Emerald | Program: electronic library and information systems | Table of Contents

Tracking politics with POWER

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose – POWER is an ontology of political processes and entities. It is designed for tracking politicians, political organizations and elections, both in mainstream and social media. The aim of this paper is to propose a data model to describe political agents and their relations over time. Design/methodology/approach – The authors propose a data model to describe political agents (politicans, political instutions and political associations) and their relations over time. The model is formalized as an ontology using the RDF format and the population is performed in two steps. First, a bootstrap process loads data collected from authoritative sources. Then, the ontology is enriched with alternative media names extracted from the web. Findings – The ontology is published as a public resource following the guidelines of linked data and semantic web standards can be accessed via SPARQL endpoint. Originality/value – The authors have developed an ontology for the political domain tailored to aid in the tasks of named entity recognition and resolution. It represents the complexity and dynamic nature of relations between political agents (politicians, political associations and political institutions) over time.

Open source solutions for libraries: ABCD vs Koha

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to present an overview of the two open source (OS) integrated library systems (ILS) – Koha and ABCD (ISIS family), to compare their “next-generation library catalog” functionalities, and to give comparison of other important features available through ILS modules. Design/methodology/approach – Two open source ILSs, Koha and ABCD, were compared in-depth according to their functionalities and characteristics. A checklist was created for each module: acquisition, cataloging, serials, patron management and circulation, reports and statistics, and administration. For an online catalog module, a separate checklist with “new generation catalog” characteristics was created. The authors also defined an additional set of criteria which could influence the decision process and selection of appropriate ILS like funding, metadata schema, preferred ILS functionalities, provided support, and the role of the IT department, and computer and network infrastructure in the library. Findings – Evaluation of ILSs reveals that Koha has more functionalities than ABCD, especially those connected with the “next generation library catalog”. If a library is using UNIMARC or MARC21 format for bibliographic description and has a good IT support, Koha is an open source ILS with a wide community which has to be considered for implementation. ABCD has great metasearch possibilities and is worth considering by libraries using other or no metadata schemas or without IT support. Research limitations/implications – The research was limited to two research libraries and their praxis and experiences. Further analysis can include other open source ILSs. Practical implications – This study can help libraries preparing to migrate to open source ILS to choose an appropriate one. Originality/value – This is the first comprehensive study conducted on Koha and ABCD comparing all modules in detail.

Construct DTPB model by using DEMATEL: a study of a university library website

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Yu-Cheng Lee, Yi-Fang Hsieh, Yau-Bin Guo) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose – Traditional studies on a decomposed theory of planned behavior (DTPB) analyze the relationship of variables through a structural equation model. If certain variables do not fully comply with the independent hypothesis, it is not possible to conduct proper analysis, which leads to false conclusions. To solve these problems, the aim of this research is to adopt an expert opinion-driven decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL), and re-establish the causal relationship and the degree of interrelationship of DTPB variables. Design/methodology/approach – This research used a university library website as an individual case, and illustrated the benefits of constructing DTPB model by using DEMATEL through the opinions of 23 experts surveyed by questionnaires. Findings – According to the analysis result of constructing DTPB model by using DEMATEL, when DTPB variables were distributed within quadrants of high centrality and degree of causality, they became the key influential variables; when distributed within quadrants of low centrality and degree of causality, the variables needed urgent management. Originality/value – When traditional DTPB does not consider the direct and indirect relationships among variables, the original causal relationship of variables will be influenced, and then the original variables cannot fully demonstrate their causal relationship. Therefore the feasibility and effect of constructing DTPB model by using DEMATEL proposed in this research are proved through individual cases.

External collaboration patterns of research institutions using shared publications in the Web of Science

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose – During recent decades, research institutions have increased collaboration with other institutions since it is recognized as a good practice that improves their performance. However, they do not usually consider external collaborations as a strategic issue despite their benefits. The purpose of this paper consists of identifying different patterns of collaboration and internationalization of universities, with the aim of helping managers and policy makers to take decisions related to their national research policies. Design/methodology/approach – Co-authorship analysis has been used in conjunction with social network analysis to model inter-institutional collaborations as networks, extracting these collaborations from the Web of Science database. Using several structural properties of the extracted networks and applying a statistical treatment, the main profiles of collaborations and internationalization have been obtained. Findings – Obtained results distinguish three patterns of collaborations according to the intensity and scope of collaborations. The statistical treatment also provides a segmentation of universities according to their collaboration profiles. Finally, universities are represented in bi-dimensional maps using external collaborations as a measure of similarity. Research limitations/implications – Although this study is restricted to English universities, it could probably be extended at least to other countries in the European Union or even other developed countries. Practical implications – Research and institutions productivity are usually linked to the amount of received funding. The use of indicators related to internationalization of institutions can help to avoid a bias in favour of research quantity rather than quality, and towards a short-term performance rather than a long-term research capacity. Originality/value – As a difference to previous works, this paper analyses networks of collaboration from the viewpoint of institutions. More specifically, the combination of social network analysis and factor analysis is used to identify patterns of collaboration among institutions. A longitudinal study is also included to demonstrate that the obtained categorization of universities is maintained over time.

User acceptance of long-term evolution (LTE) services: An application of extended technology acceptance model

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Eunil Park, Ki Joon Kim) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to propose an integrated path model in order to explore user acceptance of long-term evolution (LTE) services by examining potential causal relationships between key psychological factors and user intention to use the services. Design/methodology/approach – Online survey data collected from 1,344 users are analysed with the structural equation modelling (SEM) method. Findings – Results reveal that satisfaction is the most crucial factor contributing to user intention to use LTE services. Other factors, including perceived usefulness, attitude, and system and service quality, also have notable impacts on user intention. Furthermore, system and service quality is affected by both perceived processing speed and perceived mobility, while perceived usefulness is primarily influenced by perceived adaptivity. In addition, four factors (perceived usefulness, adaptivity, processing speed, and system and service quality) are found to be major determinants of the user attitudes toward the services. Originality/value – The present study provides valuable insights to understanding key factors that affect user perceptions of and intention to use LTE services.

Information Policies and Strategies

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Johnson Paul) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Digital Libraries and Information Access: Research Perspectives

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Tanja Mercun) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Cloud Computing for Libraries

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Robin Yeates) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

User Studies for Digital Library Development

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Jan Pisanski) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100