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1 – 10 of over 40000Adil Alsaid and Chris J. Mitchell
Aims to address some of the problems that arise when signing digital documents that contain dynamic content.
Abstract
Purpose
Aims to address some of the problems that arise when signing digital documents that contain dynamic content.
Design/methodology/approach
Briefly introduces the problem of signing digital documents with dynamic content and discusses possible locations for signature functionality in a computer system. Outlines existing solutions to the problems and introduces a novel solution. Finally, discusses issues and unresolved problems.
Findings
The suggested solution requires all document handling applications to possess application awareness of the digital signature program in order to function properly. Every application must implement a COM interface and register itself in the Registry, in a locale specific to the digital signature program to sign the digital document.
Originality/value
Provides a new solution to the problem of digitally signing a digital document.
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This article explores the relationship between scholarly communication, an established research area receiving renewed interest, and digital libraries, a relatively new area of…
Abstract
This article explores the relationship between scholarly communication, an established research area receiving renewed interest, and digital libraries, a relatively new area of research. Scholarship is inherently a social process and it is embedded in a structure of relationships with other scholars, with scholarly societies, and with publishers and libraries. These stakeholders agree that the relationship has become unbalanced with the advent of electronic publishing, digital libraries, computer networks and associated changes in pricing, intellectual property policies and contracts, but they do not agree on solutions to redress the balance. Several problems worthy of research lie at the intersection of scholarly communication processes and digital libraries. These include the ability of digital libraries to support the cycle of information seeking, using and creating; the ‘social life’ of documents; and electronic publishing. Other interesting problems exist at the intersection of structures of scholarly communication and digital libraries. These include increased interdependency of scholarly documents, as links are embedded between documents, both within and between digital libraries; the indefinite preservation of digital documents; business models for electronic publishing and digital libraries; and conflicts between the physical and virtual aspects of libraries.
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Trywell Kalusopa and Saul Zulu
The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of the baseline study on the state of digital heritage material preservation in Botswana.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of the baseline study on the state of digital heritage material preservation in Botswana.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was part of a three‐country United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Digital Heritage Preservation Project on the state of digital material preservation in Africa involving Botswana, Ethiopia and South Africa. The study uses the survey method consisting of various components data collection strategies including field work, document research, observations and the holding of a national consultative seminar an additional data input tool. The field study involved visiting 26 institutions that were identified as having the actual or potential of managing heritage materials in the country. Two other categories of institutions that were surveyed included the service providers of digitisation systems in the country.
Findings
Findings revealed weak policy formulation on digitization both at the institutional and national levels; weak legislative framework for digital preservation; ill‐defined national digitisation co‐ordination for digitisation activities at institutional, national and regional levels; lack of awareness about the potential of digital preservation by national heritage institutions; a dearth of human resources for digitization; and lack of common standards on digital heritage materials preservation in Botswana.
Research limitations/implications
Although the study was limited to institutions dealing with digital heritage materials preservation, the outcome of the study sheds more light on the challenges of preservation of digital materials in most of the institutions in Botswana.
Practical implications
The results of this study presents useful strategic policy options for the management and preservation of digital materials in Botswana and other countries of Africa facing a similar environment.
Originality/value
There is a dearth of literature on preservation of digital heritage materials in Africa, and this study provides useful insights that are unique and comparative experiences that exist on this subject.
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This paper re-examines the ontology of documents, especially digital ones, in the context of preservation, which presumes the actual existence of things. It also explores which…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper re-examines the ontology of documents, especially digital ones, in the context of preservation, which presumes the actual existence of things. It also explores which aspects of documents are retained or lost over the course of time.
Design/methodology/approach
This study detangles the complexities of existential dependence relations of documents, by selectively reviewing literature on digital preservation, document theory, John Searle's social ontology, Maurizio Ferraris' documentality, and Amie Thomasson's categorial ontology.
Findings
The author argues that (1) existing objects can be documents, insofar as perceivers regard them as such; (2) documents are social objects as they depend on other objects, including creators, perceivers, and other documents; and (3) preserving digital documents entails the curation of dependence relations since they inherently have technologically dependent relations.
Practical implications
A clarification of the existential dependence relations of documents can aid documentary heritage institutions in determining preservation goals and strategies. Future research must address how, and to what extent, such dependence relations can be curated.
Originality/value
This paper clarifies that the preservation of documents entails the curation of dependence relations, and the critical issue in preservation is how to best preserve the dependence relations of documents, especially since digital documents available on the Internet inherently have technological and dynamic dependence relations.
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The development of digital technology and digital resources have influenced one’s reading habits. This paper aimed to study undergraduate students' reading in digital sphere at…
Abstract
Purpose
The development of digital technology and digital resources have influenced one’s reading habits. This paper aimed to study undergraduate students' reading in digital sphere at universities in Vietnam.
Design/methodology/approach
A focus group study with 31 undergraduate students of six groups at six public universities was conducted to get their perspectives on reading preference, strategies, effectiveness and psychological factors influencing reading ability.
Findings
The results confirmed that bachelor students' reading preference for document formats depended on their reading purposes. They used different reading strategies for digital and traditional reading, for instance, keyword searching, taking note, skimming, scanning, need-based reading, selective reading, comparison, evaluation and criticism. Students had faster reading speed for digital texts; however, they had better concentration and memorization in printed documents. When students have motivation, good attitudes and emotion, they could be motivated to read more.
