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Article
Publication date: 4 April 2016

Dan Wu, Xiaomei Xu and Wenting Yu

Based on the study of overall situation of the tagging function in the provincial public libraries and library of major colleges and universities, this paper aims to examine the…

Abstract

Purpose

Based on the study of overall situation of the tagging function in the provincial public libraries and library of major colleges and universities, this paper aims to examine the difference of tagging behaviour of its users in library and social community sites. The authors also want to understand the causes of a variety of annotation behavior in social community sites and libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collected all system log data of tags, comments and ratings users added in Wuhan University library, and then found the tags, comments and rating of corresponding books in Douban. Then, the authors did questionnaire survey to the Wuhan University students.

Findings

The authors found that the annotation service in the library is not perfect as that in social community site. Enthusiasm of users annotating books in the library is far less high than that on the social community sites. Lack of understanding of the annotation service is the main reason why users are not concerned or do not use the tagging service. But users have the needs of the organization of personal information in the library using tags.

Originality/value

This paper investigated the library users’ behavior in the using library OPAC course and compared the difference of annotation behavior between library and social community site.

Details

The Electronic Library, vol. 34 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-0473

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 September 2014

Muhamed Fajkovic and Lennart Björneborn

The purpose of this paper is to investigate readers’ annotations in library books and attitudes towards marginalia among library users. In particular, the study discusses how…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate readers’ annotations in library books and attitudes towards marginalia among library users. In particular, the study discusses how marginalia function as reader-to-reader communication.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used data collected from both public library and university library collections, as well as a user survey conducted among library users. The empirical results are discussed in relation to theories of affordances, in order to understand what characterizes the socio-physical realm within which marginalia exist (RQ1), and what specific conditions make marginalia possible as a communicative act between readers (RQ2).

Findings

The study suggests that marginalia in library books are mainly by-products of reading/studying processes. The user survey depicts an overall picture of ambiguous attitudes towards marginalia. It is argued that marginalia seen as communication rely heavily on the proximity of the context and the permanence of the physical medium. Three distinctive categories are proposed for classifying marginalia according to their relationship with the text: embedded; evaluative; extratextual. In spite of being an often unwanted communication, marginalia thus still function as an additional layer to the main message of the primary text.

Research limitations/implications

The findings are indicative pointing to follow-up studies that may further validate them. The study contributes to a referential frame for future studies on the subject.

Originality/value

The study addresses factual and communicative aspects of marginalia less covered in previous research, thus providing a basis for further research also in relation to designing affordances for annotations in e-books.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 70 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 November 2016

HyunSeung Koh and Susan C. Herring

The purpose of this paper is to provide ebook designers and researchers with design insights by promoting historical knowledge about books and reading as sources of ideas to…

1044

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide ebook designers and researchers with design insights by promoting historical knowledge about books and reading as sources of ideas to implement in current and future ebooks.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors review historical features of books and practices of reading that have been implemented, weakened, or lost over time, referring to historical texts and resources, and relate them to ebook viewers (software) and readers (hardware) that are currently on the market. In particular, the review focuses on the physical form of the book and the practices of reading, annotation, and bookshelving.

Findings

While some older forms and reading practices have been implemented in ebook devices, others have been forgotten over time, due in part to physical constraints that are no longer relevant. The authors suggest that features that constrained print books and print reading in the past might actually improve the design of ebooks and e-reading in the present.

Research limitations/implications

This review is necessarily based on a limited set of existing historical sources.

Practical implications

Translating insights into novel tangible designs is always a challenging task. Ebook designers can gain insights from this paper that can be applied in a variety of design contexts.

Originality/value

No previous work on ebook design has foregrounded historical aspects of books and reading as viable sources of ideas to implement in ebooks.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. 34 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 November 2011

Ahmad A. Alzahrani, Seng W. Loke and Hongen Lu

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the related issues of physical annotation systems and also to study their historical development. Moreover, the paper provides a…

1350

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the related issues of physical annotation systems and also to study their historical development. Moreover, the paper provides a taxonomy of physical annotation systems, including augmented reality systems and concludes with future challenges concerning such systems.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors first provide a review and a comparison of existing physical annotation systems. The authors' classification of the physical annotation systems is based on the capabilities they provide.

Findings

Physical annotation systems evolve as technology progresses. However, there are issues such as cognitive overload, trust, transient associations, and integrating of social networking with physical annotations.

Research limitations/implications

As technology develops, physical annotations will become increasingly important in daily life. Hence, there are important research issues to address with regards to physical annotation systems.

Practical implications

New better physical annotation systems are needed, which will change the way we do things in life, including personal memory, tourism, commerce, security, games, traffic management, entertainment and health.

Social implications

Physical annotation systems will affect the relationships between people, between people and places and between people and things. There is a potential shift in the way people view the physical world, not only as what we see but as what we see through the devices we carry.

Originality/value

The paper is an original review of physical annotation systems; there does not seem to be many such reviews on this area. The paper presents a set of future challenges regarding such systems.

Details

International Journal of Pervasive Computing and Communications, vol. 7 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1742-7371

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 1902

So speaks Mr. Iles in an article on “Trustworthy Guides to Books.” Nevertheless, fiction, the most difficult division to annotate and classify, is, at the present day, by far the…

Abstract

So speaks Mr. Iles in an article on “Trustworthy Guides to Books.” Nevertheless, fiction, the most difficult division to annotate and classify, is, at the present day, by far the most interesting, and it has been boldly attacked by several authors of guide books.

