Overview of content related to 'research'

Editorial Introduction to Issue 44: One Day We All Learn the Hard Way

editor — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 23:00:00 +0000

Richard Waller introduces Ariadne issue 44.

Having opined elsewhere in this august organ that it would not be my policy to produce themed issues, I suppose I had better put my hand up at least to accumulating a majority of main articles which address the theme of accessibility from various and interesting perspectives. Having argued on the grounds that Ariadne issues which concentrate unduly on one topic inevitably leave a lot of readers feeling excluded, I can see that that the majority of readers who do not live with significant visual, physical or other impairments will feel hurt and almost certainly betrayed.

Accessibility: The Current Situation and New Directions

editor — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 23:00:00 +0000

Kevin Carey describes accessibility by disabled people to digital information systems across broadcasting, telecommunications and the Internet, looks into the future and makes recommendations.

Accessibility and Usability

Before embarking on the major strands of my argument it would be as well to consider definitions.

Involving Users in the Development of a Web Accessibility Tool

editor — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 23:00:00 +0000

Jenny Craven and Mikael Snaprud describe how the EC-funded European Internet Accessibility Observatory Project is involving users in the development of a Web accessibility checking and monitoring tool.

The European Union (EU) is increasingly focused on design for all issues and ensuring that access to information and telecommunications meets the needs of all people in order to address the digital divide and create an information society for all. This includes the estimated 37 million people with disabilities in the EU, as well as other groups who could face barriers to e-inclusion such as older people and people with access limitations. This could include users of alternative devices (e.g. PDAs) or with limited bandwidth.

Web Accessibility Revealed: The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council Audit

editor — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 23:00:00 +0000

Marcus Weisen, Helen Petrie, Neil King and Fraser Hamilton describe a comprehensive Web accessibility audit involving extensive user testing as well as automatic testing of Web sites.

In 2004, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) commissioned a Web accessibility audit from City University London. MLA is the national development agency working for and on behalf of museums, libraries and archives in England and advising government on policy and priorities for the sector. The audit was inspired by a study conducted by City University London in 2003/2004 on the accessibility of 1,000 general Web sites for the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) [1].

Towards a Pragmatic Framework for Accessible E-Learning

editor — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 23:00:00 +0000

Lawrie Phipps, Neil Witt and Brian Kelly while recognising the importance of accessibility in e-learning resources, query the universal applicability of the Web Accessibility Initiative's guidelines and describe a pragmatic framework which provides a broader context for their use.

From Well Meaning Guideline to Stealth Standard

Access to learning for all students is a value that is hard to dispute for anyone working in the education sector. Within the areas of education that are concerned with supporting disabled students, it has almost become dogma that in order to provide this 'universal access' we must have standards in design that can accommodate all (disabled) learner needs. This view is supported by legislation:

Virtual Research Environments: Overview and Activity

editor — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 23:00:00 +0000

Michael Fraser provides an overview of the virtual research environment (VRE) and introduces three JISC-funded projects in which Oxford University is participating.

Virtual research environments (VREs), as one hopes the name suggests, comprise digital infrastructure and services which enable research to take place. The idea of a VRE, which in this context includes cyberinfrastructure and e-infrastructure, arises from and remains intrinsically linked with, the development of e-science.

Mobile Blogs, Personal Reflections and Learning Environments: The RAMBLE Project

editor — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 23:00:00 +0000

Paul Trafford describes how mobile blogs for personal reflection may be related to institutional learning environments, drawing on experiences from the RAMBLE Project.

Public participation in the Internet has continued to boom, aided in no small measure by the 'weblog' (or, simply, 'blog'), one of the most accessible means of online publication, a term that is rapidly entering common parlance. Blogs are authored by people from many walks of life and are of many kinds: for instance, Penny Garrod has shown how they can support reading groups and community links, such as news from local councillors [1].

Supporting Local Data Users in the UK Academic Community

editor — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 23:00:00 +0000

Luis Martinez and Stuart Macdonald discuss the differing areas of expertise within the UK data libraries with particular reference to their relationship with National Data Centres, the role of the Data Information Specialists Committee - UK (DISC-UK) and other information specialists.

