100 research outputs found
Access and use of the Internet in the libraries of Lahore, Pakistan
Full text linkThis study is to find out the level of the Internet access in libraries, its uses by library staff and the problems regarding access and use of Internet in libraries of Lahore, Pakistan. The research is based on primary data. A structured questionnaire survey was conducted by (n=75) 48 academic libraries (university and college), 21 special libraries, five public libraries and one school library in the city of Lahore. Findings of the study may be useful for policy makers to understand the status of the Internet access and its need as well as for library schools to revise the curriculum to improve the Internet skills of future librarians
Open Access Moment in Pakistan
Full text linkManuscripts are known as the intellectual and cultural heritage of a nation. Pakistan is enriched with this treasure left by Muslims antecedents of the IndoPak Subcontinent. A number of institutional and personal libraries hold a good number of manuscripts; especially on Islamic subjects and Quran collections. It is important to highlight the hidden and neglected state of these manuscripts for further research. This paper seeks to reveal the previous and current status of the manuscripts in Pakistan. A broad picture of manuscripts in Pakistan will be presented through factual data (i.e., total number, languages, institutional/personal holdings, locations, age, writing styles and materials). Governmental and professional efforts, awareness programs, state of digitization and access issues will be highlighted. Recommendations are given for considerations
Emergence of a Crowdsourcing Ecosystem for Knowledge Curation and Creation in the Cultural and Heritage Sector
No full textCultural and national heritage resources are owned by galleries, libraries, archives, museums (GLAM) and private collectors worldwide and have significant value for cultural identity, diversity and solidarity. Curating information and creating knowledge is essential for the preservation of cultural heritage legacy and national identity for future generations. However, the curation of dispersed information resources requires substantial resources and effort beyond those possessed by single organisations or communities. In an age of social media and user-created content, information disorder is a growing problem. To bridge these information gaps, the GLAM sector is increasingly relying on crowdsourcing. However, crowdsourcing tends to involve one-off projects, which have limited value.
Based on a case study of the Auckland War Memorial Museum and its collaborating organisations, this thesis explores the evolving cross-organisational crowdsourcing practices conducted to co-create value and address knowledge curation and creation challenges. It addresses the following four overarching research questions: RQ1: What quality assessment and quality control mechanisms are used by the GLAM sector to prevent information disorder from crowd contributions? RQ 2: What internal and external factors contribute to cross-organisational crowdsourcing collaborations? RQ 3: How and why does a digital crowdsourcing ecosystem evolve in the GLAM sector? And RQ 4: How to govern actor networks in an emerging crowdsourcing ecosystem? This thesis proposes a crowdsourcing ecosystem framework and hopes to establish a foundation for developing and implementing collaborative crowdsourcing for value co-creation in the GLAM sector.
This thesis is a PhD with publications and comprises four original research articles that are presented as Chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5. Chapter 2 presents the problem of information disorder in crowdsourced information and suggests the need for potential solutions. Chapter 3 provides a comprehensive list of factors contributing to successful cross-organisational collaboration for crowdsourcing. Chapter 4 is an exploratory study on the formation of a cross-organisational crowdsourcing ecosystem and its characteristics. The fifth and final chapter provides insights into crowdsourcing ecosystem sustainability and proposes a set of governance mechanisms to address the tensions between ecosystem actors
Job Descriptions of Government Librarians in Pakistan
Full text linkLibraries all over the world are facing diversified service challenges posed by a mix of traditional information seekers and Google generation’s call of technology features. These multi-facet demands and kinds of users’ community have increased the list of responsibilities and skills required by the librarians. Selection of right person for the right job is the greatest challenge for library administration. This includes two main elements; nature of job descriptions defined or advertised by the administration and the availability of required human resources in the market. Only the right mix of these two essentials can ensure the selection of appropriate personnel for the delivery of high quality services to the diversified user community. Specific job description is not well practiced in Pakistan especially in the government sector, which mostly results in the hiring of inappropriate personnel in the government libraries. No such study has been conducted to-date to find out the status of librarians’ job descriptions advertised by the government hiring agencies. Keeping this need in view, this study aims at reviewing the current library job descriptions in government sector; their strengths and weaknesses; characterized skills and qualifications needed by specific type of libraries in IT era. An analysis of 212 job ads published in selected newspapers and list-serves over a period of three years (2007 to 2010) was conducted to understand the current market trends. Personal interviews were also conducted for better understanding of the phenomena under study. Findings of the study can be directly useful for the government employers and library employees in Pakistan, students for career selection, LIS educationists for curriculum revision and researchers for further research. The study will also assist the government officials in inducting the right persons for challenging jobs in the libraries
