Sherry Turkle, Jaron Lanier and Douglas Rushkoff have studied the effects of digital technology on our social lives for over thirty years. This thesis links their ideas and provides an overview of...Show moreSherry Turkle, Jaron Lanier and Douglas Rushkoff have studied the effects of digital technology on our social lives for over thirty years. This thesis links their ideas and provides an overview of the central themes in their thinking. It will turn out that digital technology was met with great enthusiasm in the twentieth century but has turned out to be increasingly downgrading our social interactions over time.Show less
This thesis gives an overview of the developments in scholars'awareness and attitudes towards open access publishing between 1992 and 2014. The results show that awareness and attitudes change as...Show moreThis thesis gives an overview of the developments in scholars'awareness and attitudes towards open access publishing between 1992 and 2014. The results show that awareness and attitudes change as open access publishing itself changes.Show less
In this thesis the creation and appearance of Joan Blaeu’s town atlas of the city and monuments of Rome, the Admiranda Urbis Romæ, are treated. In the first part the social-historic context related...Show moreIn this thesis the creation and appearance of Joan Blaeu’s town atlas of the city and monuments of Rome, the Admiranda Urbis Romæ, are treated. In the first part the social-historic context related to the appearance of the town atlas is discussed: relevant elements for the interest in Italy in the second half of the seventeenth century were taken into consideration (Humanism, the collecting of antiquities, Grand Tour). The flourishing of Dutch publishing in this period has also been treated, in particular the emergence of the Blaeu firm in Amsterdam. In the second phase of the research focus was shifted towards the town atlas of Rome. Its goal, contents and intended audience, as well as the relationships with Italian sponsors and the collaboration of the Blaeu firm with their Italian contacts were discussed. After a description of the characteristics of the original Blaeu edition, in the final part of the thesis later editions by other publishers were treated. A conclusion was then reached about the development of a subtly changing perspective on Rome as witnessed through the various editions of the town atlas of Rome; the relations between the Netherlands and Italy in the second half of the seventeenth century were a guiding theme through the entire research.Show less
It has been argued that handwriting is slowly becoming less important in favour of typing. This is because handwriting seems to take up more time and effort than typing does. The underlying...Show moreIt has been argued that handwriting is slowly becoming less important in favour of typing. This is because handwriting seems to take up more time and effort than typing does. The underlying objective of this study is to examine the importance of handwriting. The aim of this study is to determine what factors are important to take into consideration when it comes to handwriting and to provide further evidence for the importance of handwriting as opposed to typing. This study covered four main topics in order to examine the importance of handwriting. This was done by looking at whether handwriting practice and the teaching of handwriting was decreasing in schools, then by looking at the differences between handwriting and typing, before establishing the importance of handwriting by examining the movement involved. Finally it drew a connection between handwriting and literacy. In order to examine these topics, a multitude of sources were examined and consulted. These ranged from neurological research articles, where the results were achieved by test subjects, to organizations testing the literacy of people, to websites that described concerns voiced by educators. This dissertation aimed to give an accurate representation of these sources by citing them appropriately. Taken together, these sources provided an overview into the main topic of the importance of handwriting. From this study it became clear that cursive handwriting is no longer an obligatory part of school curriculum in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and that there is a decrease in proper handwriting. In addition it also identified that bad handwriting can have disastrous consequences in professional fields. In regards to the differences between handwriting and typing, it has become clear that handwriting has a significant influence on the recognition of characters that typing lacks. Furthermore, handwriting aids people in their memory retention, helps build more complicated sentences than with typing, and leads to a better composition of a written text. Finally it described that handwriting and literacy were connected and a better handwriting performance lead to a better reading performance. It was concluded in the dissertation that handwriting continues to take up an important position in education, and should therefore not be given a secondary place next to typing. Handwriting attributes to academic success and higher literacy rates and bad handwriting would soon lead to a worse literacy rate. The study has indicated that a further education in handwriting should always be present in order to sustain the future for literacy, readability of text, and memorization of characters.Show less
The nineteenth century witnessed a change in reading behaviour and in readership. With the changes in readership, the newspaper coverage on books and book related businesses in the Netherlands must...Show moreThe nineteenth century witnessed a change in reading behaviour and in readership. With the changes in readership, the newspaper coverage on books and book related businesses in the Netherlands must also have changed. But how was this change reflected in newspapers? This thesis aims to give an answer to that question. It will review newspapers from three years: 1815, 1850 and 1890 in order to present a broad perspective on the changes during the century. The focus will be on newspapers from larger cities and regions, and on national newspapers. This means that the newspapers that are featured in this study will, for the most part, be from the western parts of The Netherlands.Show less
The internet is greatly improving the impact of scholarly journals, but also poses new threats to their quality. Publishers have arisen that abuse the Gold Open Access model, in which the author...Show moreThe internet is greatly improving the impact of scholarly journals, but also poses new threats to their quality. Publishers have arisen that abuse the Gold Open Access model, in which the author pays a fee to get his article published, to make money with so-called predatory journals. These publishers falsely claim to conduct peer review, which makes them more prone to publish fraudulent and plagiarised research. This thesis looks at three possible methods to stop predatory journals: black- and white-lists, open peer review systems and new metrics. Black- and whitelists have set up rules and regulations that credible publishers and journals should follow. Open peer review systems should make it harder for predatory publishers to make false claims about their peer review process. Metrics should measure more aspects of research impact and become less liable to gaming. The question is, which of these three methods is the best candidate to stop predatory journals. As all three methods have their drawbacks, especially for new but high quality journals, none of them stop predatory journals on its own can. Rather, we need a system in which researchers, publishers and reviewers communicate more openly about the research they create, disseminate and read. But above all, we need to find a way to take away incentives for researchers and publishers to engage in fraudulent practices.Show less
This thesis is a report on what the definition of authorship is and if Te Winkel meets the criteria to be seen as an author of poetry. The edition consists of two parts. In the first part...Show moreThis thesis is a report on what the definition of authorship is and if Te Winkel meets the criteria to be seen as an author of poetry. The edition consists of two parts. In the first part authorship is investigated. The development of the word ‘author’ is given and several philosophers is given some attention to come to the final definition of ‘authorship’. Along the way the findings will be coupled with Te Winkel’s work and life. This will eventually lead to a definition of Te Winkel’s poetical activities. Was it authorship or recreational writing? In the second part of this thesis a full edition of Te Winkel’s book Lycoris: Bundel minnedichten 1864 - 1874 is given.Show less
A study of UK bookselling practices from the years of 1997-2014 focussing on the effort to provide a more customised experiences for the reader/consumer.