This article will report on existing local data support infrastructures within the UK tertiary education community. It will discuss briefly early methods and traditions of data collection within UK territories. In addition it will focus on the current UK data landscape with particular reference to specialised national data centres which provide access to large-scale government surveys, macro socio-economic data, population censuses and spatial data.

Planet-SOSIG

editor — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 23:00:00 +0000

Emma Place assesses the recent SOSIG Social Science Online seminars, Jacky Clake reports on the ESRC Social Science Week and Debra Hiom updates us on the virtual seminar run by SOSIG as part of Social Science Week.

Academics Look to Improve Their Internet Research Skills

Over 130 academics, librarians and researchers attended the SOSIG "Social Science Online" seminars this year, which aimed to help staff develop their Internet research skills and look at ways of teaching these skills to students.

EEVL Xtra: The Hidden Web at Your Fingertips

editor — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 23:00:00 +0000

Roddy MacLeod looks at the latest service from EEVL.

EEVL Xtra - In a Nutshell

EEVL Xtra [1] is an exciting new, free service which helps people find articles, books, the best Web sites, the latest industry news, job announcements, technical reports, technical data, full text eprints, the latest research, teaching and learning resources and more, in engineering, mathematics and computing.

Web Focus: The WWW 2005 Conference

editor — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 23:00:00 +0000

Brian Kelly provides his impressions including reports of areas of doubt and uncertainty - but also of an exciting new development.

About the WWW 2005 Conference

The WWW 2005 Conference was held in the Nippon Conference Centre in Chiba, Japan over 10-14 May 2005. This conference is the main event for the Web research community and provides an opportunity for researchers to present papers on research into developments in the Web infrastructure. In addition to its role for the research community, the conference also attracts delegates who are active in leading edge work in more mainstream areas.

Integration and Impact: The JISC Annual Conference

editor — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 23:00:00 +0000

Marieke Guy has collated reports on sessions from the JISC Annual Conference held in Birmingham.

The 2005 JISC Conference took place on 12 April at the Birmingham International Convention Centre (ICC) which this year - inexplicably - had a giant Ferris wheel thirty yards from the main entrance, entirely unconnected with the main event. The annual conference [1] is a chance for JISC to showcase the breadth of its activities [2] in providing support for the use of ICT in education and research, and as usual it was a bustle of networking and learning.

IWMW 2005

editor — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 23:00:00 +0000

Miles Banbery reports on the 9th Institutional Web Management Workshop held at the University of Manchester, UK, over 6-8 July 2005.

The 9th Institutional Web Management Workshop [1], a three-day event held at the Manchester Conference Centre [2], Manchester University [3], UK, 6-8 July 2005 had as its theme this year 'Whose web is it anyway?'. How apt at a time when we are all continuing to attempt delivery of systems and services to meet users' needs and requirements within institutional demands and pressures on resource.

DCC Workshop on Persistent Identifiers

editor — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 23:00:00 +0000

Philip Hunter gives a personal view of this workshop held in Glasgow, 30 June - 1 July, supported by NISO, CETIS, ERPANET, UKOLN and the DCC.

A Digital Curation Centre (DCC) Meeting on Persistent Identifiers was held over 30 June - 1 July 2005 at the Wolfson Building at the University of Glasgow. This is a new construction (2002) just opposite the 1970s Boyd-Orr building, mentioned before in Ariadne's pages. The architecture of this building is quite unlike the Boyd-Orr building however, being light and airy, with more imaginative use of space: the lecture theatre in which the meeting took place is in the shape of an eye, situated at the edge of the main open space.

News and Events

editor — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 23:00:00 +0000

Ariadne presents a brief summary of news and events.

TASI Offers Workshops over Summer and Autumn Months

The JISC-funded Technical Advisory Service for Images (TASI) is offering a number of workshops in the coming months, of which two below are given as examples.

Building a departmental resource
11 August 2005

Book Review: Disaster Management for Libraries and Archives

editor — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 23:00:00 +0000

Ian Lovecy looks at a useful consolidation of approaches to disaster management.

The aim of this book is ambitious: it sets out to present current professional and practical ideas on the whole range of disaster management, from the precautions which will prevent - or at least minimise - disaster, through the financial considerations, balancing of risk, and staff training needs, to the process of recovery and re-establishment of a service. It does so in an international context; and it does so based on the practical experience of the contributors.