Collection and Curation

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

ISBN:: 2514-9326

Issue Number

Latest documents

Online presence of public archival institutions of South Africa
Purpose: In the wake of the fourth industrial revolution, where most information is accessible online, archives should be visible online for them to fulfil their legislated mandate and facilitate access to information resources. The Covid-19 pandemic has further underscored the importance of online platforms in making archives accessible without the public having to visit archival institutions physically. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which public archival institutions of South Africa are visible online with the view to deepen their understanding of how archives promote themselves online. Design/methodology/approach: The study employed content analysis to establish the online content of public archival institutions in South Africa. A google search was conducted using the names of the archival institutions as search terms. The top results obtained after the search were recorded for further analysis. Findings: The findings suggest that public archival institutions in South Africa have limited online presence. Only the National Archives of South Africa had an active website with collections that are accessible online. Some provincial archives had websites hosted by their parent bodies while others had no websites at all. Only the Limpopo and Eastern Cape provincial archives had their Facebook pages in the top results. There were no signs of other social media sites in the top results. Originality/value: The study concludes that public archival institutions are not visible online. All provincial archives need to have websites where they can be accessed. The use of social media platforms needs to be prioritised. In this fourth industrial revolution age, people communicate and interact online. Public archival institutions should therefore make it their primary mandate to take the archives to where the people are currently meeting.
Developing a collection around transgender life-writing at Senate House Library, University of London
Purpose: The purpose of this case study is to document the process of building a collection of works around transgender life-writing, following the identification of a significant gap in the existing collections. Design/methodology/approach: This case study describes and evaluates a collection development project undertaken at Senate House Library, University of London. After evaluating four comparable case studies, guidelines were developed for acquisitions to the collection, based on subject, conservation needs and financial expense. Findings: Twenty items were selected for the collection, dating from 1933 to 2015, including books and magazines in multiple languages. The items acquired for the collection push back against the genre’s traditional preoccupation with transition. Writers describe their experiences as a racing driver and fighter pilot (Roberta Cowell), an NGO director (A. Revathi), a Buddhist monk (Michael Dillon), a professional tennis player and ophthalmologist (Renée Richards), and a travel writer, journalist and mountaineer (Jan Morris). Research limitations/implications: Challenges included setting the scope of the collection, and questions around the cataloguing and arrangement of materials. Practical implications: Items acquired for the collection entered the library separately and were processed individually by the library’s cataloguing team as they arrived. Several issues arose during this stage of the project. Social implications: To serve the needs of library users effectively, it is necessary to analyse the imbalances in collections as a routine practice. Originality/value: The case study is original in focusing on a comparably small project with larger implications for the user experience and inclusivity of a library and its collections.
User perception on the utilisation of artificial intelligence for the management of records at the council for scientific and industrial research
Purpose: This study aims to investigate the users’ perception on the utilisation of artificial intelligence (AI) for the management of records at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in South Africa. User perception plays a crucial role in the utilisation of AI for the management of records at the CSIR. It is important to know the views of the users, especially how they think AI can be used for effective and efficient management of records. Design/methodology/approach: The convergent mixed methods research was applied, and data was collected using interviews and questionnaires. Data was analysed thematically and statistically and presented using tables and figures. Findings: This study reveals that the users were not aware of the application of AI for the management of records until the workshops, which were facilitated by the researcher. The users are of the view that AI can be used to provide efficient storage of records, quick retrieval of records and adequate security. This study further reveals that the CSIR is not yet ready to use AI for the management of records because of the lack of knowledge and resources to implement AI. Originality/value: This study also proposes a framework regarding the users’ perception on the utilisation of AI for the management of records at the CSIR. It is hoped that the framework proposed will serve as a benchmark and guideline for user perception regarding the use of AI for the management of records in the archives and records management industry.
