Faculty Peer Reviewed Papers

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    The Dangerous Use of Genetic Information
    (Emerald, 2023-11) Johnson, David Eugene; Shaw, Debora
    The extensive use and ready availability of genetic information pose social and legal danger. The eugenics movement of the 1920s and the general acceptance of genetic essentialism provide context for considering contemporary examples of the dangerous uses of genetic information: social and legal discrimination, the limits of data protection, direct-to-consumer genetic testing, and genetics as used in white nationalist circles. This review suggests how eugenics may be revitalized in the 21st century and research-recommended ways to avoid repeating the hijacking of society by encouraging people to make informed decisions about the use of genetic information.
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    The Genre of Love-Me Binders US Military Veterans Documenting Their Service
    (The Association of Canadian Archivists, 2023-05-30) Martell, Allan A.; Benoit, Edward; Brownlee, Gillian A.
    The US government lacks robust and accurate records of its military personnel. In this context, we argue that attending to veterans’ recordkeeping practices matters to honouring their service to the nation. However, recordkeeping skills are not currently part of the official curriculum of active service members or veterans. Considering this situation, we ask, How do veterans in the US document their service? What are the uses of veterans’ records and recordkeeping practices? Drawing from personal management of information (PMI) and rhetorical genre studies (RGS), we conducted focus groups with veterans and active service members. We found that these individuals attempted to preserve their personal records by creating love-me binders (LMBs) – a genre of records, shaped by the history of recordkeeping practices in the US Armed Forces, that supports military personnel in keeping track of their service. As a genre, love-me binders serve a rhetorical purpose: demonstrating that veterans and sometimes their relatives are eligible for benefits such as health care. Future work should consider opportunities to support veterans in creating and managing LMBs, investigate the creation and management of military records in context, and explore additional domains where records created in the workplace impact workers’ personal lives.
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    The Exodus Memory Community: Leveraging Oral History Records to Understand Collected Memories of Violence
    (SAGE, 2022-10-23) Martell, Allan A.
    Memories about historical episodes of violence are a window not only into experiences of people’s past struggles but also about their aspirations for the future. In this paper, I focus on memories about the armed conflict in El Salvador (1980-1992) to better understand how sets of individual recollections reveal collected patterns in the narrative arcs of those who personally lived through the conflict. In so doing, I aim to expand prior works that have explored communities of memory in El Salvador. To accomplish this goal, I rely on an oral history archive. Using a grounded theory approach, I investigate how people in a rural community in northern El Salvador remember the armed conflict, how their collected memories compare to prior research about life stories of former members of the guerrilla movement and the armed forces, and finally, how oral histories contribute to a scholarly understanding of social memories of violence. I find that, within this archive, people’s recollections of the armed conflict can be organized around four themes: 1) community organizing, 2) repression, 3) exile, and 4) reconstruction. I suggest that the metaphor of the exodus serves to understand how individuals from this region remember the armed conflict. I argue that the exodus memory community reveals the importance of acts of everyday resistance to state repression, sheds light on how non-combatants remember the conflict, and suggests a larger trajectory to community organizing in which the war is an important chapter, but not the only one.
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    Post-Memorial Exhibitions: A Design Approach to Negotiate Cultural Trauma
    (School of Sciences and Humanities Research Institute, University of El Salvador, 2023) Martell, Allan A.
    In this chapter I draw from the case of the armed conflict in El Salvador (1980-1992) to explore how museum exhibition design shaped the memories of the armed conflict of descendants of former war refugees. I report on the process of a participatory design workshop with seven youth and account for the role of the exhibition process in helping participants making sense of their feelings and beliefs associated with a conflict that partly shapes their lives even though these youth were born more than a decade after the Peace Accord. I refer to such design process and its outcomes as a post-memorial exhibition. Post-memorial exhibitions represent an addition to the methodological toolkit of scholars interested in working with memorial museums and sites as well as those interested in transitional justice. By creating a safe space where participants can engage cognitively and emotionally with the fragmented memories of their local, post-conflict context, post-memorial exhibitions can serve both as instruments of sense making and probes for intergenerational dialogue. Future work should also explore tweaking with the design process to promote critical thinking about the past, streamlining the design pipeline to mitigate attrition, and further investigating the role of play in making sense of social memories of violence among youth.
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    Documentarity: Evidence, Ontology, and Inscription
    (MIT Press, 2019-06-08) Day, Ronald
    In this book, Ronald Day offers a historical-conceptual account of how something becomes evident. Crossing philosophical ontology with documentary ontology, Day investigates the different genres, technologies, modes of inscription, and innate powers of expression by which something comes into presence and makes itself evident. He calls this philosophy of evidence documentarity, and it is through this theoretical lens that he examines documentary evidence (and documentation) within the tradition of Western philosophy, largely understood as representational in its epistemology, ontology, aesthetics, and politics.
