social implications

The R-Archive is a community-centred and driven effort to identify and preserve, under as secure and trusted conditions as possible, digital copies of documents that are of juridical, cultural and personal value to the Rohingya people and also of significance as primary documentary evidence that might be used by international legal institutions in investigating genocide taking place in Burma and by academic researchers studying the history of Burma.

Originality/value

The R-Archive is novel in terms of its technological application (Arweave), the economic concerns of a vulnerable stateless population it is trying to address, and its functional complexity, in that its goal is simultaneously to serve both legal evidentiary and community archive functions. The R-Archive is also an important addition to other notable efforts in the diasporic Rohingya community that have attempted to employ the tools of technology for cultural preservation.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 79 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 12 August 2022

Shadrack Katuu

The advancement of a profession depends on factors such as firm education, training programmes and vibrant professional associations. The purpose of this study is to provide…

5542

Abstract

Purpose

The advancement of a profession depends on factors such as firm education, training programmes and vibrant professional associations. The purpose of this study is to provide baseline information on archives and records management (ARM) professionals from Africa, including their views on education and training programmes. Related studies have been limited to investigating the experiences of graduates from a few institutions within a limited jurisdiction. Similar studies have not been conducted by African-based ARM associations.

Design/methodology/approach

This study’s survey approach was administered electronically. Two surveys explored themes through 10 research questions in three categories: background information; characteristics of the education; and types of courses and extent covered during the study.

Findings

The two surveys had 107 and 179 respondents, respectively, domiciled in 19 African countries. In both studies, about 75% of the respondents had an undergraduate- or master-level qualification. Between 69% and 87% of the respondents from the first and second surveys, respectively, had completed their educational programmes within their home countries. There was varied sentiment on the types of courses and level of coverage within their studies. Legal and technology aspects were less covered in the curriculum than core subjects.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first with findings from ARM respondents across several African countries. It provides insight into the demographics and educational programmes. This study’s unique contribution provides baseline data for more detailed and nuanced studies that will explore data and investigate patterns within and among individual countries on the continent.

Details

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, vol. 73 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9342

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 June 2023

Fidelia Ibekwe

Celebrate Michael Buckland's impressive legacy to LIS by showing his humanity, generosity and versatility.

Abstract

Purpose

Celebrate Michael Buckland's impressive legacy to LIS by showing his humanity, generosity and versatility.

Design/methodology/approach

This article is walk through a scientific career in LIS. Through personal anecdotes and life history and building upon Michael Buckland's legacy, it summarises the author’s own work seen through the prism of her interactions with Buckland, leading to scholarly contributions articulating significant statements about the field of LIS as well as pointers to past relevant publications.

Findings

Michael Buckland has a unique way of putting an end to thorny LIS issues as well as being a documentator extraordinaire.

Originality/value

It is a personal account, as such cannot be evaluated through the classical norms of empirical research as there is no ground truth. This account shows how chance encounters with fellow scholars can have a lasting influence on one's academic career as well as wider impact in a field.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 80 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. 41 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-8831

Article
Publication date: 6 November 2023

Hoi Ching Cheung, Yan Yin Marco Lo, Dickson K.W. Chiu and Elaine W.S. Kong

This study examines academic librarians' perceptions and attitudes toward Internet of Things (IoT) applications in Hong Kong academic libraries and the problems and possible…

Abstract

Purpose

This study examines academic librarians' perceptions and attitudes toward Internet of Things (IoT) applications in Hong Kong academic libraries and the problems and possible improvements in using IoT technologies to strengthen library services.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative research used video conferencing software for semi-structured, one-on-one interviews. Participants were given introductory material about the IoT and asked to complete an interview. The data were analyzed using inductive theme clustering for this study.

Findings

The analysis identified three themes: perception about applying IoT technology to the library, problems and improvements in using IoT. Participants were generally optimistic about the potential benefits of IoT for improving library operations and providing personalized services. However, they also expressed concerns about privacy and security, errors and extra efforts for information literacy training. They suggested improvements such as incorporating facial recognition technology, advanced RFID technology and collections identification technology to enhance user experience.