Digitization for the visibility of collections
Purpose: This study aims to provide an overview of the usage of stored collections in museums located worldwide. To achieve this purpose, some results gathered across five continents through a survey conducted between December 2020 and January 2021 are set out. Design/methodology/approach: Museums hold collections so that people can benefit from them. Items need to be preserved as well. To achieve this purpose, a considerable portion of museum collections is kept in storage. Consequently, museums that can show a significant part of their whole collections are few and far between. This scenario implies collections, the “very heart” of museums, are not accessible to the general public. In addition, the lack of space and the poor documentation exacerbate the scenario in terms of accessibility. This study aims to provide an overview of the usage of stored collections in museums located worldwide. In order to achieve this purpose, some results gathered across five continents through a survey conducted between December 2020 and January 2021 are set out. The research figures show that only 5% of museum stored collections are accessible to the general public. To enhance the accessibility of stored collections, museums have been adopting some strategies. Amongst them, some museums have opened up visible storage, lent or exchanged their items. Despite their contribution to overcoming the burning issue related to the accessibility of stored collections, these strategies imply a physical presence of visitors so as to enjoy collections. Digitization of collections is one alternative strategy adopted by a plethora of museums to increase the accessibility of collections. This solution boasts many advantages inasmuch as it overcomes many of the typical disadvantages of the other strategies, such as geographical constraints. Moreover, people can enjoy collections, and museums can ensure the adequate preservation of them. Thus, the digitization of items is the epitome of accessibility since, potentially, all collections can be made accessible, and museums can take care of them simultaneously. The study highlights the benefits of digital access and compares it with physical access. In addition, the research sheds light on how documentation supports collection management and increases accessibility. Findings: The research figures show that only 5% of museum stored collections are accessible to the general public. To enhance the accessibility of stored collections, museums have been adopting some strategies. Amongst them, some museums have opened up visible storage, lent or exchanged their items. Despite their contribution to overcoming the burning issue related to the accessibility of stored collections, these strategies imply a physical presence of visitors so to enjoy collections. Research limitations/implications: The findings of this study are based on quantitative analysis. Therefore, this study might be integrated with interviews' with visitors. It would be interesting to shed light on people's opinions concerning what museums are doing in the digital realm, such as the digital content in terms of the number of items, quality of images and ease of searching. Practical implications: This study might provide practical implications for museums and people. One important contribution is the awareness of how the appropriateness of collections management plays a crucial role in preserving collections and making them accessible to the public. Another possible implication is that museums can enlarge their visibility through digital content, both because they have not digitized and due to the dimension of their digital content. This goal might be achieved by sharing the staff with specific expertise with other institutions or recruiting volunteers and involving local communities in common tasks (so that professionals could dedicate themselves to more skilled undertakings). An alternative might be to network with local universities so as to benefit from practitioners in the digital field. Last but not least, these findings could raise the awareness that museums are facing the problem of making stored collections accessible, thereby increasing the trust in museums from the general public. Social implications: Digitization of collections is one alternative strategy adopted by a plethora of museums so to increase the accessibility of collections. This solution boasts many advantages inasmuch as it overcomes many of the typical disadvantages of the other strategies, such as geographical constraints. Moreover, people can enjoy collections and museums can ensure the adequate preservation of them. Thus, the digitization of items is the epitome of accessibility since, potentially, all collections can be made accessible, and museums can take care of them simultaneously. Originality/value: The study highlights the benefits of digital access and compares it with physical access. In addition, the research sheds light on how documentation supports collection management and increases accessibility.
