PurposeIn this article, I present an initial examination of Conservapedia; namely, the problems it identified in the Wikipedia project that made a split appear necessary and the principles it claims to follow. I then argue that Conservapedia is characterized by a “law-and-order” mindset. Finally, implications for the continued existence of Conservapedia in a polarized world are presented.Design/methodology/approachA content analysis of key Conservapedia documents was conducted.FindingsThe founders of Conservapedia took issue with Wikipedia over its supposed intolerance and inconsistency of thought. They developed a set of principles that attempted to reconcile open-mindedness with efficiency and an extreme point of view on certain subjects. Nevertheless, Conservapedia failed to produce a vibrant community, and its function today is more of a database of alt-right dogma controlled by a core group of supporters.Originality/valueThere has been little scholarly attention paid to the various offshoots of Wikipedia, including Conservapedia. This is unfortunate. These alternative wiki encyclopedias represent knowledge universes of their own and in an increasingly polarized world they are important phenomena to understand.

Purpose As museums and other memory institutions continue to invest considerably in mass-digitising collections and participating in large search portals, it is essential to understand existing and potential users, their motivations and search needs to inform collections’ documentation. In this article, we discuss insights from a collaborative project with National Museums Scotland, set up to enhance the findability of collection images and inform documentation practices by understanding the collections users and their search terms. Design/methodology/approach The research involved interviews with National Museums Scotland staff, users and non-users of the Museums’ Search our Collections portal encompassing a concept mapping and card sort activity; online surveys and content analysis of user search queries. Findings The project revealed that participants are interested in searching the online collections by terms often not represented in collections metadata, including terms related to identity (their own but also others’) and social context (e.g. through seasonal and social events); emotional and sensory interests (e.g. visual characteristics) and narrative themes (e.g. on under-represented histories). Originality/value Based on the findings, we further theorise the semantic gap in online museum collection metadata. To bridge this gap and cater to how users search, we argue for a paradigm shift in documentation practices: suggesting practitioners should not only view collection images as information but also tap into their rich potential for enabling social and affective connections.

PurposeCommunity-generated digital content (CGDC) is one of the UK’s prime cultural assets. However, CGDC is currently “critically endangered” (Digital Preservation Coalition, 2021) due to technological and organisational barriers and has proven resistant to traditional methods of linking and integration. The challenge of integrating CGDC into larger archives has effectively silenced diverse community voices within our national collection. Our Heritage, Our Stories (OHOS), funded by the UK’s AHRC programme Towards a National Collection, responds to these urgent challenges by bringing together cutting-edge approaches from cultural heritage, humanities and computer science.Design/methodology/approachExisting solutions to CGDC integration, involving bespoke interventionist activities, are expensive, time-consuming and unsustainable at scale, while unsophisticated computational integration erases the meaning and purpose of both CGDC and its creators. Using innovative multidisciplinary methods, AI tools and a co-design process, previously unfindable and unlinkable CGDC will be made discoverable in our virtual national collection.FindingsThere currently exists a range of disconnected, fragile and under-represented community-generated heritage which is at increasing risk of loss. Therefore, OHOS will work to ensure the survival and preservation of these nationally important resources, for the future and for our shared national collection.Originality/valueAs we dissolve barriers to create meaningful new links across CGDC collections and develop new methods of engagement, OHOS will also make this content accessible to new and diverse audiences. This will facilitate a wealth of fresh research while also embedding new strategies for future management of CGDC into heritage practice and training and fostering newly enriching, robust connections between communities and archival institutions.

