This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Reid, P. H. Articles by Macafee, C. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

The philosophy of local studies in the interactive age

Department of Information Management Aberdeen Business School The Robert Gordon University Garthdee Road Aberdeen AB10 7QE UK, p.reid{at}rgu.ac.uk

Caroline Macafee

Department of Information Management Aberdeen Business School The Robert Gordon University Garthdee Road Aberdeen AB10 7QE UK

The authors examine strategic priorities for local studies libraries in the context of the interactive Web. They examine the implications for access, investigations and the needs of different users. The philosophy that has previously guided local studies is articulated as a number of maxims, taking into account also social inclusion and lifelong learning. These maxims are then re-assessed and added to in the light of issues such as the acquisition of digital media objects, mass amateurisation, profiling remote users and balancing their needs with those of local taxpayers, digital service provision and creating and maintaining an effective online presence.

Key Words: communities and user groups • digital access and interaction • Internet • library management • local studies librarianship • philosophy • service provision

References

• Arms, William Y. (1998) ` Implementing Policies for Access Management' , D-Lib Magazine, February, URL (consulted October 2005): www.dlib.org/dlib/february98/arms/02arms.html
• Association of Personal Historians. URL (consulted October 2005): http://www.personalhistorians.org/
• Barber, Jill (2002) ` Marketing' , in Michael Dewe (ed.) Local Studies Collection Management, pp. 135—51 . Aldershot: Ashgate .
• Bbc (2005) `US Youths Use Internet to Create', BBC News , 4 November, URL (consulted November 2005): http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/4403574.stm
• Bbc. `Lincolnshire Jewish Community', URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.bbc.co.uk/lincolnshire/asop/people/jewish_community.shtml
• Bbc. `People's War in West Sussex Libraries', URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ww2/U767555
• Birmingham City Council. `Birmingham Black History', URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.birminghamblackhistory.com/
• Block, Marylaine (2003) ` Net Effects: How Librarians can Manage the Unintended Consequences of the Internet' , Searcher 42 (6): 11—19 .
• Bott, Valerie (1987) `The World of Local History', in Michael Dewe (ed.) A Manual of Local Studies Librarianship, pp. 7—26. Aldershot : Gower .
• British Library. `Redefining the Library: The British Library's Strategy 2005—2008', URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.bl.uk/about/strategy.html
• Bruemmer, Paul (2002) `Indexing Deep Web Content', Search Engine Guide, 27, URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.searchengineguide.com/wi/2002/0327_wi2.html
• Caci. `ACORN', URL (consulted October 2005): http://www.caci.co.uk/acorn/
• Carr, Nicholas (2005) `The Amorality of Web 2.0', Rough type [weblog] , 3 October, URL (consulted October 2005): http://www.roughtype.com/archives/2005/10/the_amorality_o.php
• Carter, G. (1973) J.L. Hobbs's Local History and the Library. London: Andre Deutsch .
• Chandler, John (1987) `Cataloguing and Classification', in Michael Dewe (ed.) A Manual of Local Studies Librarianship, pp. 211—30. Aldershot : Gower .
• Chapman, Ann D., Kingsley, Nicholas and Dempsey, Lorcan (1999) Full Disclosure: Releasing the Value of Library and Archive Collections: A Report to the Pathfinding Group of the British Library , Library and Information Commission and the Library and Information Co-operation Council by UKOLN and the National Council on Archives on a National Strategy for the Retrospective Conversion of Library and Archive Catalogues. Library and Information Commission Report 10. London: Library and Information Commission.
• Christensen-Dalsgaard, Birte (2004) ' Web Archive Activities in Denmark' , RLG DigiNews 8 (3), URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.rlg.org/en/page.php?Page_ID=17661
• Coates, Tom (2003) `(Weblogs and) The Mass Amateurisation of (Nearly) Everything...', Plasticbag [weblog], 3 September, URL (consulted September 2005): http://www.plasticbag.org/archives/2003/09/weblogs_and_the_mass_amateurisation_of_nearly_everything.shtml
