Is eResearch about the
technology?
…space, platforms, hubs and
social change…
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

Roles..digital development
Copyright Clearance: Polytechnic
Research Librarian: Museum
Lecturer: Intellectual Access
Web Archivist: Cultural Heritage
Digital Repository Coordinator: University
Special Projects Manager: University
Manager: Collections Australia Network
…so this is a practitioner’s view…
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, Museums Australia, WA, Changing Landscapes, 820092009
Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov Oct

Three questions..
Is eResearch about the technology?
What are the characteristics of content
aggregation (digital)?
How does content aggregation contribute to the
goals of eResearch?
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, Museums Australia, WA, Changing Landscapes, 820092009
Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov Oct

Three answers..
eResearch – provide opportunities for
researchers to use technologies in the research
process
Content aggregators – conduits that provide a
base level of engagement with research content
by contributors and users
eResearch goals – by enabling engagement and
increasing the likelihood of more opportunities to
use technology being exploited by researchers
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

Engagement..
With technology..
With people..
With people using technology..
Aside the role that content aggregators have in
providing a base level of engagement to build on.
Lessons learned in facilitating online access to
research resources can be translated and are
reflective of common culture change issues and
changes in practice across sectors.
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

Is eResearch about the
technology?
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, Museums Australia, WA, Changing Landscapes, 820092009
Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov Oct

Is eResearch about the
technology?
…or is it about culture change…?
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

Is eResearch about the
technology?
Yes.. it is about tools!
No.. it is what those tools enable!
Yes.. tool design is important.
Exactly.. who designs them?
OK.. and your point is?
How usable are they?
Why should we use them?!?!
The technologist and the reluctant technology user.
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, Museums Australia, WA, Changing Landscapes, 820092009
Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov Oct

The utility value needs to be
demonstrated and understood.
The utility value of having digitised research
resources has already been demonstrated
through use of digital resources by scholars in
their research and the development of citation
standards in keeping with scholarly practices.
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, Museums Australia, WA, Changing Landscapes, 820092009
Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov Oct

If culture change isn't on the
agenda, why not?
What happens when social context
and culture gets overlooked?
Depiction of technical networks.
Depiction of social networks..?
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, Museums Australia, WA, Changing Landscapes, 820092009
Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov Oct

Social networks..
map of Seb Chan's Facebook friends and their
interconnections
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, Museums Australia, WA, Changing Landscapes, 820092009
Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov Oct

Theories..
...the pivotal nature of culture in
technological change and innovation
in the social history, information
systems, information and knowledge
management discourses
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, Museums Australia, WA, Changing Landscapes, 820092009
Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov Oct

Acknowledgement: Professor Jon Patrick, School of Information
Resources and Tools Used
Technologies, University of Sydney
Becomes Capacity
Turns into Confidence
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

Culture change..
- discernible stages of digital development
- patterns of digital development
(digitisation) around domains, group
dynamics, socio-technical capacity
- impact of governance mechanisms
- link between attitude to change and how
risk is viewed correlates with the type and
level of change that may occur and the
nature of the support/facilitation required
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

Is eResearch about the
technology?
First assertion: it is about culture change.
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

What are the characteristics of
content aggregation?
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, Museums Australia, WA, Changing Landscapes, 820092009
Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov Oct

http://www.flickr.com/photos/darkframe/395951788
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/
Space
Content Aggregators as Boundary Negotiators
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

Unique position
Social space
Macroscopic views
Multiple stakeholders
Cross-domain and discipline
Across sectors and
organisations
http://www.flickr.com/photos/darkframe/395951788
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/
Space
Content Aggregators as Boundary Negotiators Core focus: digitisation
Induction/introduction
Shared/mutual outcomes
Collaboration a core factor
Relationship building crucial
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

http://www.flickr.com/photos/generated/2457576800/
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
Hubs
Technical and Social Brokers
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

Conduits
Engagement with
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/generated/2457576800/
participants
Trigger needs assessment
New processes, services,
relationships
Re-examine 'traffic’ rules
Hubs and controls
Technical and Social Brokers
Non-partisan role
Technical and social
connectivity
Connective design meets
the needs of the content
contributors/users
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dramaqueennorma/460701184/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
Platform
Incubators and facilitators of change
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

When travellers arrive in a new place…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ravages/155595849/
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

…one of their first acts to
“ground” themselves is
to familiarise themselves
with the territory. That
might be the landscape, the
language, the music, the
transport systems, the
buildings, the smells, the
food, or the people….
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedroqtc/238513904/
/http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

Where do you want
to go?
What do you want
to do when you get
there?
What time and
money do you
have?
How much do you
want to do this?
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hugovk/488327730/
When do you want
to go?
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