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    Media Digitization and Preservation Initiative: A Case Study
    (International Journal of Digital Curation, 2018-12-23) Donaldson, Devan Ray; McClanahan, Allison; Christiansen, Leif; Bell, Laura; Narlock, Mikala; Martin, Shannon; Suby, Haley
    Since its creation nearly a decade ago, the Digital Curation Centre (DCC) Curation Lifecycle Model has become the quintessential framework for understanding digital curation. Organizations and consortia around the world have used the DCC Curation Lifecycle Model as a tool to ensure that all the necessary stages of digital curation are undertaken, to define roles and responsibilities, and to build a framework of standards and technologies for digital curation. Yet, research on the application of the model to large-scale digitization projects as a way of understanding their efforts at digital curation is scant. This paper reports on findings of a qualitative case study analysis of Indiana University Bloomington’s multi-million-dollar Media Digitization and Preservation Initiative (MDPI), employing the DCC Curation Lifecycle Model as a lens for examining the scope and effectiveness of its digital curation efforts. Findings underscore the success of MDPI in performing digital curation by illustrating the ways it implements each of the model’s components. Implications for the application of the DCC Curation Lifecycle Model in understanding digital curation for mass digitization projects are discussed as well as directions for future research.
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    Measuring Perceptions of Trustworthiness: A Research Project
    (Universitat wien, 2013) Donaldson, Devan Ray
    The digital curation and preservation community has long acknowledged that trustworthiness is a critical component of successful digital repositories. However, there is no known method to determine if or under what circumstances an end-user perceives a repository as trustworthy. While the research literature describes definitions, criteria, and certification processes that allow repository managers to assert trustworthiness under certain conditions, it does not adequately define, measure, or specify trustworthiness from the perspective of the end-user. This paper highlights traditional notions of trustworthiness in the context of the literature on digital repositories and explores trustworthiness from the end-user’s perspective. The paper also presents an ongoing research project to: (1) investigate designated communities’ perspectives on trustworthiness using focus groups, and (2) explore building, testing, and assessing an index to measure trustworthiness.
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    Users’ Trust in Trusted Digital Repository Content
    (National Library Board Singapore & Nanyang Technological University, 2011) Donaldson, Devan Ray
    Scholars who study trust in digital archives have largely focused their attention on the power of certification by third-party audit as a way to communicate trustworthiness to end-users. In doing so, they assume that the establishment of a network of trusted digital archives will create a climate of trust. But certification at the repository level also assumes the trustworthiness of digital objects within a repository; specifically that digital repository objects are authentic and reliable. This paper proposes the use of document-level seals of approval as a means of communicating to end-users about the trustworthiness of digital objects that is commensurate with specific user interaction. Implications of this proposed research stress the importance of assessing the ‘real-world’ impact of trust signals on users.
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    Provenance, End-User Trust and Reuse: An Empirical Investigation
    (USENIX, 2011) Donaldson, Devan Ray; Fear, Kathleen
    Provenance theorists and practitioners assume that provenance is essential for trust in and reuse of data. However, little empirical research has been conducted to more closely examine this assumption. This qualitative study explores how provenance affects end-users’ trust in and reuse of data. Toward this end, the authors conducted semi- structured interviews with 17 proteomics researchers who interact with data from ProteomeCommons.org, a large scientific data repository. Empirical findings from this study suggest that provenance does help end-users gauge the trustworthiness of data and build their confidence in reusing data. However, provenance also needs to be accompanied by other kinds of information, including: more specific data quality information, the data itself, and author reputation information. Implications of this study stress the value of end-user studies in provenance research, specifically to assess the ‘real-world’ impact of provenance encoded and communicated to end-users in systems.
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    Provenance and credibility in scientific data repositories
    (Archival Science, 2012) Fear, Kathleen; Donaldson, Devan Ray
    Despite a long history of rich theoretical work on provenance, empirical research regarding users’ interactions with and judgments based upon provenance information in archives with scientific data is extremely limited. This article focuses on the relationship between provenance and credibility (i.e., trustworthiness and expertise) for scientists. Toward this end, the authors conducted semi-structured interviews with seventeen proteomics researchers who interact with data from ProteomeCommons.org, a large online repository. To analyze the resulting interview data, the authors apply Brian Hilligoss and Soo Young Rieh’s empirically tested theoretical framework for user credibility assessment. Findings from this study suggest that together with other information provided in ProteomeCommons.org and subjects’ own experiences and prior knowledge, provenance allows users to determine the credibility of datasets. Implications of this study stress the importance of the archival perspective of provenance and archival bond for aiding scientists in their credibility assessments of data housed in scientific data repositories.
