Search

With the passage of time, celluloid film degrades and valuable film history is lost, resulting in loss of cultural history which contributes to the shared sense of community, identify, and place at a local and national level. Despite the growth in digitised services for accessing cultural resources, to date no economic valuation has been performed on digital local history resources which are accessible online. Despite the recent emergence of online portals for digital cultural services in many countries (such as virtual tours of art galleries and digitisation of cultural archives) a shift which has accelerated in response to the Covid-19 epidemic, there remains a major literature gap around the value of digital culture. Failure to account for the value of digital archives risks sub-optimal allocation of resources to accessing and preserving these aspects of local cultural history. In response, we performed the first contingent valuation study to estimate willingness to pay for a free online film archive portal containing historical film footage for localities throughout the United Kingdom. Users were willing to pay an average hypothetical subscription for digital archive film services of £38.52/annum. Non-users in the general population were asked their willingness to pay a hypothetical annual donation to maintain free public access (£4.68/annum on average). The results suggest that positive social value is gained from online access to digital archive film, and from knowing that the cultural heritage continues to be digitally accessible by the public for current and future generations. We outline how this evidence aligns with a theoretical framework of use and non-use value for digital goods and services extending beyond those who currently use the portal, to those introduced to it, and those in the general public who have never directly experienced the online archive service. We also report what we believe is the first application of Subjective Wellbeing analysis to engagement with a digital cultural service. The advantage of applying methods from economics to value cultural activities in monetary terms is that it makes emerging modes of digital cultural goods and services commensurable with other costs and benefits as applied to cultural policy and investment decisions, putting it on a level footing with physical cultural assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gambling Research Exchange (GREO) is an independent Knowledge Translation and Exchange (KTE) organization that aims to reduce harm from gambling. GREO curates and maintains a digital library of credible gambling information, most of which is grey literature. Several stakeholder groups use this library, including policy makers, researchers, treatment providers, regulators, and gambling operators. In order to meet knowledge needs, GREO both manages and produces grey literature, and maintains a research data repository for use by the gambling studies community. In keeping with the Open Science movement, the goal of the library is to provide timely and relevant evidence in formats accessible to diverse audiences, which can be used to inform decision-making, research, treatment, and policy direction. This paper documents how GREO's digital library reorganized its search interface and document types and adopted accessible terminology so that complex research findings could extend beyond the academic community to broader audiences. Beginning in 2017, we assessed the existing library's terminology and document types for accessibility and credibility. The first step was to rename the library from "Knowledge Repository" to "Evidence Centre", a term that resonated more with non-academic audiences. Similarly, in 2018, we renamed the "Grey Literature" collection to "Specialized Resources" so that it is readily understood. Since the collection had grown considerably, we divided the single "Grey Literature" resource type into ten searchable categories to help direct users to the most appropriate resource formats. Examples include white papers, reports, visual tools, and instructional resources. A recent change in our funding model necessitated a further transition from a focus on Ontario, Canada to international audiences. Using examples drawn from a recent focus on gambling in Great Britain, this paper demonstrates how the GREO Evidence Centre has become increasingly accessible to wider audiences since 2017 to more effectively address their information needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the ‘ontological rift’ between the digital and the material archive of political broadside ballads. It outlines the ways in which the ballad’s original diversity has been eroded and homogenised by multiple processes of remediation, including digitisation over time, and investigates the limitations of digitisation projects in delivering the multifarious and widely scattered broadside ballad archive online. Finally, it considers how far digitisation projects have unintentionally ‘concretised’ not only older interpretive practices in relation to the ballad as genre, but also outdated narratives regarding the ballad’s place in the news networks and political culture of seventeenth-century England. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article provides information from various aspects of the field of international serials and electronic resource management. Abstracts for several research articles are included on topics such as scholarly electronic books (e-books) and open source data in academic publishing. Additionally, awards and grants presented by the American Library Association (ALA) in 2011 are highlighted along with notes on the reorganization of the United Kingdom Serials Group (UKSG). Brief information regarding the 2012 conference for the UKSG and a list of online resources related to serials librarians are also included.

