The digital age raises new challenges for institutions that have traditionally been involved in the stewardship of the cultural record. One is the stewardship of items that were born digital, those the museum world distinguishes as digital accessions. Another is the creation and stewardship of digital images of two- and three-dimensional artifacts, including texts, in the collections of these institutions. Such images exist for many purposes — for preservation and dissemination as well as for new and innovative kinds of exploration and exploitation. The description, control and use of both classes of images consume scarce resources and require new kinds of expertise. Four of the articles in this issue address these challenges. In our special section Digital Desires: What Are Museums Up To? section editor Layna White and contributors Shyam Oberoi and Sally Hubbard examine the role and management of digital objects in art museums. In her introduction Layna explains how museums use images, while Shyam and Sally discuss the problems of implementing institution-wide digital asset management systems (DAMS) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Getty Research Institute, respectively. In contrast universities are the principal focus of the fourth article, a report on Clifford Lynch's plenary session talk at the ASIS&T 2007 Annual Meeting in Milwaukee. He believes that in addressing their current problems cultural institutions must focus on their responsibilities for cultural stewardship, not on salvaging the means by which these responsibilities have been fulfilled for the last century, which may now be untenable or superseded. Closer to home some of these same issues are reflected in the President's Page. ASIS&T also must struggle with the balance between the paper and the electronic worlds and with the economics of scholarly publishing. President Nancy Roderer brings us up-to-date on the current highest priority of the Board of Directors and the staff, the re-compete of the contract to publish the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. The new contract, when it has been negotiated, will most likely incorporate all ASIS&T publications and will have to deal with the many issues related to electronic publication that have arisen over the last decade. Another aspect of scholarly publishing is also addressed by Elise Langdon-Neuner, editor of The Write Stuff (the journal of the European Medical Writers Association) and a member of the editorial board of European Science Editing (the journal of the European Association of Science Editors). In “Let Them Speak English” she reviews the current environment surrounding publication in English for non-native speakers. She also considers the cost to the broader intellectual community of forcing scholars to write in a language that is not their own and the possibilities for making the content of publications originally published in other languages more widely available in English. Our two final items are less closely related to the above themes or to each other, but each makes its own contribution. First, Andrew Sears and his colleagues report on a National Science Foundation workshop from 2006 aimed at setting a research agenda for human-centered computing. The paper summarizes the workshop's suggested research areas and also its observations on interdisciplinary research in the field. Finally, this issue's information architecture (IA) columnist, Mark Nolan, discusses the potential for exploiting the exploratory search model in IA.
Editor's Summary The International Society for Scientometrics and Informetrics (ISSI) conference welcomed the European Doctoral Forum in Vienna in July 2013. ASIS&T SIG/MET and ASIS&T's European Student Chapter joined the University of Vienna's Center for Doctoral Studies in organizing the forum, which provided an opportunity for doctoral students to discuss their research and receive feedback from renowned scientometricians. Nine students representing five countries and a variety of disciplines presented their work. Topics included altmetrics, electronic visualization and regional differences in research over time. The scholarly exchanges were capped by lunch and traditional Viennese coffees.
Editor's Summary Peering behind the screen of a database or website reveals the methods and benefits of incorporating a taxonomy. A digital taxonomy file contains terms, term records with details of relationships and a hierarchical structure. The terms are used to categorize content and apply as metanames describing website content items. Digging deeper, the taxonomy terms are stored and associated with a relational database management system, object-oriented database or XML-based database system. Taxonomy terms can be presented to the end user in a browsable format along with term record details for additional guidance. Captured in the inverted index of search software, the terms promote findability and search success. Documents with taxonomy terms attached can be accurately retrieved regardless of where they are held, and terms can be repurposed as site labels and points of association between internal content items.
Editor's Summary A highlight of the 2012 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, the pre-conference session on the History of ASIS&T and Information Science and Technology Worldwide drew presenters and attendees from around the globe. The day featured papers on four historical themes, starting with the institutional roots of ASIS&T and recognizing decades of research presented in the Annual Review of Information Science and Technology. The evolution of the field was apparent through a review of information revolutions prompted by the printing press, the post-World War II information crisis and the Internet, as well as through presentations on digital curation, ongoing work on relevance, sense-making theory and developments from Croatia to France. Discussion of the historical contexts of technology innovations and impacts considered photographic documentary techniques, binary computing and networking standards. The development of foundational ideas was explored through presentations on pioneering document indexing methods, the semantic challenge of term-oriented retrieval, early European perceptions of classification systems and the French view of communication and information science. Efforts to deepen the historical understanding of information science and technology will continue through oral history interviews, funded research and awards for outstanding papers.