he could not have imagined how the episode would change him. It was inside the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, through a little door shrouded within the mammoth Life Sciences Building, and it was open for one day onlyand for the first time in 75 years. Passing through the museum, Buckland saw the skeletons and pelts of animals he'd never heard of. But what caught his attention most was a set of flat file cabinets, the kind that usually store artwork and maps. But inside these particular cabinets were birds. You open a drawer, and there laid in rows were dead woodpeckers and dead sapsuckers, with little tags tied to their feet. I gazed at this, and I had the unworthy thought: the campus is so short of space, they are using prime campus space for dead birds! I mean, really! It is true. At Berkeley space is more difficult to get than either staff or money. (Buckland, 2023, p. 36) Buckland recalled something Russell Ackoff (in our field, now perhaps best known for the DIKW pyramid) had told him when they met that if something seems irrational, it probably means you just don't know the rationale yet. So what might the rationale be for storing dead birds like documents in beautiful cabinets inside a museum at a university? Buckland recalls: I thought to myself, well, it probably has something to do with the University mission and possibly they are research material for researchers to work on to discover what was not known or was known but they did not know it was known. Or it could be instructional material so that students could learn. Either way it has to do with learning and if you accept that proposition, as a librarian, it is clear: It is a dead bird lending library-or, rather, non-lending library. Functionally, in terms of the university's mission, it is no different from the books on the library shelves. It is just a different kind of document.

Purpose This theoretical paper introduces a conceptual framework for Personal Cultural Heritage Management (PCHM), derived from prior research on migrants' information practices. It elaborates on the literature background and the development of the PCHM framework, highlighting the role of personal information management (PIM) and personal collections in the creation, access and utilization of cultural heritage information. Design/methodology/approach The study describes and explains the construction of the PCHM framework as a structured and self-motivated approach to personal heritage and identity learning. Findings Following the theoretical background and assumptions, along with the presentation of the key building blocks, the paper describes the key components of the framework, outlines their definitions and provides examples. Research limitations/implications Theoretically, PCHM extends the current literature by encapsulating processes and actions employed by individuals to manage personal collections for cultural identity purposes, thereby underscoring the critical role personal collections play in both preserving and communicating cultural heritage. Practical implications PCHM can guide the development of support systems and policies to enhance cultural continuity and integration, thus empowering individuals to navigate their cultural identities confidently. Originality/value The PCHM framework creates a unique intersection between PIM and cultural heritage, providing a new perspective for understanding the dynamic evolution and formation of cultural identity among migrants.

PurposeThis study addresses the need for a theory-guided, rich, descriptive account of research data repositories' (RDRs) understanding of data quality and the structures of their data quality assurance (DQA) activities. Its findings can help develop operational DQA models and best practice guides and identify opportunities for innovation in the DQA activities.Design/methodology/approachThe study analyzed 122 data repositories' applications for the Core Trustworthy Data Repositories, interview transcripts of 32 curators and repository managers and data curation-related webpages of their repository websites. The combined dataset represented 146 unique RDRs. The study was guided by a theoretical framework comprising activity theory and an information quality evaluation framework.FindingsThe study provided a theory-based examination of the DQA practices of RDRs summarized as a conceptual model. The authors identified three DQA activities: evaluation, intervention and communication and their structures, including activity motivations, roles played and mediating tools and rules and standards. When defining data quality, study participants went beyond the traditional definition of data quality and referenced seven facets of ethical and effective information systems in addition to data quality. Furthermore, the participants and RDRs referenced 13 dimensions in their DQA models. The study revealed that DQA activities were prioritized by data value, level of quality, available expertise, cost and funding incentives.Practical implicationsThe study's findings can inform the design and construction of digital research data curation infrastructure components on university campuses that aim to provide access not just to big data but trustworthy data. Communities of practice focused on repositories and archives could consider adding FAIR operationalizations, extensions and metrics focused on data quality. The availability of such metrics and associated measurements can help reusers determine whether they can trust and reuse a particular dataset. The findings of this study can help to develop such data quality assessment metrics and intervention strategies in a sound and systematic way.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper is the first data quality theory guided examination of DQA practices in RDRs.

PurposeThis study aims to explore the application of emojis to mood descriptions of fiction. The three goals are investigating whether Cho et al.'s model (2023) is a sound conceptual framework for implementing emojis and mood categories in information systems, mapping 30 mood categories to 115 face emojis and exploring and visualizing the relationships between mood categories based on emojis mapping.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was distributed to a US public university to recruit adult fiction readers. In total, 64 participants completed the survey.FindingsThe results show that the participants distinguished between the three families of fiction mood categories. The three families model is a promising option to improve mood descriptions for fiction. Through mapping emojis to 30 mood categories, the authors identified the most popular emojis for each category, analyzed the relationships between mood categories and examined participants' consensus on mapping.Originality/valueThis study focuses on applying emojis to fiction reading. Emojis were mapped to mood categories by fiction readers. Emoji mapping contributes to the understanding of the relationships between mood categories. Emojis, as graphic mood descriptors, have the potential to complement textual descriptors and enrich mood metadata for fiction.

