Mobile learning/research user needs
Most readers of this blog are involved in some form or another in the design, editing or maintenance of web sites/pages/applications. We usually consider first of all regular users sitting behind a desktop or laptop. However, mobile devices are growing ever more capable of meaningful web surfing. The iPad is just the latest example. Mobile […] Read MoreNew Data Publication in Open Context: Khirbat al-Mudayna al-‘Aliya
Interested in the archaeology of Jordan? Check out hot-off-the-press data from Khirbat al-Mudayna al-‘Aliya, an early Iron Age settlement in a semi-arid zone of west-central Jordan (co-directed by Bruce Routledge and Benjamin Porter). Start with the project overview and then move on to browse around the project data. A highlight of this project is the […] Read MoreEnsuring long-term access to digital information
In the website reviews published in this blog, the answer to the “Permanence/Archiving” question is very often unclear at best. That’s why the final report published by the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Sustainable Digital Preservation and Access, entitled Sustainable Economics for a Digital Planet. Ensuring Long-Term Access to Digital Information, is very timely. It is […] Read MoreAssessing the Future Landscape of Scholarly Communication
A new and important study has just been published on the eScholarship (University of California) website: Assessing the Future Landscape of Scholarly Communication: An Exploration of Faculty Values and Needs in Seven Disciplines by Diane Harley et al. “Since 2005, the Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE), with generous funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, has […] Read MoreBlind Report Writing Study Now Underway
Next weekend, three of our project participants will come together to undertake the “Blind Data Analysis and Report Writing Study.” Participants include practicing zooarchaeologists Justin Lev-Tov (Statistical Research, Inc.), Levent Atici (UNLV) and Sarah Whitcher Kansa (AAI). The aim of this study is to highlight the importance of publishing original datasets alongside syntheses, and most […] Read MoreUser Experience Study, Plans for Year 2: Focus Groups and Technology Refinement
In Year 1 of our study of user experience with archaeological data sharing, we brought together a group of representatives from various archaeological “communities.” Focusing on communities rather than on specific projects, we hoped to identify the vast diversity of needs and concerns related to sharing archaeological content online. Based on discussions and feedback in […] Read MoreGuide to researching audiences
The Strategic Content Alliance (SCA) is a British initiative aimed “to build a common information environment where users of publicly funded e-content can gain best value from the investment that has been made by reducing the barriers that currently inhibit access, use and re-use of online content.” They do a lot of interesting research but […] Read MoreSharing Archaeological Data: Part 3 – What is your Dream Tool?
Last time I stated that it is probably impossible to build a “perfect resource” for data sharing, largely because user needs and the context in which they work are so diverse. In order to find out what archaeologists want to do with primary data and how they want to interact with it, we asked them […] Read More