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Article
Publication date: 25 October 2018

Qing Zou and Eun G. Park

This study aims to explore a way of representing historical collections by examining the features of an event in historical documents and building an event-based ontology model.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore a way of representing historical collections by examining the features of an event in historical documents and building an event-based ontology model.

Design/methodology/approach

To align with a domain-specific and upper ontology, the Basic Formal Ontology (BFO) model is adopted. Based on BFO, an event-based ontology for historical description (EOHD) is designed. To define events, event-related vocabularies are taken from the Library of Congress’ event types (2012). The three types of history and six kinds of changes are defined.

Findings

The EOHD model demonstrates how to apply the event ontology to biographical sketches of a creator history to link event types.

Research limitations/implications

The EOHD model has great potential to be further expanded to specific events and entities through different types of history in a full set of historical documents.

Originality/value

The EOHD provides a framework for modeling and semantically reforming the relationships of historical documents, which can make historical collections more explicitly connected in Web environments.

Details

Digital Library Perspectives, vol. 34 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-5816

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 February 2023

Dilawar Ali, Kenzo Milleville, Steven Verstockt, Nico Van de Weghe, Sally Chambers and Julie M. Birkholz

Historical newspaper collections provide a wealth of information about the past. Although the digitization of these collections significantly improves their accessibility, a large…

Abstract

Purpose

Historical newspaper collections provide a wealth of information about the past. Although the digitization of these collections significantly improves their accessibility, a large portion of digitized historical newspaper collections, such as those of KBR, the Royal Library of Belgium, are not yet searchable at article-level. However, recent developments in AI-based research methods, such as document layout analysis, have the potential for further enriching the metadata to improve the searchability of these historical newspaper collections. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned issue.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the authors explore how existing computer vision and machine learning approaches can be used to improve access to digitized historical newspapers. To do this, the authors propose a workflow, using computer vision and machine learning approaches to (1) provide article-level access to digitized historical newspaper collections using document layout analysis, (2) extract specific types of articles (e.g. feuilletons – literary supplements from Le Peuple from 1938), (3) conduct image similarity analysis using (un)supervised classification methods and (4) perform named entity recognition (NER) to link the extracted information to open data.

Findings

The results show that the proposed workflow improves the accessibility and searchability of digitized historical newspapers, and also contributes to the building of corpora for digital humanities research. The AI-based methods enable automatic extraction of feuilletons, clustering of similar images and dynamic linking of related articles.

Originality/value

The proposed workflow enables automatic extraction of articles, including detection of a specific type of article, such as a feuilleton or literary supplement. This is particularly valuable for humanities researchers as it improves the searchability of these collections and enables corpora to be built around specific themes. Article-level access to, and improved searchability of, KBR's digitized newspapers are demonstrated through the online tool (https://tw06v072.ugent.be/kbr/).

Article
Publication date: 13 November 2020

Fred Beard and Brian Petrotta

A series of online searches of the Harvard University Library System – which includes the Baker Library, Houghton Library and the Radcliffe Institute’s Arthur and Elizabeth…

Abstract

Purpose

A series of online searches of the Harvard University Library System – which includes the Baker Library, Houghton Library and the Radcliffe Institute’s Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library – on the History of Women in America revealed nearly 1,000 archive and manuscript holdings on advertising and related topics. This paper aims to investigate the extent of these holdings, to assess their value to advertising and marketing historians and to explore their potential for encouraging future research on under-investigated topics and questions.

Design/methodology/approach

Described are the extensive and valuable special collections and other holdings related to advertising, business and marketing of the Harvard Library System. Also described are the availability of the holdings and recommendations for accessing and studying the collections and artifacts.

Findings

The research reported here supports an overall conclusion that the Harvard Library System holds an important place among the world’s repositories of valuable historical advertisements and marketing ephemera. The research also supports four specific conclusions regarding the historical value of Harvard’s collections and archives. First, some of the collections offer access to artifacts and items from an under-investigated period – the first half of the 19th century. Second, many of the collections are international in scope. Third, the collections represent a wide array of 19th century non-periodical advertisements and ephemera, such as trade cards, posters and theatrical playbills. Fourth, and most important, the collections offer significant potential for addressing, among other under-investigated topics, the important role of women in the development of modern advertising theory and professional practices.

