Accessing Software: Emulation in Information Institutions
by Amelia Acker
p. 1-19
Abstract
This article presents a study of preservationists implementing emulation workflows in three information institutions that collect and provide access to software: an academic research library, a university technology lab and archive, and a museum of technology. Drawing on participant observation and interviews (N = 25), I present a theory of emulation for preservation based on visions of accessing software, building a vocabulary to represent the temporality and durability of software as both an object and experience. The findings reveal issues preservationists now face in representing multiple temporalities when emulating software and software-dependent resources. These findings contribute to social studies of information institutions where emulation workflows are being planned and implemented as part of providing access to evidence and knowledge. The article also contributes to the study of the invisible technicians and information professionals who maintain computational infrastructure for long-term digital preservation.
Amelia Acker is associate professor in the School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin, where she directs the Critical Data Studies Lab.
“Suitable for Lay Reader”: Dickinson, Kinsey, and Mrs. Dutcher’s Cards at the New York Academy of Medicine Library
by Anne Garner
p. 20-43
Abstract
In the late 1930s, Dr. Robert Latou Dickinson enlisted three New York society women to create an annotated card index for the New York Academy of Medicine Library’s sexuality collections. These bibliographers assigned each item a rating (“suitable for lay reader,” “suitable for scientific reader,” or “pornographic”). Dickinson lobbied for the establishment of a sex education library at the academy for medical practitioners and the public, using the annotated cards to make his case. He enlisted Alfred Kinsey to support the project. This article describes the library activism of two influential sexologists who believed sexual information should be available to a wider public.
Anne Garner is a doctoral student in history and culture at Drew University. Her research interests include nineteenth-century print culture, the history of medicine, library history, and the history of the blues. Prior publications include articles in Book History, RBM, and American Libraries.
The Chilling Effects of Obstacles to Accessing, Using, and Sharing In-Copyright Data for Quantitative Research
by Patricia Aufderheide, Brandon Butler, Kimberly Anastacio
p. 44-65
Abstract
An international survey of researchers doing text and data mining research, followed by in-depth interviews, shows a range of obstacles. Researchers experience challenges in access, use, sharing of data, and storage. The sources of the problems are high prices for proprietary data, terms of use that inhibit research, and legal policies including copyright, privacy, and antihacking. Consequences of facing this range of obstacles include changing research design, delaying research, abandoning research, and failing to collaborate across jurisdictional borders. The right to conduct research should be asserted in designing relevant legal policies.
Patricia Aufderheide is University Professor in the School of Communication, American University.
Brandon Butler is director of Intellectual Property and Licensing, University of Virginia.
Kimberly Anastacio is a PhD candidate at American University.
Indigenous Digital Projects: An Assessment Framework
by Sony Prosper, Alexandria Rayburn, Yvette Ramirez, Ricardo L. Punzalan
p. 66-96
Abstract
What are the critical characteristics that we can use to assess Indigenous digital projects? We have examined the literature, developed an assessment framework, and used the framework to analyze twenty-one online platforms in order to answer this question. Our framework identifies five characteristics of Indigenous digital projects with accompanying evaluative questions: (1) traditional knowledge protection, (2) design and interaction, (3) description and classification, (4) community relationships, and (5) sustainability. Our analysis shows the range of work being done in this complex area of digital practice. Our goal is to offer a set of questions that encourage critical reflection, not a one-size-fits-all requirement checklist for those working on digital projects in cultural heritage institutions.
Sony Prosper is a PhD candidate at the University of Michigan School of Information.
Alexandria Rayburn is a PhD candidate at the University of Michigan School of Information.
Yvette Ramirez is a PhD student at the University of Michigan School of Information.
Ricardo L. Punzalan is associate professor at the School of Information, and director of the Museum Studies Program, University of Michigan.
The Power of Experiments: Decision Making in a Data-Driven World by Michael Luca and Max H. Bazerman (review)
Christine T. Wolf
p. 97-99
The Power of Experiments: Decision Making in a Data-Driven World
by Michael Luca and Max H. Bazerman
MIT PRESS, 2021, 232 PP. PAPERBACK, $19.95; EBOOK, $19.95 ISBN: 978-0-262-54227-2
The Apple II Age: How the Computer Became Personal by Laine Nooney (review)
Rob Arcand
p. 100-102
The Apple II Age: How the Computer Became Personal
by Laine Nooney
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS, 2023, 352 PP. HARDCOVER, $28.00
ISBN: 978-0-226-81653-1
The Political Lives of Information: Information and the Production of Development in India by Janaki Srinivasan (review)
Srravya Chandhiramowuli
p. 103-104
The Political Lives of Information: Information and the Production of Development in India
by Janaki Srinivasan
MIT PRESS, 2022, 276 PP. PAPERBACK, $40.00 ISBN: 978-0-262-37037-0
Player vs. Monster: The Making and Breaking of Videogame Monstrosity by Jaroslav Švelch (review)
Peter Krapp
p. 105-106
Player vs. Monster: The Making and Breaking of Videogame Monstrosity
by Jaroslav Švelch
MIT PRESS, 2023, 240 PP.
HARDCOVER, $26.95 ISBN: 978-0-262-04775-3
The Lab Book: Situated Practices in Media Studies by Darren Wershler, Lori Emerson and Jussi Parikka (review)
Emma Fraser
p. 107-108