The cross-country evaluation of nuclear science and technology publications
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to measure the quality of nuclear science and technology research using the scientometric indicators, like activity index, attractivity index and publication efficiency index. Design/methodology/approach: The present scientometric study is based on the bibliographic data extracted from the core collection of the Web of Science database from 1989 to 2019. The data was collected using the advanced search feature, with a search string of 28 related terms. The bibliographic data for all the journal articles, excluding all other formats, was downloaded for statistical analysis. Findings: The present study highlights the growth pattern and the research efforts devoted to the field of nuclear science and technology worldwide, as reflected through the Core Collection of the Web of Science database, for 31 years from 1989 to 2019. The USA has emerged as the topmost producer, with a total share of almost 29% with respect to the world literature followed by Japan, Germany, France and UK. However, the relative citation impact has been the highest for Netherlands followed by the USA, Germany, France and UK, respectively. The study depicted that the activity index, also called as the relative performance indicator, has been the highest for the USA, whereas the attractivity index has been the highest for China, indicating its dominance in attracting citations to its publications in the field of nuclear science and technology. The publication efficiency index, the value has been the maximum for Iran, for which the value has been greater than 1 (1.618). The measure suggests that Iran’s research effectiveness in the field of nuclear science and technology has been more than the research effort devoted to the field. Research limitations/implications: The paper was based on the data retrieved from a single database, and the results may vary across other databases. Hence, caution should be taken while generalizing the findings. Originality/value: Several scientometric studies have taken place in the field of nuclear science and technology, particularly in its allied branches, but none of the studies has focused on evaluating the research efforts carried out by the countries in terms of activity index, attractivity index and publication efficiency index, and the present study is an attempt to fill the gap.
The role of information architecture in the automation of records in Botswana in an e-government setting
Purpose: Government entities often implement automated records management systems, often without a clear governing framework to facilitate such automation. This study aims to explore the role played by information architecture (IA) in records automation in Botswana and propose a guiding framework in the context of e-government. Design/methodology/approach: This qualitative study uses a focused literature review to study the importance of IA in records automation in e-government. Findings: Without proper IA, information organization including retrieval/access to records becomes difficult. Practically, this would practically and negatively affect process automation in e-government solutions. Research limitations/implications: The proposed framework can guide e-government record automation in Botswana. However, its limitation lies in the fact that it has not been tested, thereby limiting its practicality until tested empirically. Practical implications: The proposed framework can be used to inform record automation management processes in the realm of Botswana’s e-government project. Originality/value: The proposed framework contributes to the body of knowledge on the automation of records and e-government in Botswana specifically and Africa in general.
Do open access journals have a greater citation impact? A study of journals in library and information science
Purpose: This study aims to investigate the research and citation impact of open access (OA) journals versus non-OA journals being published in the spectrum of library and information science (LIS) across the world and to further ascertain whether OA journals have greater citation counts than subscription-based journals in LIS discipline. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 116 LIS journals (58 OA and 58 non-OA) were chosen from Scimago website. After selecting the journals, Publish or Perish software program was used to retrieve the publications and their corresponding academic citations by using International Standard Serial Number of journals from Google Scholar for the period of 2011–2018. The non-parametric Mann–Whitney U-test was applied on various research and citation indicators, namely, citation count, citations per author, citations per paper; g-index, h-index, hI norm and hI annual through SPSS. Findings: Findings of the study demonstrate that non-OA journals in LIS have a significant citation advantage over OA journals. Moreover, Mann–Whitney U-test analysis rejected all the eight null hypotheses and reveals that non-OA journals in LIS discipline have greater citation counts, citations per author, citations per paper; g-index, h-index, hI norm and hI annual than OA journals. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that embarks upon a whole-scale investigation of citation impact of OA and non-OA journals in LIS, which has implications for both research and practice. This study would serve as a reference guide to all involved in scholarly communication activities including academic communities, librarians, research funders, publishers and policymakers for publishing research work, grant funding, designing policies and subscriptions.
