Challenge and Change in the Information Society

Citation

Calvert, P. (2003), "Challenge and Change in the Information Society", Online Information Review, Vol. 27 No. 4, pp. 288-289. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684520310502441

The book is divided into four main themes. The first is an examination of theories of the information society, the second section features discussions on the information society and daily life, the third examines information policy, and the fourth looks at the interconnection between the information society and the information professional.

Perhaps the most curious aspect of the first three chapters, which constitute the section on theories of the information society, is that they all seem very sceptical of the notion. John Feather takes an even hand and allows that there are arguments for and against, though there is not much here that he did not say in his excellent book The Information Society: A Study of Continuity and Change (3rd ed., Library Association, 2000). Alistair Black takes what he calls a “secular view”, in which he places the concept of an information society into the frame of large social movements such as industrialisation, capitalism and Kondratiev’s long waves. Dave Muddiman goes even further with an analysis that combines neo‐Marxism with postmodernism and, though clearly not everyone will accept his critique, he nonetheless lays down a challenge to librarians and information professionals that needs some sort of a response. Both Black and Muddiman introduce surveillance as a topic within their discussions, which is a relatively new thought in its implications for the average citizen.

There are five chapters that constitute some real meat in the book. Ian Rowlands contributes a thoughtful piece on information policy and, though this may not be directly useful to the practitioner, it provides a sound basis for examination of more practical issues and it should be recommended reading for LIS students. Chris Batt points out that government cannot provide all the impetus for the development of an information society. Public and private sectors must work together, though before that will occur the private sector must see potential growth in what it is doing, and in some desirable areas, such as the production of digital television content for education, etc., there does not yet seem to be enough incentive for that to happen. Town writes on information literacy, Beeson on using IT within community groups, and Haines and Dunn on knowledge management in government.

Peter Brophy’s concluding chapter on “The role of the professional in the information society” was disappointing. Much of this is about the nature of a profession, rather than the contribution of the information professions to modern society, and Brophy’s statement that “it is hard to believe that many would question that the organisation of information has a key role in current societies” (p. 223) is neither adequate nor convincing from someone who is usually such a fine writer on LIS topics. Other chapters in the finals section are by Cornish on the clash between freedom and protection, by Davies on data protection, and by Warwick on electronic publishing.

The range of topics makes this an excellent introduction to information policy for all information managers. It will be especially useful for students approaching this topic for the first time. The writers are all from the UK and naturally examples all come from that country.