Libraries in the Information Society

Richard Turner (Head of Learning Resources, Mount St Mary’s College, UK)

New Library World

ISSN: 0307-4803

Article publication date: 1 July 2003

357

Keywords

Citation

Turner, R. (2003), "Libraries in the Information Society", New Library World, Vol. 104 No. 6, pp. 242-243. https://doi.org/10.1108/nlw.2003.104.6.242.3

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2003, MCB UP Limited


As the Information Society becomes a global phenomenon, this collection of essays paints a unique picture of the changing role of the library as a social institution in all countries. The articles in this International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) book are written by library and information specialists in different parts of the globe – Africa (Namibia), the Americas (Canada, Mexico, USA), Asia (China, India, Korea), Australia and Europe (Russia, UK).

The range of articles ranges from conceptual considerations on knowledge economy/society to more practical issues of library management and sustainability in a changing environment. In this way, the book ambitiously aims to present both wide geographic and issue coverage.

Libraries in the Information Society aims to examine the roles that libraries can play in the changing Information Society. This society demands that libraries change from mere passive information stores for a specific e´lite into an essential part of a global knowledge warehouse in which they are service‐orientated rather than collection‐ or building‐oriented.

Some of the perspectives are:

  • to look at the institutions which:

  • mobilize information and knowledge for social and economic development;

  • electronic advances helping people, including those with physical disabilities;

  • knowledge servers consolidating global information networking; partnerships and networking to serve modern users’ needs;

  • gateways for information both within and between countries;

  • treasure houses of human knowledge and knowledge innovation;

  • brokers facilitating local and indigenous content in the global information infrastucture; and

  • institutions dealing with both cultural diversity and the diversity of information resources.

The 22 articles are all of interest to any student of information management, information workers and decision makers.

Qihao Miao, of the Shanghai Library, uses a case study of a poor province in China to develop a wider argument for public libraries to become client‐based pro‐active parts of the “knowledge revolution”. Dawn Maddern, of Australia, takes this further by arguing that within accounting and funding processes it is necessary for libraries to look to the community for confirmation of the validity of these new roles. Hellen Niegaard, of Denmark, starts with the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to stress that individuals have the right of access to information.

There is also a fascinating article on how the unification of Germany, with the fall of the Berlin Wall, has created the problem of creating a new identity for East German libraries, with cultural, political and technical changes. A very useful contribution by Alfred Kagan, of the University of Illinois, explores the growing gap between the information rich and information poor, both within and between countries. Justin Chisenga, of the University of Namibia, explores the question of African information and cultural information on the global information infrastructure. Jagtar Singh, of Punjabi University, looks at similar issues for South Asia. Kalpana Dasgupta, explores the challenges to libraries and librarians in India in the new millennium.

Other articles look at how research in knowledge management will shape the future work environment in universities, the role of knowledge professionals in knowledge management and the library as a social institution in the evolution of the information society. Christopher Edwards, of the British Council, takes an overview of global knowledge and the challenges for librarians.

John Akeroyd, of South Bank University, London, charts some of the changes in the technology and the barriers to increased use of technology. Tang Shanhong, presents an overview of knowledge management in libraries in the twenty‐first century.

Continuing the technology theme, Lourdes Feria, of the University of Colima, looks at ICT and marketing challenges in Latin America, while Kate Sharp, of the University of Bristol, looks at the role of Internet librarianship. Ronald Jantz, of Rutgers University, argues the need for the information profession to take a wider look at how it will embrace these new technologies. Christine Koontz and Dean Jue further explore the use of new technologies for better library management, while Chris Rusbridge and Bruce Royan, of the University of Glasgow, focus on developments in UK higher education within the acknowledged complexity and diversity of the information access chain. Stephen Pinfield, of the University of Nottingham, looks at national co‐ordination of electronic library development and how it affects local institutions.

The final two articles look at how a global information community can benefit visually‐impaired people. Hence, the individual papers in this collection seem to be a rather eclectic selection, but as a whole they make for a valuable contribution to the idea of a global Information Society. The problems and issues are boldly addressed, with a reassuringly positive and candid approach from all the contributors. Many of the articles cover issues that have been, in some cases exhaustively, covered in the UK library and information specialist journals, but the joy of this book is seeing how these issues, concepts, problems and solutions are addressed throughout the world in so many different cultures.

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