A growing number of historical scholars in social science and humanities fields are using geographic information systems (GIS) to help investigate spatial questions and map their findings. The nature of historical data and historiographic practices present several challenges in using GIS that have been addressed only partially to date. For example, although events are inherently spatial and a fundamental construct in historical reasoning, there have been few attempts to create comprehensive data models for describing them. Likewise, computational representations of historical processes and narrative remain largely undeveloped. In this research, the emerging genre of digital historical atlas is presented as a broad use case and contextualized. Its representation requirements are detailed in novel conceptual and logical models of relevant geo-historical information constructs, presented as a generalized development framework. An event-centered and information-based spatial history ontology (SHO) was developed by adapting and extending an existing upper ontology (DOLCE). Its implementation in a spatial object-relational database populated with several historical datasets is described. Some important challenges remaining in this large, ultimately collaborative undertaking are discussed.

Events and periods are not objectively existing phenomena, but concepts we use to organize our knowledge of history. They make historical change comprehensible and help us orient ourselves with respect to the history of the culture in which we participate. Thus they are indispensable for describing both the content of history scholarship and the context of documents that serve as evidence for that scholarship. As historical discourse shifts its emphases and new aspects of the past come to be considered significant, periods and events are subject to constant change. Despite this change, we can model periods and events in systems of knowledge organization because it is possible to discern and formally describe relatively stable recurrent patterns in their narration.

Although much as been written about information technologies and politics, less is known about how information is handled in congressional personal offices. What happens when a constituent sends an email to their Congressman? How does a Senator get information about the pros and cons of a proposed bill? A study was conducted to understand the information interactions in congressional personal offices. Using a semi-structured interview protocol consisting of questions about information management and usage in the congressional offices, fifteen respondents from congressional personal offices explained the ways in which they, as individuals and as part of a congressional personal office team, interact with information. Notable findings included the value respondents placed upon information in general and on particular information resources or technologies. Information interactions with constituents were highly valued as was obtaining information from multiple points of view. Unsolicited non-constituent information presented in email, letters or phone calls, was of low value to the respondents. Information technologies including blackberries and Internet search platforms were of mixed value to the respondents. Notable findings also included the simplistic heuristics used for archiving and retrieving information. Advancements in information technologies might be able to promote more efficient information archiving and retrieving, and programmers are currently developing software to address the needs of Congress in this area. Other notable findings included the ways in which the congressional personal offices taking part in this study were similar to each other, e.g. in their information interactions with resources outside of the congressional personal offices； and the ways in which the offices were dissimilar to each other, e.g. in the information interactions among the staff within a single office. Of value to scholars in the academic disciplines of Information Studies and Political Science were the findings that congressional staffers do not regularly utilize academic resources and although they are not degreed or certified information specialists, they reported that they frequently rely upon the information gathering and evaluating skills of the Congressional Research Service.

In a world where “Google” is a verb, this research asks the question “what influences an individuals decision to select one information source over another?” Previous works have discussed relational versus nonrelational information sources Rulke, Zaheer, & Anderson, 2000). Other research focuses on the information quality OReilly, 1982), source accessibility Culnan, 1984, 1985), or source richness Daft, Lengel, & Trevino, 1987； Daft & Macintosh, 1981) but all these prior works do not address the social aspects of information sources. This research defines and develops the construct of relationalism which is reflective of the social aspects of information sources. An important argument put forth in this work is that individuals will interact differently with a source based on its relationalism. Communication literature suggests that an individual will respond socially to anothers social invitation even if the “other” is actually an inanimate object Nass & Moon, 2000). For example, individuals responded to social cues given by a robot no differently than the same social cues from a three-year-old child. To investigate source selection this research uses two experiments and a survey. The experimental approach allows for a high level of control over the task design and other extraneous influences. The survey methodology utilizes knowledge workers in business organizations, and examines the profiles of sources used in a realistic work setting. While the experimental design improves the internal validity of the model, the survey approach allows for a superior assessment of the external validity. Such methodological triangulation provides for a robust testing of the model and greater confidence in its emerging prescriptions. The first experiment investigates the antecedents to relationalism. Objective design characteristics were found to be positively related to relationalism. Furthermore a socially oriented factor was also related to relationalism. The second experiment investigated the relationship between relationalism and source selection. This experiment also included task effects and controlled for personality variables. The relationship between relationalism and source selection depended on the nature of the task with more complex tasks indicating a stronger preference for higher relationalism sources. The findings from the survey of knowledge workers largely corroborated the findings from the experiments though some differences were seen. From the experimental and survey results implications for research and practice are developed. Further this research contributes to a deeper understanding of information source selection in a modern IT-enabled environment.

