It is generally agreed that about 7,000 languages are spoken across the world today and at least half may no longer be spoken by the end of this century. This state-of-the-art Handbook examines the reasons behind this dramatic loss of linguistic diversity, why it matters, and what can be done to document and support endangered languages. The volume is relevant not only to researchers in language endangerment, language shift and language death, but to anyone interested in the languages and cultures of the world. It is accessible both to specialists and non-specialists: researchers will find cutting-edge contributions from acknowledged experts in their fields, while students, activists and other interested readers will find a wealth of readable yet thorough and up-to-date information.
Documentation has always been crucial in human society. Today almost all communication are being stored digitally. In order to deal systematically and coherently with old and new media in the world today, you have to deal with the physical as well as the social and cultural context. Alongside this, there is now increasing interest in documentation theory and science, and documentation studies has become a distinctly lively field of research as well as a basis for professional practice in libraries, archives and museums. This groundbreaking new book introduces and demonstrates the value and relevance of a new approach to the documentation, communication and information field, complementary to the traditional library, information and archival sciences. It offers an introduction to documentation studies - a new discipline within the overall information studies umbrella - and gives a broad and general theory for documentation. It outlines the historical background and the theoretical foundation for the discipline by giving insight into documentation issues and processes from early modern society to today's digital age: not only in the context of academic study, but also in the practice of documentation, both in everyday life and in professional life. Key topics covered include: Human life in a documentation perspective Documentation in theory Documentation: a conceptual history A complementary theory of documentation A model for documentation analysis Documentation in practice: 6 case studies Documentation in society The science and profession of documentation. This unique text outlines the main scientific purpose and objective of the science of documentation; to study documentation in society. It also describes the main skills for a documentalist in the 21st century; to be able to select, collect and make accessible all documentation of possible interest for the general public as well as research. This book will be pivotal reading for students (advanced undergraduate and graduate), researchers, and faculty in library science, information science, records management, publishing, media studies, cultural studies, archival studies, and information systems. It will also be of interest to thoughtful professionals in libraries, archives, records and media. 010
Chart the course of history through the ages with this collection of oversize foldout charts and timelines. Timeline of World History is a unique work of visual reference from the founders of the Useful Charts website that puts the world's kingdoms, empires, and civilizations in context with one another. A giant wall chart shows the timelines and key events for each region of the world, and four additional foldout charts display the history of the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific, and Africa and the Middle East. Packed with maps, diagrams, and images, this book captures the very essence of our shared history.
We are now entering a world of electronic communications where an increasing amount of contemporary information is created and retained only in electronic form. How will such unstable flows of information be preserved for future historians? Will the future have a past? Will the history of ourcontemporary world be lost to our descendants? History and Electronic Artefacts is the first publication to examine the implications of this revolution for historical research. Historians are used to handling paper and parchment record in archives. These are actual pieces of correspondence which passed between historical actors. They are alsorelatively stable artefacts which can be preserved easily. Two factors introduced by the electronic revolution threaten the existence of paper archives: the dissociation between information content and the media by which it is transmitted ruptures the solidity of the archival object. The ability tostore electronic information anywhere and access it remotely via networks could make the central paper archive redundant. Experts from the fields of information management and technology, data archiving, library science, as well as historians, consider the issues raised in depth. The authors also place a unique emphasis on European developments.
An archival collection is a unique body of information, created at a particular time by a particular organization or individual as a result of a particular activity. If the cultural record contained in an archive is to be accessible, the archivist must examine, organize, and describe each collection individually. Introduction to Archival Organization and Description guides the novice to an understanding of the nature of archival information and documentation. Chapters cover topics such as the characteristics of archival materials, the gathering and analysis of information for archival description, and the implementation of descriptive tools in information systems. The Introduction to series acquaints professionals and students with the complex issues and technologies in the production, management, and dissemination of cultural heritage information resources.
Japan's Meiji Restoration brought swift changes through Japanese adoption of Western-style modernization and imperial expansion. Fanning the Flames brings together a range of scholarly essays and collected materials from the Hoover Institution Library & Archives detailing how Japanese propaganda played an active role in fostering national identity and mobilizing grassroots participation in the country's transformation and wartime activities, starting with the First Sino-Japanese War to the end of World War II.
"Archives in Libraries : What Librarians and Archivists Need to Know to Work Together provides an overview of basic archival concepts, policies, and best practices for librarians and library directors, while also suggesting ways in which archivists working in libraries can describe their work and effectively advocate for archival needs. Along the way, it highlights and analyzes the differences and the similarities between libraries and archives with the goal of promoting understanding and cooperation between these two complementary professions. The overall aim is to narrow the divide and build shared understandings between archivists, librarians, and library directors while helping archivists working within libraries to better negotiate their relationships with the institution and with their library colleagues"--
The essays in Private Libraries and their Documentation revolve around the users and contents of early modern private book collections, and around the sources used to document and study these collections. They take the reader from large-scale projects on historical book ownership to micro-level research conducted on individual libraries, and from analyses of specific types of primary sources to general typologies and overviews by period and by region. As a result of its comparative approach and active engagement with questions regarding the nature, selection and accessibility of sources, the volume serves as a guide to sources and resources in different regions as well as to state-of the-art methods and interpretational approaches. Publication of this volume in open access was made possible by the Ammodo KNAW Award 2017 for Humanities.
