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1 – 10 of 476Nkholedzeni Sidney Netshakhuma
This study aims to assess the role of the National Archives of South Africa (NARSSA) in promoting the preservation and management of private archives.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess the role of the National Archives of South Africa (NARSSA) in promoting the preservation and management of private archives.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used the qualitative method, and data was collected through unstructured questionnaires and interviews. In addition, purposive sampling was used to collect data from the selected archivist.
Findings
The study found that the NARSSA raised awareness on the preservation of private archives and is also in the process of reviewing the National Archives and Records Service Act 43 of 1996 to promote the preservation and management of private archives. The study also revealed that the role of the NARSSA in enforcing compliance with Section 14 of the National Archives and Records Service Act 43 of 1996 for the proper management and coordination of private archives was ineffective because of a lack of coordination, infrastructure, training and development.
Research limitations/implications
The qualitative data was obtained from three participants with the NARSSA and two selected from private archives. The sample is small to generalise results. The public–private cooperation in archives management is limited, and this is proved by the severely limited number of participants in the research. Furthermore, the private archive in this study is limited to the liberation movement archives institutions in South Africa.
Practical implications
This study could work as a stimulus for potential approaches to conduct further research on the possible kinds of cooperation between private–public archival organisations.
Social implications
The study is innovative, in that there are very few research investigations that focused on the cooperation between private and public archives in the African region and especially in South Africa.
Originality/value
The article makes a significant contribution to the area of private–public archival organisations, especially in South Africa. It will expand the knowledge on private–public archive cooperation and management in South Africa and the rest of the African continent.
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Shiv Shakti Ghosh and Sunil Kumar Chatterjee
This study presents a review based research framework that aims to influence memory institutions in their projects on digital storytelling from digitized ancient travel records…
Abstract
Purpose
This study presents a review based research framework that aims to influence memory institutions in their projects on digital storytelling from digitized ancient travel records. This study aims to influence research and policymaking related to design and delivery of services based on memory institutions’ collections of historical records.
Design/methodology/approach
The demonstrated research framework has been synthesized using inputs from a review of existing studies on the domain accompanied by a short survey created for collecting the opinion of selected experts. Studies demonstrating utilization of semantic web technologies and those that can influence policymaking related to digital storytelling were primarily reviewed.
Findings
The core tasks behind digital storytelling vary depending on the project goals. So, a two-part framework had to be proposed that covers the generic fundamental tasks with diverse applicability and digital storytelling related specific tasks separately. Also during the review, it was found that studies demonstrating the use of travel records for digital storytelling were less in number compared to studies using digital storytelling for tourism in general.
Originality/value
The demonstrated research framework can guide memory institutions in exposing their travel-related holdings to a wider audience using innovative semantic web technologies and open up avenues for future empirical research thereby adding to the novelty of the presented research. Also, reviews of articles on digital storytelling or digital humanities in general exist, but, review of digital storytelling initiatives focusing specifically on tourism and travel literature is scarce.
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Nkholedzeni Sidney Netshakhuma
The purpose of this study was to investigate the state of appraisal with regard to compliance with archives and records management legislations (ARML), the archives and records…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate the state of appraisal with regard to compliance with archives and records management legislations (ARML), the archives and records management policy (ARMP), reappraisal of records, capacity building, archives building and electronic records management (ERM) and to make a recommendation based on the research findings.
Design/methodology/approach
This study was based on the qualitative research technique. The research approach was a multiple case study comparing the previously advantaged and disadvantaged universities in South Africa.
Findings
The study found that ARML, ARMP, reappraisal of records and capacity building are essential for the appraisal of university records. The lack of appropriate appraisal theory/strategy led to a loss of institutional memory.
Research limitations/implications
This research was limited to the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) and the University of Venda (UNIVEN). These two institutions are representatives of the state of archiving in South Africa.
Practical implications
This research will serve a benchmark for other South African universities, intending to implement systematic disposal of records in compliance with legislations and policies.
Social implications
Failure by universities to appraise records will lead to the loss of institutional memory. This implies that history of institution will be lost if necessary measures are not taken.
Originality/value
There is very little, if any, research on the appraisal of South African universities’ records. The outcome of this research will benefit universities that are seeking to develop and implement appraisal strategies.
