Collection and Curation

Publisher:: Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Publication date:: 2021-02-01

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Latest documents

Building virtual collection and Spanish colonial imprints of the Philippines
Purpose: The access to the rare originals of the early Spanish colonial imprints of the Philippines remains problematic. The reference librarians often are restricted to directing the students and scholars to the secondary resources that are available both in print and as a part of the digital assets within the North American academic libraries. This paper aims to focus on the select primary source editions including select Spanish language colonial imprints that are available electronically on the Web along the Open Access. These Web-based resources serve as the reference tools for the early history of the Philippines and Southeast Asia. As many of these publications are rare and extremely expensive for most libraries, the Open Access resources serve as an aid to building a virtual collection of these items. Design/methodology/approach: The author had to create a data set of the early imprints of the Spanish Philippines using several bibliographic resources. The data set will be submitted as an Appendix for this research paper. The author did both qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data set along with the voyant-based digital humanities approach for topic modeling. Findings: The goals of this paper were to not only survey the early Spanish printing of the Philippines but also provide the reader with a somewhat complete picture of how the printing began in the Spanish Philippines, what kind of the first books were printed and how one can access them given their rarity and fragility. The collection building paradigms are undergoing significant shifts, and the focus of many academic libraries is shifting toward providing access to these items. As these items high-value low-use items continue to be part of the Special Collections, the access to these is problematic. The virtual collections thus serve as a viable alternative that enables further research and access. While the creators of these works are long gone, the legacy of the Spanish colonial domination, printing and the religious orders in the Philippines remain alive through these works. Research limitations/implications: As this is an introductory paper, the author focused on the critical editions rather than providing a comprehensive bibliographic landscape of the presses that produced these editions. He also did not take into consideration many pamphlets that were published in the same period. He also did not consider the Chinese language publications of the Islands. The Chinese had been block printing since medieval times (Little, 1996). In the context of the Spanish Philippines, the Chinese migration and trade have been studied in detail by Chia (2006), Bjork (1998) and Gebhardt (2017). The scope of this paper also was centered toward building a virtual collection of these rare books. Practical implications: Rare books are often expensive and out-of-reach for many libraries; the virtual collection of the same along the Open Access model represents an alternative to collect and curate these collections. The stewardship of these collections also acquires a new meaning in the digital milieu. Social implications: This research paper will allow scholars to see past the analog editions and help them focus on curating a virtual collection. The questions of electronic access are often ignored when it comes to visiting and using them in a controlled environment of the reading room in the Special Collections. The author argues that one way to enable access to these rare and expensive books is to provide access to their digital counterparts. These digital/virtual surrogates of the originals will facilitate further research. Originality/value: The author could not find similar research on the publications of the early Spanish colony of the Philippines.
Collection management of electronic resources in engineering college libraries of Aligarh, India: a study
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the e-resource collection development practices of the engineering college libraries of Aligarh. The research includes budgeting, collection development policy, collection evaluation, sources of funds, modes of procurement, pricing models and other aspects related to collection development activity. Design/methodology/approach: The descriptive method was used for conducting the study, in which a well-structured questionnaire was administered followed by interview of the librarians of six engineering college libraries under study. Findings: It was found that these colleges are much more interested in focusing on building a strong e-resource collection in their libraries. During the past few years, the budget has also been increased in majority of libraries for the acquisition of e-resources. The study found that the major factors affecting the selection of electronic resources (e-resources) in these colleges are quality, subject coverage, license agreement and vendor support. It was also revealed that majority of libraries lack proper collection development policy, especially for e-resources. The study suggested that these libraries should build their collections keeping in mind the different areas of specializations of engineering studies and the contemporary changes in the field. Research limitations/implications: The paper is restricted exclusively to the study of collection development process of e-resources and the librarians of six major engineering colleges of Aligarh as respondents. Practical implications: This study has great importance for the librarians of the similar engineering colleges in India. The findings and suggestions of the study can help not only in understanding the engineering college librarianship and its current trends but can also help library professionals who are facing similar challenges in their libraries. Originality/value: The present study is about the e-resource collection development practices followed in engineering colleges of Aligarh, which can serve as a pedestal for future studies in other academic and special libraries in India and elsewhere.
Use of electronic resources by law academics: a case study from the University of Namibia
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of e-resources by the Faculty of Law’s academic staff at the University of Namibia’s (UNAM’s) main campus. The study aimed to determine their level of awareness of electronic resources (e-resources) available to them, how useful and effective they found these e-resources, and the challenges they face in accessing them. Design/methodology/approach: A convenient sampling technique was used to select a sample of 12 law academics from the population of 17. The study used both qualitative and quantitative research methods using questionnaires and a semi-structured interview guide. Findings: Findings revealed that the majority of the law academics were aware of the e-resources subscribed by UNAM’s library, although some were not aware of the newly subscribed international law databases. The findings further revealed that the academics used e-resources for research, publications and teaching purposes, but irregular training, bandwidth problems and limited searching skills hindered their use of e-resources. Practical implications: Findings could be used to inform future collection-development decisions, realignment of information-literacy training and promotion and marketing of library services. Originality/value: This study has made a significant contribution in the understanding the use of electronic legal resources by law academics at UNAM. The findings and recommendations could also benefit similar academic institutions in developing countries like Namibia.