Originality/value
These findings were useful in enhancing the understanding of digital reading competence and help stakeholders find out solutions to improve reading capacity of Vietnamese students in digital space.
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– The purpose of this study is to discuss moving forward on a global basis with digital diplomatics.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to discuss moving forward on a global basis with digital diplomatics.
Design/methodology/approach
This study fused a historic review of multiple fields to form a proposed future.
Findings
Today, the metadata associated with digital record-keeping is largely based on the methods from the pre-digital age. It fails to take into account the underlying digital mechanisms and their unique properties. At the same time, digital systems already produce large quantities of redundant data that could be and has been used in consistency analysis. A rational improvement would be to use the nature of digital systems in conjunction with intentional redundancy to create metadata and other forms of redundant information that could be validated in diplomatic examination but would be hard to forge consistently by an internal act of alteration.
Originality/value
This study uses a unique approach of fusing digital forensic science with digital diplomatics in the form of using inherent redundancy in digital records and metadata for consistency analysis as a means to fuse the fields.
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The purpose of this study is to provide a discussion on how to apply Genette's concept of the paratext to analyze digital documents. The article argues that the concept, despite…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to provide a discussion on how to apply Genette's concept of the paratext to analyze digital documents. The article argues that the concept, despite its shortcomings, is useful because it gives us the terminology to analyze elements often ignored and overlooked.
Design/methodology/approach
By taking Gérard Genette's concept of the paratext as point of departure, the paper focuses on three controversial issues in the scholarly work about paratext and digital documents: the division of paratext into peritext and epitext, the explosive growth of paratext and the question of authorization of text and paratext.
Findings
Questions related to the spatial division of the paratext into peritext and epitext, the difficulty of where to draw the line between text and paratext and the question of authorization are not new for digital documents but did already occur in the analog world. Even if many decisions like what to include and what to exclude in an analysis are left to the researcher, this does not mean that Genette's concept is unsuitable for digital documents. On the contrary, the concept gives us the terminology to analyze elements of often ignored and overlooked, also for digital documents.
Research limitations/implications
As a scholar in the humanities the author can only relate to and therefore analyze what the author can experience and observe on screen level.
Originality/value
In providing a discussion of digital documents and some of the controversial issues discussed by other researchers, this article shows the relevance of Genette's concept, also for our work with digital documents.
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Diana Teresa Parra-Sánchez and Leonardo Hernán Talero-Sarmiento
This paper aims to explore the research field of digital transformation in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), considering the importance of SMEs in the economic development of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the research field of digital transformation in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), considering the importance of SMEs in the economic development of countries.
Design/methodology/approach
Considering the contributions of researchers and the challenges of SMEs to transform their business models, in this paper, the authors conducted a scientometric analysis using CiteSpace that included 448 documents indexed in Scopus.
Findings
The authors appreciated the growth in the number of publications that have studied the digital transformation process in SMEs, showing a niche of researchers interested in the flourishing research topic. Likewise, the authors identified the intention of SMEs to adopt digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, data analytics, electronic commerce and the Internet of Things.
Practical implications
This paper is a valuable resource for academics and researchers in information systems, decision-makers in digital transformation in SMEs and governmental organisations concerned with digital technologies adoption in SMEs to achieve digital transformation and increase competitiveness and productivity.
Originality/value
This study used CiteSpace to conduct a scientometric analysis to explore how researchers have focused on frameworks and maturity models for measuring SME readiness, the impact of Industry 4.0 on SMEs, guides for helping managers evaluate their Industry 4.0 positioning, the development and implementation of digital business strategies for SMEs, the presentation of cases of SMEs that have driven digital transformation and future research opportunities.
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Anup Kumar Das, Chaitali Dutta and B.K. Sen
The purpose of this paper is to assess the present situation in the development of indigenous digital libraries in India. The study aims to evaluate different retrieval features…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the present situation in the development of indigenous digital libraries in India. The study aims to evaluate different retrieval features of Indian digital libraries, especially those provide access to multilingual and multimedia documents.
Design/methodology/approach
For this study, eight digital libraries originated in India, which are available in 24×7 timeframe and accessible worldwide through the internet, have been identified and selected. The retrieval features and other information on these digital libraries have been collected mostly from their respective websites and from other published literature, annual reports, etc.
Findings
The paper finds that Indian digital libraries provide universal access to informative and culturally rich digital content related to South Asian region. The digitisation efforts in Indian institutions make these digital libraries operational.
Research limitations/implications
The institutional repositories and open access archives of Indian institutions that give access to the current research literature are not included in this study, because their retrieval features are mostly similar to each other as they use either DSpace or GNU EPrints open source software.
Practical implications
Indigenous digital libraries in India provide universal access to information and knowledge related to culture and heritage of people of South Asian counties. This study gives an insight on how diverse contents are integrated and disseminated to the end‐users in a user‐friendly manner. This study also indicates research initiatives on different aspects of multilingual contents in this region.
Originality/value
No such evaluation on Indian digital libraries has been done from the perspective of information retrieval features. This study will generate new knowledge in area of indigenous digital libraries in a developing country like India. This study is also an attempt to popularise Indian indigenous digital libraries among the world community.
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