This dissertation undertakes an evaluation of electronic government in a developing country using a Stages Model approach. The intellectual traditions of communication for development and technological determinism perspectives are employed to assess the implementation of e-government, a transformational resource for the advancement of government-citizen relations made possible by advances in information and communication technologies that have gained prominence in the last two decades. Governments around the world have adopted the use of information and communication technologies as a means of transforming the delivery of services and access to information for citizens. Electronic government, the use by government agencies of information technologies that have the ability to transform relations with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government, has become a critical tool toward this end. However, the progress and outcomes of the implementation of e-government in developing countries has not been adequately studied. This study uses content analysis to examine websites established by Kenya governments 46 ministries in Kenya and evaluates their performance using a four-stage model framework. The framework builds on existing e-government literature and utilizes 35 different content measures to evaluate information content, transaction, horizontal integration and vertical integration attributes of government ministry websites. The research was conducted between June and July of 2009. The content coding instrument used in the study is the Web Attribute Evaluation System developed by the Cyberspace Policy Research Group. The study reviews relevant e-government literature for evaluating Web sites worldwide, discusses sample selection, methodology, theoretical framework, findings, and recommendations. The content and attributes of ministry websites are compared across different e-government stages and ministries grouped into functional categories. The central analysis of these data is to evaluate the claim that access to information and transaction attributes provided by e-government will improve the relations between government and citizens by enhancing the quality and convenience of services delivery. This dissertation puts forth two major findings: that government ministries have adopted online communication as one of the main resources for delivery of services, achieved by posting online some level of information, enabling communication and interaction online, and are at varying stages of e-government development. Secondly, the data set confirmed the Layne and Lee Stages model prediction that e-government tended to grow progressively from the information Catalogue) Stage towards higher Stages. The study showed higher scores at the Catalogue stage for all ministries than at all the other stages.

There are a wide variety of e-government information and services that small business owners and managers can utilize. However, in spite of all of the service incentives and initiatives to promote e-government, research studies have shown that this information is not widely accessed. Studies that explore the utilization of e-government information by small businesses are scarce. This study sheds light on e-government information utilization in the business context. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Internet accessibility and e-government information awareness for minority small business enterprises. This study sought to explain the Internet access capabilities of small business managers and to identify the e-government information and services accessed by minority small business managers. Questionnaires and interviews were used to gather relevant data from a random selection of small business managers in New York City. This study found that minority small business managers are comfortable with using the Internet to support their business operations. They perceive e-government information to be important and they are aware of most of the e-government information that is available but do not use e-government information very frequently. A solution to this is to provide small business owners and managers with additional guidance on how to effectively use e-government information within their specific business environment. The results of this study were used to develop a minority small business e-government user profile that included business size, manager activities, and manager outlook. This profile has the potential to be used by small business managers and information professionals alike to add insight into the small business managers that are using e-government information. The preliminary profile presented in this study identifies the characteristics that small business managers need to maintain effective use of e-government information. This research supports the expansion and growth of small businesses in relation to the use of e-government information and services. Having a better understanding of the small business communitys e-government information usage and needs is foundational to providing much needed support for small businesses.

Outsourcing increases supported by technology have led to the formation of virtual strategic partnerships. Historically, 70% to 75% of alliance partnerships fail because members are often competitors outside the alliance network. To address alliance failure, a Delphi Study was conducted to identify the role of trust and alliance performance outcomes in the areas of contractual and management control, resource sharing, and network flexibility for the successful development of partnerships within the meeting and events industry. A three-round Delphi Study consisting of 15 expert panelists provided robust data that support the importance of trust as creating a platform of respect, increased partner cooperation, and understanding among stakeholders. The study’s purpose was to address the influence of trust on performance outcomes using the Delphi method. The thematic finding of this Delphi Study is that, in general, leadership-based practices had a greater influence on virtual strategic alliance performance than trust-based practices. Findings support a contingency approach to create a platform of respect, alliance vision, clear roles, and partner expectations to build trust. A majority of the expert panel included trust as a contributor to the collective performance of the alliance when alliance members work as a team to meet or exceed individual member’s goals and net profit objectives.

