Social media and public libraries : exploring information activities of library professionals and users

Social media has become a part of many people���s everyday lives. In the library field the adoption of social media has been widespread and discussions of the development of ���Library 2.0��� began at an early stage. The aim with this thesis is to study the interface between public libraries, social media, and users, focusing on information activities. The main research question is: How is the interface between public libraries and social media perceived and acted upon by its main stakeholders (library professionals and users)? The background of Library 2.0 is strongly associated with the development of the Web and social media, as well as with the public libraries and their user-centered and information technological development. The theoretical framework builds on the research within the area of Library and Information Science concerning information behavior, information practice, and information activities. Earlier research on social media and public libraries is also highlighted in this thesis. The methods survey and content analysis were applied to map the interface between social media and public libraries. A questionnaire was handed out to the users and another questionnaire was sent out to the library professionals. The results were statistically analyzed. In the content analysis public library Facebook pages were studied. All the empirical investigations were conducted in the area of Finland Proper. An integrated analysis of the results deepens the understanding of the key elements of the social media and public library context. These elements are interactivity, information activities, perceptions, and stakeholders. In this context seven information activities were distinguished: reading, seeking, creating, communicating, informing, mediating, and contributing. This thesis contributes to develop the research concerning information activities and draws a realistic picture of the challenges and opportunities in the social media and public library context. It also contributes with knowledge on library professionals and library users, and the existing differences in their perceptions of the interface between libraries and social media.

Tietojenk��sittely

Tietojenk��sittelyn p����kokoelma sijaitsee p����kirjastossa (Linnassa), jossa painettu yleis- ja k��sikirjastokokoelma koostuu noin 4000 nimekkeest�� monografioita (painettujen monografiasarjojen osat mukaan lukien). Tietojenk��sittely-kokoelmasta kartoitettiin nelj�� osa-aluetta. N��ist�� selvimm��ksi painopistealaksi osoittautui ohjelmointi, ohjelmointikielet & atk-ohjelmat, joka k��sitti noin 33 % nimekkeist�� (1314). Muiden ryhmien osuudet olivat pienemm��t: tietoj��rjestelm��t, tiedonhallinta & tietoturva noin 18 % (727 nimekett��); teko��ly, tiet��mystekniikka & hahmontunnistus noin 16 % (629 nimekett��). K��sikirjaston karsitussa noin 100 nimekkeen kokoelmassa on runsaasti sanakirjoja ja erilaisia hakuteoksia kuten l��hes t��ydellinen (44/45) Encyclopedia of computer science and technology ja my��s e-muodossa oleva 3-osainen Handbook of information security. Painettuja lehti�� oli 6 nimekett�� (IEEE Pervasive Computing, MikroPC, my��s e-muodossa oleva Social Science Computer Review, Tekniikan n��k��alat, Tietokone ja Tietoyhteys). S��hk��kirjoja kokoelmassa oli 466 nimekett�� Ebrary: Information technology -tietokannassa, 24 nimekett�� NetLibrary-tietokannassa, 3 nimekett�� Taylor & Francis eBooks online -tietokannassa ja 2 nimekett�� s��hk��isin�� hakuteoksina (Encyclopedia of gender and information technology ja Encyclopedia of information science and technology) sek�� 4964-osainen Lecture notes in computer science -monografiasarja. Verkkolehti�� kokoelmassa oli noin 300 nimekett��. Tietokantoja oli 4 kokotekstitietokantaa (ACM - Association for Computing Machinery, EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier, Elsevier ScienceDirect ja SpringerLink) sek�� 2 viitetietokantaa (Computer + Info Systems (CSA) ja Web of Scence (ISI)).

