The literature was used for the purpose of review and for referencing. Literature review has been defined as:
a systematic, explicit, and reproducible method for identifying, evaluating, and interpreting the existing body of recorded work produced by researchers, scholars, and practitioners (Fink 1998:3).
Thus, the literature review established information sources and evaluated their methodological characteristics and content in relation to the research problem. Methodological features refer to study methods which include research design, data collection and data analysis, whereas the content consists of the objectives, findings and conclusions (Fink 1998:63). Referencing comprises the text or quotation being referenced, the reference itself and the corresponding bibliographic entry.
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2.1.1 Use of the literature in referencing
Referencing is a standardised method of acknowledging sources of information and ideas that one gets in the literature, in a way that uniquely identifies their source. References were used for a variety of purposes as demonstrated by Blaxter, Hughes and Tight (200 I: 127) and lankowicz (2000:162). In a nutshell, they were used to inform the readers where certain ideas used in the study came from as well as proving that the study has a substantial and factual basis. They were also used to attribute quotations and to provide justification and support for arguments that are advanced in the study. Furthermore, referencing was used to justify the reasonableness of the methods used in the study, since other people in the field had also used them. Last, but not least, it was used to allow readers to identify and retrieve the references for their own use. The convention governing the form that the references took was discussed in section 1.7.1 of Chapter One.
There are several software packages for storing and managing bibliographic references. They include Pro-Cite®, Papyrus®, Reference Managers® and others (Gray 2000:74). However, EndNote® version 5 was used to manage the bibliographic references in this study. EndNote®
is a complete bibliographic database and management program designed to search online databases, organize references, and create one-step bibliographies in Microsoft Word® and WordPerfect® (lSI ResearchSoft 2002). Pro-Cite®, Reference Managers® and EndNote® are published by lSI ResearchSoft whereas, Papyrus® is published by Research Software Design (2002). The major features of lSI ResearchSoft software packages are summarized in Table One below.
In addition to some of the advantages of EndNote® that are evident from Table One, the software was selected because the statistics from the publishers of the three software programs showed that EndNote® was the most popular and easy-to-use package (lSI ResearchSoft 2002). Its popularity can be attributed to its current lower cost than the other two products.
The researcher also tried the Papyrus® version 7.0 downloads free demonstration, but did not find the user interface as user-friendly as in EndNote®. Although, it is almost half the purchase price of EndNote®, Papyrus® version 7.0 seems to be currently less established and unpopUlar with the research community. Judging by the user comments at the Research
Software Design website the bibliographic software package is making some inroads into the biomedical field.
Table 1: Selected features oflSI ResearchSoft™ bibliographic products
Feature EndNote® Reference Managers® Pro-Cite®
Version 5 10 5
Search the Internet Yes Yes Yes
Organize references Yes Yes Yes
Format bibliographies Yes Yes Yes
Operating system Macintosh Windows (Win) Mac&Win
(Mac)&Win
Maximum number of references 32000 Unlimited Unlimited
Maximum number of fields 38 37 45
Maximum number of reference types 25 35 50+
Spell check Yes Yes No
Number of output styles 700+ 650+ 620+
Adapted from lSI ResearchSoft (2002).
2.1.2 Review ofthe literature
It is axiomatic that "all social research has relevant literature, and no research takes place in a vacuum" (Punch 2000:42). lankowicz (2000: 159) confirmed that:
Knowledge doesn't exist in a vacuum, and your work only has value in relation to other people's. Your work and findings will be significant only to the extent that they're the same as, or different from, other people's work and findings.
Literature review also recognizes that every theory is related to at least one other theory through sharing concepts or propositions (Kuhn 1962; 1970). Propositions explain the way events occur. According to Hoover and Donovan (1995:423) propositions are theories that provide patterns for data interpretation as well as conceptual frameworks (Hoover & Donovan
1995:44; Powell 1999:96).
Essentially, the literature was reviewed to identify theories and ideas that were to be tested using data. This method of developing a theoretical or conceptual framework that is subsequently tested using data is called a deductive model (Creswell 1994:88; Saunders,
Lewis & Thornhill 2000:45). It is quite the opposite of the inductive approach where data is explored in order to develop theories that can be related to the literature. According to Creswell (1994 :94) qualitative studies use the inductive model whereas the deductive approach is generally used by quantitative studies. The qualitative and quantitative approaches to research are discussed in more depth in Section 4.1 of Chapter Four. Furthermore, Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2000:91) pointed out that deductive research is economic and less protracted than inductive research. The survey method, which was used in the study, is generally associated with the deductive approach (Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill 2000:93).
