IASSIST Quarterly (Journal)
Not a member yet
764 research outputs found
Sort by
Data literacy and higher education in the 21st century
Full text linkData Literacy is a germane competence for anyone or institution desirous to scale the challenges of the 21st century and be globally recognized. Data literacy is the ability of individual to identify, work with, analyze and communicate data effectively. It is perceived that there is a poor data literacy competence in higher institutions in developing countries. Researchers in the 21st century, for example, ought to possess skills and competencies to communicate through affiliated institutional email addresses; be active on platforms such as Google scholar and research gate; and, possibly own personal websites to drive teaching and learning. This paper, through qualitative analysis of existing literature, attempts to examine the interplay between data literacy and higher education in the 21st century. Data Literacy is relevant not only to individuals but also to higher education. The phenomenon data literacy is relevant to institutions of higher learning because institutions of higher learning are acknowledged centers of human resources training for national and sustainable development. The paper will be of significance to governments, policy makers, and administrators of higher institution in particular. Furthermore, the paper will be of benefit to scholars as data literacy continues to shape frontiers of teaching and learning across the globe in the 21st century
Knowledge and perception of librarians towards cloud-based technology in academic libraries in southwest Nigeria
Full text linkThis paper investigated knowledge and perception of librarians towards cloud-based technology in academic libraries in Southwest, Nigeria. The population comprised all professional and non-professional librarians in academic libraries in Southwest, Nigeria. One hundred and thirty-two (132) librarians from Southwest, Nigeria were selected using simple random sampling technique. Two research questions were answered. A structured questionnaire titled “QKPLCTLSN” was used for data collections. The reliability co-efficient of the instrument yielded r = 0.76 and r =0.82. The findings of this research revealed that, librarians in academic libraries in Southwest, Nigeria have knowledge about cloud-based technology and they have been using one or more applications in academic libraries but their perception towards the use of cloud-based technology was negative. In view of this, the following recommendations were made; librarians should embark on staff development programmes that would enable them keep pace with the latest technology, library management should encourage librarians to attend seminars, conferences and workshops that would enhance their technological skills, there should be adequate funding from the government and provision of stable power.
Application of emerging technologies for research support in Nigerian academic libraries: Trends, problems and prospects
Full text linkAcademic libraries in the modern era are often asked to justify their existence in tertiary institutions by showing how the institution and society at large have benefited from the library services. One main area that librarians often point to is the research productivity of members of academic institutions. However, studies have shown that research productivity among Nigerian scholars is low, which means that academic libraries have to be more innovative in supporting researchers in their domains. Emerging technologies offer innovative ways of supporting research activities by providing tools and resources that streamline the research process and ensure proper visibility for research outputs of academic library clients. This article, which is based on a review of previous studies, explores various areas where academic libraries in Nigeria can apply emerging technologies, the likely challenges, and strategies that can be adopted to ensure sustainable use of emerging technologies in academic libraries. It has been found that emerging technologies can enhance existing library services and create new ones, such as data mining, data management, and scholarly communication, among others. However, although steps are being taken by academic librarians in Nigerian tertiary institutions to leverage technology in providing the needed support for researchers, the pace of technology adoption is still slow and the range of technologies being adopted is limited compared to available options. This state of affairs has been attributed to challenges such as lack of infrastructure, librarians’ skills, and a negative attitude towards change. The study recommends a multidimensional approach to the application of emerging technologies in Nigerian academic librarie
Data management instruments to protect the personal information of children and adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa
Full text linkRecent data protection regulatory frameworks, such as the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPI Act) in South Africa and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union, impose governance requirements for research involving high-risk and vulnerable groups such as children and adolescents. Our paper\u27s objective is to unpack what constitutes adequate safeguards to protect the personal information of vulnerable populations such as children and adolescents. We suggest strategies to adhere meaningfully to the principal aims of data protection regulations. Navigating this within established research projects raises questions about how to interpret regulatory frameworks to build on existing mechanisms already used by researchers. Therefore, we will explore a series of best practices in safeguarding the personal information of children, adolescents and young people (0-24 years old), who represent more than half of sub-Saharan Africa\u27s population. We discuss the actions taken by the research group to ensure regulations such as GDPR and POPIA effectively build on existing data protection mechanisms for research projects at all stages, focusing on promoting regulatory alignment throughout the data lifecycle. Our goal is to stimulate a broader conversation on improving the protection of sensitive personal information of children, adolescents and young people in sub-Saharan Africa. We join this discussion as a research group generating evidence influencing social and health policy and programming for young people in sub-Saharan Africa. Our contribution draws on our work adhering to multiple transnational governance frameworks imposed by national legislation, such as data protection regulations, funders, and academic institutions
Data privacy and DNA data
Full text linkThe letter to the Editor is in response to the manuscript by Hertzog et al. (2023) titled "Data management instruments to Protect the personal information of Children and Adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa." The letter elaborates on personal data protection, particularly the POPI Act\u27s data management requirements; the DNA Act mandates specific measures to ensure the data integrity and security of the NFDD\u27s information. In addition, it criminalises the misuse or compromise of the data\u27s integrity within the NFDD. In addition, the DNA Act established the National Forensic Oversight and Ethical Board (NFOEB), which is responsible for overseeing ethical compliance, implementing the Act, and preserving data integrity within the NFDD. The NFOEB is also responsible for investigating any complaints regarding DNA forensics and the management of the NFDD