• Coffman, Steve and Arett, Linda (2004) ` To Chat or not to Chat: Taking yet another Look at Virtual Reference' , Searcher 49 (8): 12—19 .
• Dashkin, Michael (2003) ` Electronic Writing: Defining a Core Competency', Information Outlook 34 (4): 7—15 .
• De Bra, Paul, Aroyo, Lora and Chepegin, Vadim (2004) `The Next Big Thing: Adaptive Systems' , Journal of Digital Information 5 (1): 247 , URL (consulted November 2005): http://jodi.tamu.edu/Articles/v05/i01/DeBra/
• Dewe, Michael (ed.) (1991) Local Studies Collections: A Manual. 2 vols. Aldershot : Gower .
• Dewe, Michael (ed.) (2002) Local Studies Collection Management. Aldershot : Ashgate .
• Drugeon, Thomas (2005) ` A Technical Approach for the French Web Legal Deposit' , 5th International Web Archiving Workshop (IWAW05), URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.iwaw.net/05/drugeon.pdf
• Fenton, James (2000) The Hamely Tongue: A Personal Record of Ulster-Scots in Country Antrim. [ Belfast ]: Ullans Press for Ulster-Scots Language Society.
• Fichter, Darlene (2000) ` Making your Library Web Site Sticky' , Online 87: 24—7 .
• Figallo, Cliff and Rhine, Nancy (2001) ` Tapping the Grape Vine: User-generated Content' , EContent 24 (3), URL (consulted November 2005): http://weblinks1.epnet.com
• From History to her Story: Yorkshire women's lives on-line, 1100 to the present. `Celebrating women's history', URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.histo rytoherstory.org.uk/
• Fulkerson, Jennifer (1995) ` Climbing the Family Tree ', American Demographics, December, 42—50 .
• General Register Office (Scotland). URL (consulted December 2005): http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk
• Giersch, Sarah et al. (2004) ` If you Build it, Will they Come? Participant Involvement in Digital Libraries ', D-Lib Magazine 10 (7/8), URL (consulted October 2005): http://www.dlib.org/dlib/july04/giersch/07giersch.html
• Gordon, Rachel Singer (2003) ` Relevant Yesterday, Relevant Tomorrow—but how to Stay Relevant Today ? Here are some Suggestions and Examples of how you can Retain Relevance by Becoming a True Part of the Online Community' , Computers in Libraries October 10 (5): 23—31 .
• Grice, Elizabeth (2005) ` Elizabeth GRICE reports on a boom in index rage' [Interview with Nick Barratt] , The Daily Telegraph, Weekend section, 9 April, 2 .
• Guenther, Kim (2001) ` Know thy Remote Users' , Computers in Libraries April, 52: 21—4 .
• Habermas, Jürgen (1992) The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere. An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeois Society. Translated by Thomas Burger with the assistance of Frederick Lawrence . Cambridge : Polity.
• Hobbs, John L. (1948) Libraries and the Material of Local History. London : Grafton . [See Carter (1973 ).]
• Hoggart, Richard (1957) The Uses of Literacy. London: Chatto and Windus .
• Hoskins, W.G. (1966) English Local History: The Past and the Future: An inaugural lecture delivered in the University of Leicester, 3 March 1966. Leicester: Leicester University Press .
• Hoskins, W.G. (1967) Fieldwork in Local History. London: Faber and Faber .
• Internet Archive. URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.archive.org/about/about.php
• Jacso, Peter (2001) `Librarians as Digital Authors and Publishers' , Computers in Libraries, May, 52: 21—5 .
• Jisc. `Archives Hub', URL (consulted October 2005): http://www.jisc.ac.uk/coll_uk_archives.html
• Kollock, Peter (1999) `The Economies of Online Cooperation. Gifts and Public Goods in cyberspace', in Marc A. Smith and Peter Kollock (eds) Communities in Cyberspace, pp. 220—39 London: Routledge .
• Kopal. `Über kopal: Daten für die Zukunft, URL (consulted November 2005): http://kopal.langzeit archivierung.de/
• Lancashire Record Office. `North West Sound Archive', URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/education/lro/about/archive.asp
• Laslett, Peter (1983) The World we have Lost — Further Explored. 3rd edn. London: Methuen .
• Lenhart, Amanda and Madden, Mary (2005) `Teen Content Creators and Consumers ', Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2 November, URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.pewInternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Teens_Content_Creation.pdf
