Cross-Cultural Design and Usability of a Digital Library Supporting Access to Maori Cultural Heritage Resources

2008 ◽  
pp. 662-670
Author(s):  
Chern Li Liew
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Digital Library ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Critical Research ◽  
Research Issues ◽  
Cultural Design ◽  
User Communities

Part of the worldwide appeal for digital libraries (DLs) lies in their potential to preserve cultural heritage resources, to expand access to indigenous resources, and to promote deeper understanding among user communities. As cultural heritage resources are being made into a shared worldwide collection of information resources, cross-cultural design and usability issues of DLs supporting access to such resources become critical concerns. This chapter looks specifically at issues concerning supporting access to Mâori heritage materials available in New Zealand through DL technologies. The chapter commences with an examination of the Mâori culture, the nature and forms of Mâori heritage resources and their specific requirements for representation, organisation and retrieval. It then proceeds to identify a set of critical research issues crucial to the success of such DLs. For these research issues, challenges are identified and potential strategies to meet these challenges are proposed.

Cross-Cultural Design and Usability of a Digital Library Supporting Access to Maori Cultural Heritage Resources

2005 ◽  
pp. 285-297
Author(s):  
Chern L. Liew
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Digital Library ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Critical Research ◽  
Research Issues ◽  
Cultural Design ◽  
User Communities

Part of the worldwide appeal for digital libraries (DLs) lies in their potential to preserve cultural heritage resources, to expand access to indigenous resources, and to promote deeper understanding among user communities. As cultural heritage resources are being made into a shared worldwide collection of information resources, cross-cultural design and usability issues of DLs supporting access to such resources become critical concerns. This chapter looks specifically at issues concerning supporting access to Mâori heritage materials available in New Zealand through DL technologies. The chapter commences with an examination of the Mâori culture, the nature and forms of Mâori heritage resources and their specific requirements for representation, organisation and retrieval. It then proceeds to identify a set of critical research issues crucial to the success of such DLs. For these research issues, challenges are identified and potential strategies to meet these challenges are proposed.

Building digital collections in a public university library in Ghana: priority-setting and user needs assessment

2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 38-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nesba Yaa Anima Adzobu
Keyword(s):  
Needs Assessment ◽  
Digital Library ◽  
Priority Setting ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
User Needs ◽  
Digital Collections ◽  
Content Type ◽  
User Communities ◽  
Library User

Purpose – Although user needs assessment is an intrinsic element of service quality delivery in digital libraries (DLs), not much has been written on this topic in the context of African universities. This is understandable as academic digital libraries in Africa are rather nascent. Even so, the most frequently-used needs assessment methods do not directly involve the users. This study aims to assess priority setting by academic library administrators and the needs of patrons of digital collections of a public university library in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach – Analysis of official university documents and interviews with digital library patrons at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in Ghana were carried out between September, 2011 and January, 2012. Five research questions were asked: what are the current conditions of the UCC digital library project, the user communities and their needs, what are the priorities set by the university administrators and library leaders at the UCC and the state of technological readiness in place and what are needed by the UCCDL. Also, what is the extent of collaboration by interested parties in the UCCDL? Findings – Three general digital library user communities were identified, that is, UCCDL staff- this community was composed of experts in both digital library systems and content, characterized as heavy users of the existing systems, as knowledgeable about articulated (formalized) user needs, and able to devote short (usually less than two hours) amounts of time to individual's needs. Next, are scholars and other visitors to the UCCDL – this community was characterized as having high levels of domain expertise and knowledge of library systems. They are also able to devote large but specific amounts of time (days or weeks) to their individual information needs. Visitors/Prospective users- this community was characterized as having varied levels of domain expertise and low levels of library systems knowledge. They are able to devote only short periods of time to their information needs or explorations. These user communities are influenced by diverse preferences, experiences, and knowledge structures. Practical implications – Academic libraries are increasingly advocating local user studies as a way to provide the digital library services that are relevant to the culture and user population of the academic institution. Replicating digital library user studies at the local level can provide information for improving existing services or developing new ones. Originality/value – In African public universities, there is little earlier research on digital library user needs assessments or DL priority-setting by academic library administrators.

scholarly journals Digital Library and Intellectual Issues—Issues in Copyright and Intellectual Property

