Connecting people with city cultural heritage through proximity-based digital storytelling

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 264-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fariba Nosrati ◽  
Claudia Crippa ◽  
Brian Detlor

This paper describes a research investigation on a project led by two libraries, Hamilton Public Library and McMaster University Library, in Hamilton, Canada, concerning the use of proximity-based technologies to share digital stories about a city’s culture. Proximity-based technology systems, such as iBeacons, allow users to receive information automatically when they are close to a physical spot. The project involved the setup of iBeacons that disseminated digital stories pertaining to Gore Park – a prominent historical park in the heart of downtown Hamilton. To test the viability of using iBeacon technologies to raise interest in a city and promote appreciation for a city’s cultural heritage, a pilot study was conducted. The study included one-on-one interviews and a short survey with 50 participants from the general public immediately after these participants used an iBeacon app to experience digital stories about Gore Park. Findings suggest iBeacons are viable tools to share city cultural heritage stories that yield improved perceptions of a city and greater appreciation for a city’s culture and history. Participants were appreciative of the digital stories and the iBeacon app. All participants mentioned that they learned something new about the city and that the app was very informative. Findings indicate that individual differences are important and can affect not only the acceptance and use of an iBeacon digital storytelling app, but also the extent to which the app can promote interest in a city and appreciation for a city’s cultural heritage.

Mathematics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (21) ◽  
pp. 2678
Author(s):  
Silviu Vert ◽  
Diana Andone ◽  
Andrei Ternauciuc ◽  
Vlad Mihaescu ◽  
Oana Rotaru ◽  
...  

Digital storytelling platforms have proven to be a great way of bringing cultural heritage closer to people. What lacks is a deeper understanding of the user experience of such systems, especially in multi-platform digital storytelling. For the last three years, we have been developing a project called Spotlight Heritage Timisoara, which is at its core a digital storytelling platform for the city of Timisoara (Romania), soon to be European Capital of Culture in 2023. The project consists of a website, mobile applications, and interactive museographic and street exhibitions. This paper presents a multi-platform usability evaluation study which employed semi-structured interviews, observations, think-aloud protocol, SUS questionnaire, Net Promoter Score and Product Reaction Cards to gather insights from 105 participants and reveal usability problems in the Spotlight Heritage context. We found out that the four platforms, i.e., interactive touchscreen table, desktop/laptop, mobile and Augmented Reality, have very good usability scores, are considered accessible and useful, work seamlessly together, and create user satisfaction and loyalty, across demographic groups, having the potential to bring people closer to cultural heritage.


Author(s):  
Brian Detlor ◽  
Maureen E. Hupfer ◽  
David Harris Smith

This paper describes a case study investigation of the “Love Your City, Share Your Stories” digital storytelling initiative in Hamilton, Ontario. Data collection involved one-on-one interviews, document review, and participant observations with governance stakeholders from the Hamilton Public Library, McMaster University Library, and the City of Hamilton. Cet article décrit l'étude du cas de l’initiative numérique "Aimez votre ville, partagez vos histoires" à Hamilton, en Ontario. La collecte des données comprenait des entrevues en tête-à-tête, l'examen de documents, et l’observation participante auprès des membres de la direction de la Bibliothèque publique de Hamilton, de la bibliothèque universitaire de l’université McMaster, et de la ville de Hamilton.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 136-150
Author(s):  
Sohail Dahdal

Youth reliance on social media platforms as their main source of media consumption presents an opportunity to increase their cultural knowledge through engaging them in digital storytelling of their village oral history. This paper examines the results of a pilot study conducted in Palestinian villages with youth who were trained on local interviewing village elders to create digital stories. The process was designed in a collaborative game-like environment to obtain maximum engagement, thus creating a state of flow as stipulated by Csikszentmihalyi’s flow theory. The surveys conducted at the beginning and end of the project, combined with ethnographic action research, demonstrate that it is possible for the youths’ level of interest in the creation of the digital stories attains a state of flow when the process can be immersive and engaging such that a multi-phase plan that includes skilling then challenges at each phase – not unlike a game.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fariba Nosrati ◽  
Brian Detlor

