Arcadia - Project Reports
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Item Open Access Student Reading in Theory and Practice - Video/Final Report(2012) Nagy, OszkarItem Open Access Student Reading in Theory and Practice - Final Report(2012) Nagy, OszkarThe project adopted a user centred research and design methodology, and had two stages: research and design. In the research stage I tried to gain insight and understanding of student behaviours, motivations and principles when dealing with academic reading, mostly relying on qualitative methods. Assumptions and understanding was validated with secondary inquiries, trying to mix qualitative methods with basic quantitative practices.Item Open Access Collection of Design Outputs from Student Reading Project(2012) Nagy, OszkarA zipped file of design outputs, sketches and diagramsItem Open Access Collection of User Research from Student reading project(2012) Nagy, OszkarA zipped file with interview notes, diary studies etcItem Open Access 1. Archive of Arcadia Website(University Library, University of Cambridge, 2012-06-03) Anon.A copy of the Arcadia website, taken 3rd June 2013 prior to closing the siteItem Open Access Too much ‘digital’, too little ‘humanities’? An attempt to explain why many humanities scholars are reluctant converts to Digital Humanities(2011) Porsdam, HelleEarly work in Digital Humanities (DH), was heavily influenced or even led by the technology. But with the second wave of DH, the visions and the initiatives are coming from within the humanities. The key words are qualitative, interpretive, experiential, emotive, and generative and digital toolkits are being developed and used in the service of the Humanities’ core methodological strengths: attention to complexity, medium specificity, historical context, analytical depth, critique and interpretation. The aims of the project are to: -Explain in clear, economical terms what the Digital Humanities (DH) are -Outline what the role(s) of DH are likely to be in teaching and research - Survey the likely impact(s) of DH on scholarly publishing - Identify and discuss what the main Intellectual Property issues are likely to be in relation to DH.Item Open Access An investigation of how researchers in data intensive scientific fields use, process and curate data(2011-11) Nobis, YvonneThis project was an Arcadia funded project, examining (i) whether research outputs from data-rich science (most typically software) were failing to be disseminated, both within and outside subject communities and (ii) whether there was a useful role for information specialists in this area.Item Open Access A New Curriculum for Information Literacy (ANCIL)- Executive Summary(2011-07) Coonan, Emma; Secker, JaneThis short project, based at Cambridge University Library and funded by the Arcadia Programme, sought to develop a practical curriculum for information literacy that meets the needs of the undergraduate student entering higher education over the next five years. The research is grounded in relevant theoretical models and reviews of recent professional literature and existing best practices. In addition, the authors consulted with experts in the information literacy field, and also those working in curriculum design and educational technologies.Item Open Access A New Curriculum for Information Literacy (ANCIL)- Curriculum and supporting documents(2011-07) Coonan, Emma; Secker, JaneThe curriculum outlines what we believe to be a continuum of skills, competencies, behaviours and attitudes ranging from functional skills to intellectual operations that together comprise the spectrum of information literacy. The overarching aim of the curriculum is to help undergraduate learners to develop a high‐level, reflective understanding of information contexts and issues which will empower them with a robust framework for handling new information situations, and to generate strategies for evaluating, analysing and and assimilating that information as needed and at the time it is required.Item Open Access A New Curriculum for Information Literacy (ANCIL)- Teaching learning: perceptions of information literacy(2011-07) Coonan, EmmaThis paper focuses on the higher education environment, and specifically on the factors influencing the undergraduate experience of information. It examines the variant, and at times conflicting, visions of information and ‘information overload’ held by the different players in the higher education field which have contributed to the contested state of information literacy in UK higher education as it currently stands. It argues that information literacy cannot be reduced to rote mastery of functional skills, and that its provision should not be left solely to library or support departments, and thus segregated from core academic practice and thought.Item Open Access A New Curriculum for Information Literacy (ANCIL) - Expert Consultation Report(2011-07) Secker, JaneIn order to inform the development of a New Curriculum for Information Literacy, the project researchers consulted widely with a number of key individuals in the information and education professions.This report summarises the key issues to consider when implementing and designing acurriculum for information literacy.Item Open Access History uncovered(2011-03) Keim, CarolynThe project studied the information needs of undergraduate historians at the University of Cambridge and aimed to analyse both their use of resources and the wider networks that support their search for informationItem Open Access An investigation of the issues involved in creating a bank of exam questions(2010) Truscott, HarrietThe project explored the potential for the University Library to provide staff and students with personalised resources and services, taking as a test case the Faculties' archives of past exam papers, attempting to provide students with a single web-page linking to all the past exam papers for the exams they are registered to take.Item Open Access Postgraduate information needs and online tools awareness(2010-06) Dingley, EstherThe PINOTA Project aimed to explore the information needs of postgraduates and their awareness of online tools which can be used to assist with information search and management in an increasingly digital research age. The report focuses on the data collected through a survey of postgraduates