Institutional Shaping of Cultural Memory: Digital Library as Environment for Textual Transmission

Dalbello, Marija

doi:10.1086/422774

Cited by 24 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…The main goal of the … library is to find the shortest path between expression of an information need and its satisfaction, and also to provide the unexpected to the user." p62/63 Dalbello (2004) discusses how digitized collections can facilitate reproduction and multiplication at the same time as removing objects from the context of the traditional library. This can reduce an object's "aura" as a unique item of a particular time and context.…”

Section: Digitisation and Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

An examination of the physical and the digital qualities of humanities research

Rimmer

Warwick

Blandford

et al. 2008

Information Processing & Management

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Publisher's copyright statement: NOTICE: this is the author's version of a work that was accepted for publication in Information Processing and Management. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A denitive version was subsequently published in Information Processing and Management, 44, 3, 2008, 10.1016/j.ipm.2007.09.001. Additional information:Use policyThe full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. AbstractTraditionally humanities scholars have worked in physical environments and with physical artefacts. Libraries are familiar places, built on cultural traditions over thousands of years, and books are comfortable research companions. Digital tools are a more recent addition to the resources available to a researcher. This paper explores both the physical and the digital qualities of modern Humanities research, drawing on existing literature and presenting a study of Humanities scholars' perceptions of the research resources they use. We highlight aspects of the physical and digital that can facilitate or hinder the researcher, focusing on three themes that emerge from the data: the working environment; the experience of finding resources; and the experience of working with documents. Rather than aiming to replace physical texts and libraries by digital surrogates, providers need to recognise the complementary roles they play: digital information environments have the potential to provide improved access and analysis features and the facility to exploit the library from any place, while the physical library and resources provide greater authenticity, trustworthiness and the demand to be in a particular place with important material properties.

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Section: Digitisation and Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

An examination of the physical and the digital qualities of humanities research

Rimmer

Warwick

Blandford

et al. 2008

Information Processing & Management

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“…This interest in interpretation can also be seen as a call for developing interactions within a digital library setting which present a richer user experience than the typical functions found in current online collections. Dalbello's (2004) study of digital libraries is also useful to consider here as she found a preponderance of presentation techniques for materials which offered "disengaged objects in search of narrative coherence", (p. 282). Since digital materials are generally presented in systems providing a display-focused experience to the user, Dalbello found a lack of comprehensiveness and closure.…”

Section: Intellectual Aspectmentioning

confidence: 99%

Context and Its Role in the Digital Preservation of Cultural Objects

Beaudoin¹

2012

D-Lib Magazine

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In discussions surrounding digital preservation, contextthose properties of an object related to its creation and preservation that make the object's origins, composition, and purpose clear -has been identified as a critical aspect of preservation metadata. Understanding a cultural object's context, in as much detail as possible, is necessary to the successful future use of that object, regardless of its form. The necessity of capturing data about the creation of digital resources and the technical details of the preservation process, has generally been agreed. Capturing many other contextual aspects -such as utility, history, curation, authenticity -that would certainly contribute to successful retrieval, assessment, management, access, and use of preserved digital content, has not been adequately addressed or codified. Recording these aspects of contextual information is especially important for physical objects that are digitally preserved, and thereby removed from their original setting. This paper investigates the various discussions in the literature surrounding contextual information, and then presents a framework which makes explicit the various dimensions of context which have been identified as useful for digital preservation efforts, and offers a way to ensure the capture those aspects of an object's context that are often missed.

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“…methodologically-by applying a combination of document analysis and semistructured interview to produce a history of digital library development during the initial digital library boom from 1998 to 2000 [7] 2. theoretically-through implicit engagement of theoretical approaches of modernization theory and cultural analysis as well as the theory of institutional change in a structured organizational field Rather than focusing on the history of technology, it addresses the transformation of a field focused primarily on cultural production. As a historiographic account, it explores an immediate past from the point of view of the experience of participants in the process.…”

Section: Digital Library As Object Of Library Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Phenomenological Study of an Emergent National Digital Library, Part I: Theory and Methodological Framework

Dalbello¹

2005

The Library Quarterly

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This study of the activities surrounding the National Digital Library Program (NDLP) at the Library of Congress (1995Congress ( -2000 focuses on institutional processes associated with technological innovation in the library context. The study identified modalities of successful innovation and the characteristics of creative decision making. Theories of social change and organizational rationality, and the social construction of technology (SCOT) approaches provided the theoretical basis for this study. The underlying design for a phenomenological approach is discussed, together with the method for constructing a descriptive narrative that synthesizes the phenomenon under study (an emergent national digital library program). Theory, methodology, data collection, and the summary of findings with implications for practice are presented here. The accompanying article, Part II (available as an electronic-only article in this issue), presents the narratives of development, applying the interpretive phenomenological framework to document the innovators' perspectives about this formative event. ______________________________________________________________________This study focuses on a major transformative event, the National Digital Library Program (NDLP) at the Library of Congress (1995Congress ( -2000. This event provides a model for NOTE: The author would like to thank the participants in the study, and Heike Schimkat and Anselm Spoerri for reading the first drafts of this paper and offering useful suggestions. This research has been completed with support from Rutgers University Research Council Grant Award (no. 2-02017). • What are the modalities of a successful innovation process?• How can the characteristics of creative decision making be identified retrospectively?The main thesis of this research project is that understanding technological innovation in the library context depends on providing an insight into how innovators and the environment (structure) are shaping innovation decisions. Therefore, the individual decision makers and structure were considered as variables shaping the process of technological transformation. Structure is considered at three levels: society (external to the organization), professional norms (external and internal), and organizational pressures for efficiency and control (internal to the organization). This study aims to explore and describe the organizational process from a holistic perspective as the first step in developing models for studying similar projects of the initial digital library boom (1998 to 2002) and to advance reflection on the nature of historical (transformative) processes in the context of the library institution.The digital library emergence is a major transformative force in the recent history of the library institution. Therefore, it provides meaningful engagement for library historians (or library sociologists). In this paper, discourse around the interpretation of technology is set center-stage and the "digital library" considered as a socio-technic...

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Institutional Shaping of Cultural Memory: Digital Library as Environment for Textual Transmission

Cited by 24 publications

References 12 publications

An examination of the physical and the digital qualities of humanities research

An examination of the physical and the digital qualities of humanities research

Context and Its Role in the Digital Preservation of Cultural Objects

A Phenomenological Study of an Emergent National Digital Library, Part I: Theory and Methodological Framework

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