Originality/value

A prior search for the world’s largest and most historically significant archives and collections of advertisements and marketing ephemera (promotional objects or media executions created for a one-time, limited purpose) revealed a handful of library and museum collections of exceptional size or topical importance meriting further investigation. This paper adds to an extensive line of research published in the marketing and advertising historical literature exploring and describing the breadth, depth and historical value of the world’s important collections of historical advertisements and ephemera.

Details

Journal of Historical Research in Marketing, vol. 13 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1755-750X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 April 2013

Jennifer Koenig Johnson

Purpose ‐ The purpose of this paper is to cite and briefly discuss digital map collections. Design/methodology/approach ‐ Digital map collections were located, evaluated, and…

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Abstract

Purpose ‐ The purpose of this paper is to cite and briefly discuss digital map collections. Design/methodology/approach ‐ Digital map collections were located, evaluated, and selected. Collections included in the annotated bibliography consist primarily of maps that originated in print, or contain historical maps, or are unique. Each included collection meets at least one of those criteria. Findings ‐ There are a wide variety of resources available online that users can freely access. This annotated bibliography focuses specifically on digital collections that contain cartographic materials. Each item, after being evaluated, includes a citation, brief description, and usage instructions. Originality/value ‐ While there are many digital collections available for users to access that focus primarily on the manuscript and photograph formats, there are a variety of other formats that are also digitized, such as cartographic materials. This annotated bibliography highlights 40 collections that were located, evaluated, and described. Most of these collections originate in print materials, while at least one collection focuses specifically on digitally born maps. All maps collections are housed and created by institutions or organizations in the USA, while the content ranges in subjects, date ranges, and geographic locations.

Details

Reference Reviews, vol. 27 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0950-4125

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 15 September 2021

Elina Late and Sanna Kumpulainen

The paper examines academic historians' information interactions with material from digital historical-newspaper collections as the research process unfolds.

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Abstract

Purpose

The paper examines academic historians' information interactions with material from digital historical-newspaper collections as the research process unfolds.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employed qualitative analysis from in-depth interviews with Finnish history scholars who use digitised historical newspapers as primary sources for their research. A model for task-based information interaction guided the collection and analysis of data.

Findings

The study revealed numerous information interactions within activities related to task-planning, the search process, selecting and working with the items and synthesis and reporting. The information interactions differ with the activities involved, which call for system support mechanisms specific to each activity type. Various activities feature information search, which is an essential research method for those using digital collections in the compilation and analysis of data. Furthermore, application of quantitative methods and multidisciplinary collaboration may be shaping culture in history research toward convergence with the research culture of the natural sciences.

Originality/value

For sustainable digital humanities infrastructure and digital collections, it is of great importance that system designers understand how the collections are accessed, why and their use in the real-world context. The study enriches understanding of the collections' utilisation and advances a theoretical framework for explicating task-based information interaction.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 78 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 12 July 2023

Sahan Savas Karatasli

This paper discusses data-collection strategies that use digitized historical newspaper archives to study social conflicts and social movements from a global and historical

Abstract

This paper discusses data-collection strategies that use digitized historical newspaper archives to study social conflicts and social movements from a global and historical perspective focusing on nationalist movements. I present an analysis of State-Seeking Nationalist Movements (SSNMs) dataset I, which includes news articles reporting on state-seeking activities throughout the world from 1804 to 2013 using the New York Times and the Guardian/Observer. In discussing this new source of data and its relative value, I explain the various benefits and challenges involved with using digitized historical newspaper archives for world-historical analysis of social movements. I also introduce strategies that can be used to detect and minimize some potential sources of bias. I demonstrate the utility of the strategies introduced in this paper by assessing the reliability of the SSNM dataset I and by comparing it to alternative datasets. The analysis presented in the paper also compares the labor-intensive manual data-coding strategies to automated approaches. In doing so, it explains why labor-intensive manual coding strategies will continue to be an invaluable tool for world-historical sociologists in a world of big data.

Details

Methodological Advances in Research on Social Movements, Conflict, and Change
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80117-887-7

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 January 2018

Fred Beard

When advertising historians began searching for substantial collections and archives of historical advertisements and marketing ephemera in the 1970s, some reported such holdings…

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Abstract

Purpose

When advertising historians began searching for substantial collections and archives of historical advertisements and marketing ephemera in the 1970s, some reported such holdings were rare. This paper aims to report the findings of the first systematic attempt to assess the scope and research value of the world’s archives and collections devoted to advertising and marketing ephemera.

