Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of The Bridging Worlds Conference which was held in October 2008 in Singapore. Design/methodology/approach: One of the main topics the National Library Board of Singapore, the organising party, wished to address was the roles cultural institutions, such as libraries, may play in…

Native peoples, like others, use objects not only as a means of adornment or as tools for living but also as statements about themselves in the greater whole of the universe, conveying many levels of information. These objects will remain a statement of tribal and individual identities serving as communicators to the outside world and as points of…

On their visit to the National Archives Experience in Washington, D.C., students in Jenni Ashley and Gay Brock's U.S. history classes at the Potomac School in McLean, Virginia, participated in a pilot program called "The Constitution by Cell." Armed with their cell phones, a basic understanding of the Constitution, and a willingness to…

Many Japanese museums and other cultural institutions have been exploring ways to enrich visitors' experiences using new digital devices. This paper briefly describes some examples in Japan, ranging from a PDA, a mobile phone, podcasting, and an audio guide speaker-equipped vest to a Quick Response (QR) code on a brochure for downloading a short…

Since it was coined by Tim O'Reilly in formulating the first Web 2.0 Conference in 2004, the term "Web 2.0" has definitely caught on as a designation of a second generation of Web design and experience that emphasizes a high degree of interaction with, and among, users. Rather than simply consulting and reading Web pages, the Web 2.0 generation is…

This study was an ethnographic case study that investigated oral and written language learning in a first grade classroom in Kenya. The languages used in this classroom were Swahili and English only. Kamba the mother tongue of the majority of the children, was banned in the entire school. In this classroom there were 89 children with two teachers,…

In this article, the author reflects on his experience developing and running The Ark, a Cultural Center for Children in Dublin, Ireland. The author describes the practice and ten guiding principles behind the center. While acknowledging that arts education and arts practice for and with young people is a rich and varied landscape, within which a…

Museums and cultural institutions have long provided a crucial resource for students and teachers in science classes. Many of those institutions consider working with schools to be a core part of their missions. This article describes Urban Advantage, one of the largest and most coordinated programs in the country which goes further than many…

This article explores ways of creating public art, ways of looking, and ways of remembering. It focuses on how one work in Albuquerque, New Mexico, twines around these three notions and produces new ways of thinking about each. In this article, the author focuses on one component within a larger work of public art--"Numbe Whageh" by Nora…

Co-author of the popular titles "Booktalking Bonanza" and "The Early Literacy Kit", Betsy Diamant-Cohen brings together 18 examples of successful outreach partnerships that children's librarians and administrators can adapt to their own situations. Contributors from the U.S and Canada explain how they partnered with schools,…

This book fills a significant void in the research on ethnic minority cultural centers, offers the historic background to their establishment and development, considers the circumstances that led to their creation, examines the roles they play on campus, explores their impact on retention and campus climate, and provides guidelines for their…

In preparation for the 2008 Scholarly Communications Institute (SCI 6) focused on humanities research centers, the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) commissioned a survey of digital humanities centers (DHCs). The immediate goals of the survey were to identify the extent of these centers and to explore their financing,…

This article discusses extra-curricular social studies in an Open Air History Museum. Open Air History Museum, Conner Prairie Interpretive Park in Fishers, Indiana, is a cultural institution that encourages and supports talented students as they participate in an extra-curricular program. Ten-to sixteen-year-old youths "apply for jobs"…

Designed as a contribution to the Bicentennial observance, the Museum Education Center of Old Sturbridge Village, though devoted to the past, has all the conveniences of modern technology. (Author/MLF)