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Mrinalini Luthra, Konstantin Todorov, Charles Jeurgens and Giovanni Colavizza
This paper aims to expand the scope and mitigate the biases of extant archival indexes.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to expand the scope and mitigate the biases of extant archival indexes.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use automatic entity recognition on the archives of the Dutch East India Company to extract mentions of underrepresented people.
Findings
The authors release an annotated corpus and baselines for a shared task and show that the proposed goal is feasible.
Originality/value
Colonial archives are increasingly a focus of attention for historians and the public, broadening access to them is a pressing need for archives.
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Kai Naumann and Andreas Neuburger
Starting from the status quo, the paper outlines perspectives and challenges for the connection and interlinking of digitised and digital archival data. The following topics are…
Abstract
Purpose
Starting from the status quo, the paper outlines perspectives and challenges for the connection and interlinking of digitised and digital archival data. The following topics are addressed: Where are fields of action and what are the means of archives? Which functional and technical requirements are to be considered, and what is the role of portal infrastructures linking together various different institutions?
Design/methodology/approach
Considering needs of users and general framework conditions, the paper examines new approaches emerging in Germany. It outlines recent projects and considerations aiming to improve services and visibility of archives within the national data infrastructure in Germany.
Findings
Cross-connections are no new phenomenon, but change their appearance significantly in a digital context. In this respect, both smaller and bigger archives profit from participation in larger digital networks. Furthermore, archives need to keep in mind to reflect the quality of their digital (meta)data regularly and to offer or join systems that functionally and technically support cross-connection and interlinking of data.
Originality/value
The paper endeavours to show the importance of digital cross-connections and the role of portal infrastructures for visibility, online-distribution and use of digital archival metadata and data.
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Marina Salse, Javier Guallar-Delgado, Núria Jornet-Benito, Maria Pilar Mateo Bretos and Josep Oriol Silvestre-Canut
The purpose of this study is to determine which metadata schemas are used in the museums and university collections of the main universities in Spain and other European countries…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to determine which metadata schemas are used in the museums and university collections of the main universities in Spain and other European countries. Although libraries and archives are also university memory institutions (according to a Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums perspective), their collections are not included in this study because their metadata systems are highly standardized and their inclusion would, therefore, skew our understanding of the diverse realities that the study aims to capture.
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis has three components. The first is a bibliographic review based on Web of Science. The second is a direct survey of the individuals responsible for university collections to understand their internal work and documentation systems. Finally, the results obtained are complemented by an analysis of collective university heritage portals in Europe.
Findings
The results of this study confirmed the hypothesis that isolation and a lack of resources are still major issues in many cases. Increasing digitalization and the desire to participate in content aggregation systems are forcing change, although the responsibility for that change at universities is still vague.
Originality/value
Universities, particularly those with a long history, have an important heritage whose parts are often scattered or hidden. Although many contemporary academic publications have focused on the dissemination of university collections, this study focuses on the representation of information based on the conviction that good metadata are essential for dissemination.
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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.
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Nicholous M. Deal, Mark D. MacIsaac, Albert J. Mills and Jean Helms Mills
The purpose of this paper is to revisit the potential of the New Deal as a research context in management and organization studies and, in doing so, forward the role one of its…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to revisit the potential of the New Deal as a research context in management and organization studies and, in doing so, forward the role one of its chief architects, Harry Hopkins, played in managing the economic crisis. The exploration takes us to multiple layers that work together to form context around Hopkins including the Great Depression, the Roosevelt Administration, and ultimately, the New Deal. By raising Harry Hopkins as an exemplar of historical-narrative exclusion, the authors can advance the understanding of his role in the New Deal and how his actions produced early insights about management (e.g. modern crisis management).
Design/methodology/approach
The paper experiments with the methodological assemblage of ANTi-History and microhistorical analysis that the authors call “ANTi-Microhistory” to examine the life narrative of Harry Hopkins, his early association with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and later, the New Deal. To accomplish this, the authors undertake a programme of archival research (e.g. the digital repository of The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum) and assess various materials (e.g. speeches, biographies and memoirs) from across multiple spaces.
Findings
The findings suggest Harry Hopkins to be a much more powerful actor in mobilizing New Deal policies and their effect on early management thought than what was previously accepted. In the process, the authors found that because of durable associations with Roosevelt, key policy architects of the same ilk as Harry Hopkins (e.g. Frances Perkins, Henry Wallace, Lewis Douglas, and others) and their contributions have been marginalized. This finding illustrates the significant potential of little-known historical figures and how they might shed new insight on the development of the field and management practice.
