Abstract

This paper is a reflection on the nature of scientific knowledge production. Being a human process, its characteristics are particularly complex and difficult to establish with standard procedures. Despite the differences between disciplines, the research processes always includes the common application of the scientific method to obtain results in the form of data and publications. In this article the life cycle model of research objects is reviewed. To be understood, data need to be contextualized, something that is difficult if the necessary information is not added at the time they are produced. Electronic laboratory notebooks (ELN), such as LabArchives, LabGuru, and ROHub, have begun to appear in academic settings to facilitate comprehensive knowledge management. It is recommended that ELN systems are used to guarantee research data preservation.

Abstract

The electronic management of documents and records is facing major challenges: the integration of document processes and checks in routine work processes; risk analysis; techniques and controls needed to manage records and digital evidence controls (metadata, digital signature, authenticity, integrity, preservation); and access restrictions for citizenship or customers. Information professionals are invited to take an active role in resolving these complex problems.

Abstract

A Premis Workshop (PREservation Metadata: Implementation Strategies) was held in Rome on 5-6 February 2009. The event, organized by the Foundation Rinascimento Digitale, was attended by two members of the Premis Editorial Committee: Rebecca Guenther (Library of Congress) and Angela Dappert (British Library). Some preservation metadata implementation projects were presented.

Abstract

To associate research data to the published results favors their reuse by the scientific community, but this does not afford sufficient guarantees of preservation. To store them in databases solves this contingency and provides visibility, but in Spain there are not many services of this kind. For this reason, we describe, evaluate and discuss the pros and cons of foreign multidisciplinary data repositories that can be useful for researchers and information managers: Dryad, Figshare, Zenodo and Dataverse. It is still early to choose optimally and definitively one or the other application, so we conclude with recommendations to guide the user community and intermediaries.

Abstract

The sharing of research data is a hot topic at the international level, especially due to the development of e-science, based on collaborative working methods that use technology in an intensive manner. The amount of digital data and of its sharing is growing fast, and a lack of proper management could limit the potential benefits to stakeholders (researchers, governments and public funding agencies, research managers and libraries, and finally the publishing sector). The aim of this review is first to place the sharing of electronic research data in the context of its appearance and of open environments; secondly, it describes the life cycle model of data preservation; finally, it describes several initiatives dealing with methodologies and technologies. In parallel, international developments and highlights needs that exist in Spain are described.

Abstract

An information policy is a concerted action of various agents with information as the object, having as a purpose certain goals. The crisis we face is not only economic but also technological and due to changes in the organizational model, and we are already seeing some effects of deregulation and no planning. We can only establish solid information policies if we find a set of actions around which a wide spectrum of agents can be aligned without friction. 1. In the print world, policies should allow us to determine what exists and make that easily accessible, and know what is little used and will tend to be used less and ensure that it is preserved. 2. Research funding institutions can and must agree to facilitate open access to information and data. 3. Finally, the library-organization must be able to provide digital books, offer digital information that anybody can use, and ensure that born-digital materials are passed on to future generations. To this we must add the need to plan for information literacy training in schools. In these times of change, surrounded by uncertainty and some notable weaknesses, part of our professional duties should be devoted to elaborate agreements enabling us to take coordinated action in certain directions.

Abstract

Many important filmmakers have perfected their cinematographic technique by filming advertisements. For this reason, it is not surprising that advertising materials are often included when filmmakers donate their work to a film archive. However, these materials are not always properly catalogued and their dissemination and use is quite limited. This paper describes the quantity and variety of advertising documents preserved in the Spanish film archives, emphasizes their importance as primary information sources for understanding the history of advertising in particular and of cinematography in general, and explains some of the difficulties and challenges of analysing them as documents. The challenge of documentary control of these materials lies not only in the amount of work, but 1) the lack of a methodology that encompasses all documentary procedures and 2) the lack of qualified personnel.

Abstract

The protection of the built and archaeological heritage is an increasingly debated topic in recent years. In order to protect these valuable historic structures and preserve them for the future, holistic approaches are necessary. These generally involves a wide range of specialists and collaborators, multidisciplinary way of developing conservation strategies, while maintaining their original features. However, recent studies highlight the fact that the management of heritage sites and buildings is far more than the simple aesthetic and structural repair. It means acknowledging the role of societies and communities in maintaining the importance of these structures and the risk of environmental factors (climate change challenges or earthquake risk) on their state of conservation and the effect of unauthorized interventions over time. Therefore, based on the case study of Orastioara, a commune in Hunedoara County, Romania, where 3 UNESCO heritage sites (from a total of 6 UNESCO sites in the area) can be found and numerous monuments of national and local importance, the study is presenting the challenges encountered during the development of the general urban plan of the commune, in relation with all the establishments that conserve Dacian fortresses – sites UNESCO; and also a proposal for the future management plan of the protected sites. Since the heritage structures have been neglected over the years, the paper comprises a general overview of the complexity of the developed conservation strategy, in order to be able to manage the heritage structures while taking the particularities of their context into consideration.

Abstract

For the effective consolidation of damaged historic load-bearing structures, it is necessary for the designer to understand the causes of the damage but also to know and apply the most effective consolidation methods, in order not to affect the cultural value of the building. The problem becomes even more complex for the designer when it is desired only to keep a damaged area of a historic building, which was part of an aggregate of historic buildings. Keeping this area is needed because buildings have been seismically interacting over the past 150 years, and it is necessary to maintain the static equilibrium of the building aggregate. In most cases, in order to safeguard a damaged historic building, is achieved by consolidating the structural elements composing the building, resulting in extensive consolidation areas, long construction periods and expensive and hard to implement solutions. Additionally, it is challenging to predict the response of the building over time to various actions without continuous monitoring, which is difficult to achieve, because of the disturbance on building occupants. The paper presents an alternative solution of safeguarding interventions on a historic building, damaged by settlement and earthquakes, through its prudent connection to the load-bearing structure of a new building. The building is located in the St. Gheorghe Square in Timisoara, Romania, located in the Banat seismic area with a peak ground acceleration of 0,20g [1]. This alternative solution saves the historic building from the total demolition, has the advantage of minimal consolidation interventions, but also preserves the historical balance between the buildings of the aggregate. The efficiency of the alternative solution is highlighted by a comparative presentation of the internal forces and deformations recorded in different areas of the historic building, first for the singular building and secondly of the building integrated into the new bearing structure. Internal forces and displacements were obtained following a spatial seismic analysis, performed with the ETABS program. In the same time, photographs of the execution, that present the connection between the buildings and the chosen consolidation solutions used to reduce the seismic vulnerability of the building, are presented throughout the paper.