Details

New Library World, vol. 4 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4803

Article
Publication date: 1 April 1902

Some time ago, a writer in these columns entered a plea for a series of reprints of notable books which had been allowed to drop entirely out of print, and certain lists of such…

Abstract

Some time ago, a writer in these columns entered a plea for a series of reprints of notable books which had been allowed to drop entirely out of print, and certain lists of such works were printed. So far nothing seems to have come of this useful suggestion, and no publisher has had the enterprise to experiment with a few issues on the lines laid down. Instead, every British publisher is engaged in the old, old game of reprinting edition after edition of the same old classics, and venturing no further than the limits of this or that hundred “best books.” The result is that we find publishers tumbling over each other in their eagerness to produce editions of the same hackneyed classics, each slightly different from its fellow in some trifle of price, shape, size, binding or editorial annotation. The book‐shops are filled with these rival reprints, and gradually, because of a craze for over‐daintiness, their stocks are beginning to look more and more like those of the stationers who deal largely in pocket‐books and diaries. Dainty little editions of Shakespeare, Scott, Dickens, Bunyan, and similar chestnuts, abound in every variety of limp leather and gilt‐edged prettiness, and all of them are warranted to survive about half‐a‐dozen readings before their dainty beauty fades, and they are ready for the waste‐paper basket. The leading idea of most of the publishers of these delicate editions seems to be that books are no longer intended to be kept on shelves, but should be carried about like watches or toothpicks. Waistcoat‐pocket dictionaries, fountain‐pen‐pocket editions of “Don Quixote,” and breeches‐pocket editions of the London Directory are all the rage, and people are urged to buy this or that dainty classic with binding designed by Blank, R.A., not because it is a good serviceable edition of a great literary classic, but because it forms such a pretty ornament for the pocket. The sixpenny reprint has been done to death, and now the shilling and two‐shilling net edition of the book possessed by everybody is beginning to go the same way. The literature of England is one of its chief treasures, and we are never weary of boasting of its power, extent, and variety. And our leading publishers, to prove the truth of the boast, keep on multiplying the same limited selection of books in the same way, while hundreds, equally good, are neglected. It never seems to occur to the diligent publishers who issue their trumpery little editions of Shakespeare, printed on thin paper, bound in limp leather, and edited to death by some learned scholar, whose notes smother the original text, that the masterpieces of some other author would come as an absolute novelty, and be hailed as a relief from the never‐ending stock classic. Public Libraries and students of literature are compelled to buy at a great comparative cost such of the older, out‐of‐print hooks as they may desire to possess, while in many cases they are unable to Vol. IV. No. 44, February, 1902.

Details

New Library World, vol. 4 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4803

Article
Publication date: 11 January 2013

Linda Salem

Purpose ‐ The purpose of this article is to help those new to the practice of finding international children's books online navigate this exciting if confusing area of reference…

6106

Abstract

Purpose ‐ The purpose of this article is to help those new to the practice of finding international children's books online navigate this exciting if confusing area of reference sources.Design/methodology/approach ‐ This article reviews the International Children's Digital Library that has revolutionized connecting children and books worldwide since 2002. However, there have been organizations busy identifying, evaluating, recommending and keeping lists and annotations of excellent international books for children since the 1940s. This article also reviews resources created by organizations, including the International Youth Library, the International Board on Books for Young People, international book fairs, Banco del Libro and other entities.Findings ‐ The article finds that, there is benefit to be gained from the expansion of international children's book resources into the world of the internet and that those who compiled both types of resource want to connect the world's children with quality literature.Originality/value ‐ This article offers information about historical context, partnerships, and hosting sites that have led to online access to many of these once print only resources. This review of these resources is original as it covers those who originated sources with the shared goal. That goal is their dedication to bring children and books together around the world and to build understanding and solutions together as members of a global community.

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1904

One more point calls for notice. It may be asked : Why is there any alphabetical arrangement under the word “and”?

Abstract

One more point calls for notice. It may be asked : Why is there any alphabetical arrangement under the word “and”?

Details

New Library World, vol. 6 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4803

Article
Publication date: 1 May 1902

The interesting ceremony described in another part of our columns has once more recalled attention to one of the most remarkable characters in the annals of British librarianship…

26

Abstract

The interesting ceremony described in another part of our columns has once more recalled attention to one of the most remarkable characters in the annals of British librarianship. When Mr. Thomas Greenwood endeavoured, at the Plymouth meeting of the Library Association, to interest librarians in the man who had done so much for the craft, it must be confessed that his appeal, for various reasons, did not succeed in arousing so much enthusiasm as might have been expected. For one thing, a considerable proportion of the librarians who attended the Plymouth conference were young men who had not been able to obtain access to the works which Edwards left behind him as his most enduring monument. Again, the prominence given to Ewart as the sole parent of the municipal library movement, had completely overshadowed Edwards' share in the work, and only a few student‐librarians knew anything about the part which Edwards had played in securing effective library legislation. On the other hand, the publications of Mr. Greenwood, of the Library Association itself, and other modern and accessible literature, contain frequent allusions to Edwards and his works, from which information could be obtained, and it is only necessary to cite, in this connection the various writings of Messrs. Axon, Ogle, Garnett, Greenwood, Sutton, Brown, and others.

Details

New Library World, vol. 4 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4803

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1983

Milton G. Ternberg

Collection development in the field of business is an exciting and rewarding professional activity. It is a field that is constantly changing with the subject matter varying from…

Abstract

Collection development in the field of business is an exciting and rewarding professional activity. It is a field that is constantly changing with the subject matter varying from the theoretical to the very practical. As a result, business materials are extremely numerous and of a very diverse nature. Currency is very important in a business collection, which makes the job of the business librarian a continuing challenge.

Details

Collection Building, vol. 5 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0160-4953

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