24 research outputs found
50 years of IATUL: current status and achievements
Full text linkThe author discusses the role of International Association of Technological University Libraries (IATUL) in providing leadership to the Information professionals in technological university libraries. An attempt is made to comprehend the present status of IATUL and analyze the activities and contribution it has made to overcome the range of challenges facing by tertiary level Technological libraries throughout the world. SWOT analysis is used to assess the achievements, failures and ascertain constraints. The author has relied on web sites as well as ephemeral material such as minutes, annual reports, newsletters, and memoranda to construct this article. Meeting and Interview with IATUL present and past presidents and other office bearers of the associations provided useful sources of information. It is also attempted to provide relevant information for those interested to join IATUL for professional development
Negotiating urban entities:marginalized citizens, participation, and the Indian smart city
No full textSmart cities in India guarantee the promotion of citizen participation in the urban transformation processes. However, when it comes to marginalized citizens, scholars find urban transformation processes undemocratic and limiting their participation in smart cities. Contrary to this, an emergent form of citizenship among the marginalized in urban transformations beyond digital governance has been highlighted by a few scholars in the Global South, especially India. Hence, this paper contributes to these discourses on postcolonial urban transformations by reflecting on the emergent forms of citizenship, understanding marginalized citizens’ participation, and the challenges they face within Indian smart cities. The study focuses on India's smart city, Bhubaneswar's Socially Smart Bhubaneswar (SSB) Programme, initiated in 2017, focusing on marginalized groups residing in slums. We use Ling and Dale's (2013) social capital and agency lens to explore how marginalized citizens engage with their city's social and spatial transformations. A qualitative thematic content analysis of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions collected from four selected slums of Bhubaneswar was used for the study. We found that the marginalized citizens, through top-down propulsion and constant efforts on bottom-up translation and collectivization, not only became collaborators of the state in urban transformation but also active and critical citizens addressing their community needs. However, marginalized citizens become active and critical in urban transformation, requiring certain manoeuvres. Moreover, if the programmes need to understand the marginalized positionality in the urban transformation and exclude them from becoming a part of the transformation, then bringing social change might not be possible. Thus, the study highlights the potential of commons-driven governance and the need to expand social capital and agency to promote social change and participation of marginalized communities in urban transformation. Highlights Postcolonial urban transformations reveal emergent forms of marginalized citizenship. Marginalized citizen engagement evaluated using social capital and agency lenses. Social capital and agency among the marginalized fostered commons-driven governance. Capacitated nested networks and collectivization foster bottom-up participation. Chatur citizenry (Datta, 2018a) traced within marginalized citizen’s participation.</p
Urban governance, technologically equipped citizens, and their (non) participation in the Indian smart cities of Bhubaneswar and Bhopal
No full textIndia's Smart Cities Mission (SCM) asserts to provide participatory spaces to its citizens for urban governance. Adding to these discourses, scholars reflect on smart citizens, assuming they are technologically equipped to benefit from the SCM. However, there is a lack of detailed empirical account of the technologically equipped Indian citizen’s experience of the nature and provision of these participatory spaces within smart cities. Hence, the paper explores the nature of technologically equipped citizen participation (or non-participation) within Indian smart cities’ participatory spaces. The categories of citizen participation and experience will help understand the factors influencing stakeholder engagement. We draw from Cardullo and Kitchin's (Geo Journal 84:1–13, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-018-9845-8) ‘Scaffold of Smart Citizen Participation’ to assess the Indian context, in which we focus on the technologically equipped citizens of the smart cities of Bhubaneswar and Bhopal, primarily for their citizen-centric proposals. Between January and July 2022, an online survey was conducted of 252 participants representing the technologically equipped urban population of the two selected cities. The data was analysed using quantitative descriptive statistics and summative content analysis. In inference, the study highlights that 'propertied citizenship' does not correspond to active citizen participation in urban governance in the two cities. The study identifies this propertied, technologically equipped citizen typology as Nishkriya or passive citizens. Thus, the study suggests that even for a technologically equipped citizen, the city and governance structures need to put in place structures for participation that are meaningful and long-term.</p
Charting New Waters: Adoption of AI across Dutch and Danish Ports
No full textThe adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in ports varies as a result of divergent value propositions of these advanced technologies. The smart port paradigm as the new way of business is both embraced and rejected. Ports regularly hold back technological advances due to concerns about potential disruptions to existing processes. The adoption of AI destabilizes routine practices in port operations and logistics, creating a discontinuity, thus undermining their sense of Self as a conventional port. Barriers to organizational change are thus fundamentally anchored in a port’s ability to maintain ontological security. In this paper, we seek to advance our understanding of how to reconcile organizational change while maintaining a sense of stability, or continuity, particularly focusing on the adoption of AI across Dutch and Danish ports. To address this objective, we combine literature on AI drivers of smart ports in conjunction with ontological security theory. We employ a systematic literature review method and narrative content analysis to examine the port stakeholders’ value propositions of AI to identify patterns and themes regarding organizational change. The preliminary findings presented illuminate key factors influencing stakeholder adoption, and its connection to a port’s ontological security, and it describes the barriers and enablers to (furthering) organizational change. These findings will equip port management in Denmark, the Netherlands, and beyond, with actionable insights to facilitate smoother AI adoption in a rapidly evolving industry
International Association of Technological University Libraries (IATUL): Promoting Science and Technology Librarianship in the Changing Library Landscape