• Levine, Jenny (2001) ` Information Shifting, February 23, 2001' [slideshow] . [ Chicago ] Suburban Library System, URL (consulted October 2005): http://www.sls.lib.il.us/infotech/presentations/shifting/sld009.htm
• McLuhan, Eric. `Herbert Marshall McLuhan 1911—1980, FAQs', URL (consulted October 2005): http://www.marshallmcluhan.com/faqs.html
• McLuhan, Marshall (1964 ) Understanding Media. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul .
• Manchester City Council (2003) Manchester Archives and Local Studies . Annual Report 2002/2003: Executive Summary, URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.manchester.gov.uk/libraries/arls/annual2003/index.htm
• Manchester City Council. `Multi-Cultural Manchester', URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.manchester.gov.uk/libraries/arls/ethnic.htm
• Manchester City Council. `Spinning the Web: The Story of the Cotton Industry', URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.spinningtheweb.org.uk/
• Marshall, J.D. (1983) ` The Amateur and Local History' , Lancashire Local Historian 1: 3—11 .
• Marshall, J.D. (1997) The Tyranny of the Discrete: A Discussion on the Problems of Local History in England. London: Scolar Press .
• Martin, D. (2002) Local Studies Libraries, 2nd edn London: Library Association .
• Mead, Margaret (1970) Culture and Commitment: A Study of the Generation Gap . New York: Doubleday .
• Merholz, Peter (2004) `Metadata for the Masses', Adaptive Path, 19 October, URL (consulted October 2005): http://www.adaptivepath.com/publications/essays/archives/000361.php
• Moray Council. `Local Heritage Services in Moray — Scotland', URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.moray.gov.uk/LocalHeritage/Assets/html_pages/morayheritage.html
• `Moving Here: 200 Years of Migration to England', URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.movinghere.org.uk/
• Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. ` Bury Metro Libraries: Jewish Community History Project' . MLA Action, URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.mla.gov.uk/action/dcmswolf/bhp2001_084.asp
• National Archives. URL (consulted December 2005): http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
• National Archives. `Exhibitions', URL (consulted October 2005): http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/exhibitions/
• Nicholson, Dennis and Macgregor, George (2002) ` Learning Lessons Holistically in the Glasgow Digital Library' , D-Lib Magazine 8 (7/8), URL (consulted October 2005): http://www.dlib.org/dlib/july02/nicholson/07nicholson.html
• Oclc. `2004 Information Format Trends: Content, not Containers', URL (consulted November 2005 ): http://www.5.oclc.org/downloads/community/2004infotrends_content.pdf
• Ozzie, Ray (2005) ` Memo from Ray Ozzie published: November 9 2005' , Financial Times. [WWW.]http://news.ft.com/cms/s/4e426cf0-513f-11daac3b-0000779e2340.html (accessed on 11 November 2005).
• Parry, David (1998) Virtually New: Creating the Digital Collection, a Review of Digitisation Projects in Local Authority Libraries and Archives. A Report. London: Library and Information Commission .
• Paul, Derryan and Dewe, Michael (1991) ` Local Studies Collections in Academic Libraries' , in Michael Dewe (ed.) Local Studies Collections: A Manual, vol. 1, pp. 52—69 . Aldershot: Gower .
• Penka, Jeffrey T. (2003) ` The Technological Challenges of Digital Reference: An Overview' , D-Lib Magazine 9 (2), URL (consulted October 2005 ): http://www.dlib.org/dlib/february03/penka/02penka.html
• Perkins, John, Dawson, David and Geber, Kati (2004) ` Beyond Productivity: Culture and Heritage Resources in the Digital Age' , D-Lib Magazine 10 (6), URL (consulted October 2005 ): http://www.dlib.org/dlib/june04/perkins/06perkins.html
• Phythian-Adams, C. (1987) Rethinking English Local History. Leicester: Leicester University Press .
• Powys County Council (2002) ` Croeso i Bowys: diwrnod ym mywyd/Welcome to Powys: a day in the life' . The Powys Digital History Project, URL (consulted October 2005): http://a-day-in-the-life.powys.org.uk/
• Puacz, Jeanne Holba (2000) ` Bringing Archives to Life on the Web' , Computers in Libraries 32: 20—21 .
• Public Voice (2004) ` Ofcom and "citizen-consumers" ', Public Voice, 31 March, URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.politics.co.uk/microsites/3436683/downloads/critique_of_ofcom_and_citizens_interests.doc
