• The Politics of Interface: A Comparative Reading of Concordia University Library’s Discovery Search Interface and the Sci-Hub Interface

    Author(s):
    Joel Blechinger (see profile)
    Date:
    2018
    Subject(s):
    User interfaces (Computer systems), Piracy (Copyright)
    Item Type:
    Essay
    Tag(s):
    discovery search, scholarly piracy, Sci-Hub
    Permanent URL:
    https://doi.org/10.17613/vv0s-zx33
    Abstract:
    This research project consists of a comparison of the search interfaces of two different online resource-finding tools: Concordia University Library (specifically, its discovery search) and Sci-Hub. My goal is to examine how specific elements of these sites articulate what I am terming different “politics of interface.” I have deliberately chosen both “legitimate” and “piratical” (or shadow) search interfaces, as I examine how context shapes the politics of interface for each finding tool. Specific to the shadow library context, I aim to explore what differences an interface can reveal about the “textual community” that uses it and that community’s information access needs. How does this contrast with our interactions with, or search queries of, institutional interfaces? For example, in an institutional context, is a textual community of users as easily identifiable? Finally, how does all of this speak to the ways in which a search interface can position its user as both a consumer and producer of knowledge?
    Metadata:
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    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    4 months ago
    License:
    Attribution
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