Information Science in Transition

Citation

Butcher, A. (2010), "Information Science in Transition", Library Management, Vol. 31 No. 3, pp. 223-223. https://doi.org/10.1108/01435121011027408

Extinction or adaptation that is the question. Whether “tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of changing technology, or to take arms against extinction”. Well to paraphrase Shakespeare, that is what the book Information Science in Transition edited by Alan Gilchrist is about. This volume, a reprint of articles previously published as a special issue of The Journal of Information Sciences collects together the ideas of numerous well‐known information professionals on the future of the industry. Concentrating on the developments in the UK, the discussions which make up the 16 chapters of this book cover a broad range of subject areas from both the sociological and the scientific. Whether or not the development of the internet and the semantic web is sounding the death knell for the information profession as a whole appears dependent on the speciality of the author. Relevant to all people working in the information profession this interesting book puts forward a range of views from the optimistic where the profession will survive, even if it is in a different form, to the pessimistic where the web is going to put us all out of a job. Even those steadfast in their refusal to accommodate change will find this book a stimulating read. The overall conclusion of this thought provoking book appears to be that while the information profession will indeed continue, it may exist in an entirely different form from which we know and work now, and the only way to be ready for it is to adapt and embrace change.