An institutional repository is seen as a valuable tool to manage digital resources within the organisational context. Repositories can have a positive or negative influence on how an institution manages its digital material in relation to accessibility and dissemination of digital material. The functionality and status quo of digital repositories can be assessed and measured based on specific guidelines to determine practicality and efficacy. The guidelines used in this regard are known as international repository assessment standards. These standards have been developed by leading organisations that specialise in knowledge creation to develop controlled, consensus-based, market-relevant international standards that can be used to support innovation and provide resolutions to global challenges. In the event where an institution wishes to assess its digital repository using international standards, the underlying purpose of the assessment exercise is for the digital repository to gain trust accreditation. This study aimed to develop a South African digital repository trust assessment model based on the criteria of international standards. This study investigated the level of trust compliance that a very small sample of South African digital repositories met – using the developed model. The investigation process is also aimed at receiving feedback (in the form of recommendations) from digital repository managers to improve the developed model to make it more useful for South African digital repositories. Furthermore, the study intended to yield further research into the complex topic of digital repository assessment based on international standards. Overall, this research study revealed that South African digital repositories are not far off in complying with the full requirements of international repository assessment standards. / Mini Dissertation (MIT)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Carnigie / Information Science / MIT / Unrestricted

This thesis discusses the increased amount of information available online, and how we use it in our daily lives to make decisions. It aims to open a discussion on the complexity of accessing and evaluating digital information. As the Internet has grown, the amount of information available to the public has exploded. Not only have we gained access to what seems to be an unlimited amount of sources, but also the number of producers has grown. By means of a case study, this thesis explores practices of trust assessment within the shared economy. Through the lens of Actor-Network-Theory as well as Modern Social Imaginaries, media practices are studied by using the example of Airbnb, an online, shared economy platform for accommodation. Airbnb users as well as other travelers are asked about their media practices through an online survey with 229 respondents as well as in-depth interviews with 7 users of Airbnb. Results show that practices of trust assessment differ within and outside of the platform. There is a strong dependency on social information, produced by fellow platform users, especially in the form of reviews. In addition the study finds support for a social imaginary, in which the platform defines the accepted behavior for the users of the platform, who within the economic constraint comply with the social norm set by the organization, in order to be able to use the services of Airbnb.