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 114
Author(s):  
Mohammad Niqresh
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Property ◽  
Property Rights ◽  
Intellectual Property Rights ◽  
Digital Library ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Digital Resources ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Web

The study aims at identifying the concept of digital library, it also tries to shed the light on the most significant intellectual issues by presenting its definition, development, functions (selection and acquisition of information resources from the web, sources indexing, communication and management of intellectual property rights, production of electronic resources and its availability, and digital resources maintaining), characteristics, and the purpose of turning into digital library, passed by the proposed stages of digital library transition, Types of Intellectual Property (Copyright, Patents, Trademarks, Commercial Secrets), it also discusses copyrights and intellectual property, the problems and challenges of digital library, and finally the future of digital library. Many researchers agree that the main objective of the digital library is to accomplish all the functions of the traditional library, but in the form of electronic digital libraries which are only an extension for jobs that are performed and the resources that are accessible in digital library. The study concluded that digital libraries emerged as an obligatory result of revolution of the third millennium which is called the communications revolution, as libraries are able to prove that they are able to stand and cope with all the modern technology, where there is no conflict between the new and modern trends in libraries issue, but it also benefits from both of them concerning their evolution instruments in service for beneficiaries in every time and place.

scholarly journals Technology and research in a global Networked University Digital Library (NUDL)

2001 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 13-23
Author(s):  
Marcos André Gonçalves ◽  
Edward A. Fox
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Intellectual Property ◽  
Digital Library ◽  
International Collaboration ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Complex Information ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Theses And Dissertations

Digital Libraries (DLs) are extremely complex information systems that support the creation, management, distribution, and preservation of complex information resources, while allowing effective and efficient interaction among the several societies that benefit from DL content and services. In this paper, we focus on our experience facing challenges of building, maintaining, and developing the Networked University Digital Library (<A HREF="http://www.nudl.org/">www.nudl.org</A>), an extension of the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (<A HREF="http://www.ndltd.org/">www.ndltd.org</A>). NUDL is a worldwide initiative that addresses making the intellectual property produced in universities more accessible, stimulating international collaboration across all disciplines. We detail technological aspects of our solutions and research activities carried out to provide powerful and enriched services for the communities served by this initiative.

scholarly journals Cognitive styles within an exploratory search system for digital libraries

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. 970-996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Goodale ◽  
Paul David Clough ◽  
Samuel Fernando ◽  
Nigel Ford ◽  
Mark Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Cognitive Style ◽  
Digital Library ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Search System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
User Attitudes ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of cognitive style on navigating a large digital library of cultural heritage information; specifically, the paper focus on the wholist/analytic dimension as experienced in the field of educational informatics. The hypothesis is that wholist and analytic users have characteristically different approaches when they explore, search and interact with digital libraries, which may have implications for system design. Design/methodology/approach – A detailed interactive IR evaluation of a large cultural heritage digital library was undertaken, along with the Riding CSA test. Participants carried out a range of information tasks, and the authors analysed their task performance, interactions and attitudes. Findings – The hypothesis on the differences in performance and behaviour between wholist and analytic users is supported. However, the authors also find that user attitudes towards the system are opposite to expectations and that users give positive feedback for functionality that supports activities in which they are cognitively weaker. Research limitations/implications – There is scope for testing results in a larger scale study, and/or with different systems. In particular, the findings on user attitudes warrant further investigation. Practical implications – Findings on user attitudes suggest that systems which support areas of weakness in users’ cognitive abilities are valued, indicating an opportunity to offer diverse functionality to support different cognitive weaknesses. Originality/value – A model is proposed suggesting a converse relationship between behaviour and attitudes; to support individual users displaying search/navigation behaviour mapped onto the strengths of their cognitive style, but placing greater value on interface features that support aspects in which they are weaker.

International Cooperation in Developing a Digital Library Software and South Asia Network

2014 ◽  
pp. 239-255
Author(s):  
A. Neelameghan ◽  
K.S. Raghavan
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
Digital Library ◽  
User Interfaces ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
International Level ◽  
Indian Languages ◽  
Or Groups ◽  
Work Done

Inter-country cooperation in any sector almost invariably begins with information exchange among the nations or groups involved. Briefly Describes international collaboration and networking in developing user-interfaces for selected Indian languages for an open source software - the GSDL (Greenstone Digital Library) software - for creating digital libraries of multilingual multimedia information resources, more particularly for the South Asia region. The steps in the formation of the related GSDL South Asia Network, the tasks assigned to the institutions in the SAARC countries, and the plan of work are mentioned. The role and contributions of the participating institutions and the organizations at the international level and in different countries is also briefly described. Further developmental work needed and problems to be solved as identified from the work done on user-interfaces in Indian languages are highlighted.