PurposeThis research responds to a growing interest among cultural organizations regarding how to use emerging digital technologies in the communication of cultural content. The need to investigate various aspects of digital transformation for cultural organizations has been heightened during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This paper explores how city cultural organizations can utilize digital stories for impression management to enhance public perceptions of a city. The aim of this study is to understand how end-users are affected by a city cultural digital storytelling information system and the benefits of using such a system.Design/methodology/approachAn interpretive case study was conducted on a digital storytelling initiative carried out by three cultural organizations in a medium-sized city in Canada. Data collection included 95 interviews with the general public, questionnaires and the gathering of documents.FindingsFindings suggest that digital storytelling can be a viable tool to share city cultural heritage information and positively affect end-user perceptions of a city. The overall outcome of creating/maintaining a positive favorable impression is shaped through a layered experience of benefits by users. Through digital stories, users are first personally engaged and informed about a city's cultural heritage, and then they are influenced and inspired positively toward the city. Further, factors, such as leisure learning, cultural heritage information and cultural organizations, situate this context of use.Originality/valueThe study sheds light on how the art of storytelling in the digital age can serve as a powerful tool for conveying information effectively and influencing public perceptions. This paper provides a context-specific model to understand the use of digital storytelling by city cultural organizations for the purpose of impression management. Theoretical insights and practical recommendations are provided to explore the utilization of digital storytelling for raising interest and awareness in a city and managing public perceptions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (19) ◽  
pp. 66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariapaola Monti ◽  
Giuseppe Maino

<p>During the excavations carried out in summer 2011 in Piazza Anita Garibaldi in Ravenna, during construction of the new underground  waste  containers,  five  rooms  decorated  with  mosaic  floors  were  found,  probably  dating back to  the  early Roman Empire (1<sup>st</sup>-2<sup>nd</sup>century AD). The mosaics were removed for restoration and musealisation, however –given the size of the large lacunae-it would not be possible to reintegrate them in a traditional restoration without creating arbitrary reconstructions. Therefore, we opted for a digital reconstruction of the lacunae, attempting virtual restoration hypotheses for the recovered mosaics. Subsequently, it was possible to grasp the trend of the figuration and how it could have appeared in the past. The characteristics of many mosaics, such as the symmetry and the repetition of geometric patterns, make them suitable for both a simulated integration and are construction by the analogies of the pattern. As a matter of fact, we used simple and easily accessible software to perform this work.  The purpose of this digital workflow was to give an example of virtual processing useful for conservators and restorers, as well as for scholars (archaeologists, art historians, etc.) that can be carried out without specific information technology expertise and computer skills. After the images were acquired digitally, we were able to proceed with the reconstruction of the floor, by taking into account the geometric motifs that make up the mosaic assembly and that made the recomposition the most reliable. The virtual restoration also provides the  opportunity  of  simulating  the  type  of  integration  and  the  colour  so  that  scholars,  restorers  and  conservators  may evaluate the final appearance of the work and the different aesthetic choices. The virtual restoration is finally considered an essential tool for the enhancement of cultural heritage.</p><p><strong>Highlights:</strong></p><ul><li><p>An example of virtual restoration is presented relevant to Roman mosaics recently found in Ravenna (Italy).</p></li><li><p>A simulated integration by the analogies of the geometric patterns present in the mosaics allows a reliable reconstruction.</p></li><li><p>Virtual restoration results in a useful tool for enhancement, knowledge and improvement of understanding of mosaics by the general public.</p></li></ul>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rustan DR

The type of qualitative research through the phenomenological approach, the results showed that the existence of coffee stalls become an attraction for the community, where the function is not merely drinking coffee but also serves as a place Rest also as a place to receive the guests, in the development of the coffee shop experienced developments where the menu is presented has begun to vary, and already many are equipped with life music, the development of coffee stalls that were initially Only for the general public experienced a shift in the economic level of the upper class, so that the existence of coffee shop is needed in every corner of the city in South Sulawesi.


