What a deliciously urbane, articulate and user‐friendly little book is the one by Andy Dawson! I am not familiar with the Aslib Know How Guides, but if the other 20 titles in the series are as good as this one, then up‐dating one′s knowledge is a pleasure. This is not a book for technicians, nor for first time users. It is a general account for library and information professionals who want to know more about the Internet, how it works, how to use it more effectively, and what are its strengths and weaknesses. Although some of the material in this edition remains unaltered from the first edition of two years ago, much has changed also, particularly matters relating to the World Wide Web and its use. For this reason alone, this new edition is timely.
There is an excellent untechnical introductory chapter to the nature of the Internet in which the elements of the system are described, and also the problems ‐‐ the nature of the data, its volume and quality, the role of advertising, etc. Indeed, the author apologises if the picture he paints is too black, but we′re playing in a different ballpark from the cosy, organised, indexed, coded, managed, controlled environment which we are used to as information workers ... we have to learn to accept the Internet for what it is, and learn how to play the game by its rules′′. I am not sure I would agree that e‐mail is the most pervasive and basic of Internet activities′′, certainly not from a public library viewpoint, but the chapter on e‐mail, lists and newsgroups is one of the best.
The four following chapters focus on non‐WWW concerns: Telnet, Hytelnet and remote login; FTP and Archie; Gopher and Veronica; and WAIS. Such is the speed of change that I wonder how relevant these will be for Andy Dawson′s next edition! But the information is there for those who need it. The World Wide Web takes the lion′s share of the booklet and is described clearly. We are introduced to browsers and search engines, searching, and developments such as Java, real‐time updating, metadata, agents and Web interfaces. The author′s summary/conclusion provides a sober assessment of where we are today. Each chapter is concluded and summarised by a useful listing of key tips. The appendix contains lists of further reading and useful sources, and a short glossary.
Beyond some comments about search strategies the author does not venture into areas of Internet service provision and user studies, and the focus does seem to be LIS users themselves. Now that the Internet is being provided direct to library users, public and students alike, I would have welcomed some comments about the problems that this causes. Also the planning and management of Internet services, including the relationship between systems and public service staff. The book does rather reflect the author′s background in special libraries and teaching; the publisher′s target audience perhaps. But on the plus side, Dawson writes with the ease and confidence of one steeped in his subject, and he does not fear to be critical and objective. For that, and his lucid prose, I commend the book to all professionals striving to adapt to the ever‐changing Web scenario.
Going Online, CD‐ROM and the Internet is the workhorse of this pair of Aslib publications. As the title indicates, the book is about going online, etc. First published by the Online Centre in 1980, initially just online′′ featured in the title, then CD‐ROM′′ was added, and now Internet′′ features. While each of the three media (if that is the right word) can be regarded independently, and needs to be, there is such a high degree of convergence and overlap in electronic information provision that service providers and users alike need to be aware of the information mix′′. Often the same information can be provided in all three media or formats, but with differences which the librarian and user alike need to be aware. This book provides a guide to this and other aspects of selecting and using these resources.
tarting with a look at the general notions of searching′′ and databases′′, Bradley introduces us to the nature of online, CD‐ROM and the Internet. Each is described with a note of their strengths and weaknesses, and the differences in their search strategies. The Internet is given its own chapter where I can guarantee that you will be horrified at the primitive nature of the search interface you will discover′′. The problems of how to choose between the three media is addressed by considering who is to do the searching, what is the nature of the data, what are the costs, and how they are to be accessed. There follows a case study which illustrates why particular media were selected.
Telecommunications (data networks, packet switching, etc.); costs and charging; and equipment requirements such as modems, software packages, memory capacity, printers, e‐mail packages, browsers and service providers, are some of the many other things librarians need to know these days. These are all covered briefly yet clearly. At the heart of the book is a chapter entitled Choosing your online hosts, CD‐ROM publishers and Internet access′′, which usefully reformulates and underlines much of what has already been featured. Further chapters cover networking, downloading, post‐processing and copyright. All this will give the novice manager the information he/she needs to make informed decisions about electronic searching. Further considerable help is given in the numerous listings throughout the book. These include modem manufacturers, CD‐ROM distributors and network suppliers, Internet service providers and search engines, sources of further information, database suppliers, online hosts and CD‐ROM publishers. There is a glossary, an impressive 24‐page bibliography of articles, and an index. The book is beautifully printed and produced.
As with Dawson′s book, the background and target audience is special libraries ‐‐ full text retrieval is summarily dismissed, and print sources ignored ‐‐ but it is an ideal handbook for the practitioner′s desk/ workstation, both for its succinct explanations and for the telephone, e‐mail and Web site details. Adobe Acrobat, licensing problems, charging strategies and Net nannies were just four issues that I found usefully covered. Overall, two excellent books from Aslib.
