Libraries in the Information Age: An Introduction and Career Exploration

Citation

Foster, W. (2003), "Libraries in the Information Age: An Introduction and Career Exploration", Program: electronic library and information systems, Vol. 37 No. 2, pp. 128-129. https://doi.org/10.1108/prog.2003.37.2.128.3

“Ongoing change is the constant for today’s library or information center … the ongoing excitement and introduction of new services, products, and the ever‐expanding boundaries of information access present both an inspiration and a challenge” says the preface to this book. Unfortunately, the recognition of this important fact is not reflected much in the book’s content, which largely focuses on the traditional aspects of the library profession. The subtitle suggests that the book is intended as an introduction to both the modern day library and librarianship as a career, but in my view it does neither very well. Overall the book’s content has a very old fashioned feel about it, with too much emphasis on how libraries have operated in the past. Yes there are passing references to important new developments such as e‐books and digital preservation but very little of substance. The more detailed technological elements largely focus on superseded ideas. References to the earlier generation of Internet protocols such as gopher will, I imagine, mean little, or be of much interest, to those familiar with the latest Web browsers. I feel that an opportunity has been missed to entice potential new professionals into the range of exciting possibilities offered by today’s electronic library developments and global access to information. This is a pity as the USA is clearly one of the leaders in digital libraries.

Another drawback of the book, written by two librarians from Cuesta College in the USA, is that it is clearly aimed at a US audience. The vocabulary is American, the majority of references are from American publications and the appendices discuss American Library Association policies and codes; its international appeal is therefore limited. However, the book would certainly be suitable as an introductory textbook for those taking paraprofessional qualifications in the USA, providing a useful overview of the main activities undertaken by libraries and the library profession. The book has ten chapters. Chapter 1 is a brief introduction to the changing role of the modern librarian. This is followed by a brief history of libraries from the ancient world until the present day. Chapters 3‐9 focus on particular aspects of the profession such as collection development, circulation control, reference services, employment, with the most interesting chapter exploring the value of ethics in the information age. It is a pity that there are not more chapters in this vein. The final chapter is entitled: “Impact of the Internet”. This is disappointingly superficial and would be better placed after chapter 1, as it deals with the Internet primarily as a social channel, rather than its major role as a vehicle for global information access and delivery. Each of the chapters concludes with some study questions, and a list of useful articles, books, Web sites and videos that can be followed up. The book is well laid out, each chapter comprising a number of short, readable sections. The text is also interspersed with a number of photographs, although again they look very old fashioned. There is, helpfully, both an author/title and a subject index.