scholarly journals Information Professionals’ Attitudes Influence the Diffusion of Information and Communication Technologies

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 147
Author(s):  
Kristen Lee Young

A Review of: Rabina, D. L., & Walczyk, D. J. (2007). Information professionals’ attitude toward the adoption of innovations in everyday life. Information Research, 12(4), 1-15. Objective – This study examined the general characteristics and patterns of librarians in connection with their willingness to adopt information and communication technologies. Design – Online questionnaire. Setting – General distribution to information professionals through online inquiry. More than 70% of responders worked in public or academic libraries. Subjects – Librarians and library staff at mostly public and academic libraries. Methods – The study was conducted during a two week period in April 2006 through an online questionnaire that was sent to library and librarian-related electronic mail lists. The questionnaire was divided into two parts and contained a total of 39 questions. Part one contained eight questions that asked for demographic data and the respondent’s daily attitude toward the adoption of information and communication technologies. Questions regarding age, number of years worked in a library, career, type of library environment worked in, and primary responsibilities within that environment were asked. For one question the respondents were asked to identify which of the categories they fall under when adopting a new technology. The results from part one were used to consider the innovativeness of librarians. The results from part two were used for a study of opinions on innovations and their relative advantage. Main Results – A total of 1,417 responses were received. Of those, 1,128 were fully completed and considered valid and used for inquiry. The majority of respondents worked in public or academic libraries. Nine hundred and twenty-six respondents, or 88%, were from the U.S. and represented more than 300 distinct zip codes. Two hundred and two respondents, or 12%, were international respondents. This study notes that the sociologist, Everett Rogers, identified and defined five adopter categories in 1958. Those categories are: innovators, early adapters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. The findings of this study indicate that regardless of the demographic variables considered, more than 60% of respondents, the majority of librarians surveyed, fall into two contrasting adapter categories: early adopters and early majority. The study suggests that the efficient and effective diffusion of new technologies in library settings may be difficult. Three problematic areas among librarians for the dissemination of innovation were identified: conflicting opinions among multiple opinion leaders, deceleration in the rate of adoption, and improper re-invention. The findings of the study also suggest that “contrary to common beliefs, librarians in academic or special libraries are no more innovative than public or school librarians” (Conclusion, ¶3). Conclusion – The study concludes that librarians’ attitudes are unevenly distributed with most either accepting new innovations or being late adopters. The variables of age, role, tenure, and library type had little impact on the approach of the professional toward innovation. The identification of the three problem areas: opinion leadership, deceleration of adoption, and improper re-invention, represents where more time and effort may need to be spent to make the implementation of new technology a smoother process.

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Artur Correia ◽  
Vanda Azevedo ◽  
Luís Velez Lapão

Introduction: Telemedicine is the provision of health services, where distance is a critical factor, using information and communication technologies. Cape Verde has bet on using this tool to increase access of the population of its islands to specialized care.Material and Methods: Qualitative study, covering the period between 2013 and 2014. It uses document analysis, semi-structured interviews and focus groups to collect data and analysis of content for their analysis. The participant population includes doctors, nurses and professionals from some institutions related to telemedicine.Results: The priorities of the National Telemedicine Program are set, the cores and reference centers are operational, with trained personnel and equipment installed. Several other policy instruments and conditioning factors and facilitators of the program have been identified.Discussion: Telemedicine is contributing to the reduction of inequalities in access to health, in Cape Verde. However, the full adoption of a service based on a new technology depends on conditioning factors and facilitators, and several success factors of telemedicine, identified in the literature, are not observed and in conjunction with other existing weaknesses affect the overall development of the National Telemedicine Program. However the strengths and capabilities are highlighted opportunities to act.Conclusion: Despite the progress, some telemedicine success factors highlighted on the literature are not seen in the country.


Author(s):  
Lisa Kervin ◽  
Jessica Mantei ◽  
Jan Herrington

In this chapter the authors discuss two central themes: the changing nature of literate activity brought about by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), and suggestions for how educators could respond to this guided by principles of authentic learning. The access many young people have to ICT has resulted in new forms of literacy as they manipulate technology, using this new knowledge to assist the process of meaning making. Each new technology brings with it navigational concepts, space to negotiate, new genres and a range of modalities, all of which need to be interpreted. ICTs have the potential to reshape literate practices in classrooms as students create, collect, store and use knowledge as they connect and collaborate with people and resources across the world. What is crucial though, is that the nexus between technology and literacy within classrooms is conceptualised through meaningful, relevant and authentic connections with curricula.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doris Emetarom Aduba ◽  
Victoria O. Odegwo ◽  
Obiora Kingsley Udem

