Anthony Cocciolo

Does place affect user engagement and understanding?: Mobile learner perceptions on the streets of New York

Purpose – The aim of this research project is to uncover if place‐based learning can increase learner engagement and understanding of historical topics.Design/methodology/approach – To study this, learners will use GeoStoryteller to learn about a historical topic on the places where significant events occurred, and then be interviewed by the researchers. GeoStoryteller is a tool developed by the researchers that runs on smartphones, such as an iPhone or Android. It provides the user multimedia stories about the historical sites, delivered via the mobile web or through Layar, an augmented reality web browser. The initial application of this technology focuses on German immigration to New York City between 1840 and 1945 through a partnership with the Goethe‐Institut, the Federal Republic of Germanys cultural institution. After using GeoStoryteller to learn about this content, n=31 participants were interviewed by the researchers, and transcripts were subjected to a quantitative content analysis.Findings – ...

Alleviating physical space constraints using virtual space?: A study from an urban academic library

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether virtual space can be used to alleviate physical space constraints for group collaboration in an urban academic library environment. Specifically, this paper looks to uncover whether library users will turn to library‐provided virtual space when there is a scarcity of physical space.Design/methodology/approach – This project discusses the design of the physical and virtual environment, and then measures the use of this environment quantitatively over a 47‐month period (2005‐2009).Findings – Results indicate that physical spaces for group collaboration are in very high demand, whereas virtual ones are not. A scarcity of physical collaboration spaces does not lead users to library‐provided virtual space, but rather to work around the scarcity in the physical world.Originality/value – The paper highlights the value of the library as a gathering place and the ways in which virtual collaboration space cannot easily take the place of physical collabor...

Challenges to born-digital institutional archiving: the case of a New York art museum

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight the challenges to born-digital institutional archiving using a New York Archive Museum (NYAM) as a case. Design/methodology/approach – The digital record-keeping practices at NYAM were studied using three data sources: focus groups with staff, totaling 81 individuals, or approximately one-third of all staff; analysis of network file storage; and analysis of digital records in archival storage, or specifically removable media in acid-free archive boxes. Findings – This case study indicates that the greatest challenges to born-digital institutional archiving are not necessarily technological but social and cultural. Or rather, the challenge is getting individuals to transfer material to a digital archive so that it can undergo the technological transformations needed to ensure its long-term availability. However, transfer is impeded by a variety of factors which can be addressed through education, infrastructure development and proactive appraisal for perm...

Public Libraries and PBS Partnering to Enhance Civic Engagement: A Study of a Nationwide Initiative

This project asks the question: Can libraries act as places for promoting civic engagement through the use of socially and culturally significant documentaries? In this initiative, documentaries are screened at public libraries throughout the United States and are followed by post-screening discussions. Coordinating librarians and audience attendees are surveyed to uncover the outcomes of each events civic engagement. Results indicate that the screening of socially and cultural significant documentaries at public libraries, combined with post-screening discussions, can positively impact library patrons’ interest in becoming more civically engaged and foster a greater understanding of the issues raised by the films.

Does the use of place affect learner engagement?: the case of GeoStoryteller on the streets of New York

This paper details the research and development on GeoStoryteller, a project where learners engage with archival photos and multimedia narratives in historically relevant places. Using a combination of augmented reality technology and web-based delivery, the ultimate aim of the project is to uncover if place-based learning can increase learner engagement in historical topics. Currently, the researchers have completed system design and development and are in the process of collecting user feedback data. The initial application of this technology will focus on German immigration to New York City (1840--1945) through a partnership with the Goethe-Institut, the Federal Republic of Germanys cultural institution operational worldwide.

Email as cultural heritage resource: appraisal solutions from an art museum context

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to evaluate strategies to appraise email correspondence to select significant email for permanent preservation without capturing trivial or personal emails. The strategies were tested on the actual email accounts of selected individuals occupying important roles within an important cultural institution in the Northeastern USA. Design/methodology/approach – Treating this art museum as a case study site, email messages are manually appraised for retention using a rubric. Following the appraisal, strategies for expediting this appraisal process, using what is learned from the manual appraisal process, are explored. Findings – A major finding of this study is that sent mail is almost always significant, although preserving only sent mail, or preserving sent mail in combination with inbox items that have been acted upon (replied to or forwarded), are not sufficient to capture significant correspondence. Rather, a social network approach holds the most promise to accelerat...

Social Media Use by the US Federal Government at the End of the 2012 Presidential Term

The purpose of this study is to describe in quantitative and qualitative terms the use of social media by the US government. During the autumn of 2012 the researchers collected and examined over 1,500 unique social media sites used by the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. This data was collected as part of a national web archiving initiative known as the End of Term Harvest, where US government websites are web archived in anticipation of changes prompted by the election. We found that social media is used heavily across all federal agencies and that they utilize a variety of social media platforms, with the most popular being Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and Flickr. The qualitative examination revealed that agencies use social media to provide the public with information and to engage the public in conversation through the feedback and comment mechanisms enabled by the social media providers. However, we did not find evidence that social media is enabling high levels of collaboration between government and citizens, which was a goal stated in Obamas Transparency Memorandum.

Constructionist learning in digital archives education: student perceptions of effectiveness

This paper explores if a constructionist learning approach to digital archives education can positively influence student perceptions of their learning. Constructionism is a learning theory that places students in the role of designers and emphasizes creating physical artifacts in a social environment (Papert, 1980, 1991; Kafai, 2006). This theory is used in the instructional design of the Digital Archives Creation Project (DACP), which is a major component of a new digital archives course offered to a class of students enrolled in a MSLIS program. Results indicate that students perceived strong increases in their learning because of their engagement in the DACP, particularly in terms of their skills, confidence, understanding of topics covered in other courses, and overall understanding. Factors that influenced these increases include the collaborative teamwork, the role of the facilitator or instructor, and individual effort. Results indicate that a constructionist pedagogical approach holds great promise for LIS education, yet further research is required.

US Government Websites During the 2013 Shutdown: Lessons from the Shutdown Library

This short communication describes the digital archive created of official dot.gov and official government social media websites during the shutdown of the United States federal government from 1 to 16 October 2013. It discusses the digital landscape against which the shutdown occurred, outlines the process of creating an archive of shutdown websites, and considers what the archive can teach us about the public face of government during the shutdown.