• Real Cornwall. URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.realcornwall.net/
• Reid, Peter H. (2003) The Digital Age and Local Studies. Oxford: Chandos .
• Sanchez, Marcos (2000) `Eight Ways to Sticky Sites', eFuse, URL (consulted October 2005): http://www.efuse.com/Plan/sticky-sites.htm
• Sayers, William C.B. (1939) Library Local Collections. London: George Allen & Unwin .
• Schwarzwalder, Robert (2000) ` The Death of the Enduser' , EContent 23 (4), URL (consulted November 2005): http://weblinks3.epnet.com
• Scott, Susan and Duncan, Christopher ( 2004) Return of the Black Death: The World's Greatest Serial Killer. Chichester: Wiley .
• Shannon, Bill (2004) ` Producers and Consumers: The Market for Local History' , The Local Historian, August 34 (3).
• Sheerans, G. and Sheerans, Y. (1999) ` Reconstructing Local History' , The Local Historian 29 (4): 256—62 .
• Sheffield City Council . `Picture Sheffield.com', URL (consulted October 2005): http://www.picturesheffield.com/
• Sinclair, Sir John (1825) Analysis of the Statistical Account of Scotland . Edinburgh. URL (consulted December 2005): http://edina.ac.uk/statacc/[KnownastheOldStatisticalAccountofScotland.]
• Sloan, Bernie (1998) ` Electronic Reference Services: Some Suggested Guidelines' , Reference and User Services Quarterly, Summer (38): 77—81 , URL (consulted October 2005): http://people.lis.uiuc.edu/~b-sloan/guide.html
• Sowers, Bill (2003) ` Bigger Things from Small Packages: Enhancing a Catalogue with Local and Family History Analytics' , Technicalities 23 (6), URL (consulted November 2005): http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com
• SRI Consulting Business Intelligence VALS^TM psychology of markets, URL (consulted October 2005): http://www.sric-bi.com/VALS/
• Steenbakkers, Johan (2002) ` The Road to E-deposit at the Koninklijke Bibliotheek' . Koninklijke Bibliotheek. URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.kb.nl/hrd/dd/dd_links_en_publicatiespublicaties/eskb-roadtoe-deposit3_20aug02.pdf
• Tameside Local Studies and Archive Centre ` Tameside Oral History Interviews' , Sound Recordings at the Tameside Local Studies & Archives Unit, URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.tameside.gov.uk/leisure/new/lh41.htm
• Taylor, C. (2002) ` People and Places: Local History and Landscape History' , The Local Historian 32 (4): 234—49 .
• The Scottish Villages. URL (consulted December 2005): http://www.the-scottish-villages.co.uk/
• Tonnies, Ferdinand (1957) Community and Society: Gemeinschaft und Gesellschaft. Translated and edited by Charles P. Loomis. Michigan State University Press . [German original 1887]
• Trondra Group. `Hidden History', URL (consulted October 2005): http://www.greatereasterhouse.co.uk/trondra/index.html
• Varian, Hal R. (1998) `Markets for Information Goods', URL (consulted October 2005): http://www.sims.berkeley.edu/~hal/Papers/japan/index.html
• Victoria and Albert Museum. `Every object tells a story', URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.everyobject.net/index.php
• Webster, John (2005) ` Genealogy: An Information Need We Can't Meet ?', CILIP Update 4 (4): 42—3 .
• WebTrends. URL (consulted October 2005): http://www.webtrends.com/
• Wishart, Jill (2005) ` Local Historians and Antiquarians' , Local History News 74: 28 .
• Wolverhampton Archives & Local Studies. ` Women in Wolverhampton 's History', URL (consulted November 2005): http://www.wolverhamptonarchives.dial.pipex.com/local_women_politics.htm
• Worcman, Karen (2002) ` Digital Division is Cultural Exclusion. But is Digital Inclusion Cultural Inclusion? ', D-Lib Magazine 8 (3), URL (consulted October 2005): http://www.dlib.org/dlib/march02/worcman/03worcman.html
• Wright, W.H.K. (1879) ` Special Collections of Local Books in Provincial Libraries' , in Transactions and Proceedings of the First Annual Meeting of the Library Association of the United Kingdom, 1878. London: Whittingham.
• Young, Michael and Willmott, Peter (1957) Family and Kinship in East London. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul .

CiteULike

Connotea

Del.icio.us

Digg

Reddit

Technorati

This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Reid, P. H. Articles by Macafee, C. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?