Competing eBook acquisition models: which model best serves a community college library?
Purpose: Academic libraries continue to invest in eBooks to ensure access to content in various formats. This paper aims to examine eBook acquisition models, including patron-driven acquisitions, one-time purchases, focused collection subscriptions or large-scale subscriptions, to better understand how users engage with this content based on usage data. Design/methodology/approach: Usage data provide insights into eBook acquisition and how access models influence use. This study defines the acquisition model for each eBook purchase. Data were examined to determine usage by acquisition model and cost-per-use. Findings: This paper finds that for a large suburban community college, a large-scale subscription model has the lowest cost-per-use and serves the largest portion of students. Focused collection subscriptions supported small, specialized programs in the Allied Health, Emergency Services, and Nursing fields. Originality/value: This paper examines how eBooks are acquired to determine which model best serves an academic library community, specifically a community college library, which is currently underrepresented in the literature.
Digitizing the intellectual output of Ghanaian universities
Purpose: With the emergence of ranking of universities by organizations, one major factor considered in the rankings is the intellectual output of the universities. For universities to remain part of the global academic competitive society, intellectual output of universities can no longer be stored on shelves in libraries. Academic libraries have engaged in digitization of the intellectual works of their institutions which is a core mandate of any academic library. The purpose of this study is to ascertain the state of digitization initiatives among university libraries in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach was adopted. Nine top universities in Ghana were selected to participate in this study. Interviews were conducted with heads of libraries. Findings: The findings of the study revealed that seven out of the nine libraries studied have embarked on some sort of digitization initiative, and all libraries studied are using the same digital asset management system (Dspace). Major challenges reported by the participants that are common to all the libraries studied are lack of adequate and modern equipment, lack of trained personnel and lack of cooperation from faculty members. Originality/value: This study brought fore the initiatives undertaken by academic libraries in Ghana to establish and maintain institutional repositories (IRs) amidst a number of challenges. It is a major contribution to the literature from West Africa as not much literature on IR is found from this part of the world.
Considerations for collecting Japanese anime for academic libraries
Purpose: Too often, academic library selectors of DVDs purchase Japanese animation (anime) for their popularity without any further concern of their important contributions to the combined wealth of researches of an academic library. The purpose of this paper is to offer considerations for an academic selector to ponder before adding this particular type of animation. These considerations do not necessary pertain to the collection development considerations for selectors at public libraries. Design/methodology/approach: This paper will discuss the major problems of actively adding anime to an academic library, the present areas of concern, and will offer warnings and suggestions based on a conceptual framework of anime having true academic value. Findings: Anime cannot be chosen independently as if it has any apparently intrinsic value sui generis. Anime must be added concomitantly according to the collection development policies with other resources, especially DVDs, to create a full, rich and useful collection to scholars. Originality/value: Academic studies concerning anime and collection development for academic libraries are usually comprised of only long lists of suggested anime, with no further discussions about its implications to the general worth of an academic library. This paper offers no such lists. Instead, it offers considerations selectors must take into account before investing time and money adding anime to an academic library collection.
Collection building in academic libraries in India: status, challenges and way forward
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to highlight the status and application of automated acquisition in central university libraries in north India. North India is a loosely defined region consisting of northern parts of India. Significantly, all the libraries are having very rich collections of different types of documents. Design/methodology/approach: Data for the present study have been collected using questionnaire. Interview and observation techniques have also been used to bring more objectivity in the present study. MS-Excel has been used for analysis of the data. Results show that varying levels of progress has been made with respect to implementation of acquisition system in the surveyed libraries. Findings: Expectations of user community have been increased manifold in the wired world. Furthermore, suggest that the staff morale is boost up in the automated environment. Research limitations/implications: The study covers select academic libraries of north India. Application of various features of acquisition module is examined in this paper along with the staff perspective about automation. Automation process in these university libraries has been started with the selection of different library management software package in different universities. Notably, all the prominent central universities are located in north India. Practical implications: The evaluation shed light on the current automation scenario in prominent academic libraries of India. Social implications: All the surveyed libraries must explore the fullest potentials of all the features available in the software to provide better services. This will help in heading toward and information rich society. Originality/value: There have been a couple of studies in the past on library automation in academic libraries, but none have intended to cover collection building or acquisition activities in central university libraries of north India.
