Tom Denison

Managing the Soft Issues in E-Research: A Role for Libraries?.

Within Australia there is a growing interest in e-research and the use of cyberinfrastructure. There is also increasing recognition that the use of cyberinfrastructure is often inhibited, not by technical issues, but by socalled ‘soft’ issues, such as those related to work practices, intellectual property issues, the nature of research collaboration, and institutional imperatives. This paper reports on aspects of DART (Dataset Acquisition, Accessibility and Annotation e-Research Technologies), a current e-research project, specifically issues related to the broader questions of uptake and use of repositories by researchers. The paper concludes by discussing implications for libraries and for the design and promotion of repositories.

The Capability Approach Community Informatics

This article integrates key theories and concepts associated with the Capability Approach to community informatics (CI), a domain of sociotechnical theory and practice concerned to improve the lives of people in need. While the social value propositions for community informatics are useful for orienting pragmatic research and practice, they are currently not well considered theoretically. Sociological theory is therefore explored to provide a stronger anchor to community informatics as compared to the narrower theoretical agenda of information systems. Within this framework, the Capability Approach is identified as one example of a strong social theory with potential for adaptation into community informatics. This would have several effects, including strengthening internal theory, and building capacity to engage in stronger dialogue with other disciplines, including sociology and information systems. This new approach to CI theory via sociological theory also allows for the adaptation and testing of other bodies of theory.

ACADEMIC AND ETHICAL CHALLENGES IN PARTICIPATORY MODELS OF COMMUNITY RESEARCH

The purpose of this paper is to identify and explore academic and ethical challenges with Participatory Community Research (PCR) in the context where many universities and researchers are moving to embrace new e-Research infrastructure. A case study of a project focussing on developing electronic capacity in a deprived community in Africa is used to problematize issues. E-Research also brings its own challenges for PCR, such as: a need to clearly understand the dynamics of community-based research and ethics and ethical frameworks that are responsive to this; the development of new legal ownership and access rights; the need for appropriately sensitive institutional commitment to the long-term maintenance of repositories to support continued data storage and curation; and the formation of adaptive, inter-organizational research teams which are comfortable with community and electronic interactions.

Systematic performance measurement for university libraries in Vietnam

Purpose – Higher education reform in Vietnam has recently required university libraries to improve their quality, to evaluate their performance, and to be accountable for the purpose of quality assessment and accreditation. Systematic performance measurement is an integral part of this process. The aims of this paper are: to provide an overview of the current state of performance development in Vietnamese university libraries; to address issues related to the measurement of library performance; and to propose an approach to evaluation for university libraries in Vietnam.Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the literature on library performance measurement, with particular focus on university libraries in Vietnam. Relevant documents relating to performance measurement were examined, and two case studies of performance measurement in university libraries in Vietnam were carried out.Findings – It is critical that university libraries in Vietnam develop systematic performance measures and apply dif...

Digital Inclusion, Disability, and Public Libraries: A Summary Australian Perspective

Abstract Purpose This chapter looks at Australian public libraries and how they have developed and delivered inclusive service to people with disabilities over the past decade or so. As digital technology impacts the public library sector the question of “how are libraries responding?” emerges, especially for the one in five Australians living with disabilities. This chapter is focused on how the public library network is delivering digitally inclusive services to people with disabilities. Methodology/approach The approach was to examine the international obligations, related governance, and professional standards that apply to Australian Public libraries; the current disability and digital inclusion related research from the past decade; and highlight some of the better examples of practice in Australian public library service. Findings This chapter is not a comprehensive examination but rather a summary scan of digital inclusion practice. However, it raises a number of questions for further investigation: research as to how these obligations are put into practice; how they can be better shared and learnt from; and more importantly how the aspiration of “inclusion for all” is being met.

“What do others think?” An emic approach to participatory action research in Bangladesh

Community informatics and Information and Communications Technology for Development research projects frequently focus on the appropriation of ICTs and the design of information systems to meet the needs of communities. Such projects typically involve a range of participants reflecting different cultures and depend for their success on the ability of the project to bridge differences. Using PROTIC (Participatory Research and Ownership with Technology, Information and Change), a 5-year collaborative project between Monash University, Oxfam Australia and Oxfam in Bangladesh as a case study, this paper reflects on the use of a “mainstream” form of participatory action research (PAR) as a tool capable of engaging in more sustainable projects by helping to identify and to take into account localised or context-specific social and cultural issues in the design of the information system itself, consequently improving the effectiveness and sustainability of the systems developed. The idea of emic understandings of culture have also been used to interpret the project and PAR as an intercultural exchange around developing a community-focussed sociotechnical project.

Broadband, digital literacy and public libraries: the Mill Park story

Purpose – The paper aims to present the results of a research project designed to explore the impact of the establishment and operation of a broadband enabled digital training facility at the Mill Park public library, focusing on the role of public libraries in both engaging and educating local communities and exploring issues related to the provision of training through public libraries, benefits or problems in doing so and the relationship to new and existing services. Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes a case study approach, following the development of the training program and changes implemented throughout the first two years of operation. Findings – The Mill Park Library has successfully met, if not exceeded, the goals of promoting broadband services, up-skilling the community and promoting digital readiness within it local community. Both directly and through partnerships with other organisations and schools, it has not only addressed the needs of community members but also engaged them ...

WEBSITE MANAGEMENT ISSUES FOR COMMUNITY-BASED, NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IN RURAL AND REGIONAL AREAS: A comparative Australian/Italian study

A paucity of research examines the factors which are most important in helping community-based, non-profit organizations to design websites that achieve their aims. This article attempts to fill this research gap by exploring website management issues within 17 organizations in two locations: Victoria, Australia and Tuscany, Italy. Integral to the research was an examination of structural barriers and inter-organizational relationships that act to facilitate the take-up, or otherwise, of technology. Theory regarding the diffusion of innovations and social network analysis provided the background. The qualitative method chosen for the study was constructivist grounded theory. The sample was purposively selected and data collection included semi-structured interviews with key actors; the mapping of organizational relationships; and the examination of websites. The findings indicate that organizations with a combination of good internal skills, and strong access to external advice and skills are in the best position to create websites that satisfy their needs, with good access to external information and communication technology services and advice more important than strong internal skills. Organizations must also consider how to deal with six broad areas related to the development and maintenance of websites: strategy; technical knowledge and design; project management; support; training; and funding. The conclusion sums up the views of the organizations in the study about the best ways to gain the skills they need to provide good web design.