International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science, Second Edition - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0415259010 ISBN 13: 9780415259019

Publisher: Routledge, 2003

Synopsis

The International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science was published to widespread acclaim in 1996, and has become the major reference work in the field. This eagerly awaited new edition has been fully revised and updated to take full account of the many and radical changes which have taken place since the Encyclopedia was originally conceived. With nearly 600 entries, written by a global team of over 150 contributors, the subject matter ranges from mobile library services provided by camel and donkey transport to search engines, portals and the World Wide Web.
The new edition retains the successful structure of the first with an alphabetical organization providing the basic framework of a coherent collection of connected entries. Conceptual entries explore and explicate all the major issues, theories and activities in information and library science, such as the economics of information and information management. A wholly new entry on information systems, and enhanced entries on the information professions and the information society, are key features of this new edition. Topical entries deal with more specific subjects, such as collections management and information services for ethnic minorities. New or completely revised entries include a group of entries on information law, and a collection of entries on the Internet and the World Wide Web.

About this title

About the Author

John Feather

Reviews

The world of information and library science is changing, so it makes sense to update the 1997 edition of this reference work. As the title indicates, the volume seeks to include a world perspective and focuses on present practice and research. Although it does include an entry for each continent, it is largely British in nature. Of the approximately 200 contributors, about 80 percent are associated with the UK.

Articles are arranged alphabetically and vary from a paragraph to 19 pages. About half of the articles are signed and include short bibliographies. The editors do not claim to give equal treatment to all subjects but intend to provide longer articles for topics of greater importance. Therefore, it seems surprising that rare book libraries would get more coverage than public libraries or school libraries. Twelve major articles (about eight pages each) form the backbone of the volume: Communication, Economics of information, Informatics, Information management, Information policy, Information professions, Information society, Information systems, Information theory, Knowledge industries, Knowledge management, and Organization of knowledge. These entries demonstrate a theoretical and managerial approach. In contrast, the entry for book is one-third of a page, and there is no mention of genres or young adult literature. Indeed, youth resources and services are underrepresented. Biographical entries are also disappointingly few in number. Twenty black-and-white diagrams and 17 tables complement the text.

This volume offers an alternative to U.S.-centric librarianship. However, it does not offer a robust picture of the world but rather starts with a British perspective and branches out. Still, the conceptual articles are valuable, and readers interested in librarianship will find succinct definitions for many professional terms. This work will probably find its home in library and information studies collections. RBB
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Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0415259010
• ISBN 13: 9780415259019
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 720
• Editor: Feather John, Sturges Paul