At the centre of the current paper is the battle between e-book formats, which will be discussed from different perspectives. The first two chapters directly deal with the issues of formats by...Show moreAt the centre of the current paper is the battle between e-book formats, which will be discussed from different perspectives. The first two chapters directly deal with the issues of formats by discussing their suitability to being used as formats for academic e-books. The last chapter debates the challenges digital academic publishing is facing today (pricing models for different formats, publishers’ choice of a suitable format, and changes in academic publishing caused by the development of technologies and formats in particular).Show less
The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of digital technologies such as computers, iPads and digital textbooks on the authority of the teacher in Dutch primary schools. The used...Show moreThe purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of digital technologies such as computers, iPads and digital textbooks on the authority of the teacher in Dutch primary schools. The used methods were a research of the available literature and a simplified version a Delphi Panel. It was concluded that the authority of the teacher is undermined by the use of digital technologies in the classroom, because the teacher is at risk of losing control over the classroom and it is hard for the teacher to keep up with the increasing pace at which digital technologies are introduced.Show less
This thesis concerns a new edition of the manuscript Recollections of a Few Days Spent in Holland in August 1826. This manuscript is preserved in the Special Collections of Leiden University...Show moreThis thesis concerns a new edition of the manuscript Recollections of a Few Days Spent in Holland in August 1826. This manuscript is preserved in the Special Collections of Leiden University Libraries (BPL 3204). It was written by the Englishman William Geary who, together with his sister Sophia, visited Holland for a week in 1826. Brother and sister embarked at Great Yarmouth and after a rather uncomfortable crossing their Dutch tour started in Rotterdam. In a short period of time they also visited The Hague, Amsterdam and a few small villages such as Scheveningen, Broek in Waterland and Katwijk. Geary really made an effort to make his journal entertaining for the reader, and he criticized the dullness and wordiness of many travelogues. Some sights such as the Huis ten Bosch palace and a workhouse in Amsterdam are described in detail, but he never loses himself in endless lists of facts. Here and there Geary even adds an amusing anecdote and he describes the Dutch customs and habits that strike him. In this edition the text of the original manuscript has been edited to enhance readability. A theoretical framework concerning editing has been included to account for the editorial choices that the editor has made. Additionally, a historical context and explanatory annotations are added to provide the reader with more tools to interpret the manuscript’s content.Show less
Reading is an activity that is realised in a specific place and period by individuals with different backgrounds, interests, expectations, and degrees of literacy. Reconstructing reading and its...Show moreReading is an activity that is realised in a specific place and period by individuals with different backgrounds, interests, expectations, and degrees of literacy. Reconstructing reading and its different practices throughout history is therefore an elaborate task. This paper proposes the use of the 'reading spaces' model as a methodology to outline the reading possibilities for various social groups in specific historical periods and places. The study goes beyond the basic divide of the literate and the illiterate by considering a wider context and analysing the elements that can foster or limit reading. These influences have been determined through a review of existing historical reading studies and can be summarised into education, profession, socio-economic conditions, culture, and the legal and political system of any certain period. This particular approach to reading studies was developed as a method to study the activity of reading in seventeenth-century New Spain. The paper provides a theoretical framework for the reading spaces model as a basis and it then examines the various differentiators and conditions that influence reading in seventeenth-century colonial Mexico. Finally, it presents the analysis of three book inventories from that period and compares them to their corresponding reading spaces.Show less
Education is becoming increasingly digital. However, the scientific foundation for this trend does not seem to be very strong. It is in no way certain that digital materials enhance learning...Show moreEducation is becoming increasingly digital. However, the scientific foundation for this trend does not seem to be very strong. It is in no way certain that digital materials enhance learning outcomes. This thesis researches ways of representing knowledge through digital text, with a specific focus on education. When digitising a text, different elements of that text might change, like the structure and its navigational options. This thesis examines those elements with the help of literature research and practical examples of digitised text. Theories of reading are discussed, and the relationship between medium and message is seen to be central. Case studies exemplify different possible elements of digital text. Next, educational theory related to digital text is discussed to assess the potential of those elements in digital educational material. A conclusion is that developers should be careful adopting digital material without proper research into the consequences. Multimedia material seems the most promising of the options discussed. Learning to read long-form text seems to remain crucial, even though shorter texts are the trend. Deep, sustained and active reading is required for a good learning experience. When developing new learning materials, the quality of that material should come first, before the choice of the medium. This evaluation should be made carefully, and right now paper seems to offer better educational potential.Show less
