Search results

The next phase of hardware technology development is focused on alternative ways to manage and store consumers’ personal content. However, even consumers who have adopted Cloud-based services have demonstrated a reluctance to move all of their personal content into the Cloud and continue to resist giving up local hard drives. This paper aims to investigate the characteristics of local hard drives and the Cloud that lead to simultaneous use.

This paper uses content analysis of online comments and ten depth interviews with simultaneous users of local hard drives and the Cloud.

Three factors influence the resistance to giving up local hard drives. Simultaneous users utilize local hard drives as a redundancy system and as a way to ensure the permanence of their digital content. They are unsure of the Cloud’s ability to support their content creation, management and storage activities (task-technology fit).

Study findings are based on qualitative methods and thus the results cannot be considered conclusive.

The authors speculate that it is unlikely that Cloud-only will fully replace hard drives until these factors are understood and addressed by information technology developers. Cloud service providers may not be aware of how little that users understand the Cloud. In contrast to their certainty and confidence in local hard drives, simultaneous users are confused as to what the Cloud is and how it functions. This uncertainty exacerbates their risk perception and need for control.

This is the first study exploring simultaneous use of local hard drives and the Cloud with a view to understanding this behaviour in terms of the relative advantage of the incumbent technology over the new technology.

In 1988, VINE reported on developments at the Polytechnic of Central London (PCL) which made CD‐ROM available on the Polytechnic's wide area network (WAN) to all terminals and to PCs emulating dumb terminals. This was the first stage in the Polytechnic's networking plans and provided multi‐user access to a single CD‐ROM. This, however, was a relatively limited objective providing no choice of CD‐ROM and allowing only one user to access that CD‐ROM at any one time. The ultimate aim is to provide simultaneous multi‐user access to a variety of CD‐ROMs from most PCs and terminals on the Polytechnic network. PCL are currently in the process of doing just that.

The purpose of this paper is to determine the overall currency of electronic books in the Safari database; to determine currency and release policies of the individual publishers who contribute books to the Safari database; to compare the usage patterns of Safari books to their print counterparts at Texas A&M University; and to discuss the impact of the Safari e‐book collection and chosen purchase model upon collection management at the university.

To determine currency of titles in Safari, the availability of the most recent edition of a title in the Safari database was checked against the availability of the print edition on the publisher's website. To determine the publishers' release policies, a questionnaire was developed and e‐mailed to them.

Of the titles in the Safari database 98.4 percent were the most current edition available. Release policies of the major Safari publishers (O'Reilly and Pearson) indicate that the electronic version of a title is released when the print version is sent to press. No Starch Press, a minor Safari publisher releases its books in Safari 90 days after the print goes on sale. Thomson would not make this information public and the remainder did not respond to the questionnaire.

Subscription to the Safari database (current file) makes available to multiple users the most current computer science and information technology books released by popular publishers. It eliminates the need to expend funds for multiple and replacement copies of this highly requested material.

The current file purchase model assumes that the most recent editions of these popular books are available in Safari. The study indicates that librarians and patrons can be assured that they are accessing the most current editions available.

The 2001 release 1 version of the Library of Congress’s Cataloger’s Desktop is reviewed. While LC has added new tools, most notably AACR2 and links to Web resources, and has ironed out a number of bugs over the past six years, this product remains functionally the same as it was in 1995. The user interface, search capabilities, internal file linking, customization, and other features of Desktop are illustrated and discussed, along with some of the technical problems encountered over the course of three years in one library’s networked experience. Finally, comparisons are made with the recent demonstration version of ClassWeb, the browser counterpart for the Classification Plus portion of Cataloger’s Desktop.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of paper bills and statements in online and mobile banking and how they may serve to support trust along with mitigating distrust for consumers when dealing with banks and billing firms.

A two-phase study with 208 Canadian online bill payers. Phase 1 verified the comprehension of the measurement items being tested. In Phase 2, exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the factor structure. Regression analysis was used to identify the relationship of the factors with the intention to continuing receiving paper bills.

Four factors for trust and distrust were identified in this study of which two (structural assurance and counted on to help) plus subjective norm predict the intention to continue receiving paper bills.

Trust and distrust are shown to co-exist in this study. Consumers feel vulnerable to the risks inherent in online financial interactions, but signal their willingness to trust by adopting online and mobile banking. Consumers mitigate the distrust they have in banks and billing firms by continuing to receive paper bills and statements. This study is limited to paper bills and statements. The role of other paper documents in customer relationship management is worthy of further exploration.

This research investigates the role of financial documents in the consumer-firm relationship. This study suggests that paper bills are a communication method that supports consumers’ trust in the banks and billing firms and their adoption of online and mobile banking. Banks and billing firms’ continued emphasis on consumers’ giving up paper bills while insisting on original paper documentation in problem resolution situations, sends mixed messages to consumers, which heightens their distrust in these firms.

This is the first study to suggest that paper bills and statements have a role in influencing trust or distrust of banks and billing firms.

A joint local studies library and museum database is being developed to support the services in the new central library and museum which is being built in Croydon and which will open in 1994. The requirements of three service groups (museum, local studies and archives), have been defined and the processes of selection and the preliminary stages of development are described. Details of the features specified in the Request for Proposal are included.

Text retrieval software packages are designed to support the creation of textual rather than numerical, tabular or graphical databases. General trends concerning the nature of text retrieval software packages that run on microcomputers are analysed. A profile is drawn of the various features that can be expected of a text retrieval package, in order to build a picture of a typical package and to facilitate comparisons between packages. Factors that are considered are: price ranges, the length of time that packages have been available in the marketplace, contract and support, use and access, programming languages, outputs, retrieval facilities, interfaces and integrated modules. The market is shown still to be developing and changing.

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a pilot program at Dickinson College where select reserve books for a class were purchased as ebooks and linked through the course management system. The paper aims to shares the results of survey data, a focus group session, and usage statistics to evaluate the pilot.

The study uses mixed methods with survey, focus group, and usage analysis.

The study found a much higher use of ebooks over print reserves. The survey and focus group responses also found a relatively high student satisfaction with the use of ebooks, despite some reported use problems.

The results of this study offer academic libraries a new idea to consider for ebook purchases. The paper also highlights important issues to consider if purchasing ebooks to replace print reserve books.

This is the first study to evaluate student attitudes and use of ebook “reserve” materials.

A market survey of libraries in the USA has confirmed that database site licensing is all the rage. No fewer than 28% of public and 39% of academic libraries have adopted it, and spending on it has risen by 67% within a year.