The characteristics of
content aggregators
are: boundary
negotiators, hubs,
platforms, incubators,
and travel agents.
Second assertion:
Content Aggregators
are social agents.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hugovk/488327730/
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

How does content aggregation
contribute to the goals of
eResearch?
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, Museums Australia, WA, Changing Landscapes, 820092009
Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov Oct

..by helping people work through
the issues to get content well-
formed, uploaded and available
online, made accessible and used
in ways that are amenable to
content contributors and
researchers and machines.. and
the law/lore
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, Museums Australia, WA, Changing Landscapes, 820092009
Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov Oct

..seems simple enough..
but it's not..
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, Museums Australia, WA, Changing Landscapes, 820092009
Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov Oct

Content Aggregators
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mdverde/2857682406
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
as Transformers
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

Technical hitch
Social hitch
Tangles, knots and walls
Expectations (realistic or
otherwise)
Content contributors/users
Content Aggregators Broker/guide
as Transformers
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mdverde/2857682406
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
Change in practice
On both sides
Exploiting technology
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

..in a sustainable manner in taking
those first and/or new steps so
those participants
(contributors/users) have a
positive sense of ownership,
achievement, confidence and
(hopefully) eagerness to undertake
further engagement..
..i.e. once the social hitches have been gotten over..
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, Museums Australia, WA, Changing Landscapes, 820092009
Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov Oct

Social hitches Scenarios
Description standards Culture change issues in the
Technical know-how collecting sector
Social behaviours and Patterns of practice and
group dynamics social hitches reflected in
culture change that can be
Diverse collection systems seen in the research sector
Analogue practices Small to large scale
groups/entities
Bat and ball syndrome
Small to large scale politics
Computer literacy levels
Small to large scale projects
Rights: ethical/legal
Do it ALL syndrome
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

Social hitches Scenarios
Description standards Evolution of historical
Technical know-how societies into museums
Social behaviours and Convergence of community
group dynamics gallery and library services
Diverse collection systems Search across collections in
university GLAMs
Analogue practices
Major initiative lead by a key
Bat and ball syndrome national institution
Computer literacy levels
Rights: ethical/legal
Do it ALL syndrome
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

Social hitches Scenario
Description standards Evolution of historical
Technical know-how societies into museums
Social behaviours and Small, local, FNQ
group dynamics Local politics and industry
Collection description
No money, some time and
Analogue practices an ageing and uninitiated
workforce
Volunteer workforce
Computer literacy levels
Shared domain knowledge
Rights: ethical/legal
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

Social hitches Scenario
Description standards Convergence of community
gallery and library services
Social behaviours and Regional, NSW
group dynamics Shared collection system
Diverse collection systems Perceived cost-savings and
professional conflict
Bat and ball syndrome Regional politics and
industry
Professional workforce
Computer literacy levels
Different collecting practices
Rights: ethical/legal
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

Social hitches Scenario
Description standards Search across collections in
Technical know-how university GLAMs
Social behaviours and Somewhere, Australia
group dynamics One place to search
Diverse collection systems No shared information
Analogue practices management practices
Bat and ball syndrome Professional workforce
Computer literacy levels Different collecting practices
Rights: ethical/legal Diverse collection 'owners'
Heterogeneous collections
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

Social hitches Scenario
Major initiative lead by a key
Social behaviours and national institution
group dynamics National Library of Australia
Newspaper digitisation
Copyright issues
Voluntary correction
Rights: ethical/legal
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mdverde/2837910184/
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/ Content Aggregators: Agents of
Transformation and Connectivity
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

Acknowledgement: Professor Jon Patrick, School of Information
Resources and Tools Used
Technologies, University of Sydney
Becomes Capacity
Turns into Confidence
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ncbob/2389492877/
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/ The Cow Path
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mdverde/2837910184/
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
Content Aggregators:
Agents of Transformation
and Connectivity
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mdverde/2837910184/
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
Content Aggregators:
Agents of Transformation
and Connectivity
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

Before you cruise off... takeaways
Pay attention to technical hitches
but pay a WHOLE LOT MORE
attention to the social hitches
Culture change doesn't happen
overnight and any change needs
to be driven by the stakeholders
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pswansen/465802644/
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/
Establishing the roles and the
rules of engagement is important
so all parties understand their part
to play in that process of change
Patterns of social behaviour and
group dynamics will change as
progress is made
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009

Third assertion:
Content aggregators
help prepare
eResearchers for
takeoff….
and..… landing
and…. refuelling
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pswansen/465802624
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/
and….. maintenance
to take… further
flights of intellectual
fascination and
imagination.
Thank You
Ingrid Mason, National Project Manager, Collections Australia Network, eResearch Australasia, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009