The Electronic Library

Publisher:
Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Publication date:
2021-02-01
ISBN:
0264-0473

Latest documents

  • Forming a TED talks sphere for convenient search

    Purpose: TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design, www.ted.com/) Talks has been one of the most popular video systems. However, the current TED Talks system expressed its inquired videos as in a two-dimensional (2D) table, which is inconvenient for searching the relationships among videos and tags. This study converts the TED Talks table into a sphere by using optimization techniques to help users search for preferred videos. Design/methodology/approach: There are five phases in this study as follows. Phase 1: Reorganize data of 36 tags and 108 videos; Phase 2: Allocate tags on the TED sphere; Phase 3: Allocate videos on the TED sphere; Phase 4: Develop an online interactive TED retrieval system; and Phase 5: Perform survey and evaluation. Findings: One survey demonstrated that the TED Talks sphere is more convenient for searching videos, as it is more user-friendly because of its graphical user interface, more convenient to use, more useful for retrieving information and can facilitate a more responsive search for users’ preferred videos. Research limitations/implications: The numbers of tags and videos able to be displayed on a sphere is limited by the capacity of an optimization software and hardware. Practical implications: The proposed sphere system can be used by a large number of users of TED Talks groups. Social implications: This sphere systems can also be applied to other fields which use 2D forms to display the relationships among objects. Originality/value: This study uses an optimization method to convert a 2D form into a 3D sphere to highlight the relationships among numerous objects.

  • Quality assessment framework for open government data. Meta-synthesis of qualitative research, 2009-2019

    Purpose: To gain an in-depth understanding and provide direction to governments on their quality measurement practices related to open government data (OGD), this paper aims to develop a common frame of reference for quality assessment of OGD. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative meta-synthesis was used to synthesize previous studies on the quality measurement of OGD. This paper applies a meta-synthesis approach to integrate 10 qualitative studies into a common frame of reference for quality assessment of OGD. Findings: Based on a seven-step meta-synthesis, the paper proposes a common frame of reference for quality assessment of OGD, which includes six indicators, namely, accuracy, accessibility, completeness, timeliness, consistency and understandability. Originality/value: A common frame of reference for quality assessment of OGD will help researchers better understand the quality assessment of OGD and government agencies to improve the quality of OGD that they publish.

  • What is discussed about eldercare?. A netnography study on a Chinese online community for older adults

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate eldercare issues in China through exploring what was discussed about eldercare in a Chinese online community for older adults (OCOA). Design/methodology/approach: Netnography was used to explore eldercare-related online discussion in a Chinese OCOA – LaoYouBang. After a two-month-long online observation, 275 microblogs and 594 comments were collected and analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. Findings: The main findings include as follows: the users involved in an online discussion about eldercare were consist of four categories, namely, elderly user, non-elderly user, advertiser and community administrator. Non-elderly user include the elderly’s caregivers and families, young and middle-aged people concerning about eldercare? From 2012 to 2017, eldercare issues gradually became refined and differentiated in China and elderly users’ contribution proportion and activeness increased yearly? According to the results of thematic analysis, users’ information needs for eldercare included opinion, news, practice, emotion, knowledge and others? In China, some changes have taken place in the public’s conceptions of eldercare, embodied in the changes in the public’s attention, attitudes and cognition? Changes in user structure and communication patterns in OCOA have also been noted? OCOA plays an important role in eldercare information dissemination and social support exchange and helps to meet the eldercare challenges. Originality/value: This study explored an online community for older. This is the first netnography study in the information field on Chinese OCOA. This paper provides new perspectives to explore eldercare issues and OCOA in other regions and cultures and it also provides some suggestions to improve OCOA.

  • An elderly assistive device substitutes for traditional online library catalogs

