Annual Review of Cultural Heritage Informatics

ANNUAL REVIEW OF CULTURAL

HERITAGE INFORMATICS

What is it?A compendium of current research, educational initiatives and best practices in the cultural heritage informatics field.

Who is it for?Cultural heritage scholars, professionals and students who are interested in cultural heritage preservation, digitization, digital humanities, user behaviour, technology or educational practices.

Key sections1. Best Practices: explores the increasingly converging, distributed & pluralistic nature of digital cultural heritage & suggests new perspectives on traditional preservation & access methodologies.

Key sections2. Digital Communities: emphasizes the role of cultural maps in interpreting digital representations and advocates for the preservation of digital cultural discourse.

Key sections3. Education: an exploration of a current cultural heritage informatics educational programme & an analysis of educational resources available to local history & genealogy collections librarians

Key sections4. Field Reports: case studies include active digitization programmes, cultural heritage preservation initiatives and developing cultural heritage research agendas in Ethiopia, USA, Australia and Romania.

Key sections5. Technology: explores uses of technology for promoting the accessibility and preservation of cultural heritage including a digital humanities virtual reality application and folksonomies.

Key sections6. Review: a wide-ranging examination of the themes and concepts featured in conferences, seminars, workshops, books and blogs over the past year.

Who is it edited by?The book is edited by Dr Samantha Kelly Hastings, director and professor at the University of Southern Carolina School of Library and Information Science.

Who contributed to it?Michele V Cloonan, Simmons CollegeMartha Mahard, Simmons CollegeDaniel Gelaw Alemneh, University of North TexasAbede Rorissa, University at Albany, SUNYJeanette A Bastian, Simmons CollegeRoss Harvey, Simmons CollegeHemalata Iyer, University at AlbanyAmber J D’Ambrosio, Dixie State UniversityJennifer Burek Pierce, The University of IowaMary W Elings, The Catholic University of America

Who contributed to it?Youngok Choi, The Catholic University of AmericaJane Zhang, The Catholic University of AmericaRhonda L Clark, Clarion University of PennsylvaniaJames T Maccaferi, Clarion University of PennsylvaniaAbede Rorissa, University at Albany, SUNYTeklemichael T Wordofa, Addis Ababa UniversitySolomon Teferra, Addis Ababa UniversityAlan C Jalowitz, Pennsylvania Center for the BookSteven L Herb, Pennsylvania Center for the Book

Who contributed to it?Sigrid McCausland, Charles Sturt UniversityKim M Thompson, Charles Sturt UniversityCheryl Klimaszewski, Rutgers UniversityJames M Nyce, Ball State UniversityHeidi Rae Cooley, University of South CarolinaDuncan A Buell, University of South CarolinaWalter Forsberg, New York UniversityErik Piil, DuArt Film and VideoSheila O’Hare, Emporia State UniversityAshley Todd-Diaz, Emporia State University

WHAT TO EXPECT

chapter by chapter

PART IBest Practices

1. Digital Preservation: Whose Responsibility? Michele V Cloonan & Martha MahardThis chapter suggests that the preservation of digital cultural heritage is inherently pluralistic and digital preservation activities are becoming increasingly distributed, decentralized, and ad hoc while incorporating new forms of social networking. Thus, traditional models of preservation programmes, which depend on extant institutional structures, may no longer be effective. The reasons for this shift are explored and new preservation perspectives are suggested.

2. Facilitating Discovery and Use of Digital Cultural Heritage Resources with Folksonomies Daniel Gelaw Alemneh & Abede RorissaThe current landscape in the use of folksonomies by cultural heritage institutions is reviewed and emerging trends in this area identified. Strengths and limitations of folksonomies vis-a-vis traditional indexing and taxonomies are explored with a particular emphasis on the history of cultural heritage information retrieval, including a consideration of the potential benefits and controversies surrounding user-supplied tags or keywords.

3. Experiments in Cultural Heritage Informatics Jeannette A Bastian and Ross HarveyThis chapter concerns research on the convergence of cultural heritage institutions conducted by faculty at Simmons College with a focus on the Simmons Digital Curriculum Laboratory, the digital convergence projects negotiated & completed by faculty & students, & the lessons learned. The problems encountered are outlined, including concerns about controlling public access, communication difficulties & lack of technical skills. Finally, the trajectory for convergence is evaluated.

PART IIDigital Communities

4. Web Representation and Interpretation of Culture Hemalata Iyer and Amber J D’AmbrosioAyuverda, a holistic healing system deeply rooted in its indigenous culture, is being practiced within a different cultural milieu in the US. The healing system has undergone a cultural shift away from its religious origins on US websites, and the transplanted cultural context impacts the meaning and interpretations drawn from its digital representations. Utlilizing Stuart Hall’s approach to representation in the media as a framework, representations of Ayurveda in a...

...sample of US websites are analyzed. The significance and methods used to legitimize Ayurveda, the cultural symbols employed the philosophy and purpose of the websites, and the viewer’s perception of the representations are examined. The authors explore whether representations translated on both symbolic and linguistic levels may surmount the problems and issues arising from varying cultural maps.