CON T E N T S NEX T PAGE > < PRE V I OUS PAGE I t is perhaps no coincidence that academic librarians are accelerating their efforts to curate research data at the same time that attention is increasingly being focused on big data. But in a college or university setting, a preoccupation with big data may be unrealistic and unproductive. Instead, our concerns should be with small data and the challenges of managing a myriad of diverse and undocumented, yet small, datasets. With big data at the forefront of discussion, it is easy to imagine that all scientists are routinely generating massive quantities of research data. And some are. But many of these big data producers work in federal or private labs that are out of the reach of academic librarians. Or they work in universities but are supported by grants enabling them to hire staff and build infrastructure necessary to manage their own data without assistance from librarians. What remains is the majority of researchers based in colleges and universities, who conduct several small, interrelated projects simultaneously, many of which are either not federally funded or not funded at all. Some of these projects culminate in journal articles and conference presentations, and others quietly phase out, but in either case, the data are rarely preserved or disseminated. Although science is rapidly evolving with advances in thinking and technology, it has not undergone a paradigm shift, at least not yet. Despite having more sophisticated tools, most scientists continue to make progress via incremental steps – series of observational, experimental or computational studies that each generate a relatively small amount of data. The same is true for researchers in the social sciences and humanities, who also typically produce modestly sized datasets or collections of digital objects. It is these small datasets that academic librarians are most likely to encounter [1]. It is also easy to get the impression that, as a general rule, big data are more important than small data. But the value of a dataset is not a function of its size. Certainly the curation of big data is vital in many cases. Consider the unique conglomeration of weather conditions leading up to the recent superstorm Sandy. Meteorological data captured from this event are not reproducible. If the data are not preserved, scientists lose opportunities to gain additional insights into how such storms arise and how to improve our weather prediction systems. However, big data often accumulate through unfocused sweeps of the environment at Looking Out for the Little Guy: Small Data Curation by Katherine Goold Akers
Editor's Summary Given the risk and cost of proposed but unproven technologies, a method to project likely outcomes offers great value. Visioning studies deliver that opportunity by enabling potential users and other stakeholders the chance to explore new technologies. Goals include validating benefits, exposing unanticipated consequences, discovering hurdles to deployment and revealing considerations for funding. A visioning study was used to investigate 3D telepresence technology in emergency health care, enabling paramedics to work on a simulated trauma victim along with a remote physician. In another phase of the study, three groups of stakeholders viewed a brief video on the proposed technology and were interviewed to understand their thoughts on advantages, obstacles and potential fit. Through the visioning study, researchers were able to explore implementation of the technology and experience its potential benefits and challenges in a realistic test mode. Knowledge gained through visioning can lead to better-informed decisions and more effective use of limited resources.
Editor's Summary Social informatics' past, present and future were the focus of the 8th annual SIG/SI Research Symposium at the 2012 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, with presenters from Europe, Canada and the United States. Papers on the past of social informatics explored its roots in the early 1980s and its domain organization reflected through bibliometric analysis. Current research topics described the influence of information and communication technologies as a contextual element that shapes experience and social interaction, knowledge sharing across boundaries in online communities and studying subjectivity in Web 2.0 research collaborations through Q methodology. Presenters considered the future of social informatics in terms of the influence of information and communication technologies on the economic order, aspects of information practice that demand attention and topics and frameworks for further research. Best paper awards were given for studies on evolving digital rights and urban immigrants' information tactics. Through the symposium and interaction with other SIGs, researchers were encouraged to take a broad view of social informatics to better understand its lessons, influences and future directions.
Editor's Summary At a panel organized by the Information Professionals Task Force for the 2012 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, several respected leaders in the field shared insights about how to move the profession forward. Gary Marchionini conveyed observations from an earlier symposium including recognition of common values and the social mission of the profession, changing economic models affecting organizations and the need to focus on problem solving instead of narrow disciplines. Michele Cloonan outlined factors likely to affect new graduates entering the profession, such as the growing interaction among formerly distinct segments of the information world, global networking, a greater focus on data curation and attention to leadership development. Though hurricane Sandy thinned the panel of recruiters of information professionals, Allen Tien of MDLogix noted problem solving, communication and continual learning among the skills and competencies he looks for. A focal point in the follow-up discussion was the difficulty recent graduates have finding jobs; panelists pointed to opportunities in nontraditional information environments.