Steps taken in the review of the literature involved a systematic identification, location, evaluation and interpretation of the existing recorded body of knowledge and information relating to the research problem (Fink 1998:3). The review of literature serves a variety of purposes (Birmingham 2000:26; Bless & Higson-Smith 2000:20; Cooper 1998:25; Creswell
1994:20-21; Hart 1998:27; Leedy 1997:71; Mauch & Birch 1993:67-68; Sapsford 1999:43;
and Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill 2000:45).
Although, the list of purposes of the literature review is endless six common examples are discussed below. Firstly, it places the research in a context related to existing research and theory. Secondly, it provides a framework for establishing the importance of the study, as well as establishing tools for comparing the results of the study with other findings. Thirdly, it ensures that one's research would contribute to a better understanding of the phenomenon under study. Fourthly, it identifies the main methodologies and research techniques that have been used. Fifthly, it provides an opportunity to discuss relevant research carried out on the same topic or similar topics. Finally, it helps to avoid pitfalls and mistakes made by others.
2.1.3 Research map of the literature
Prior to consulting sources of information, the structure of the issues pertaining to preservation were identified and systematically organised. A research map of literature or a relevance tree of literature suggested by authors like Creswell (1994:29; 2003 :39), lankowicz (2000: 167), Locke, Silverman and Spirduso (1993:75) and Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2000:58) was constructed and is illustrated in Figure One below. The network of core terms for the literature in question is at times referred to as Papineau's (1979) tree.
Figure 1: Research map of the literature
PRESERVATION AND ACCESS TO PUBLIC RECORDS AND ARCHIVES IN GENERAL
+
Education &
Training
•
Microfilming
~
Handling
+ + .- ~ .- +
Preservation Related Standards & Handling Preservation Reformatting Studies Specifications & Care
Strategies
•
, + +
Digitisation Preservation Storage &
Buildings and
Equipment
Photocopying Handling
• • I
Climatic Light
conditions Biological factors
Conservation treatment
Preserving photographs
& Access
•
Environment
I ~
Preservation Planning Preservation Policies Disaster Preparedness
Preserving audiovisual
+
Preservation Strategies
"
Policies
& Plans
~
Conservation
& Restoration
~
Nature of archiva materia
,
Paper Electr Photo Audic s
based onic graphic
visual
Prest: rvation of rable vulnt recor ds
MindManager 2000 Version 4.0®, a visual thinking tool created by Mindjet (2001), was used to construct the research map of literature. Visual thinking helped the researcher to organize, structure, and present the literature related to the study. Through the technique, important subjects were identified and priorities as to what to locate and consult first were also established. Thus the research map of literature helped to demarcate the scholarship to be included in the literature review.
As described by Creswell (1994:30), the relevance tree is a rough-and-ready directed visual map that starts with a general title and branches out into aspects of the general title that may occur to the researcher. In this case the researcher started with the research topic at the top and identified two or more subjects that were important to the research. The subject areas were further subdivided into sub-areas. As reading and reviewing the literature progressed new areas were added to the relevance tree. However, some of the areas that were identified and that should have formed some of the branches of the relevance tree illustrated in Figure One were left out because the software only accommodated a limited number of fields. For instance, the activities involved in restoration and conservation processes were left out. So were the details of preservation reformatting strategies and biological factors just to mention a few. The identified areas pertaining to preservation and access are discussed in detail in the subsequent sections of this chapter.
2.1.4 Sources of information
The development of a literature relevance tree is predicated on finding the literature.
Bibliographic sources suggested by Behrens (1994:115-117), Creswell (1994:33-35), Hart (1998:34), Lane, Chisholm and Mateer (2000) and Powell (1997:205-207) including, electronic sources such as, UMI ProQuest Dissertation Abstracts International, Educational Resources Information Centre (ERIC), Information Science Abstracts, Library and Information Science Abstracts, Library Literature, South African Bibliographic and Information Network (SABINET) were used to identify literature related to preserving and accessing records and archives.
In addition, the Internet was used both as a bibliographic source and a discussion forum through lis/servers, that is, electronic discussion groups, such as Archives Discussion
Listserver [email protected], Conservation Discussion Listserver at consdist- [email protected], Microlink Discussion Listserver at
http://www.slsa.sa.gov.aulmicrolink and Digital Preservation Discussion Listserver at http://www.jiscmail.ac.ukldidital-preservation and other Internet discussion groups (IDG).