Reading Volume 42 of the Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (ARIST) is a little like watching the Australian cricket team play cricket – you know what to expect. Like the Australian selectors the editors Blaise Cronin and associate editor Debora Shaw have assembled a strong team of players who have all made a fine contribution to Volume 42. The book itself runs to 686 pages with an extensive index of 61 pages.
As with any ARIST publication the usual Information Science topics are discussed, such as Information Seeking and Retrieval; Information Management and Systems and Issues in Information Science. This year though Blaise Cronin has introduced into the Review “The nature of academic disciplines”, which is a fascinating look at the communication practices of academics. As Cronin states in the Introduction at page ix, “It behoves us as information sciences to familiarize ourselves with the nature of disciplines and the ways in which different material cultures shape knowledge production process”.
In Section one, the book opens with “Information seeking and retrieval” (ISR), this section has four chapters that analyse ISR, they are; “Visual image retrieval”, “Interactive information retrieval”, “Multitasking behaviour” and “Activity theory and information seeking”. Personally I found Chapter One by Peter G.B. Enser “Visual image retrieval”, the most engaging. The discussion on the communication gap between practitioners of visual asset management and academics in research environments, which seek new ways of addressing the difficulties with ISR of visual images was very interesting. I suspect this communication gap is not just limited to visual image retrieval.
Enser says his article is an attempt to build a bridge between the professional image practitioners and the research activities’ of those engaged in image retrieval research. He succeeds; the article is fine opening stand.
Section two of the book is called the “The nature of academic disciplines”, this section analyses how information is transferred within academic worlds and tracks the social life of academic information as Blaise Cronin notes in the introduction. There are four chapters, “Scholarship and disciplinary practices”, “Mapping research specialities, scientific writing” and “The concept of genre in information studies”.
I found the chapter in this section called the “Concept of genre in information studies” by Jack Andersen intriguing. Andersen says genre is used to interpret how people interact with information. Andersen at page 339 suggests genre is, “the relationship between forms of communication, human activity and social organization, and how activities are typified by means of genre”. In some way Andersen is also calling for the use of genre in Information Science to bridge the communication gap between information science academics and other subject areas of academia and information practitioners.
Section three of the book discusses “Information management and systems”. There are three chapters in this section, “Knowledge management”; Syndromic surveillance systems” and “Educational informatics”. Personally, I found the chapter by Bill Martin on Knowledge Management the most interesting. In this chapter Martin comprehensively draws together all the major themes that have shaped and influenced Knowledge Management. Martin at page 371 sees knowledge management not as major paradigm shift but rather as a management response to trying to control and manage “largely intangible resources”.
Finally Section four is entitled “Issues in information science”, which has two chapters, called; “Information commons” and “Education for information science”. Both articles provide plenty of food for thought and should be required reading for Information professionals.
ARIST 42 is another fine publication, with many thought‐provoking articles that should be read and discussed among the profession, maybe an online forum on each issue would be an interesting development. In particular the last chapter by Elizabeth M. Mezick and Michael E.D. Koenig on “Education for information science” is an important chapter that needs to be further analysed and discussed, because without a strong vibrant IS education system we are all poorer.