Informaatiotutkimus

Informaatiotutkimuksen p����kokoelma sijaitsee p����kirjastossa (Linnassa), jossa painettu yleis- ja k��sikirjastokokoelma koostuu noin 4500 nimekkeest�� monografioita (painettujen monografiasarjojen osat mukaan lukien). Yleiskokoelmaa on karsittu joiltain osin 2000-luvun alussa. Monografiakokoelmasta kartoitettiin viisi osa-aluetta. Kirjastoty��t�� k��sitteli 42 % kirjoista (1878 nimekett��), joten se oli selvin painopisteala. Kirjastohistoriaa k��sitteli 18 % (791 nimekett��) ja kirjastotiedett�� yleisesti 12 % kirjoista (521 nimekett��). Tiedonhankinta- ja tiedonhakututkimuksen (8 % / 381 nimekett��) ja tutkimusmenetelmien, bibliometriikan (3 % / 120 nimekett��) osuudet kirjakokoelmasta olivat pienehk��j��. K��sikirjaston 218 nimekkeen kokoelma sis��lsi bibliografioita (41 nimekett��), luettelointiin ja luokitukseen liittyv���� aineistoa, asiasanastoja, tilastoja, k��sikirjoja ja erilaisia kirjastojen ja informaatioalan laitosten hakemistoja. N��kyvimm��n osan muodosti Encyclopedia of library and information science sarja vuosilta 1968-2003, volyymit 1-73. Painettuja lehti�� oli 15 nimekett�� (Asiasana, Bibliophilos, Biblioteksbladet. BBL, College and research libraries CRL, IFLA journal, Informaatiotutkimus, Information world review, International cataloguing and bibliographic control, Kirjastolehti, Library of Congress information bulletin, Managing information, Raamatukogu:RK, Signum, Tietoasiantuntija). S��hk��kirjoja kokoelmassa oli 103 nimekett�� Ebrary-tietokannassa, 19 nimekett�� NetLibrary-tietokannassa, 8 nimekett�� MyiLibrary ���tietokannassa ja 1 nimeke Taylor & Francis ���tietokannassa. Edell�� mainittujen lis��ksi s��hk��inen hakuteos Encyclopedia of Information science and Technology. Verkkolehti�� kokoelmassa oli n. 350. N��ist�� open access lehti�� 210, joista ei saa tilastotietoja. Tietokantoja oli viisi (Ebscohost Academic Search Premier, Emerald Journals, Ebscohost Lista, ScienceDirect ja SpringerLink).

Genetic regulatory networks in avian B cells

Biology is turning into an information science. The science of systems biology seeks to understand the genetic networks that govern organism development and functions. In this study the chicken was used as a model organism in the study of B cell regulatory factors. These studies open new avenues for plasma cell research by connecting the down regulation of the B cell gene expression program directly to the initiation of plasma cell differentiation. The unique advantages of the DT40 avian B cell model system, specifically its high homologous recombination rate, were utilized to study gene regulation in Pax5 knock out cell lines and to gain new insights into the B cell to plasma cell transitions that underlie the secretion of antibodies as part of the adaptive immune response. The Pax5 transcription factor is central to the commitment, development and maintenance of the B cell phenotype. Mice lacking the Pax5 gene have an arrest in development at the pro-B lymphocyte stage while DT40 cells have been derived from cells at a more mature stage of development. The DT40 Pax5-/- cells exhibited gene expression similarities with primary chicken plasma cells. The expression of the plasma cell transcription factors Blimp-1 and XBP-1 were significantly upregulated while the expression of the germinal centre factor BCL6 was diminished in Pax5-/- cells, and this alteration was normalized by Pax5 re-introduction. The Pax5-deficient cells further manifested substantially elevated secretion of IgM into the supernatant, another characteristic of plasma cells. These results for the first time indicated that the downregulation of the Pax5 gene in B cells promotes plasma cell differentiation. Cross-species meta-analysis of chicken and mouse Pax5 gene knockout studies uncovers genes and pathways whose regulatory relationship to Pax5 has remained unchanged for over 300 million years. Restriction of the hematopoietic stem cell fate to produce T, B and NK cell lineages is dependent on the Ikaros and its molecular partners, the closely related <i>Helios</i> and <i>Aiolos</i>. <i>Ikaros</i> family members are zinc finger proteins which act as transcriptional repressors while helping to activate lymphoid genes. <i>Helios</i> in mice is expressed from the hematopoietic stem cell level onwards, although later in development its expression seems to predominate in the T cell lineage. This study establishes the emergence and sequence of the chicken <i>Ikaros</i> family members. <i>Helios</i> expression in the bursa of Fabricius, germinal centres and B cell lines suggested a role for Helios in the avian B-cell lineage, too. Phylogenetic studies of the Ikaros family connect the expansion of the Ikaros family, and thus possibly the emergence of the adaptive immune system, with the second round of genome duplications originally proposed by Ohno. Paralogs that have arisen as a result of genome-wide duplications are sometimes termed ohnologs ��� Ikaros family proteins appear to fit that definition. This study highlighted the opportunities afforded by the genome sequencing efforts and somatic cell reverse genetics approaches using the DT40 cell line. The DT40 cell line and the avian model system promise to remain a fruitful model for mechanistic insight in the post-genomic era as well.