PurposeEffective use of data is critically important for the provision of health services. A large proportion of employees in health organisations work in non-clinical roles and play a major part in organisational information flows. However, their practice, data-related capabilities and learning needs have been rarely studied. The purpose of this paper is to investigate issues of capabilities and learning needs related to employees' interactions with data in non-clinical work roles.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a mixed-method approach. Qualitative methods were used to explore issues, and survey was administered to gather additional data.FindingsData use and related capabilities at the workplace are highly contextual. A range of general, core and data-specific capabilities, underpinned by transferable skills and personal traits, enable successful interactions with data. Continuous learning is needed in most areas related to data use.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was conducted in a large public-health organisation in Australia, which is not representative of unique organisations elsewhere. The study has implications for the provision of health services, workplace learning and education.Practical implicationsFindings have implications for organisational decisions related to data-use and workplace learning, and for formal education and lifelong learning.Originality/valueThe study contributes to closing a research gap in understanding interactions with data, capabilities and learning needs of employees in non-clinical work roles. Capabilities continuum presented in this paper can be used to inform education, training and service provision. The workplace-based results contribute to theoretical considerations of capabilities required for work in technology-rich environments.

PurposePrimary teachers play a vital role in fostering pupils' successful futures. Therefore, gaining knowledge of primary teacher students' learning processes, including the achievement of information-seeking skills, is crucial. The aim of this paper is to understand better the interplay between cognitive appraisals and emotions in the constructivist process of learning and achieving information-seeking skills.Design/methodology/approachIn-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with six Swedish primary teacher students. The analysis of qualitative data was deductive and theory-driven, guided by Kuhlthau's information search process model, Scherer's semantic space of emotions and Pekrun's control-value theory of achievement emotions.FindingsAnger/frustration, enjoyment and boredom were identified as activity emotions and anxiety, hopelessness and hope as prospective outcome emotions. The retrospective outcome emotions found were pride, joy, gratitude, surprise and relief. The appraisals eliciting the achievement emotions were the control appraisals uncertainty/certainty (activity and prospective outcome) and oneself/other (retrospective), and value appraisals negative/positive intrinsic motivation (activity) and failure/success (prospective and retrospective). The interplay between appraisals and emotions was complex and dynamic. The processes were individually unique, non-linear and iterative, and the appraisals did not always elicit emotions.Originality/valueThe study has theoretical and methodological implications for information behaviour research in its application of appraisal theories and the Geneva affect label coder. In addition, it has practical implications for academic librarians teaching information-seeking skills.

PurposeThe main purpose of the paper is to offer a personal view on the development of documentation/information and documentation (IuD) in Germany, while pointing out the need to further investigate the specific features of its development paths. The methodology is based on critical review of the available literature sources in the German language.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses the method of critical review of published documents in journals (especially in Nachrichten für Dokumentation), books and reports of state and provincial administrations that are directly related to monitoring and/or encouraging the development of the young field of documentation.FindingsThe paper offers a review and interpretation of the most significant development phases, the contributions of individuals and the influence of the official state and information policy based on the consulted sources.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is limited to the literature written in German language.Practical implicationsThe paper could be of interest to researchers and professionals who are interested in the development of documentation.Social implicationsThe paper covers the period after the World War II until the end of 1980s that is especially interesting from the social point of view in divided Germany.Originality/valueTo the author’s knowledge, there is no comprehensive history of documentation in German-speaking countries written in English. This paper is the result of a research project started three years ago with colleagues from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, that aims to cover all phases of the appearance and development of information science in German-speaking countries and could be understood as a kind of introduction to papers planned to follow.