Editor's Summary ASIS&T core principles, including intellectual freedom, access to public information and balancing access with privacy, and the author's membership in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) prompted ASIS&T to get involved in the AAAS Science and Human Rights Coalition. The Association joins 51 other science and engineering organizations and 70 individuals promoting human rights issues through the coalition, which was launched in 2009. Among the group's activities are communications to expand appreciation of the scientific and engineering communities' role in human rights efforts and developing teaching modules on the interaction of science and engineering with human rights. As ASIS&T representative to the coalition, Carbo invites member involvement and contributions to an updated, annotated bibliography of resources on information science and technology and human rights.
Editor's Summary SIG/USE celebrated members' work and achievements in research methods at the 2012 ASIS&T Annual Meeting through a keynote speech, brief talks and awards. In her opening talk, professor Lisa Given challenged attendees to expand research methods to engage participants more fully, include qualitative findings and explore information behavior in nontraditional media. The topics of two-minute lightning talks ranged from research techniques for exploring young people's information behavior to imaging brain activity related to relevance decisions. Others addressed incorporating mobile technologies in research, collaborative search, direct interaction with participants in contrast with background server log checks and working with data collections from social Q&A sites. Following the talks, small group discussions further explored topics such as cognitive approaches, content analysis and text analytics and usability. The symposium wound to a close with the 2011 Elfreda A. Chatman Research Award presentation on information strategies of the homeless and a preview of the 2012 proposed study on refugees' information seeking. Additional awards were presented for best paper and poster to support travel and further presentations. Pertti Vakkari was recognized for outstanding contributions to information behavior research and was inducted into the SIG/USE Academy of Fellows.
Editor's Summary The Association for Information Science and Technology's International Relations Committee (IRC) surveyed organization members in the fall of 2012 to explore views on holding the ASIS&T Annual Meeting outside North America. The 247 respondents represented the total membership reasonably well with 70% from North America. About half stated they would likely or very likely attend an annual meeting in Europe, while 28% would probably attend a meeting in the Asia Pacific region. Holding a meeting outside North America could increase membership and expand perspectives. Concerns raised include travel permissions, timing in the academic year and total expense. Most respondents were open to joint conferences or co-located meetings with other organizations every two to three years, though there was no consensus on which group or conference. The IRC will pursue investigations into coordinated conferences and locations.
Editor's Summary Since the origin of the concept, information architecture has been viewed as an art and a science, rooted in library science but borrowing from multiple disciplines. Though there are recognized elements, some say it lacks a foundation of consistent internal theory. The central concept of information architecture is structure. Though invisible and often taken for granted, effective structure is the quality that makes websites functional. It rests on navigation, information organization and information relationships and can extend to user experience and spatial representation. Information architecture reflects elements from a number of disciplines but, by aggregating them, is greater than the parts. Advancing information architecture from art to science depends on shared strategies and solutions for website structure.
Editor's Summary Hitting the mainstream in the late 1990s, the concept of information architecture (IA) grew within library and information science, but it is closely tied to multiple fields, making an organized approach to learning and teaching a challenge. A World IA Day 2013 session explored IA through a survey and town hall meeting for insight into how and where people learn the craft. Survey responses showed four in five information architects come from other than information and library disciplines, but about half took a college course in the field. The vast majority of survey respondents and town hall attendees cited practical experience as critical. Without a consensus on core concepts and skills in IA, educators have no clear direction as they try to prepare students for work. Until agreement is established, input from multiple disciplines and on-the-job learning will remain key, though inconsistent, parts of IA education.
Editor's Summary For the third year, students attending the ASIS&T Annual Meeting were invited to compete in a design challenge, this time focusing on “truthiness.” The task was to devise a user opinion site that would distinguish fake reviews from valid and trustworthy ones. Students settled into four teams, based partly on the similarity of their shoes, and chose topics for their sites. Over two days, grabbing time between conference sessions, the teams gathered to plot out aspects of their site including system architecture, input and output features and user interaction. Teams then described the hypothetical sites to a panel of four judges, who considered creativity, impact on the problem, feasibility, contribution to humanity and quality of the presentation. As members of the winning team of Pratt + S. Carolina + Mizzou, Matt Miller, Jeff Mixer, Ben Richardson, Dinara Saparova, Andy Steinitz and Yao Zhang will receive free registration for the 2013 ASIS&T Annual Meeting in Montreal.