    Purpose: This paper aims to present an augmented reality (AR) application to aid the elderly in library reference search. The application supports the elderly in searching books and videos in a large library when librarians have insufficient time to meet their needs. The elderly searching in a large library could be difficult for them due to the vast area, complicated online library catalogs and their physical deterioration, such as failing eyesight, tendinitis and memory problems. Our system, SearchAR, fully supports the 3D images of object content based on books and videos in Ling Tung University (LTU) library catalogs. Using the latest AR technology, users can use mobile phone to scan the quick response (QR) code in front of the LTU library, and then the elderly can experience LTU library map labeled by different colors in real-time and understand the locations of the video areas and book shelves areas. Later, they can use SearchAR to scan the QR codes on bookshelves, books or videos to view the 3D graphics without reading complicated catalogs and content. The results show that among the images, the elderly recognition of the “3 D images” was the highest, and the experimental group using AR technology as a searching aid shows a higher searching effectiveness than the control group; 60 per cent of the elderly felt they saved more time for searching books and videos with the help of SearchAR, and it was easy to arouse their association; the elderly indicated that combined image of the library map and the labels with different colors are clear and simple; the content of books and videos are easy associated with the 3D images; the elderly mentioned that using SearchAR is a great experience without any reading complicated online catalogs. Finally, this study concludes that AR technology does enhance the elderly searching ability in LTU large library. Design/methodology/approach: The SearchAR application was an integrating library catalog, which provides AR and 3D graphics. The elderly can also use SearchAR to see a library map and every library element via 3D graphics before they start searching in a wide area. Findings: This makes it easier for elderly to navigate a library without using complicated online catalogs, and it reduces time spent on reading and searching. Originality/value: AR has been used for a variety of guiding and educational purposes. However, AR has been rarely applied to supplement traditional library services for elderly.

  • What influences online reviews’ perceived information quality?. Perspectives on information richness, emotional polarity and product type

    Purpose: Online reviews presented in the format of multimedia information, such as pictures and videos, continue to emerge, but whether the richness of multimedia information can enforce the quality of online reviews has remained uncertain. The purpose of this paper is to examine the differences in the perceived information quality of online reviews, based on the information richness theory, emotional polarity and product type. Design/methodology/approach: This is a Web-based experiment in which 12 groups constructed at different levels of these three factors were designed for the purpose of obtaining data. Findings: The study results show that under different positive and negative emotional polarities, different information richness and product types have different effects on perceived information quality; for different product types, positive and negative emotional polarity have different effects on perceived information quality. For “search” products, the perceived information quality of online reviews with low information richness is high; under different information richness, different emotional polarity and product types have different effects on perceived information quality. Practical implications: This paper has important practical significance for the management of e-commerce platforms for online reviews. Originality/value: This paper on the perceived information quality of online reviews puts more focus on the formal features of online reviews and aims to discover the relationships between different directions for perceived information quality under the impact of interaction of formats, emotional polarity and product type. The study hopes to further strengthen the application of the information richness theory in the field of online reviews research and to measure perceived information quality from a variety of aspects.

  • Tourism demonstration system for large-scale museums based on 3D virtual simulation technology

    Purpose: The purpose of this study is to enhance audience experience in museum by using three-dimensional (3D) virtual simulation technology. Design/methodology/approach: In this study, a large space museum building tourism demonstration system based on 3D virtual simulation technology was proposed. Starting from the concept of virtual reality (VR), the characteristics of VR and the classification of VR systems were introduced, and the research status of VR technology at home and abroad and the application of 3D virtual simulation were discussed. Then the key technologies of 3D modeling, 3D scene optimization and 3D simulation driving of 3D virtual simulation were expounded, and the characteristics and application scope of different technical methods were analyzed. Finally, an example of the Hongzhou Kiln 3D network museum was listed. Findings: The research results showed that 3D virtual simulation has a wide range of applications in the field of VR. Different elements need to be considered for different types of applications, and different contents need to be integrated to achieve the corresponding interaction modes. Originality/value: Virtual image; multimedia; large space museum; tourism demonstration system; 3D virtual simulation technology.

  • Culture in the design of mHealth UI. An effort to increase acceptance among culturally specific groups

    Purpose: Designers of mobile applications have long understood the importance of users’ preferences in making the user experience easier, convenient and therefore valuable. The cultural aspects of groups of users are among the key features of users’ design preferences, because each group’s preferences depend on various features that are culturally compatible. The process of integrating culture into the design of a system has always been an important ingredient for effective and interactive human computer interface. This study aims to investigate the design of a mobile health (mHealth) application user interface (UI) based on Arabic culture. It was argued that integrating certain cultural values of specific groups of users into the design of UI would increase their acceptance of the technology. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 135 users responded to an online survey about their acceptance of a culturally designed mHealth. Findings: The findings showed that culturally based language, colours, layout and images had a significant relationship with users’ behavioural intention to use the culturally based mHealth UI. Research limitations/implications: First, the sample and the data collected of this study were restricted to Arab users and Arab culture; therefore, the results cannot be generalized to other cultures and users. Second, the adapted unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model was used in this study instead of the new version, which may expose new perceptions. Third, the cultural aspects of UI design in this study were limited to the images, colours, language and layout. Practical implications: It encourages UI designers to implement the relevant cultural aspects while developing mobile applications. Originality/value: Embedding Arab cultural aspects in designing UI for mobile applications to satisfy Arab users and enhance their acceptance toward using mobile applications, which will reflect positively on their lives.

