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Understanding the information and communication technology needs of the e-humanist.
- Source :
-
Journal of Documentation . 2008, Vol. 64 Issue 1, p102-130. 29p. - Publication Year :
- 2008
-
Abstract
- Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to understand the needs of humanists with respect to information and communication technology (ICT) in order to prescribe the design of an e-humanist's workbench. Design/methodology/approach -- A web-based survey comprising over 60 questions gathered the following data from 169 humanists: profile of the humanist, use of ICT in teaching, e-texts, text analysis tools, access to and use of primary and secondary sources, and use of collaboration and communication tools. Findings -- Humanists conduct varied forms of research and use multiple techniques. They rely on the availability of inexpensive, quality-controlled e-texts for their research. The existence of primary sources in digital form influences the type of research conducted. They are unaware of existing tools for conducting text analyses, but expressed a need for better tools. Search engines have replaced the library catalogue as the key access tool for sources. Research continues to be solitary with little collaboration among scholars. Research limitations/implications -- The results are based on a self-selected sample of humanists who responded to a web-based survey. Future research needs to examine the work of the scholar at a more detailed level, preferably through observation and/or interviewing. Practical implications -- The findings support a five-part framework that could serve as the basis for the design of an e-humanist's workbench. Originality/value -- The paper examines the needs of the humanist, founded on an integration of information science research and humanities computing for a more comprehensive understanding of the humanist at work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00220418
- Volume :
- 64
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Documentation
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 32044398
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1108/00220410810844178