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    Secondary adoption of technology standards: The case of PREMIS
    (Archival Science, 2013) Donaldson, Devan Ray; Yakel, Elizabeth
    While archival scholars have identified some of the most important steps for deciding to use and implement metadata standards in archives, very little systematic empirical investigation within the archival science literature regards either how implementation processes actually unfold or the factors affecting implementation. This article analyzes the organizational factors and processes that come into play during implementation of metadata standards, using PREservation metadata: implementation strategies (PREMIS) as an exemplar. Adapting a theoretical framework for secondary adoption of technologies from Gallivan (Database Adv Inf Syst 32(3):51, 2001), the authors apply their model to the PREMIS technology standard and investigate PREMIS implementation by projects/programs on the Library of Congress PREMIS Implementation Registry. Using data from a series of in-depth semi-structured interviews, the authors develop a model for the secondary adoption of PREMIS and outline implications for the secondary adoption of technology standards based on the results of this study.
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    User Conceptions of Trustworthiness for Digital Archival Documents
    (Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 2015) Donaldson, Devan Ray; Conway, Paul
    Trust is the most important characteristic of digital repositories designed to hold and deliver archival documents that have persistent value to stakeholders. In theoretical models of trust in information, the concept of trustworthiness is emerging as both fundamentally important and understudied, particularly in the domain of digital repositories. This article reports on a qualitative study designed to elicit from groups of end users components of trustworthiness and to assess their relative importance. The study draws on interview data from 3 focus groups with experienced users of the Washington State Digital Archives. Utilizing thematic analysis and micro-interlocutor analysis to examine a combination of interview transcripts and video recordings, the study provides a realistic picture of the strength and character of emergent themes that underpin the more general concept of trustworthiness. The study reinforces the centrality of trustworthiness at the individual document level, but calls into question the formulation of trustworthiness as a concept in Kelton, Fleischmann, and Wallace’s (2008) Integrated Model of Trust in Information.
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    Bridging the Trust Gap: Integrating Models of Behavior and Perception
    (New Security Paradigms Workshop, 2015) Hill, Raquel; Donaldson, Devan Ray
    In this paper, we propose a process-oriented trust framework that integrates an integrity-based trust model with the requirements and perceptions of those who manage and administer computing infrastructure. This integration enables a feedback loop between the system administrator and established models of trust that have been proposed to harden and secure systems. The proposed study will engage administrators in the design and use of mechanisms for establishing and evaluating the trust of cyberinfrastructure. The proposed study addresses a gap in current security research, which often views users as managers of a single computer, and not as an administrator of large computing environments. This work seeks to capture system administrators’ perceptions of security and trust and incorporate real-world practices into the design of mechanisms for securing systems.
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    The Perceived Value of Acquiring Data Seals of Approval
    (International Journal of Digital Curation, 2017) Donaldson, Devan Ray; Dillo, Ingrid; Downs, Robert; Ramdeen, Sarah
    The Data Seal of Approval (DSA) is one of the most widely used standards for Trusted Digital Repositories to date. Those who developed this standard have articulated seven main benefits of acquiring DSAs: 1) stakeholder confidence, 2) improvements in communication, 3) improvement in processes, 4) transparency, 5) differentiation from others, 6) awareness raising about digital preservation, and 7) less labor- and time- intensive. Little research has focused on if and how those who have acquired DSAs actually perceive these benefits. Consequently, this study examines the benefits of acquiring DSAs from the point of view of those who have them. In a series of 15 semi- structured interviews with representatives from 16 different organizations, participants described the benefits of having DSAs in their own words. Our findings suggest that participants experience all of the seven benefits that those who developed the standard promised. Additionally, our findings reflect the greater importance of some of those benefits compared to others. For example, participants mentioned the benefits of stakeholder confidence, transparency, improvement in processes and awareness raising about digital preservation more frequently than they discussed less labor- and time- intensive (e.g. it being less labor- and time-intensive to acquire DSAs than becoming certified by other standards), improvements in communication, and differentiation from others. Participants also mentioned two additional benefits of acquiring DSAs that are not explicitly listed on the DSA website that were very important to them: 1) the impact of acquiring the DSA on documentation of their workflows, and 2) assurance that they were following best practice. Implications and future directions for research are discussed.