This paper aims at establishing the effectiveness of physical academic libraries in a digitally-evolved world. It tends to explore the priorities of academic libraries in line with the changing global environment. Data was gathered through desk research and content analysis approach. Data generated from analysis of literature were augmented by brainstorming and interaction with professional colleagues from different academic libraries within the south-east geo-political zone of Nigeria. The paper described the physical library and nature of academic libraries with reference to the digital world, explain the attributes of the digitally-evolved world and need for transforming physical academic libraries in line with changing global space, highlight the constraints to the effectiveness of academic libraries in a digital world, discuss the keys to effective services delivery in physical academic libraries as it relates to the digital world and outline the prospects for the physical academic libraries in a digital world. The implications for librarians in the digital world were described. The paper concludes that most libraries are still at the analogue stage and that despite the overwhelming influence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) on the services provided by libraries, the physical space of the academics libraries is still relevant.


RISORSA UOMO ◽  
2012 ◽  
pp. 151-162
Author(s):  

This work aims to present the emerging challenge of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for career development in vocational guidance and career counseling. Based on the new paradigm for the 21st century, Life Designing Counseling, the use of ICT is suggested as favoring flexible and dynamic career construction processes. Various instruments for career counseling online are presented, the theme of accessibility is discussed in terms of cost/effectiveness of career service to prevent the risk of unintentional social injustice and to favor a greater correspondence between career services and the needs of individuals. This work permits an in depth study of the complexity of ICT, with the aims of understanding its opportunities and limits, offering new perspectives in research and intervention.


Author(s):  
Qaisar Iqbal ◽  
Rashid Nawaz

Information pollution, which usually refers to the overabundance of irrelevant, unsolicited, unwanted messages, is a major cause of concern for practitioners and academic researchers. Advances in the information and communication technologies has proliferated the production of information. Consequently, people are suffering from information pollution. Information pollution has made it difficult for employees and individuals to find the quality information quickly and conveniently from diverse information sources including print and electronic sources. This chapter sheds light on the relevant literature of information pollution and analyzes its causes in the Industry 4.0 era and puts forward suggestions for tackling this problem. This chapter emphasizes the significance of concrete efforts from computer scientists, academic professionals, and information professionals to devise strategies and techniques for refuting the effects of information pollution.


Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Łukasz Komorowski ◽  
Monika Stanny

The European Union is actively promoting the idea of “smart villages”. The increased uptake of new technology and in particular, the use of the internet, is seen as a vital part of strategies to combat rural decline. It is evident that those areas most poorly connected to the internet are those confronted by the greatest decline. The analysis in this paper is based on Poland, which at the time of EU accession had many deeply disadvantaged rural areas. Using fine-grained socio-economic data, an association can be found between weak internet access and rural decline in Poland. The preliminary conclusions about the utility of the smart village concept as a revitalisation tool for rural Poland point to theoretical and methodological dilemmas. Barriers to the concept’s implementation are also observed, although there is a chance they may be overcome with the continued spread of information and communication technologies in rural areas.


2020 ◽  
pp. 437-447
Author(s):  
Quazi Omar Faruq ◽  
Arthur Tatnall

For a new technology to be put into use, a decision must be made to adopt it or at least some aspects of it. This article discusses the introduction and use of information and communication technologies in primary healthcare and investigates reasons for adoption, or non-adoption, or these technologies. In particular, the article looks at use of ICT by medical general practitioners, eHealth and the Virtual Doctor Program. The context is adoption of healthcare technologies in the Australian environment, and Information Translation is used as a lens to investigate this.


2004 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-129
Author(s):  
Madeleine Choe-Amusimo Fombad ◽  
Charles Manga Fombad

The advent of the global digital revolution and the phenomenal advances in information and communication technologies (ICTs), have today provided an opportunity for the much-vaunted African renaissance and a chance for the continent to leapfrog over some of the enormous barriers of underdevelopment and claim a place in the post-industrial economy. The new technology has not only liberated the human brain from many mundane tasks but it has enhanced our productivity in many dramatic ways. It is becoming increasingly clear that the availability and use of ICTs is pre-requisite for economic and social development in this era of globalization.


2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (44) ◽  
pp. 73-80
Author(s):  
Risto Kalliola ◽  
Niina Käyhkö ◽  
Sanna Jokela

AbstractThe regional Lounaispaikka-SDI (Spatial Data Infrastructure) in southwest Finland is being developed by a dynamic assembly of the region’s geospatial expertise and its networking, spatial data and geoportal services. Emerging as a data-centric constellation that supported the region’s geographical information professionals, this assembly has developed into a geospatial service with more broadly-focused public information on the region. This development has had five adaptive phases, each as a response to changing local needs and fast-evolving trends in information and communication technologies. Alongside these processes, the Lounaispaikka-SDI has also reinforced the region’s geospatial competencies with benefits offered to academia, public sector institutions, and companies.


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