Evaluating the global research productivity on domestic violence: a bibliometric visualisation analysis
Purpose: The purpose of the study is to explore the bibliometric features of scientific publications in the area of domestic violence (an important global social problem) for the period 2011–2020; thus, enabling the scientific community to understand the research progress on the topic. Design/methodology/approach: The data of the scientific publications were retrieved from the Scopus database. The keyword “Domestic Violence” was applied as a topic term to search articles published during the study period. The statistical analysis was conducted by using the RStudio and VOSviewer tools along with MS Excel. Findings: A total of 11,899 scientific works were published during the study period. The annual percentage growth of publication in the area of domestic violence in the study period is 74.97%. The majority of the papers (74.72%) were published as journal articles. USA and UK have the highest numbers of scientific publications and citations. Together they account for more than half of the publications (58.38%) and citations (67 per pub). However, the highest average citation per publication has been recorded by Switzerland (34 per pub). Feder G. (UK) is the most cited author, and the Journal of Interpersonal Violence (Sage publications) has the highest number of publications, citations and source title impact ratio in the domain of domestic violence. Practical implications: One can find numerous bibliometric studies in the domain of natural science, but not many studies have been conducted in the field of social sciences. In this light, the scientific community can gain from the bibliometric information regarding the scientific publications in the area of domestic violence, which is one of the dominant areas of study in social sciences. Originality/value: The study will provide significant information on the trends of academic publications in the study area. It is one of the most comprehensive studies on domestic violence, which will aid the potential researchers in identifying the most prominent contributions, county-wise research distribution, author and journal productivity and other related indicators. The findings of the study will be also helpful to library authorities in reviewing and updating collection development policy.
Database design of the Malaysia public figures web archive repository: a social and cultural heritage web collections
Purpose: The growth of web emerging technology and data visual demand from the World Wide Web (WWW) makes the need for information repositories become vital. Proper database development will assure the repository managing web content effectively aligns with web archive metadata standards. This paper aims to present the database design process for web archive content repository specifically to maintain social and cultural heritage values upon Malaysians as Mfigures. Design/methodology/approach: The empirical process start with literature review and validation from expert on the elements and scopes of research. Then, structured database design guideline which part of database life cycle (DBLC) was applied and combined with the step of comparative and mapping the conceptual model with metadata standard that is relevant with web archive content. The paper focuses on the first three stages: Database Initial Study, web archiving and Metadata standard mapping; and conceptual design to focus on data modelling. Another two stages of database design are logical design and physical design will be exposed later. Findings: The empirical process has produced initial conceptual data model, database structure that can be a basis of web archiving repository. The data model had also been verified with metadata data standards to assure the database structure implementation cater the need of web archiving repository features especially web information discovery. Research limitations/implications: Nevertheless, database design is the most effective way to develop good information architecture on the Net, but the absence of some important fields on related tables have been identified such as subject, language, coverage, right, publisher and contributor. The MFigures’ database schema will continuously improve for better scope and coverage of web archive content suite with future information demands on the WWW. Practical implications: The conceptual data model act as a communication tool by the technical team in web application development. It can be revisited to suite with other different database management system or to suite with other similar scope of information repository requirements. Social implications: Mfigures was uniquely designed for collecting Malaysian social and cultural heritage, which are rarely design before, and it can be beneficial as Malaysia society future references for excellent motivations roles and successful stories. Originality/value: The Mfigure conceptual data model was empirically design and gone through a proper validation process by the industrial and academic experts.
Remote reading: a shelf list analysis of an academic library’s juvenile collection
Purpose: This study aims to detail an analysis project of a juvenile collection within an academic library. The analysis became a starting point for the development of a coherent collection policy, and for charting a path toward a better maintained, more used, more diverse, inclusive and representative collection. Design/methodology/approach: The analysis was done by using a catalog-generated shelf list, which revealed specific details about the aged state of the collection and brought to light the lack of attention the collection has been getting in recent years. Findings: The analysis of a collection of children’s books in an academic library revealed a collection long out of date and unable to serve the needs of our user population. Research limitations/implications: This analysis is specific to academic institutions that have collections of children’s material. Originality/value: The literature on juvenile collections in academic libraries is relatively sparse. This research details a social justice approach to building and maintaining juvenile collections in academic libraries.