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    Understanding Perspectives on Sharing Neutron Data at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
    (Data Science Journal, 2017) Donaldson, Devan Ray; Martin, Shawn; Proffen, Thomas
    Even though the importance of sharing data is frequently discussed, data sharing appears to be limited to a few elds, and practices within those elds are not well understood. This study examines perspectives on sharing neutron data collected at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s neutron sources. Operation at user facilities has traditionally focused on making data accessible to those who create them. The recent emphasis on open data is shifting the focus to ensure that the data produced are reusable by others. This mixed methods research study included a series of surveys and focus group interviews in which 13 data consumers, data managers, and data producers answered questions about their perspectives on sharing neutron data. Data con- sumers reported interest in reusing neutron data for comparison/veri cation of results against their own measurements and testing new theories using existing data. They also stressed the importance of establishing context for data, including how data are produced, how samples are prepared, units of measurement, and how temperatures are determined. Data managers expressed reservations about reusing others’ data because they were not always sure if they could trust whether the people responsible for interpreting data did so correctly. Data producers described concerns about their data being misused, competing with other users, and over-reliance on data producers to understand data. We present the Consumers Managers Producers (CMP) Model for understanding the interplay of each group regarding data sharing. We conclude with policy and system recommendations and discuss directions for future research.
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    The Digitized Archival Document Trustworthiness Scale
    (International Journal of Digital Curation, 2016) Donaldson, Devan Ray
    Designated communities are central to validation of preservation. If a designated community is able to understand and use information found within a digital repository, the assumption is that the information has been properly preserved. As judging the trustworthiness of information requires at least some level of understanding of that information, this paper presents results of a study aimed at developing a tool for measuring designated community members’ perceptions of trustworthiness for preserved information found within a digital repository. The study focuses on genealogists at the Washington State Digital Archives who routinely interact with digitized genealogical records, including digitized marriage, death, and birth records. Results of the study include construction of an original Digitized Archival Document Trustworthiness Scale (DADTS). DADTS is a ready-made tool for digital curators to use to measure the trustworthiness perceptions of their designated community members. Implications of this study include the feasibility of engaging members of a designated community in the construction of a scale for measuring trustworthiness perception, thereby providing deeper insight into the understandability and usability of preserved information by that designated community.
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    Securing Trustworthy Digital Repositories
    (Universität wien, 2016) Donaldson, Devan Ray; Hill, Raquel; Keitel, Christian; Dowding, Heidi
    Security is critical to repository trustworthiness. Recent international standards for Trustworthy Digital Repositories (TDRs) all specify some sort of security criteria that are necessary to adhere to in order to attain TDR status. However, little is known about how those who are responsible for addressing these criteria actually regard the concept of security. This study centers on digital repository staff members’ perceptions of security, including their perceptions of security criteria in standards for TDRs. This paper discusses findings from surveys and semi-structured interviews with staff from repositories that have recently acquired the nestor seal of approval. We found that participants considered the principles of confidentiality, integrity, and availability as relevant to their notions of security. We also found that participants considered the security criteria required to acquire the nestor seal of approval as both sufficient and appropriate for addressing their repositories’ needs. Implications for better understanding the security of digital repositories are discussed as well as directions for future research.
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    Implementing PREMIS: A Case Study of the Florida Digital Archive
    (Library Hi Tech, 2010) Donaldson, Devan Ray; Conway, Paul
    Purpose – The purpose of this case study is to describe and interpret the PREservation Metadata: Implementation Strategies (PREMIS) implementation process, to gain more insight into why barriers to the adoption of PREMIS exist as well as how to overcome them. Design/methodology/approach – This qualitative case study analysis highlights the Florida Digital Archive as an exemplar of an organization in the throes of deciding just how to implement the PREMIS metadata model in a working repository system. Findings – Findings from this study suggest that use of PREMIS requires adaptation in which an organization must make changes in order to use PREMIS, and vice versa. Findings also suggest that there are clearly defined steps involved in the PREMIS implementation process, and that the nature of this process is iterative. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited by a short data collection period. It is also limited by investigating only one institution during its implementation process. Future studies could test the validity of the model proposed in this study and include multiple institutions. Practical implications – By providing context for the implementation process, this paper can help cultural heritage institutions interested in fully adopting PREMIS. Originality/value – Exploring PREMIS implementation using DOI/MIS literature is novel in the digital preservation community and is proposed as particularly useful to digital preservationists who are considering adopting PREMIS. The paper suggests that seemingly innocuous decisions by developers have real implications for preservation.
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    Analysis of Roles in Engaging Contentious Online Discussions in Science
    (Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, 2017) Hara, Noriko; Sanfilippo, Madelyn Rose
    The prevalence of sites in which users can contribute content increases ordinary citizens’ participation in emerging forms of knowledge sharing. This paper investigates the practices associated with the roles of participants who actively contribute to the co-production of knowledge in three online communities and how these roles differ in controversial and non-controversial threads. The Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine was selected as a contentious scientific topic because of persistent belief about an alleged link between the vaccine and autism. Contributions to three online communities that engage mothers with young children were analyzed to identify participant roles. No consistent roles were evident in non-controversial threads, but the role of mediator consistently appeared in controversial threads in all three communities. This study helps to articulate the roles played in online communities that engage in knowledge collaboration. The variety of roles in online communities has implications for both the study for practice and the design of information technologies.