Guest editors’ notes
Full text linkWe are excited to note that IASSIST’s Africa chapter has continued to grow bigger and stronger. After a successful first IASSIST Africa Regional Workshop in Uganda during January 2021, a second IASSIST Africa Regional Workshop took place in Ibadan, Nigeria in West Africa October 4th through October 7th, 2022. We are delighted to share with you the papers in this issue, most of which were presented at the second IASSIST Africa Regional Workshop at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
The first paper unpacks the application of emerging technologies for research support in academic libraries in the modern era. The authors are Dr. Sophia V. Adeyeye and Taofeek Abiodun Oladokun who explain how emerging technologies offer innovative ways of supporting research activities. These emerging technologies provide tools and resources that streamline the research process and ensure proper visibility for the research outputs of academic libraries’ clients. The article explores various areas where academic libraries can apply emerging technologies such as data mining, data management, artificial intelligence, library automation and scholarly communication, among others. The article further highlights the setbacks academic libraries in Nigeria are facing in the application of emerging technologies such as lack of infrastructure, librarians’ skills, and negative attitude towards change.
The second article, authored by Ms. Akinyoola Oladoyin Grace, is titled” Knowledge and perception of librarians towards cloud-based technology in academic libraries in Southwest, Nigeria”. In this paper the author reveals that librarians in academic libraries in Southwest Nigeria are familiar with and use cloud-based technologies. However, the librarians seem to have a negative attitude towards the use of these technologies. Therefore, there is a need for a staff development program that would enable the librarians to keep pace with the latest technologies. Such a program could be funded by government and executed through seminars, conferences, and workshops so as to enhance the librarians’ skills with cloud-based technologies.
The third paper presents the preservation of election data and security in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Election malfeasance and violence have been experienced in Nigerian political systems since 1959. In this paper Sunday Tunmibi and Wole Olatokun explore how the world’s gradual move into the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) could be harnessed to ensure the preparation of free and fair elections. The paper suggests specific 4IR technological solutions to electoral data security and preservation challenges. It also suggests policies to serve as catalysts for the Independent National Electoral Commission. Suggested policies for 4IR technologies relate to artificial intelligence, big data, internet of things, robotics, block chain, cloud computing and 3-D printing. These are the 4IR technologies that dictate the pace of activities in all walks of life including security and managing a free and fair national election.
In the fourth paper Ologbosere Oluwatosin Abiodun discusses the significance of data literacy in the era of big data. It emphasizes the role of big data as a fundamental building block of truth focusing on the emergence of data literacy. Data literacy is a crucial subset of information literacy necessary for navigating the virtual landscape. Essential data literacy skills that are needed for navigating the dynamic twenty-first-century environment are highlighted. Integrating data literacy into higher educational programs, particularly in libraries, is stressed for relevance in meaningful information resource utilization. This paper shows how the integration of data literacy in higher education emphasizes the critical role of data literacy in the context of economic growth, development and informed decision-making and fosters sustainable development
Modernizing data management at the US Bureau of Labor Statistics
Full text linkThe US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is undertaking initiatives to improve its data and metadata systems. Planning for the replacement of the public facing LABSTAT data query system and efforts within the Office of Productivity and Technology to combine multiple production systems within a single cross-divisional database platform are examples. BLS views time-series data as a combination of three elemental components found in every time-series. A measure element; a person, places, and things element; and a time element are the components. The authors turned this basic approach into a formal conceptual model represented in UML (Unified Modeling Language). The UML model describes a flexible multi-dimensional data structure, of which time-series are a kind, and supports any kind of query into the data. The Office of Productivity and Technology has adopted the model, and it is guiding their approach moving forward. The model was also adopted by the Financial Industry Business Ontology project under the Object Management Group and by the Data Documentation Initiative Cross-Domain Integration (DDI-CDI) development project. There are other similarities between the OPT effort and DDI-CDI as well. In this way, the OPT project demonstrates the feasibility and usefulness of many of the ideas in DDI-CDI. In this paper we describe the time-series formulation and the UML conceptual model. Then, the design of the OPT system and some of its features are described, relating those that are like DDI-CDI where appropriate. In doing so, we provide a thorough understanding of the structure of time-series
Taking count: A computational analysis of data resources on academic LibGuides
Full text linkThe LibGuides platform is a ubiquitous tool in academic libraries and is commonly used by librarians to compile and share lists of recommended social science numerical data resources with users. This study leverages the machine-accessible nature of the LibGuides platform to collect links to data and statistical resources from over 10,000 LibGuide pages at 123 R1 research institutions. After substantial data cleaning and normalization, an analysis of the most common resources on those guides provides a unique window into the data repositories, libraries, archives, statistical data platforms, and other machine-readable data sources that are most popular on academic library guides. Results show that freely available resources from U.S. government agencies are among the most common to be included on data and statistical resources guides across institutions. Resources requiring paid licenses or memberships for full access, such as Statistical Insight (ProQuest), Social Explorer, and ICPSR are linked to most frequently overall, regardless of the percentage of institutions that include them. Findings also suggest that libraries are more likely to share traditional licensed statistical resources (e.g., Cambridge’s Historical Statistics of the United States) and collections of simple charts and graphs (e.g., Statista) than more robust and complex microdata resources (e.g., IPUMS)
Journals in Economic Sciences: Paying Lip Service to Reproducible Research? Paying Lip Service to Reproducible Research?
