DSpace Collection:
https://hdl.handle.net/1889/620
2024-03-29T13:38:09ZA Study of Digital Curator Competences: A survey of experts
https://hdl.handle.net/1889/1785
Title: A Study of Digital Curator Competences: A survey of experts
Authors: Madrid, Melody M.
Abstract: The aim of this research was to define competences for digital curators, and to validate a Delphi process in the context of Library, Archives, Museum curriculum development. The objective for the study was to obtain consensus regarding competence statements for Library, Archives and Museum digital curators.
The Delphi method, a research technique, typically used to develop a consensus of opinion for topic areas in which there is little previously documented knowledge, was used in specifying the digital curator competences in LAM context. Three rounds of questionnaires with controlled feedback with space for comments and/or suggestions were sent to panel members. Five point Likert scale was employed in the questionnaire. Consensus was determined when a competence statement received a mode higher than 3, an average mean more than 3.5, and a standard deviation smaller than 1.0.
Response rates for rounds I, II and III were: 70% (n=16), 87.5% (n=14), and 94% (n=15) respectively. Of the 18 digital curator competences listed in the first round questionnaire, 13 (70%) achieved consensus as being necessary digital curator competences required of advanced level digital curator. Other inputs of respondents like comments and suggestions were also analyzed. An additional 23 digital curator competence statements were also suggested by the panel in round I and further developed in subsequent rounds. In round II, 12 (30%) competence statements achieved consensus. The final round and editing of
competence statements led to 20 statements that describe what a well-prepared digital curator trained to participate in digital curation work should be able to do.2011-12-30T00:00:00ZOpening Archives to General Public, a data modelling approach
https://hdl.handle.net/1889/1784
Title: Opening Archives to General Public, a data modelling approach
Authors: Gardasevic, Stanislava
Abstract: By placing their descriptions on-line, archives have gained greater public. This new public is mainly consisting of the novice users not familiar with the archival research process. Archival research is usually conducted through the Finding Aids, which serve users as a guide to the discovery of archival holdings. However, those Finding Aids were originally used by the archivists for the records management and for interpreting users’ requests by deriving answers from provenance and context driven descriptions. In the on-line environment, Finding Aids are usually accessible through and encoded in the Encoded Archival Description (EAD) standard. The EAD was developed with the purpose of encoding and capturing many different archival descriptive practices The problem has arisen with the notion that the Finding Aids in the on-line environment have the exact same form as in traditional environment, just without the archivist as an mediating factor. This causes many problems to the general user public that is not familiar with the archival research process.
This thesis tends to explore one possible approach for facilitating access on behalf of the general user public to the archival holdings in on-line environment. This approach is by transforming the data encoded in EAD standard to another, more general model. The goal model in question is the Europeana Data Model (EDM) developed for the purpose of Europeana v.1.0 project. The objective of this thesis is investigating weather EDM would bring the wanted changes to the accessibility of archival data. In order to achieve this, the general method for mapping EAD standard to EDM was developed. Furthermore the method developed was applied on the two fonds originating from the archive of Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, musical academy in Rome, for the purpose of validation of the developed method and analyzing the results of the mapping.
The results of this study have shown that transforming archival description in EDM would bring certain improvements to the non-expert users accessing on-line. The main improvements are regarding terminology, facilitated access to the different levels of the archival description, improved search functionalities and better visibility of archival holdings.2011-06-01T00:00:00ZThe evaluation of real-world digital libraries: a case at the Loughborough University Library
https://hdl.handle.net/1889/1677
Title: The evaluation of real-world digital libraries: a case at the Loughborough University Library
Authors: Consonni, Chiara
Abstract: Evaluation is a crucial step for the development and improvements of digital libraries. Unfortunately, nowadays only few studies are focused on this matter and even fewer concentrate on how evaluation is conducted in real-world digital libraries.
The study contributes to the research presenting the results of a qualitative case study conducted at the Loughborough University Library, based on data collected from eleven semi-structured interviews and document analysis. It reports how evaluation is conducted in a real-world digital library, which are the knowledge and competences of the staff in charge of performing it, which are the obstacles and barriers encountered by the staff and it examines what happens after the conclusion of the evaluation, in particular how results and recommendations are turned to profitable account. The research also aims to act as source of references for researchers who want to investigate this field further.
The collected data were analyzed trough constant comparative process and seven main categories matching the research objectives were identified and discussed: definition of evaluation by the interviewees, conceptual purpose of evaluation according to the interviewees, training on evaluation by the interviewees, problems, time constrains, resources, cooperation within the group, individual attitude, project planning, project development, how implement actions from recommendations, dissemination of results, sections taken to implement the recommendations, impact of evaluation projects. Recommendations for the Loughborough University Library and indications for further investigations are also discussed.
The research confirms that currently the knowledge about how real-world-digital libraries deals with evaluation are insufficient and it raises several new and controversial questions, which should force the scientific community to investigate deeper the reality of digital library.2011-01-01T00:00:00ZCollaboratory Digital Libraries for Humanities in the Italian context
https://hdl.handle.net/1889/1496
Title: Collaboratory Digital Libraries for Humanities in the Italian context
Authors: Zanni, Andrea
Abstract: The study investigates the approach to collaboration in Humanities, within
the Italian context, to test the possibility of collaborative digital library
for scholars. The research hypothesis is that collaboration can foster innovation and scientific development: therefore, within Humanities, digital
libraries can be the collaborative laboratory for research. Thus, understanding perception of scholars towards collaboration, especially online, and
comprehending if wiki systems could be the framework of collaboration were
the objectives of the study.
A qualitative approach has been adopted, using case study as research
method: five in-depth, semi-structured interviews to Digital Humanities
scholars provide data integrated with interviews with two key informants
(one of which is prof. Umberto Eco).
The results of the study show that Humanities, within Italian context,
do appreciate collaboration and the concept of a collaboratory digital library, though several issues need to be solved. In fact, Humanities are still
tied with individual work and collaboration is not easy to pursue, for cultural, technical and political reasons. Great effort needs to be done at many
different levels to eliminate obstacles and facilitate online collaboration for
scholars. The study provides a draft model for a collaborative digital library
arisen from gathered data.2010-06-24T00:00:00Z