Full text linkInternational Association of Technological University Libraries (IATUL) has been in the forefront of providing leadership to information professionals and promoting science and Technology librarianship in today's changing library landscape. The present article is an attempt to comprehend the present status of IATUL and analyze the activities and contribution it has made to overcome the range of challenges facing by tertiary level Technological libraries throughout the world. The SWOT analysis method is used to assess the achievements of IATUL, failures and ascertain constraints being faced in this internet age. The author relied on web sites as well as ephemeral material such as minutes, annu- al reports, newsletters, and memoranda to construct this article. Meeting and Interview with IATUL present and past presidents and other office bearers of the associations provided useful sources of information. It is also attempted to pro- vide relevant information for those interested to join IATUL for professional development
MOOC M4D: An Overview and Learner's Viewpoint on Autumn 2013 Course
Full text linkThe MOOC M4D (Mobiles for Development) was a six weeks course from 2nd October- 16th November,2013 on advances of mobile services in many sectors that are vital to human development, such as education, health and agriculture and access to credit and finance. As a librarian the author is interested to know about the teaching/learning process within a MOOC because of reasons that MOOC is an increasingly growing phenomenon and libraries have potential to support MOOCs. The author shares her personal experiences and observations as a MOOC student and presents a short overview of MOOC M4D course, specifically on core issues covered in the course lecture
Archives in Ontario: a report on study visits under Canadian Studies Fellowship
No full textPurposeThe Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT), Government of Canada, through Shastri Indo‐Canadian Institute, encourages Indian scholars for Understanding Canada Faculty Research, Fellowships; the author visited Canada during March 2010 to study Canadian archival system, especially records management in archives in Ontario province; the driving rationale for the study was the realization that there existed very few or no archives and record management (ARM) programs in India. This study intends to report different types of ARM programs in Canada, with special reference to e‐records management, namely automation status, creation of virtual exhibits, preservation of digital images, metadata standard for e‐records, etc.Design/methodology/approachThe author visited national, provincial and municipal archives and conducted unstructured interviews with archives staff/managers.FindingsRecords are considered as commodity and attempts to improve their management has necessitated a more integrated and controlled approach. In this study, it is noted that archivist and records managers have at present very little influence on policy implementation of archives and working under university librarian and less influence on decision making. All the university archives get a nominal amount from library budget. No separate budget for archives is available; modest budgets are allocated for rare book collection. The total archives concept in English Canada is based on the American system. The responsibility for collecting and copying its historical records fell to the government; with the so‐called convergence of technologies helping to fulfill new demands and rising expectations and to empower the end‐user. It was possible to establish very good relations with the archivists of these institutions and the author is keen to keep contact with them. It is expected that this study will serve as a building block to deeper examinations of broader issues such as the core competencies with respect to records management with special reference to e‐records management.Research limitations/implicationsThe prime objectives were to overview the current state of active and passive record keeping in the Government of Canada and identify the core competencies required to build effective record keeping infrastructures in the digital environment that has emerged in most government institutions. During a period of one month, the author was able to visit only selected archives in Toronto and Ottawa. The archives in other parts of Canada are not included in this study due to time limit.Originality/valueThe paper presents a study of the archival system in Canada and its role and contribution towards promoting a knowledge society in Canada.</jats:sec
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Knowledge Management in the digital age: Challenges and opportunities in India
No full textDigital revolution has transformed the intellectual function of traditional libraries and Information System managers have to play a significant role in managing internal and external knowledge resources and make it available to scientists, scholars,educators or the rural poor. In this article author discusses the concept of Knowledge Management in digital libraries and need for advanced personalisation and customization of information. The additional skills required in managing information in digital environment and especially the role of a chief knowledge officer are elaborated
Ever changing information scenario and emerging role of national and regional associations in Indian library development
No full textLibrary associations have had a presence in India since early nineties currently experiencing a remarkable increase in numbers and facing significant challenges as they move into digital future. An attempt has been made to comprehend the status of library associations in India through SWOT analysis and in this way this paper intends to identify the strengths & potential weaknesses and draw attention on the immediate need of restructuring and merging these associations for new working model should function in close partnership with other groups; could be stronger financially and have more clout in pursuing and meeting the objectives and goals of its members. Author has tried to explore the extent to which library associations seek to protect and advance the interests of members and responding to the ongoing changes and preparing them for the future. At the conclusion recommendations are made for carefully planned public relations programs by leveraging convergence Technologies could guarantee long- term success of library associations
ALIEP-2006 conference on Library leadership at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore: A summary report
Full text linkThis report outlines few selected presentations of the ALIEP 2006 conference based on the theme "Preparing Information Professionals for Leadership in the new age" held at the Executive centre, School of Information and communication, NTU, Singapore, during 3-6, April 2006. The four-day event provided both professional librarians and educators a unique opportunity to explore the collaborative agenda emerged due to pervasive convergence technologies in today’s knowledge society. The author, who was also a speaker provides an overview of the ALIEP- 2006 Asia Pacific discussion forum, which carried out a variety of program viz. industry updates, keynote sessions, Paper presentations, invited guests and local tours to national library, university libraries and national Archives of Singapor