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to present the outcomes of digitisation of special collections: mapping, assessment, prioritisation (DiSCmap), a JISC and RIN-funded project which studied users' priorities for the digitisation of special collections within the context of UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Design/methodology/approach -- The project produced a list of 945 collections nominated for digitisation by intermediaries and end users and a user-driven prioritisation framework. Data were gathered via web questionnaires. Focus groups and telephone interviews with end users provided additional insights on the views of those working within particular domains or disciplines. Over 1,000 intermediaries and end users contributed by nominating collections for the "long list" and providing opinions about digitisation priorities. Findings -- The long list of collections nominated for digitisation provides evidence of identified user interest and is not merely a "snapshot" but a significant outcome. A user-driven framework for prioritising digitisation was also produced. The project suggests a flexible approach for prioritising collections for digitisation based on the use of the framework in combination with the long list of collections. Research limitations/implications -- The project did not undertake a representative study; the participation of intermediaries and end users was a matter of goodwill. Yet 44 per cent of HEIs in the UK nominated special collections to the long list. Originality/value -- The paper provides new insights and evidence on user priorities for the digitisation of special collections. It also suggests a user-driven digitisation prioritisation framework of benefit in future decision making, both locally and nationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper aims to describe the history and current plans for the newspaper collections of the British Library. Design/methodology/approach - The Library will create more access to its older collections, via mass digitisation of texts. The Library is seeking to work with UK newspaper publishers to secure the ingest of "born digital" newspapers, to present issues of recent newspapers to users in library reading rooms. Digitised newspapers will be taken into the Library's digital library storage system being developed for all types of digital materials that the Library is acquiring in growing quantities. There are plans to move the existing collections from Colindale to a new storage facility at its Boston Spa site, to ensure controlled environmental conditions for the original printed newspapers. Findings - It was found that the British Library is investing in the future in order to improve access to a vital part of its collections. Originality/value - This is one of the few published articles on how a national library deals with the massive task of providing access to newspapers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to discuss the results of a 2006 survey of UK Higher Education OPACs in order to provide a snapshot of cataloguing practices for e-books. Design/methodology/approach- The OPACs of 30 UK HE libraries were examined in July/August 2006 to determine which e-books were catalogued, and the level of cataloguing treatment e-books received. Interviews were conducted by e-mail with representatives of eight of these libraries. Findings - A total of 28 universities surveyed provided some OPAC records for e-books; most of these were for subscription collections from suppliers such as ebrary and netLibrary. Five universities included records in their OPACs for individual e-book titles from collections such as Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO); four OPACs included records for free e-books. There are wide variations between institutions in terms of which e-books are selected for cataloguing. Research limitations/implications - The survey was undertaken at a particular point in time (summer 2006) and was not exhaustive of all UK HE OPACs. Practical implications - This research suggests that it should be made easier for users to search OPACs for e-books, and that libraries should provide more information on their websites about which e-books are catalogued. Originality/value - This paper addresses a gap in the UK literature on cataloguing e-books. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Argues that there are certain areas of traditional classification, knowledge management and physical library arrangement that have special applicability to electronic collection building. Problems with the approach of librarians to electronic collection building; Examination of knowledge management at British academic libraries; Common features of the traditional and the electronic library.

Examines the current state of interlending and document delivery from a UK perspective. In particular, focuses on four trends that have recently gained momentum and come to the fore – international interlending, resource discovery, online access to full text and the problem of monographs, and unmediated requesting. Reports on developments in these areas and the way one area will influence another. Document delivery is widening in scope and meshing with serials and acquisitions in an electronic environment, while traditional ILL is focusing on more problematical areas. Also looks at how the activities of the British Library are shaping events. This is the latest in a series of articles which have appeared in the journal over the years. The last was published in Vol. 27 No. 2, 1999. Looking back on the interlending and document delivery world in 1999 and 2000 from a UK perspective, I believe there are four trends that seem to have gained added momentum, trends which should be of interest and relevant outside the UK as well. They are: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright is a central issue when considering document supply electronically because actions seen as simple in themselves are technically complex and raise many legal issues. The basic concepts of copyright law apply whatever the situation but trying to map these on to the electric situation can be difficult. Proposals from the European Commission to change the law will make the provision of document supply services even more difficult. The use of vehicles such as the World Wide Web for delivering documents and information generally while offering exciting opportunities, is full of obstacles. Recent legal cases give little reason for optimism in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]