Author(s):  
Carlos E Sanchez-Pimienta ◽  
Jeff Masuda

Abstract In recent years, health promotion has come under critique for being framed according to the contexts and priorities of Western communities, with the notion of ‘control’ underpinning much of its theoretical and practical development. Ceding space to Indigenous voices and knowledge is one way forward to overcoming this limitation and decolonizing the field. This paper reports on insights gained from a participatory digital storytelling project focused on Indigenous health promotion that took place at M’Wikwedong Indigenous Friendship Centre in the city of Owen Sound, Canada. The research team was formed by M’Wikwedong’s Executive Director, five Indigenous youth and two university researchers. We co-created data through an 8-month digital storytelling process that involved 13 weekly research meetings, the creation of 4 digital stories and video screenings. We analysed data from seven group interview transcriptions, field notes and video transcripts through qualitative coding and theme building. The four themes we identified speak to the ways M’Wikwedong reinforced connections to youth, their sense of self, place in the city and Indigenous cultures. From our findings, we theorize that egalitarianism of knowledge, restoring balance in relationships and Indigenous leadership are core components of an ‘ethos of connection’ that underlies Indigenous health promotion. The ‘ethos of connection’ challenges Western notions of ‘control’ and brings attention to the unique expertise and practices of urban Indigenous communities and organizations as a primary basis for health promotion.


Crisis ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Chen ◽  
Brian L. Mishara ◽  
Xiao Xian Liu

Background: In China, where follow-up with hospitalized attempters is generally lacking, there is a great need for inexpensive and effective means of maintaining contact and decreasing recidivism. Aims: Our objective was to test whether mobile telephone message contacts after discharge would be feasible and acceptable to suicide attempters in China. Methods: Fifteen participants were recruited from suicide attempters seen in the Emergency Department in Wuhan, China, to participate in a pilot study to receive mobile telephone messages after discharge. All participants have access to a mobile telephone, and there is no charge for the user to receive text messages. Results: Most participants (12) considered the text message contacts an acceptable and useful form of help and would like to continue to receive them for a longer period of time. Conclusions: This suggests that, as a low-cost and quick method of intervention in areas where more intensive follow-up is not practical or available, telephone messages contacts are accessible, feasible, and acceptable to suicide attempters. We hope that this will inspire future research on regular and long-term message interventions to prevent recidivism in suicide attempters.


2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bogusław Podhalański ◽  
Anna Połtowicz

Abstract The article discusses a project that features the relocation of the historic Atelier building, built by Krakow-based architect Wandalin Beringer (1839–1923) who was active in the early twentieth century, and the regeneration of a plot belonging to the Congregation of the Resurrection since 1885, which is located at 12 Łobzowska Street in Krakow. The method includes cutting the entire structure off at the foundation and then after reinforcing it with a steel structure transporting it in its entirety to the new location. The project included two possible variants of moving the building in a straight line, either by 21 or 59 metres and evaluates two projects of further regeneration, the adaptive reuse of the building as an exhibition and religious space as well as a proposal for the remodelling of the nearby plot that belongs to the Congregation into a space for meditation and as a recreational park. The aim of these measures is to prevent the demolition of this building, now over a century old, as a result of which a forgotten element of the cultural heritage of the city will be saved. This project was based on the results of analyses of the cultural and historical conditions of Krakow. The block of buildings in which the Atelier in question is located is a very attractive location, near to the very centre of Krakow, adjacent to residential, service and educational buildings. It is directly adjacent to the Monastery Complex of the Congregation of the Resurrection, listed as a heritage building under conservation protection (municipal registry of heritage buildings). In the second half of the twentieth century, the building was used as a workroom by artists such as Xawery Dunikowski and later by the sculptress Teodora Stasiak. The case of the Atelier may provide an inspiration for discussion as well as raising awareness among citizens and city authorities to avoid future situations in which cultural heritage may become forgotten or demolished.


2020 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-93
Author(s):  
Anna Angelinas ◽  
Roseann Nasser ◽  
Amanda Geradts ◽  
Justine Herle ◽  
Kristen Schott ◽  
...  

Purpose: Living Your Best Weight (LYBW) is an outpatient program based on Health at Every Size (HAES) principles for adults interested in managing their weight. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine perceptions of participants and their satisfaction with the LYBW program. Methods: A survey was developed to determine participant satisfaction of the LYBW program. Fifty-six participants who completed the LYBW program from June 2017 to February 2018 were contacted via telephone and invited to participate in the study. Forty-five participants agreed to receive the survey by mail or email. Results: Thirty-four participants completed the survey for a response rate of 61%. The average age of respondents was 52 years. Seventy-nine percent of respondents agreed that the program helped them to focus on health instead of weight. Eighty-two percent agreed that the program helped them respond to internal cues of hunger and fullness, and 94% were satisfied with the program. Conclusion: Participants reported that they were satisfied with the LYBW program and perceived improvements in their health. Future programming may benefit from using a HAES-based approach with adults.


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