Research on Disaster Recovery Model of Cloud-Based Digital Library

2013 ◽  
Vol 336-338 ◽  
pp. 2134-2137
Author(s):  
Kai Tang
Keyword(s):  
Digital Library ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Disaster Recovery ◽  
Memory Management ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Dynamic Scheduling ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Information Service ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Dynamic Memory

Cloud-based digital library has achieved an efficient storage of massive digital resource, reduced the cost of management and maintenance, improved the sharing of information resources between digital libraries, and provided a convenient and rapid service for the users. Cloud storage architecture has the features of high reliability, high performance, high expansibility, etc. In order to ensure the security of information resources and the continuity of information service in Cloud-based digital library, the paper constructs disaster recovery system model of cloud-based digital library to ensure data security and business continuity. The model has dynamic scheduling, standard access interface, dynamic memory management and other functions.

Understanding research students’ behavioural intention in the adoption of digital libraries

2016 ◽  
Vol 65 (4/5) ◽  
pp. 295-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asad Khan ◽  
Saima Qutab
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Digital Library ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Cognitive Responses ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Students ◽  
Cultural Validation

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influence the adoption of Higher Education Commission (HEC) National Digital Library among research students in different universities of Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach The study framework was based on technology acceptance model (TAM). A sample of Pakistani university students completed the questionnaire measuring the effects of extraneous stimuli through cognitive responses on adoption of the HEC digital library. To test the research hypotheses, multiple regression analysis was used. Findings The findings revealed that: cognitive responses predicted students’ intention of using HEC digital library; extraneous variables significantly influenced cognitive responses; system characteristics directly influenced usefulness and ease of use; interface characteristics directly influenced cognitive responses; and individual differences significantly affected the ease of use. Similarly, system quality was identified with the highest direct effect on usefulness, whereas navigation had the highest influence on easy use of the HEC digital library of Pakistan. In addition, usefulness was explored with the highest effect on intention to use the HEC digital library of Pakistan. The findings revealed that individual behaviours influence the use of digital libraries which imply that acceptance of an information system (IS) involve cognitive idiosyncrasies. Findings of the study are useful for Pakistani academic librarians to enhance adoption and usability of the HEC digital library of Pakistan. The study extended cross-cultural validation of TAM and explored how that Pakistani university students utilize HEC digital library. Research limitations/implications These findings have significant implications for librarians in developing countries, such as to evaluate usability of digital libraries from individuals’ perspective, create awareness, customize users’ interface and train students in navigational techniques. It may also facilitate librarians to improve their current levels of library assistance and emphasize the usefulness of digital libraries towards academic excellence. The findings equally suggest that individual behaviours influence the use of digital libraries because acceptance of an information system involves cognitive idiosyncrasies. This study explored all possible links between the study constructs and emphasized that findings are useful to enhance the adoption and usability of digital library in the developing countries. Originality/value This study is the first attempt that empirically assessed the adoption of digital libraries in terms of Pakistani research students. The study validated TAM in the context of Pakistani university librarianship that extended the cross-cultural validation of TAM. Furthermore, the study focused on real constructs instead of dummy variables and predicted significant effects on acceptance and rejection of digital libraries.

scholarly journals Cultural Heritage on line

2010 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Active Role ◽  
International Perspective ◽  
User Needs ◽  
Digital Information ◽  
Digital Resources ◽  
International Conference ◽  
User Communities ◽  
On Line

The 2nd International Conference "Cultural Heritage online – Empowering users: an active role for user communities" was held in Florence on 15-16 December 2009. It was organised by the Fondazione Rinascimento Digitale, the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities and the Library of Congress, through the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program - NDIIP partners. The conference topics were related to digital libraries, digital preservation and the changing paradigms, focussing on user needs and expectations, analysing how to involve users and the cultural heritage community in creating and sharing digital resources. The sessions investigated also new organisational issues and roles, and cultural and economic limits from an international perspective.

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