  • Enriching the library subject headings with folksonomy

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential of enriching the library subject headings with folksonomy for enhancing the visibility and usability of the library subject headings. Design/methodology/approach: The WorldCat-million data set and SocialBM0311 are preprocessing and over 210,000 library catalog records and 124,482 non-repeating tags were adopted to construct the matrix to observe the semantic relation between library subject headings and folksonomy. The proposed system is compared with the state-of-the-art methods and the parameters are fixed to obtain effective performance. Findings: The results demonstrate that by integrating different semantic relations from library subject headings and folksonomy, the system’s performance can be improved compared to the benchmark methods. The evaluation results also show that the folksonomy can enrich library subject headings through the semantic relationship. Originality/value: The proposed method simultaneous weighted matrix factorization can integrate the semantic relation from the library subject headings and folksonomy into one semantic space. The observation of the semantic relation between library subject headings and social tags from folksonomy can help enriching the library subject headings and improving the visibility of the library subject headings.

  • Impact of personal and organizational factors on knowledge sharing attitude of university teachers in Pakistan

    Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the attitude of faculty members towards knowledge-sharing in the University of Education, Lahore. The impact of personal and organizational factors that may contribute to effective knowledge-sharing among the university’s teaching staff is also analyzed. The factors affecting the willingness of the faculty members to share knowledge are broadly classified as “organizational” and “personal” factors. Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire-based survey was conducted on permanent teaching staff working at different campuses of the University of Education all over the province of Punjab, Pakistan. The survey instrument for this study was adapted from four studies. The questionnaires were distributed among 246 faculty members personally. Findings: The findings of the study showed that the faculty members were familiar with the importance of knowledge-sharing and were also interested in sharing their knowledge and expertise with others. The results showed that organizational factors (trust, reward system and organizational culture) played a vital role in enhancing the knowledge-sharing attitude of faculty members. The impact of these factors on knowledge-sharing attitude was significant. Originality/value: This is the very first study which explored the personal and organizational factors of knowledge-sharing in a specific academic institution from Pakistan. The findings of the research provided useful insights to the management of the University of Education particularly and other universities in general to design strategies for enhancing knowledge-sharing culture in the higher education institution. These findings may also be helpful for other developing countries.

  • Audience leisure involvement, satisfaction and behavior intention at the Macau Science Center

    Purpose: This study aims to analyze the basic information of visitors of the Macau Science Center to assess their leisure involvement, satisfaction and behavioral intention, along with the interaction of these factors. Suggestions are made for museum policy modifications to improve visitor experience quality. Design/methodology/approach: The analysis methods used in this study included reliability, descriptive statistics, independent-samples t test, ANOVA, correlation analysis and regression analysis. Findings: The results showed that there was no significant relationship between gender and satisfaction, involvement of leisure or behavioral intention; age and educational level had significant impacts on satisfaction, leisure involvement and behavioral intention; significant differences were found in terms of visitors’ point of geographic origin, namely, local residents, mainland residents and Hong Kong residents; occupation was found to have no significant impact on satisfaction, leisure involvement or behavioral intention; monthly income was found to have no significant impact on leisure involvement and behavioral intention, but did have a significant impact on satisfaction; number of visits had no significant impact; there was no significant difference in leisure involvement and behavioral intention among different types of visitors, but there was a significant difference in terms of satisfaction; and significant correlations were found between leisure involvement and behavioral intentions. Originality/value: The value of this study is to identify problems and offer potential solutions for the improvement of the Macau Science Center by studying the leisure involvement, satisfaction and behavioral intention of museum visitors. The proposed measures can improve the visibility and quality of the science museum, attract additional visitors and improve Macau’s branding through promoting science education and tourism.

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