Indigenous knowledge representation in mitigation process: a study of communities’ understandings of natural disasters in Aceh Province, Indonesia
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the case studies of communities’ understandings of natural disasters in Aceh Province, Indonesia, where a number of cultures and traditions which belong to the ancestral heritage continue to be used in a more modern context. Design/methodology/approach: This research used a qualitative descriptive research paradigm in which the researcher attempted to describe or construct in-depth interview results for the research objects. The interviews were conducted in six disaster-prone areas in Aceh, i.e. Simeulue, Central Aceh, Aceh Tamiang, Pidie Jaya, North Aceh and dan Pidie. The interviewees were the informants in this research, which included traditional leaders, religious leaders, community leaders, headmen, youth figures and disaster victims. The technique for determining informants was through purposive sampling in which the sample is specified based on the need of the research. Findings: Majority of the people in Aceh, especially those who live in earthquake- and tsunami-prone areas still practice this form of knowledge, as they have already realized that it makes a significant contribution to emergency management. They typically used their traditional knowledge to understand both the nature of local hazards and the risk reduction mechanism related to response mechanisms. In some events, they also used it as an alternative to recovery phase according to past information and experiences. This paper will discuss the contribution of traditional knowledge to emergency management by presenting some specific cases of indigenous stories in Aceh. The stories not only served as an early warning system but also can be used to develop more effective disaster risk reduction programmes to improve community awareness to deal with future threats. Originality/value: On Simeulue Island, most of the indigenous people already possess the knowledge and value systems inherited through the generations, as a form of local wisdom “called smong” when encountering earthquakes and tsunamis. Beside smong, there is still considerable amount of other similar indigenous knowledge that originated amid traditional people, especially in rural areas, in Aceh. Thus, this paper attempts to identify the knowledge and its representation in the implementation of disaster mitigation efforts in Aceh.
Mapping the use of open access resources by doctoral students in the USA by employing citation analysis
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to measure the fully open access (OA) contents cited by researchers from top three universities in the USA (MIT, CIT and Stanford) in the field of physics. This study aims to identify the core fully OA journals widely used by researchers in the field of physics and evaluate the cited fully OA resources by applying various scientometric parameters to check the credibility of these OA resources. Design/methodology/approach: The PhD theses awarded during 2014 in the field of physics and hosted in the institutional repositories of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), California Institute of Technology (CIT) and Stanford University, respectively, were selected and scanned to extract references of sources cited. Later on, Google Scholar was used to identify source journals of the extracted references. Only source “journals” were selected and analyzed; rest of other sources were ignored; accordingly, toll-access and OA journals were segregated, as such the OA-cited journals could be identified. The scientometric performance indicators were used to check the quality of identified core fully OA journal cited by USA researchers in the field of physics. Findings: The results of this study show that fully OA resources are sufficiently used by the researchers of top three academic institutions of the world/USA. The study was also successful in identifying the core fully OA journals; besides it also reveals that these fully OA journals are highly impressive as showed by performance indicators applied. The major finding of the research includes the identification of top ten fully OA journals along with their impact based on different scientometric parameters like number of times cited, impact factor, h-index, immediacy index, impact per publication and Scimago Journal Rank (SJR). Research limitations/implications: Because of a limited corpus of literature scrutinized in this study, the findings of the study may or may not represent the global picture in the field of physics. Practical implications: The paper confirms that fully OA resources usage trend is positively increasing day by day, and there are vast numbers of core OA journals with high-quality impact available for use to researchers around the world. Besides, the paper also affirms the view that there should be more publicity of fully OA literature around the globe to reap the benefits of the same. Social implications: This paper will assist researchers, libraries, information centers and research and development institutions to take a cost-efficient approach in using and disseminating the scholarly literature. Originality/value: This paper is one of the first pieces of research conducted on electronic theses and dissertation (ETD’s) in top three universities of the USA, to check usage percentage and quality of fully OA journal resources cited by doctoral students in the field of physics.
Museums and digital era: preserving art through databases
Purpose: Digital language has meant a revolution in the methods of production, distribution and conservation of contemporary art. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the new status of museums within the digital age. Works using new media must be understood as spaces of non-hierarchical communication where an artist’s role is diluted and the public becomes a user that completes an open process. Therefore, the function of the museum is challenged, being no longer a moral authority or a place of storing physical works. Because of its instability and obsolescence, the only valid method for the conservation of digital art is permanence through change. Design/methodology/approach: This research contrasts the theoretical material emerged in the past years related to the characteristic of new media to the practical work of conservation of digital pieces made by the new generation of museums and cultural centres. In addition, the fresh material offered by the Web itself allows analyzing the virtual activity of the museums themselves and the new platforms (online labs, databases, websites and blogs) arisen in the past decades. The latter are perfect examples of the new paths opened by the digital contemporary technology offering collective sites of communication in real time. Findings: The preservation of digital and intangible heritage is understood as a form of development of a collective memory that can help in the understanding of our age in the future. In this way, the goals and the responsibilities are common; citizens are required to keep an active culture that is no more a culture of the accumulation and concentration by a minority. In present context, there is a new possibility, maybe for the first time in history, of achieving a new narrative really democratized and decentralized through the new ways of interacting and sharing information offers by digital media. Social implications: The urgency of getting an open and free access to information and technology is part of the idiosyncratic of digital art. There is a real aim of generating alternative spaces of knowledge serving public interest, being apart from the economic and political interests of large corporations. In this respect, the role of the museum will be controversial. First of all, as an institution originally created to impose power and moral authority by the governments. Originality/value: Museums remains as the main artistic institution nowadays. However, they are in a difficult position as a traditional space for preserving and exhibiting art. That is why, they are adapting themselves to the new digital context helped by offering practical databases and updated information on their collections via websites and social networks.