No full textoai:ojs3sbx_iassist:article/6The findings of numerous replication studies in economics have raised serious concerns regarding the credibility and reliability of published applied economic research. Literature suggests that economic research often is not replicable because (i) only a small proportion of journals in the field have implemented functional policies on the disclosure of employed datasets and program code, (ii) authors frequently do not comply with these data policies and (iii) editorial offices do not ensure that these policies are enforced. In this paper, we focus on the aspect last mentioned. We empirically evaluate 599 articles published in 37 journals with a data availability policy. We present the share of articles that fall under a data policy, because replication data is needed to verify the published results. Afterwards, we check the journal data archives and supplemental information section of each article for the availability of replication files. For a reduced sub-sample of 245 data-based articles, we check in depth whether the replication files we found are compliant with the requirements of the journal’s respective data policy. Thereby, we are able to determine how much journals in economic sciences enforce their data policies. Our findings suggest a mixed picture: While some journals achieve high compliance rates, a significant share of journals only sporadically provides replication files for data-based research papers. Overall, 47.5% of all articles analysed honour the data policy of the respective journal. Our findings also provide evidence that voluntary data policies are not effective in fostering replicable research
The work continues
Full text linkWelcome to the final issue of the IASSIST Quarterly for the year 2022 – IQ volume 46(4), our eagerly-awaited special issue on Systemic Racism in Data Practices.
This issue represents more than you might think: the culmination of more than two years of the intellectual hard work of writing, of course, but that in itself is not unusual for any journal issue. However. The global pandemic exploded just after the conception of this special issue and hit all of us hard, wreaking not only physical destruction of lives but also unleashing social upheaval, job insecurity, housing insecurity, and major mental health challenges. Social injustice erupted during the pandemic, shocking and enraging many of us with its violence and disregard for human dignity. I was privileged to witness the genesis of this issue, and I helped recruit our guest editors, Trevor Watkins and Jonathan Cain. I salute their perseverance, patience and courage, and that of the article authors, in bringing this content to fruition. Many involved in this issue faced multiple personal challenges, from the loss of family members to repeated moves, job changes, and more in the process of trying to get this work done. Some were unable to surmount the many obstacles and were forced to withdraw their proposals. So I do not think it is hyperbole to say this is the hardest issue we have ever produced. Trevor and Jonathan, thank you again for spearheading this important work.
Some good things have come from the societal call for racial justice for IASSIST, including this issue of the IQ. IASSIST has initiated several new ventures to advocate for diversity and equity, both within our organization and among researchers generally: We restructured our membership fees to allow half price for people joining from lower income countries. IASSIST also sponsored diversity scholarships for members to attend the American Library Association conference and the ICPSR Summer Program in Quantitative Methods in 2022. A new Anti-racism Resources Interest Group which focuses on compiling anti-racism resources has been working for more than two years and recently collaborated with the Professional Development Committee to present a webinar on varying national approaches to collecting (or not collecting) data about race and ethnicity (see this page for the webinar recording as well as the essays members have written). The group welcomes contributions of essays for additional countries and suggestions of other webinar topics. Looking ahead, the 2023 conference theme is Diversity in Research: Social Justice from Data, sure to result in some fascinating presentations (and future IQ papers!). And here at the IQ, we’re already contemplating a second special issue in this area around the role of social justice in data services. We invite volunteers who would like to serve as guest editors to contact us. And so the work continues.
The IQ editorial team is happy to welcome a new volunteer, Phillip Ndhlovu, as our Managing Editor with this issue. Phillip is the Deputy Librarian at the Gwanda State University Library in Filabusi, Zimbabwe. We thank him profusely—his role is key to producing every issue and his participation enables Ofira and me to focus on learning the editor’s role. We welcome suggestions for new features or columns, and encourage you to reach out if you are interested in becoming involved.
From all of us on the IQ editorial team, we wish you a much better year in 2023. And meanwhile, enjoy the hard work herein of your colleagues. Read on for Trevor and Jonathan’s guest editors’ notes describing the enclosed articles.
For the IQ Editorial Team,
Michele Hayslett – December 2022
Karsten Boye Rasmussen
Ofira Schwartz-Soiche