5. Knitting as Cultural Heritage Jennifer Burek PierceAs social media facilitate intense interactions between knitting writers & knitting readers, knitting forms a significant element of cultural heritage, with social, technological, & economic effects, making it a phenomenon that merits recognition as an enduring aspect of cultural heritage. This chapter employs Chartier’s historical & discursive analysis to explore three prominent knitting blogs & their cultural discourse revealing a cultural heritage meriting & awaiting digital preservation.

PART IIIEducation

6. Developing 21st Century Cultural Heritage Information Professionals for Digital Stewardship Younok Choi, Mary W Elings and Jane Zhang

The Cultural Heritage Information Management concentration at the Catholic University of America prepares information professionals to develop & curate sustainable digital collections. This chapter describes the programme that supports the development of five core competencies; contextual foundations, resource management & digital curation, information organization, information service provisions, & digital technology.

7. Local History and Genealogy Collections in Libraries Roland L Clark and James T MaccaferriThis chapter considers whether the LIS field provides adequate education and resources to support professionals embracing local collection management within the scope of their duties. It discusses the challenges identifying libraries holding local history and genealogy collections, surveys existing instructional support for professionals managing local collections and reviews relevant periodical literature since 2000. Suggestions for new directions in research, education and collaboration are offered.

PART IVField Reports

8. Initiatives in Digitization and Digital Preservation of Cultural Heritage in Ethiopia Abede Rorissa, Teklelmichael T Wordofa & Solomon TeferraThis chapter discusses the results of the first comprehensive study of digitizations and digital preservation of cultural heritage initiatives in Ethiopia. The authors offer recommendations on the path forward so that cultural heritage institutions in Ethiopia might achieve the ultimate goal of digital preservation as well as serving their users effectively and efficiently.

9. Creating the Online Literary and Cultural Heritage Map of Pennsylvania Alan C Jalowitz and Steven L HerbLaunched in 2000, the Online Literary and Cultural Heritage Map of Pennsylvania encompasses 1150 biographies and 285 featured essays accompanied by digital image, audio and video data. This chapter traces the evolution of the project. Project managers describe the challenges of defining project scope; establishing standards; balancing usability and available technologies; rights management issues; and planning for the future.

10. The Community Heritage Grants Prgram in Australia Sigrid McCausland and Kim M Thompson

The Community Heritage Grants program is a grant scheme administered by the Australian Government to support the management of cultural heritage at a local level. This chapter reports on a 2012 survey undertaken to assess the impact of grants on the organizations that applied for them and documents their concerns for the future of their collections. It concludes with reflections on relationships between the Government and the organizations and offers suggestion for further research.

11. Toward a Study of “Unofficial” Museums Cheryl Klimaszewski and James NyceSince the 1989 revolution in Romania, “unofficial” museums founded by amateurs opened to showcase peasant life in situ. This chapter starts by situating the “unofficial” museum in the context of Romanian cultural heritage & describes; the collections, ethnic groups represented, the physical spaces, & the visitors. Collection development practices & the construction of narratives for the collections are discussed & contrasted with official practices & areas for further research are mapped.

PART VTechnology

12. Ghosts of the Horseshoe, a Mobile Application Heidi Ray Colley and Duncan A Buell

Ghosts of the Horseshoe is a mobile app deploying game mechanics, augmented reality & GPS functionality. It was designed to generate awareness of & questioning about the historic grassy space at the centre of the University of South Carolina. This chapter describes the app’s technology and content and highlights the app’s use as an enabler of citizen archeology. The chapter also surveys other augmented reality apps that invite historical reflection and sensitivity to place.

13. Tune in, Turn on, Drop Out Walter Forsberg and Erik PiilLarge quantities of out-of-print & irreplaceable VHS titles still comprise significant portions of library and archival collections. Given the need to preserve this content, this chapter investigates the use of the “dropout” metric (counts of disruption in the video signal) for determining whether libraries and archives can invoke their rights of reproduction under the United States Copyright Act.

14. The Devils You Don’t KnowSheila O’Hare and Ashley Todd-DiazFinding aids are still at the heart of the cultural heritage enterprise, but questions surround their future & relevance. This chapter reviews the relevant 2012 literature & considers the future of the finding aid from four perspectives: reassessment of the traditional functions & meanings of the finding aid; online finding aid design & usability; efforts to make the “invisible” work of co-creators or information professionals in describing, organizing & presenting resources apparent; & the impact of new developments.

15. If You Build It, Will They Come?Ashley Todd-Diaz and Sheila O’HareThis chapter reviews studies focussing on digital collection use in practice published in 2012. Generally, access and use numbers appeared to be fairly low. However, results also uncovered intriguing trends, including the impact of promotion and collection location on the number of views and citations of the digital materials in historical research over the last decade. The challenges still confronting the accessibility and usability of digital collections are explored.

PART VIReviews (nascent)

16. Memories of a Musem VisitCarol Lynn PryceThis chapter is a review of two books: The Museum Experience and The Museum Experience Revisited, both by John H Falk and Lynn D Dierking.

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