Design/methodology/approach

Searches conducted online of the holdings of museums, libraries and the internet led to the identification and description of 179 archives and collections of historical significance for historians of marketing and advertising, as well as researchers interested in many other topics and disciplines.

Findings

The lists of archives and collections resulting from the research reported in this article represent the most complete collection of such sources available. Identified are the world’s oldest and largest collections of advertising and ephemera. Also identified are quite extraordinary collections of historically unique records and artifacts.

Research limitations/implications

The online searches continued until a point of redundancy was reached and no new archives or collections meeting the search criteria emerged. There remains the likelihood, however, that other archives and collections exist, especially in non-Western countries.

Originality/value

The findings make valuable contributions to the work of historians and other scholars by encouraging more global and cross-cultural research and historical analyses of trends and themes in professional practices in marketing and advertising and their consequences over a longer period than previously studied.

Details

Journal of Historical Research in Marketing, vol. 10 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1755-750X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 August 2014

Ken Middleton and Amy York

– The purpose of this article is to provide examples of how partnerships can be used to build innovative digital collections.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to provide examples of how partnerships can be used to build innovative digital collections.

Design/methodology/approach

This article explores multiple aspects of Middle Tennessee State University’s (MTSU) Walker Library’s partnerships with the Center for Historic Preservation and MTSU’s graduate program in public history. Specific topics covered include pairing interpretive essays with groups of highly relevant images to engage students, incorporating responsive design to encourage use of mobile devices and creating an interactive map that links locations to digital content.

Findings

By strengthening existing partnerships and proactively seeking new opportunities, libraries that do not have unique primary source collections can take a leading role in publishing digital history collections. Historians have been vital to the success of the Library’s digital projects, particularly those that incorporate multiple layers of historical context.

Originality/value

This is one of the few articles about digital collections to cover responsive Web design (particularly within CONTENTdm), partnerships between libraries and public history academic programs and the value of multiple layers of historical context (metadata, essays matched with images and lesson plans).

Details

OCLC Systems & Services: International digital library perspectives, vol. 30 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1065-075X

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 9 October 2012

Carly Adams

Purpose – This chapter explores various approaches to historical methods as they relate to sport and physical culture research.Design/methodology/approach – The chapter discusses…

Abstract

Purpose – This chapter explores various approaches to historical methods as they relate to sport and physical culture research.

Design/methodology/approach – The chapter discusses various paradigmatic approaches to historical methods (reconstructionist, constructionist and deconstructionist) and takes up current debates related to archives, newspapers, photographs and oral history as they relate to the method. Drawing on these discussions, I outline various approaches to designing a sport and physical culture project using historical methods, focusing on my work on women's industrial sport in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Findings – I discuss how data evolved from the method and how I made choices about the inclusion and exclusion of materials. The chapter concludes that historical methods are tedious, complex and messy but also exciting and insightful ways to do research. I also conclude by encouraging the researcher to be reflexive and aware of one's ‘positionality’ as a researcher and embrace the historical process.

Originality/value – The chapter is original work. It is not so much a prescriptive ‘how-to’ guide for historical research, but it works to take up current debates in historical methods. It also endeavours to engage students and scholars alike as they consider their research projects and the potential value of historical methods.

Details

Qualitative Research on Sport and Physical Culture
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78052-297-5

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 December 2018

Tessel Bogaard, Laura Hollink, Jan Wielemaker, Jacco van Ossenbruggen and Lynda Hardman

For digital libraries, it is useful to understand how users search in a collection. Investigating search patterns can help them to improve the user interface, collection

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Abstract

Purpose

For digital libraries, it is useful to understand how users search in a collection. Investigating search patterns can help them to improve the user interface, collection management and search algorithms. However, search patterns may vary widely in different parts of a collection. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how to identify these search patterns within a well-curated historical newspaper collection using the existing metadata.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors analyzed search logs combined with metadata records describing the content of the collection, using this metadata to create subsets in the logs corresponding to different parts of the collection.

Findings

The study shows that faceted search is more prevalent than non-faceted search in terms of number of unique queries, time spent, clicks and downloads. Distinct search patterns are observed in different parts of the collection, corresponding to historical periods, geographical regions or subject matter.

Originality/value

First, this study provides deeper insights into search behavior at a fine granularity in a historical newspaper collection, by the inclusion of the metadata in the analysis. Second, it demonstrates how to use metadata categorization as a way to analyze distinct search patterns in a collection.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 75 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

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