Editor's Summary Information architects (IAs) have a strategic role to play, especially in firms that appreciate the need for clear and efficient user experiences. To support the end user, information must have value and be organized and understandable. An information domain model is a useful starting point to set the parameters of an organization's collection of online information resources. It provides a shared basis for stakeholders to analyze and discuss the domain, working toward a common and well-developed mental model and foundation for information architecture work. For the IA, it becomes the basis for sorting and mapping pieces of information during a platform migration or other transition. The IA's focus is on deep understanding of content to define and strategically manage knowledge units. Developing and implementing an information domain model supports the goal of enhancing the user's experience through content structure and findability.
Editor's Summary This special section of the Bulletin explores issues in research data access and preservation (RDAP) and samples the program highlights and attendees' reflections of the ASIS&T RDAP13 Summit, the 4th annual meeting, held in Baltimore, Maryland, on April 4–5, 2013. Contributed papers address the value of partnering with publishers and repositories as a way to address the complexity of data curation and explore the issue of data use and reuse from a data curator's perspective. One article discusses the use, benefits and challenges of altmetrics to track citations of research data. Others tackle the need to develop a standard data infrastructure and describe efforts to promote research data management across institutions of higher education in the United Kingdom. Last, a sampling of the posters presented at RDAP13 reflects the scope of the topic, current progress and advances to come.
Editor's Summary At ASIS&T's RDAP13 Summit, one panel explored the shared interests and challenges faced by researchers, institutions, various repositories, publishers and the public. Common hurdles include engaging researchers in the process at the outset, organizing and documenting research data, contending with diverse media types and file formats, spanning disciplines and rewarding participation. Amy Nurnberger of Columbia University Library noted the importance of understanding authors' needs and recognizing comparable issues faced by libraries and publishers. Jared Lyle of the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research stressed the value of working with researchers early in their process and establishing a personal, supportive and consultative connection. John Kunze described tools available through the California Digital Library to facilitate data curation at several stages of the research process, ultimately depositing data to a repository and enabling its publication and sharing. The collective experiences highlighted common themes, including the value of local collections and partnerships as well as the need to simplify the process with easy-to-use tools.
Editor's Summary A professor's advice to “find your community” started Naresh Agarwal as a doctoral student on a path to discovering and connecting to others with similar interests and goals. After visiting other conferences, Agarwal felt welcome at ASIS&T's Annual Meeting in 2008 and made the most of the connections he made. He got involved in several SIGs and with other roles and increased his level of participation over the years. His advice to new members includes continually expanding your circle of connections, finding ways to contribute, focusing on one thing at a time and even trying frugal strategies to attend ASIS&T events. Regular communications help reinforce contacts and are essential for SIG and chapter sharing and continuity. Communications and collaboration are key criteria for the SIG/Chapter-of-the-Year Award, which Agarwal helped SIG/ED to win in 2012. Agarwal hopes to see ASIS&T become more open, agile and responsive to members, supporting collaboration and interaction through social media on the association's website.
Editor's Summary For Thom Haller, an icy spinout in a new truck and frustration with a user manual raised the issue of perceptual affordance, design based on the perceived needs of a user. An object's design ideally serves its user, being visible and clearcut to avoid error, yet design snafus abound. The vehicle manual's verbal references to four-wheel drive were circuitous and uncertain, and the illustration was no more helpful. Both failed to provide a direct answer to the user's question about how to enable four-wheel drive or meet reasonable expectations for guidance. For information architects, usability is primary, delivered through sensible and logical placement of information and understandable terminology. Our job is to make the complex clear, and the need is everywhere.
Editor's Summary Since 2011 the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) has spearheaded an effort to make research data available through the UCLA Data Registry. The goal is to promote sharing and reuse of research data while developing recommendations for how this goal is best accomplished. A data registry compiles descriptive information about datasets, much like a library catalog. It may be more viable in terms of cost and data management than holding the actual data. UCLA's Data Registry is intended to be multidisciplinary and capture sufficient detail to enable users to identify and find the data they need. Advantages to scholars of registering data with UCLA include wider exposure, satisfying funding requirements and discovering collaboration opportunities. UCLA's Data Registry is envisioned as one tool among a collection of services forming an information infrastructure that links datasets to publications.