Originality/value
The aim is to demonstrate the potential of engaging historical research in management with the individual – Harry Hopkins – as a unit of analysis. By engaging historical research on the individual – be it well-known or obscure figures of the past – the authors are considering how they contribute to the understanding of phenomena (e.g. New Deal, Progressivism or Keynesian economics). The authors build on research that brings to focus forgotten people, communities and ideas in management studies but go further in advocating for space in the research to consider the scholarly potential of the individual.
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Francesca Picciaia, Simone Terzani and Libero Mario Mari
This paper aims to analyse the role of a network in the development of female business experiences through the study of the Industrie Femminili Italiane (I.F.I.) (Italian Women’s…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyse the role of a network in the development of female business experiences through the study of the Industrie Femminili Italiane (I.F.I.) (Italian Women’s Cooperative Enterprise), founded in 1903 in Rome to promote women’s work and their economic conditions.
Design/methodology/approach
This study applies the embeddedness theory for women’s empowerment that provides a valuable lens to explore the interactions between female entrepreneurs and their social, cultural and economic contexts.
Findings
With this study, the authors found that the network structure was used at the beginning of the past century in Italy as a useful instrument for female emancipation and empowerment, extending to common/not exceptional women entrepreneurial opportunities otherwise reserved for rich and noble women. In the interplay among the different “contexts” (political, social, cultural and cognitive), it seems to emerge the incidence of female social relationships in facing an unfavourable political and cultural context, breaking out the norms and allowing the business to exist and influencing, with the activity of the high social standing women, the cognitive structure of the other female workers, make them active participants in this entrepreneurial activity.
Research limitations/implications
This is a single case study that has shed light on a specific female network, and the authors’ findings and considerations are influenced by the shortage of data and sources available. Demonstrating that I.F.I. is the result of the collaboration of women from different social classes involved at different organisational levels, this work shows, from a historical perspective, the importance of female mutual support for their emancipation and the role played by the network structure as an amplifier of possibilities otherwise limited to rich women, the emancipation of women and minorities in countries characterised by important barriers to entrepreneurship.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper analysing a female entrepreneurial network from a historical point of view and its role in overcoming gender barriers within the analysis of the interplaying contexts.
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Shaodan Sun, Jun Deng and Xugong Qin
This paper aims to amplify the retrieval and utilization of historical newspapers through the application of semantic organization, all from the vantage point of a fine-grained…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to amplify the retrieval and utilization of historical newspapers through the application of semantic organization, all from the vantage point of a fine-grained knowledge element perspective. This endeavor seeks to unlock the latent value embedded within newspaper contents while simultaneously furnishing invaluable guidance within methodological paradigms for research in the humanities domain.
Design/methodology/approach
According to the semantic organization process and knowledge element concept, this study proposes a holistic framework, including four pivotal stages: knowledge element description, extraction, association and application. Initially, a semantic description model dedicated to knowledge elements is devised. Subsequently, harnessing the advanced deep learning techniques, the study delves into the realm of entity recognition and relationship extraction. These techniques are instrumental in identifying entities within the historical newspaper contents and capturing the interdependencies that exist among them. Finally, an online platform based on Flask is developed to enable the recognition of entities and relationships within historical newspapers.
Findings
This article utilized the Shengjing Times·Changchun Compilation as the datasets for describing, extracting, associating and applying newspapers contents. Regarding knowledge element extraction, the BERT + BS consistently outperforms Bi-LSTM, CRF++ and even BERT in terms of Recall and F1 scores, making it a favorable choice for entity recognition in this context. Particularly noteworthy is the Bi-LSTM-Pro model, which stands out with the highest scores across all metrics, notably achieving an exceptional F1 score in knowledge element relationship recognition.
Originality/value
Historical newspapers transcend their status as mere artifacts, evolving into invaluable reservoirs safeguarding the societal and historical memory. Through semantic organization from a fine-grained knowledge element perspective, it can facilitate semantic retrieval, semantic association, information visualization and knowledge discovery services for historical newspapers. In practice, it can empower researchers to unearth profound insights within the historical and cultural context, broadening the landscape of digital humanities research and practical applications.
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