Equivalence and translation strategies in multilingual thesaurus construction

In the present dissertation, multilingual thesauri were approached as cultural products and the focus was twofold: On the empirical level the focus was placed on the translatability of certain British-English social science indexing terms into the Finnish language and culture at a concept, a term and an indexing term level. On the theoretical level the focus was placed on the aim of translation and on the concept of equivalence. In accordance with modern communicative and dynamic translation theories the interest was on the human dimension. The study is qualitative. In this study, equivalence was understood in a similar way to how dynamic, functional equivalence is commonly understood in translation studies. Translating was seen as a decision-making process, where a translator often has different kinds of possibilities to choose in order to fulfil the function of the translation. Accordingly, and as a starting point for the construction of the empirical part, the function of the source text was considered to be the same or similar to the function of the target text, that is, a functional thesaurus both in source and target context. Further, the study approached the challenges of multilingual thesaurus construction from the perspectives of semantics and pragmatics. In semantic analysis the focus was on what the words conventionally mean and in pragmatics on the ���invisible��� meaning - or how we recognise what is meant even when it is not actually said (or written). Languages and ideas expressed by languages are created mainly in accordance with expressional needs of the surrounding culture and thesauri were considered to reflect several subcultures and consequently the discourses which represent them. The research material consisted of different kinds of potential discourses: dictionaries, database records, and thesauri, Finnish versus British social science researches, Finnish versus British indexers, simulated indexing tasks with five articles and Finnish versus British thesaurus constructors. In practice, the professional background of the two last mentioned groups was rather similar. It became even more clear that all the material types had their own characteristics, although naturally not entirely separate from each other. It is further noteworthy that the different types and origins of research material were not used to represent true comparison pairs, and that the aim of triangulation of methods and material was to gain a holistic view. The general research questions were: 1. Can differences be found between Finnish and British discourses regarding family roles as thesaurus terms, and if so, what kinds of differences and which are the implications for multilingual thesaurus construction? 2. What is the pragmatic indexing term equivalence? The first question studied how the same topic (family roles) was represented in different contexts and by different users, and further focused on how the possible differences were handled in multilingual thesaurus construction. The second question was based on findings of the previous one, and answered to the final question as to what kinds of factors should be considered when defining translation equivalence in multilingual thesaurus construction. The study used multiple cases and several data collection and analysis methods aiming at theoretical replication and complementarity. The empirical material and analysis consisted of focused interviews (with Finnish and British social scientists, thesaurus constructors and indexers), simulated indexing tasks with Finnish and British indexers, semantic component analysis of dictionary definitions and translations, coword analysis and datasets retrieved in databases, and discourse analysis of thesauri. As a terminological starting point a topic and case family roles was selected. The results were clear: 1) It was possible to identify different discourses. There also existed subdiscourses. For example within the group of social scientists the orientation to qualitative versus quantitative research had an impact on the way they reacted to the studied words and discourses, and indexers placed more emphasis on the information seekers whereas thesaurus constructors approached the construction problems from a more material based solution. The differences between the different specialist groups i.e. the social scientists, the indexers and the thesaurus constructors were often greater than between the different geo-cultural groups i.e. Finnish versus British. The differences occurred as a result of different translation aims, diverging expectations for multilingual thesauri and variety of practices. For multilingual thesaurus construction this means severe challenges. The clearly ambiguous concept of multilingual thesaurus as well as different construction and translation strategies should be considered more precisely in order to shed light on focus and equivalence types, which are clearly not self-evident. The research also revealed the close connection between the aims of multilingual thesauri and the pragmatic indexing term equivalence. 2) The pragmatic indexing term equivalence is very much context-depended. Although thesaurus term equivalence is defined and standardised in the field of library and information science (LIS), it is not understood in one established way and the current LIS tools are inadequate to provide enough analytical tools for both constructing and studying different kinds of multilingual thesauri as well as their indexing term equivalence. The tools provided in translation science were more practical and theoretical, and especially the division of different meanings of a word provided a useful tool in analysing the pragmatic equivalence, which often differs from the ideal model represented in thesaurus construction literature. The study thus showed that the variety of different discourses should be acknowledged, there is a need for operationalisation of new types of multilingual thesauri, and the factors influencing pragmatic indexing term equivalence should be discussed more precisely than is traditionally done.

2014 Census of Open Access Repositories in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Presentation at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014