Information Nation: Education and Careers in the Emerging Information Professions

Ina Fourie (University of Pretoria)

Online Information Review

ISSN: 1468-4527

Article publication date: 21 June 2011

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Keywords

Citation

Fourie, I. (2011), "Information Nation: Education and Careers in the Emerging Information Professions", Online Information Review, Vol. 35 No. 3, pp. 506-507. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684521111151531

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2011, Emerald Group Publishing Limited


Information Nation, set in the context of the need for education and career development to note the opportunities for emerging information professions, builds on the broad impact of IT in society. Judging by the title, it should be one of those publications that can make a real difference in how we view opportunities. Depending on how it is approached and presented, it can open new views for those searching for job opportunities in a world driven by IT, as well as for those who prepare students in such a world. Although such “views” are touched on in Information Nation, these are not quite as obvious and explicit as I was hoping when starting to read the work.

The book describes findings and conclusions from a three‐year research project on the information professions, highlighting the barriers to inclusion and retention of US students in information‐related majors. It describes and analyses the forces preventing secondary and tertiary students from gaining the interdisciplinary skills they need, according to the authors, to help the USA retain leadership in the world of information. Although the issues addressed have an international implication, the focus is very strongly on the USA.

Information Nation consists of 15 chapters in three parts. In addition the book includes an introduction and four appendices. The latter includes a list of exercises and associated discussion points, suggestions for additional reading arranged by chapter, a partial list of universities with degree programmes in the information field and websites of interest for jobseekers in the information professions.

Part 1 includes chapters on “disorganisation” regarding information, the need for information reflected by every profession, the reason for IT developments becoming easier to manage, and the impact of outsourcing and off‐shoring changes on jobs and professional development. In Chapter 2 several issues are addressed: student perspectives on the information field, as well as on barriers and challenges, and in addition the workplace perspective on the information field as well as barriers and challenges. This section concludes with a chapter on stereotypes, culture and the information professions. Part 3 focuses on what we can expect in the future: changes in the cyber‐infrastructure, the original information professionals, the need for iSchools and the issue of student recruitment.

Although I recommend Information Nation to academics teaching in the information professions, it is with the advice that it is a worthy publication with interesting views, but the reader should not expect straightforward and easy answers. Time and reflection are required to fully grasp the message and how it can be interpreted in terms of students departing on careers and undertaking career development.

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