Originality/value

Most studies examined users' views rather than librarians' on IoT applications, which few studies cover, especially in East Asia.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 April 2024

Valerie Nesset, Elisabeth C. Davis, Nicholas Vanderschantz and Owen Stewart-Robertson

Responding to the continuing separation of participants and researchers in LIS participatory research, a new methodology is proposed: action partnership research design (APRD). It…

Abstract

Purpose

Responding to the continuing separation of participants and researchers in LIS participatory research, a new methodology is proposed: action partnership research design (APRD). It is asserted that APRD can mitigate or remove the hierarchical structures often inherent in the research process, thus allowing for equal contribution from all.

Design/methodology/approach

Building on the bonded design (BD) methodology and informed by a scoping literature review conducted by the same authors, APRD is a human-centered research approach with the goal of empowering and valuing community partnerships. APRD originates from research investigating the use of participatory design methods to foster collaboration between two potentially disparate groups, firstly with adult researchers/designers and elementary school children, and secondly with university faculty and IT professionals.

Findings

To achieve this goal, in addition to BD techniques, APRD draws inspiration from elements of indigenous and decolonization research methodologies, particularly those with an emphasis on destabilizing power hierarchies and involving research participants as full partners.

Originality/value

APRD, which emerged from findings from previous participatory design studies, especially those of BD, is based on the premise of partnership, recognizing that each member of a design team, whether researcher or participant/user, has unique expertise to contribute. By considering participants/users as full research partners, APRD aims to flatten the hierarchies exhibited in some LIS participatory research methodologies, where participants are treated more like research subjects than partners.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 July 2022

Jiawen Cheng, Allan H.K. Yuen and Dickson K.W. Chiu

The popularity of massive open online courses (MOOCs) has attracted worldwide research interest. This study aims to identify and summarize the research foci (e.g. themes, methods…

Abstract

Purpose

The popularity of massive open online courses (MOOCs) has attracted worldwide research interest. This study aims to identify and summarize the research foci (e.g. themes, methods, contexts, etc.) and discuss the new directions and trends of MOOC research in the context of Mainland China.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic review of the published MOOC research papers in Mainland China was conducted with the following inclusion criteria: (1) papers written in English; (2) context focused on Mainland China; and (3) empirical studies. Three main issues were explored with the selected 70 papers: (1) research methods (data collection and analysis); (2) the research foci; and (3) research objects.

Findings

The results found that the major MOOC research in China was quantitative, mostly using one method to collect data. Most studies collected data through the databases of MOOC platforms and survey techniques, which was consistent with the widely used descriptive statistics for data analysis. Learner-focused themes were investigated the most, aligning with the result that learners were the most popular research objects.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that using new technology tools, such as the Big Data approach for learning analytics, may transform traditional MOOC research into new practices. Transdisciplinary research concepts may also provide an alternative evolving model for constructing collaboratively dynamic research frameworks under the changing technologies and paradigms. Meanwhile, educational research traditions, such as qualitative methods, contribute to scaffolding MOOC research for more pragmatic applications.

Originality/value

Most systematic reviews on MOOCs focus on general or regional contexts other than Mainland China, and scant MOOC review is based on published English papers about Mainland China.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. 41 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 March 2024

Bing Xue, Rui Yao, Zengyu Ye, Cheuk Ting Chan, Dickson K.W. Chiu and Zeyu Zhong

With the rapid development of social media, many organizations have begun to attach importance to social media platforms. This research studies the management and the use of…

Abstract

Purpose

With the rapid development of social media, many organizations have begun to attach importance to social media platforms. This research studies the management and the use of social media in academic music libraries, taking the Center for Chinese Music Studies of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CCMS) as a case study.

Design/methodology/approach

We conducted a sentiment analysis of posts on Facebook’s public page to analyze the reaction to the posts with some exploratory analysis, including the communication trend and relevant factors that affect user interaction.

Findings

Our results show that the Facebook channel for the library has a good publicity effect and active interaction, but the number of posts and interactions has a downward trend. Therefore, the library needs to pay more attention to the management of the Facebook channel and take adequate measures to improve the quality of posts to increase interaction.

Originality/value

Few studies have analyzed existing data directly collected from social media by programming based on sentiment analysis and natural language processing technology to explore potential methods to promote music libraries, especially in East Asia, and about traditional music.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

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