at the University of Cambridge, which was delivered online and was completed by 19% of the current postgraduate population. This survey was followed by a series of four focus group sessions which provided a deeper insight into the information needs and existing strategies used by Cambridge postgraduates. A series of possible recommendations was further investigated in a second survey to the Cambridge postgraduate population, which was also delivered online. Based upon this research, a number of key findings are reported below along with some recommendations made for the future support of postgraduates in a digital environment.Item Open Access Composite document cross-sections and assemblies (outline diagrams of mash-ups)(2009) Sheppard, DanMany documents used in teaching and learning are composite: an exam paper contains questions, the essence of a reading list is a collection of citations, and a syllabus lists course components. The "document" model, inherited from a print-oriented era, presents challenges to associative, non-hierarchical models of representation common in modern Web systems: "mashing up" becomes difficult when the level of granularity available is too large. For example, we may wish to navigate between exam questions on similar subjects for multiple years, or to the associated syllabus entry, lecture notes, or reading list entries: a task which currently involves a fair amount of "looking up" in multiple composite documents.This project will apply techniques to allow the production of "mashable" granular components from composite documents. The project will begin with exam papers, highly formulaic in layout, where such techniques can be easily applied for a substantial gain. Following an evaluation of the outcomes of applying this process for exam papers, attention will turn to related documents such as syllabuses and – particularly -- reading lists, hoping to build on earlier Arcadia projects in this area.Item Open Access A View from Elsewhere(2009) Hirst, TonyThis report provides an overview of activities carried out during Michaelmas Term, Autumn 2009, as part of a Cambridge University Library Arcadia Project Fellowship on "Rapid Innovation in the Library". The approach taken during the project was to look for opportunities for "quick wins" in the current library setting that could be used to illustrate potential (and tangible) benefits from engaging with current and emerging technologies and changing trends in user behaviour. Where possible, the work built on work undertaken as part of the previous Arcadia projects.Item Open Access Digitisation-on-Demand in Academic Research Libraries(2011-10-08) Chamberlain, Edmund M.The investigation finds that digitisation-on-demand and print on-demand services have the potential to provide greater value access to libraries’ collections and could help a library to realise its true potential as a ‘long tail’. There are at present a number of practical and financial limitations that prevent this from being fully realised. Whilst the concept remains a viable one and demand is noted, copyright legislation restricts the material available for full digitisation to a niche subset of a library’s’ whole collection. For digitisation-on-demand, start-up costs remain high, which itself endangers a higher level of risk if a self-funding service is not used. Lease hire models for equipment could help mitigate this. For print on demand, start-up costs are also relatively high. Third party solutions could provide an alternative. In both cases, users may object to additional costs.Item Open Access Reading Lists in Cambridge: A Standard System?(2009-06) Jones, HuwIn June 2008 a committee of librarians from across the University convened to investigate ways of improving library services, with particular regard to elearning and the provision of services to undergraduates. Reading lists quickly emerged as the major factor in undergraduate library use, as influential on the types of resources used by undergraduates, and as an area where there was potential for an improvement to the student experience. One of the committee’s recommendations was that an application be made for an Arcadia Fellowship to investigate issues surrounding the adoption of a standard system for dealing with reading lists. The proposal was felt to map well onto the core issues highlighted by the Arcadia Programme – particularly Changes in Higher Education, New generations of library users, Technology and Changing academic workflows. This report is the result of that Fellowship.Item Open Access M-Libraries: Information use on the move(2009-04) Mills, KerenWhen people talk about mobile libraries, they tend to mean a bus or truck that has been kitted out as a roving branch library. However with a growing number of people accessing the internet from their pocket PCs and mobile phones, libraries are investigating ways to deliver their services to mobile phones and other small-screen devices so their customers can access them any time anywhere. This can be as simple as sending text message alerts about reservations becoming available or overdue books, or as complex as the Athabasca University Library’s Digital Reading room, which allows readers to access full eBooks and journal articles through their library’s subscriptions on any mobile device. These services have collectively become known as ‘m-libraries’.Item Open Access Iris Project: Information Skills Provision: Mapping the information skills of Cambridge undergraduates and induction / training provision across the University(2009-04) Edwards-Waller, EThis report summarises the results of the IRIS Project: an eleven-week research exercise undertaken as part of the Arcadia Fellowship Programme. The IRIS Project aimed to map both the provision of library inductions and training for students at the University, and the information skills amongst undergraduate students. The report focuses on the data received from an online student survey and a series of focus groups. In total, 10.07% of the current student population at Cambridge University participated in the study. The provision of library inductions and training was largely measured through an e-mail questionnaire sent to 75 libraries within the University. Students participating in the study represented a wide range of subjects, colleges, ages and experiences.