This study explores the supportive and informational uses of social network sites that facilitate adaptation to transition. Adaptation to transition is a complex process contingent upon the management of stress associated with transition and general integration into the transitional environment. This study focuses on the transition to college, a major life event requiring integration into new settings, the negotiation of informational challenges, and the mastery of new roles and identities. Social network sites represent a connective infrastructure within personal networks. Because social network sites are inherently connective, they afford a location for provision and receipt of social support during transition, and a site for the acquisition of information necessary for integration into the transitional environment. Drawing on data collected directly from a social network site that describes the networked activity of a freshman class over the course of their first semester at college, from a sample survey of freshmen with 1,198 respondents, and from 15 semi-structured interviews, this research has two primary components. In the first component of analysis, I explore the structure and dynamics of sociotechnical networks during transition. Using exponential random graph modeling, I identify the role and magnitude of preference, socio-demographic, and configuration factors in structuring socio-technical networks during transition. I then use an econometric framework to demonstrate that certain types of information sharing and profile change are associated with socio-technical network growth. In the second component of analysis, I explore uses of social network sites that facilitate adaptation to transition. Using multiple regression and structural equation modeling, I demonstrate that supportive and social-informational uses of social network sites in transition exert a direct and mediated positive effect on overall adaptation. I then draw on interviews to explore supportive and informational uses of the social network site during transition, finding that social network sites are useful in pre-transition preparation, for social adaptation, and for academic support throughout the transition. Upon evaluation, I demonstrate that a social network site is a useful place to turn for the social and informational support that facilitates adaptation to transition.

This dissertation examines the experiences of fifty-one young people who were adolescents as high-speed Internet access became widely available in the United States. The data are drawn from semi-structured, open-ended interviews with thirty-nine women and twelve men. Interviews covered topics related to sexual socialization. These included formal sexual education experiences in school, informal interactions with peers, early sexual experiences, and information from media. Sexual scripting theory frames both the data collection and data analysis of this research. While participants describe a wide and predictable variety of sources of sexual information including movies, television, books, magazines, family, friends, and personal experience, the majority reported the Internet served a central role in how they learned about sexuality. As the Internet is a relatively new source of information about sexuality, and one that has been minimally researched in this capacity, in my analysis I emphasize the role of the Internet in sexual socialization. Despite popular concerns around adolescent use of such technology, the majority of participants reported positive experiences with the Internet as a source of sexual information. Participants reported accessing sexually explicit material as well as accurate sexual information on the Internet. The Internet was described as a relatively safe and easy means of accessing sexual information specific to their concerns and readily available in the absence of other sources. I place the findings within the cultural context of moral panics regarding teen sexuality and technology as well as emergent theories and debates about citizenship in order to fully understand the key social and theoretical implications of the experiences of these young people.

The History of the Book in Canada / Histoire du livre et de l’imprime au Canada and other national book history projects have been a catalyst for research into the local production of print and have highlighted the need for more study of the print trades in smaller centres. In Ontario during the nineteenth century independent weekly newspapers were printed in most villages, while larger towns boasted more than one print shop and often one or more booksellers and stationers. Bookbinders were active members of the book trades selling books and stationery, ruling paper, binding local pamphlets, periodicals, and books, and manufacturing blankbooks for a variety of purposes. Since much local printing was ephemeral in nature, the only evidence of its existence is found in the record books kept by printers and binders. Partial business records and other surviving artifacts of the Guelph Bookbindery, which operated from 1855 to 1978, are both a rich source of evidence of the day-to-day operations of the bookbindery and a key to the intersection of print trades in Guelph, Ontario, and the surrounding counties. This study uses local imprints, blankbooks, authors’ papers, newspapers, directories, maps, assessment records, photographs, museum artifacts, and oral history accounts to reconstruct a history of the bookbindery and its place in the print culture of nineteenth-century Guelph. It documents the transformation of a business selling books, stationery, and wallpaper into a commercial bindery, which along with local printers produced large numbers of pamphlets, ubiquitous then but increasingly rare today. It is a view into the microcosm of a dynamic community where print was a vital medium for communication reflecting the cultural, commercial, and entrepreneurial discourse in nineteenth-century Canadian society that reached far beyond its borders.