Table of contents: issue44

Creative Archive

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

Paul Gerhardt describes the origins and development of the Creative Archive Project at the BBC.

Last April the BBC, together with Channel 4 Television, the British Film Institute and the Open University, launched the Creative Archive Licence. It was a small act, but it could prove to be a momentous step in how we use moving image and audio in our public and cultural life.

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].

Revealing All

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

Ann Chapman describes Revealweb, a Web site that brings together information about accessible resources for visually impaired people.

The launch of Revealweb [1] on 16 September 2003 was a big step forward for anyone with visual impairment in the UK. For the first time, they had access to a Web-based union catalogue of resources in accessible formats and information about the producers and suppliers of these materials. Until that point there had been no single place which provided information accessible by everyone; in effect, these people were second-class citizens in the information world. Revealweb has not solved all the problems.

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.