Search results

While Gutenberg's invention is likely to endure for some time, it is indisputable that the prominence of print is diminishing. The recently published Mellon report University Libraries and Scholarly Communication highlights the symbiosis between the humanities and the print medium. It maintains that electronic media will ultimately change the nature of the humanities and spawn a new kind of discourse with fundamentally different features. The report asserts that the shift from print to electronic media, which began in the late twentieth century, will have widespread consequences on the intellectual experience of modern society, reaching beyond print and libraries.

User‐based evaluation in archives and special collections is in its infancy, and this paper aims to discuss the conceptualization, development, and testing of Archival Metrics Toolkits. The development and adoption of standardized metrics to support the management of both analog and digital collections is a critical need in archives and manuscript collections.

The Archival Metrics Toolkits were created, and comprised five user‐based evaluation instruments for archives and special collections in colleges and universities: researcher, archival web sites, online finding aids, student researchers, and teaching support.

The Archival Metrics Toolkits, as developed, represent a first step toward standardized evaluation created specifically for archives. Now it is up to the community to adopt these tools and report their use.

These are the first standardized questionnaires to target archives and special collections and take into consideration the unique environment of primary sources and the specific dynamics involved in connecting researchers with archival and manuscript collections.

This paper presents an exploratory case study on the impact of user-oriented digitalization on records management in the Norwegian public sector. The purpose of this study is to identify some of the opportunities and issues that may arise for records management professionals, case workers and citizens.

The concept of administrative burdens and how user-oriented design can reduce or increase them is the main theoretical focus. A series of five interviews with records management professionals from five municipalities and three with IT staff members from two larger state institutions served as the primary source for this qualitative case study in conjunction with a literature review. The interviews were conducted in a semistructured format with a general interview guide.

Smaller municipalities lack the resources of larger state institutions, and they do not involve users in the same extent, even though their records management professionals strive for user-orientation. The work with directly involving users appears to vary in larger institutions, where resources must still be properly prioritized. Reducing administrative burdens is vital for user-oriented design, but digitizing services often increases them, so service delivery must consider the benefits of local, in-person guidance in relation to wholly digital services.

While much research has been conducted in Norway on digitalization, little has been done to examine the implications for records management work or the public’s use of records. By identifying some key concerns, this paper hopes to serve as a springboard for further research in these areas.

Charles Ashley developed an interest in networks whilst at the University of California. In this article he explains why INTERNET groups offer an excellent medium for retrieving and exchanging information.

The purpose of this paper is to present a perspective on the development of digital curation education and practice in museums in the USA.

Methods used include: a historical overview of the development of digital curation, originally as a field of practice – primarily in the sciences – and then as a field of study; a case study of the adaptation of a digital curation curriculum (DigCCurr) framework developed in schools of library and information science (LIS) to a museum studies program; and a discussion of trends in digital curation practices in museums.

The case study (the digital curation certificate program of Johns Hopkins University’s museum studies program) describes a successful adaptation of the LIS DigCCurr framework in a museum studies program.

Findings could help to advance the museum field through the integration of digital curation education, practice and research.

By adopting and supporting digital curation practices, education and research, museums can reach and engage more online users seeking information about museum collections. More online users may also become onsite visitors.

There is little existing literature on digital curation education in museum studies programs.