One only has to look at the impressive line‐up of contributors to this book to realise that it is a heavily UK‐centric collection of works. Twelve chapters, twelve contributors, covering four main themes is how this book is structured.
The first theme is that of “The information society: fact or fiction?”. John Feather's introductory chapter admirably tackles the theoretical perspective's via an examination of the four main models, being Economic, Technological, Sociological and Historical. The next two chapters further explore the nature of information, societal relationships and postmodernism. Both these chapters by Black and Muddiman provide an extensive reference list.
The second theme concentrates on “The information society and daily life” and consists of a trio of essays that examine the nature of an information society, policy implications, information literacy, and utilising information technology in community groups. Town's chapter in particular on information literacy is important, in that it briefly analyses international differences in defining information literacy and the treatment of associated competency standards. From theory to actual case study, Beeson's chapter provides an interesting case of a community group and its use of various technologies to tell its “story” and promote activities.
“Information society and policy” constitutes the third theme of this book and in more detail, discusses information policy, its definition, theoretical frameworks, and politicization. Rowland's chapter concludes that the model offered assists in considering values rather than specific legislation that provide a foundation for information policy. The subsequent chapter by Haines and Dunn investigates knowledge management in the public sector. Despite the focus on the UK public sector, there are many parallels and inferences to be drawn, equally applicable to other government settings internationally.
The fourth and final theme is that of “The information society and the information professional”.
Four papers are included that cover the diverse topics of freedom vs protection, data protection, electronic publishing and the role of the professional. Privacy is currently very topical in Australia and the chapter by Davies provides for some interesting, if brief, reading. Warwicks discourse on electronic publishing is likewise useful as a broad examination on the topic and the historical development of e‐publishing. Of interest is the realisation that e‐publishing is still relatively new and not as pervasive as thought, and the prediction that growth will be gradual rather than rapid.
This book, when considering its content, composition and style, will be of interest to both practitioners seeking theoretical frameworks in relation to the concept of information society, and those studying library and information practice at various levels. Its focus on the UK arena may preclude some from seeking out this text and dampen international appeal. Nevertheless, it is an important contribution to the body of work that seeks to explore the nature of information in society.
