Samantha Kelly Hastings

Developing the ICT Infrastructure for Africa: Overview of Barriers to Harnessing the Full Power of the Internet

The synergies of numerous emerging trends are shaping creation, access, use and preservation of information resources. The digital library environment provides scholars with access to more diverse and previously unavailable contents that span myriad technologies across institutions and nations. Although the uses of Internet technologies provide new directions for scholarship, there are discrepancies among nations and regions. These technologies have not been fully exploited in Africa in particular. As research and scientific inquiry depend on both the availability of heterogeneous resources from multiple sources and their openness to easy and continued access, addressing the universal access issue is paramount. This article discusses and provides an overview of some of the barriers or principal factors most likely to influence Africas efforts in harnessing the full power of the Internet.

Free sorting of images: Attributes used for categorization

Categorization is crucial to human perception and cognition. Without the abilities to categorize, people would not be able to deal with the multitude of things they perceive daily. Past research has shown that categorization also facilitates effective and efficient browsing of both text and image documents especially when users have no specific document in mind but only some idea of what they are looking for. However, the question of what types of attributes should be used to index categories/groupings of images is not fully answered. Knowledge about how people categorize images and assign names to categories may provide some clues to help answer this question. Results of this free sorting study, as well as other research on the nature of categorization and search requests by image users, point to the fact that interpretive attributes are better candidates than perceptual attributes for indexing categories/groupings of images.

Exploration of adoption of preservation metadata in cultural heritage institutions: case of PREMIS

Paper presented at the 2010 ASIS&T Annual Meeting. This paper discusses preservation metadata and its role in the challenges of long-term access.

A conception‐based approach to automatic subject term assignment for scientific journal articles

This study proposes a conception-based approach to automatic subject term assignment when using Text Classification (TC) techniques. From the perspective of conceptual and theoretical views of subject indexing, this study identifies three conception-based approaches, Domain-Oriented, Document-Oriented, and Content-Oriented, in conjunction with eight semantic sources in typical scientific journal articles. Based on the identification of semantic sources and conception-based approaches, the experiment explores the significance of individual semantic sources and conception-based approaches for the effectiveness of subject term assignment. The results of the experiment demonstrate that some semantic sources and conception-based approaches are better performers than the full text-based approach which has been dominant in TC fields. In fact, this study indicates that subject terms are better assigned by TC techniques when the indexing conceptions are considered in conjunction with semantic sources.

Health information services and technology access during and after a disaster: Lessons learned by public librarians in South Carolina.

ABSTRACT A situation-specific case study was conducted to identify health information services and technology access during and after the October 2015 catastrophic flooding in South Carolina. Using a framework for risk communication preparedness and implementation recommended by public health experts, this study investigates public libraries and their legitimacy as partners of public health agencies during and after a disaster. The methodology includes focus group meetings and a one-on-one interview. Preliminary results reveal essential health information and technology access needs. It is recommended that public libraries be proactively prepared to provide reliable disaster and health digital resources for adult users.

iSchools and l‐schools: Converging or diverging communities?

The panel will discuss the intellectual differences between iSchool and Information Science programs that are not part of the iSchool Caucus, referred here as L-Schools. The panelists, who represent both communities, will discuss the foundational, philosophical, and formal differences between the two types of programs, and focus on the intellectual diversity of the two academic communities.

Diversity and commonality of information science education in a pluralistic world

In a society that is increasingly diverse in culture, language, and technology, the field of information science education has continued to evolve and respond to the changing information environment. The iSchool movement has attracted a good number of library and information science programs, as well as programs in computer science, while many library and information science programs have revised their mission and curricula to meet the information needs of a pluralistic world without changing the name of their programs (they are often referred to as the LIS Schools). Although iSchools and LIS Schools may seem dichotomous, many of these schools share the history of library and information science education and may have more in common than their names imply. The proposed panel is designed to shed light on the diversity and commonality of information science education in the 21st century by examining the similarities and differences of these two types of schools (including their relationship to the tradition of library and information science education) and the extent to which these schools are meeting the needs of a pluralistic world. The panel will have two parts. Part One is a report on the curricula offered at ALA-accredited LIS schools and iSchools. In Part Two panelists will respond to the curriculum analysis report and address these topics: Their schools relationship to the tradition of library and information science education. Their experience in changing from an LIS School to an iSchool. Their rationale for remaining an LIS School and how they have changed their programs to meet the need of a pluralistic society. Their perspectives on how they are meeting market needs. Their experience in recruiting new students and placing graduates in libraries and non-library information environments.

Design: Information technologies and creative practices

An ink jet printing apparatus responsive to an input digital image for producing a halftone image on a receiver, such as a lithographic plate, having halftone dots with each halftone dot being formed by one or more microdots in a screen dot of selectable areas, including an adjustable printhead for delivering different volumes of ink droplets which, when they contact the receiver, forming microdots of different areas according to the selected screen dot size. The apparatus delivers ink to the printhead and is responsive to a selected screen dot size and the digital image to control the printhead to form ink droplets of different volumes to produce a halftone image on the receiver.This article is focused on the changes needed in design to create positive solutions for all involved in design processes. It draws upon the rich discussion and discourse from a conference focused on positive design involving managers, designers, and IT specialists, all focused on overcoming the problem-based focus and decision paradigms to enhance all phases of the design processes to develop sustainable solutions for real issues in a changing world. Therefore, all fields using design, consciously or not, including management, Information Communication Technology (ICT), and designers as well, need to redesign their processes and first rethink their design paradigms on a meta level.

Factors contributing to mature adult novices' computer skills learning: A case study in a community training program

Information and communication technologies (ICT), such as computers, and the Internet have become increasingly vital tools in United States. People who lack the required skills to use these tools are at a growing disadvantage. Therefore, raising the information and communication technologies skill levels of information deprived people is a critical issue. Increasing the number of Americans using ICT is a fundamentally important national goal. The purpose of this study is to explore the adult novice computer learning. This study defines computer novices as people who have no knowledge or limited skills to perform basic computer functions, such as computer boot up, file opening, internet searching, and basic word processing. Over the last couple of years, community learning centers in Denton, Texas have provided free computer training sessions at public libraries to empower people left behind by the digital revolution. Researchers of this study participate as both lecturers and mentors in the training sessions. The major objective of this study is to identify themes in adult computer learning behavior. This research studies adult novice computer learning using Banduras (1986) social cognitive theory, Rogers (2003) diffusion of innovation framework, and Chatmans (1996) concepts on information impoverished people.

Social media as a tool connecting with library users in disasters: A case study of the 2015 catastrophic flooding in South Carolina

ABSTRACT Libraries have been playing important roles in disaster preparedness and recovery according to related literature. With the increasing popularity of social media, one specific value libraries can offer during disasters centers on serving as hubs for delivering credible information via social media. The 2015 catastrophic flooding in South Carolina provided a means of investigating the way libraries could utilize social media to maintain connections with their patrons during a disaster. Based on the findings from a situation-specific pilot survey study, recommendations are made that could help libraries proactively create risk communication strategies using social media for effective information services.