Why collaborate? Factors Influencing in Crowdsourcing Ecosystems
Full text linkMany organisations embrace crowdsourcing to enhance innovation, problem-solving and value creation. While crowdsourcing in the past has been limited to just one organisation, crowdsourcing can be enhanced through collaborative practices that include sharing resources and value exchange in a \u27crowdsourcing ecosystem\u27. However, the factors that influence the emergence of a crowdsourcing ecosystem are not yet well understood. To better understand these factors, our paper focuses on the emergence phase of crowdsourcing ecosystems. We conducted a case study of not-for-profit sector collaborative crowdsourcing projects to identify the internal and external influencing factors. We identify four major categories – preparedness, challenges, scope, and risks, along with 23 sub-categories. We believe our findings might be helpful for scholars and practitioners regarding the effective design of collaborative initiatives for crowdsourcing
Governing Actor Networks in an Emerging Crowdsourcing Ecosystem
No full textOrganisations harness the wisdom of community to solve problems or create new knowledge. Multiple organisations, diverse communities and multiple platforms are forming ecosystems to co-create value. We observe that Libraries, Archives, Galleries and Museums are forming collaborative crowdsourcing ecosystems to curate knowledge and create knowledge that ecosystem-wide stakeholders can use. However, despite the collaborative nature of crowdsourcing, various tensions arise among actors that hinder effective outcomes. Through a qualitative case study, we identify crowdsourcing actor networks and explore their tensions that hinder effective outcomes. We propose a strategic governance approach to foster crowdsourcing-based collaboration in a complex and dynamic ecosystem to create and capture value. This study presents a shift in the traditional schema of structured hierarchical governance of crowdsourcing projects to unstructured non-hierarchical governance of a multi-actor crowdsourcing ecosystem. The value propositions of crowdsourcing ecosystem actors networks are value co-creation, resource sharing, collective ownership, and mutual dependency
Reimagining Digital Citizenship: The Influence of Contemporary Industry Practice and Society
Full text linkThe role of digital citizenship in contemporary society has an observable spectrum from, social, educational, industrial, and individual. We present a review of current industry educational practice in digital citizenry and explore industry roles, governance, and societal expectations in influencing the sustainable practice of digital citizens. An integrative exploration of current research and industry practice leads to the proposal of a new model to facilitate future digital citizenry research. The model observes and describes the interaction between an individual and society through the notion of digital citizenry as influenced by contemporary industry practice. We aim to facilitate a further discourse to benefit society, industry, and the individual through our conceptual model of digital citizenry with a view to shaping future society. We suggest that individuals are and should be contributory stakeholders shaping sustainable practice in digital society. We conclude with practical recommendations and a discussion of future research avenues
Adoption of ICT’s For Library Operations and Services: A Comparison of Public and Private University Libraries of Pakistan
Full text linkThis study aims to investigate the extent of adoption of ICT in 55 Pakistani Public and Private sector University libraries as modern tools of providing effective library services to users in this advanced technology era. Through survey method of research, it was to explore the currant ICT infrastructure; status of ICT adoption; levels of usage and awareness of technologies; competent manpower for operation and maintenance of ICT facilities; factors involved in low usage and problems encountered in implementing technology use in university libraries. Investigating both public and private sector will support making meaningful comparison that would surely enhance the understanding and generalizability of the study
Screen-Reading Habits and Use of e-Resources of Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences’ students: A study of Postgraduate Students
Full text linkThe purpose of the study is to investigate reading preferences, habits, and attitudes of postgraduate students in the digital age. The survey method was employed to collect the data from a convenience sample of 500 graduate students from five departments of Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences at the University of the Punjab, Lahore-Pakistan. The results indicate a student’s preference to the e-reading although with various hurdles e.g. awareness of access to resources, trainings, remote access to resources, limited time of computer lab’s availability and electricity failure. Understanding student’s screen reading habits would enable the educationist, policy makers, technologist, and libraries to responds the needs and hazards to effective use of electronic resources
Internet Use Behavior and Attitude of College Students: a Survey of Leadership Colleges\u27 Network
Full text linkThis article reports on a survey on Internet use behavior and attitude of college students. Data were collected using a questionnaire developed after a related literature review. A total of 800 students from four campuses of Leadership College\u27s network were chosen for the survey. Demographics (sex, age, educational level) and reasons for Internet use, availability of computer and Internet at home, training in Internet use, most-used search engines and email services, as well as attitudes of students were analyzed. Students acknowledge the worth of the Internet for learning and sharing
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