Bob Schrier of AutoGraphics writes about digitisation and posits that it should be perceived as a core service of libraries. I do agree with the him in that digitisation is indeed something libraries could (and perhaps should, with an emphasis) consider as an offering that both makes sense considering the mission of (public) libraries, community needs and the existing and conceivable competences and capabilities of libraries. At the same time, however, I am not entirely convinced that it would be a good idea to dub digitisation as a core service at least in the long run. At the moment digitisation could undoubtedly be a significant offering and a feasible service but it remains to be seen how long time this state of affairs should and would remain. I am not saying a definite no to Schrier's proposal but in order to avoid establishing unnecessary and potentially harmful orthodoxies I would probably define the core service in terms of helping library users to access and maintaining access to both their personal and publically available information and knowledge. In this respect digitisation is at the moment a potentially powerful instrument for delivering that service but widens the understanding of the principal problem, that of the availability and accessibility of information in the widest possible meaning (comprising entertainment, bildung, learning, professional needs, social, cultural, heritage-related and emotional aspects).
Latest Publications
Affordance Trajectories and the Usefulness of Online Records Access among Older Adults in Sweden
Huvila, I. ., Rexhepi, H. ., Moll, J. ., Zolbin, M. G., Blease, C. ., Bärkås, A. ., … Kharko, A. . (2024). Affordance Trajectories and the Usefulness of Online Records Access among Older Adults in Sweden. Digital Health, 10, 20552076241287354. http://doi.org/10.1177/20552076241287354
Researching Informational Technologies of Trust: From Blockchain to Paradata and Digital Archives
Huvila, I. ., Lemieux, V. ., Sköld, O. ., & Donaldson, D. . (2024). Researching Informational Technologies of Trust: From Blockchain to Paradata and Digital Archives. Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 61(1), 774–779. http://doi.org/10.1002/pra2.1099
Empowering through Digital Skills: A Case of Alumni in the Business Services Sector
Deja, M. ., Bobkowski, P. ., Huvila, I. ., & Mierzecka, A. . (2024). Empowering through Digital Skills: A Case of Alumni in the Business Services Sector. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 75, 1288–1303. http://doi.org/10.1002/asi.24890
Perspectives on Paradata: Research and Practice of Documenting Data Processes
Huvila, I. ., Andersson, L. ., & Sköld, O. . (Eds.). (2024). Perspectives on Paradata: Research and Practice of Documenting Data Processes. Cham: Springer. http://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-53946-6
An Introduction to Paradata
Andersson, L. ., Huvila, I. ., & Sköld, O. . (2024). An Introduction to Paradata. In I. . Huvila, L. . Andersson, & O. . Sköld (Eds.) (Vol. 13, pp. 1–14). Cham: Springer. http://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-53946-6_1