The Information Society, 6th ed., by John P. Feather

The Information Society: A Study of Continuity and Change, 6^th ed. By John P. Feather.  London: Facet Publishing, 2013. 218 pages. ISBN 9781856048187.

In the five years since the last edition of The Information Society was published, much has changed in the information landscape. Author John Feather has provided an excellent update to this widely-used textbook used in information studies, librarianship, and communications courses. In it he addresses all forms of information, from text to mass media and television.

 

The Information Society is organized into four sections; three of them investigate information from historical, economic, and political viewpoints, and the fourth discusses the information profession. This is an engaging discussion of a topic that is of interest to all information professionals. It is well-written and would be a useful addition to any professional library.

 

A longer review of The Information Society has been published in the Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship, v. 25, issue 4 (2013), pages 333-334.

 

Academic and Professional Publishing, edited by Robert Campbell, Ed Pentz, and Ian Borthwick.

Academic and Professional Publishing. Edited by Robert Campbell, Ed Pentz, and Ian Borthwick. Oxford: Chandos, 2012. 496 pages. ISBN 9781843346692.

 

The academic publishing industry has seen rapid change and technological development in the past two decades. Academic and Professional Publishing is a highly informative analysis of the state of this industry. Its twenty chapters were authored by experienced professionals and leaders in the publishing industry and address all aspects of publishing for the academic and professional community. According to its editor, it is written primarily for “publishing professionals and interested stakeholders," but will also be of interest to academic librarians and others interested in what is commonly referred to as scholarly communication.

Topics addressed include trends in journal publishing, the rise of open access, the peer review process, the "scholarly ecosystem," and developments in digital publishing. More practical concerns such as journal and monograph publishing business models, editorial and production workflow, and standards important to the publishing business (ISBN, ISNI, ORCID and others) are addressed. Also discussed are citation analysis and bibliometrics, the user experience, pricing models, the role of libraries, ethics, copyright, and career opportunities.

I found this book to be an interesting and valuable collection on all aspects of academic and professional publishing.

 

A longer review of this book has been published in Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship 25:3 (2013): 252:253.

 

 

Research Methods in Information, 2nd edition, by Alison Jane Pickard

Research Methods in Information, 2nd ed. By Alison Jane Pickard. Neal-Schuman, 2013, 361 pp., ISBN 978-1-55570-936-5. 

I found this book to be highly useful. As someone who is interested in research but who never had a formal research class, a book like this filled in a lot of the gaps for me. Although I read it from cover to cover in order to write a review for Catholic Library World, I know that I will be going back to it for ideas on expanding my research. Research Methods in Information includes practical exercises that will help the researcher learn the concepts that the author presents. Pickard has a clear and effective writing style. This is an excellent introduction to research methods, and could be used as a textbook in a research methodology course. It would make an excellent addition to any professional or personal library where there is interest in conducting research.

 

A longer review of this book appears in Catholic Library World 84:1 (2013): 59.

Staff Development: A Practical Guide, edited by Andrea Wigbels Stewart

Staff Development: A Practical Guide, 4^th ed. Edited by Andrea Wigbels Stewart, Carlette Washington-Hoagland, and Carol T. Zsulya. ALA Editions, 2013, 219 pp., ISBN 978-0-8389-1149-5, $53.20 (paper).

No library can ignore the need for staff development. The library and information technology field is growing and changing too rapidly for anyone to easily keep up with all of the changes. Library managers need to approach staff development proactively, and plan for an ongoing program of development and growth. This book will help library managers conduct a needs assessment and implement a staff development program in their libraries or departments.

Staff Development is a well-written and thoughtful collection of papers that address all aspects of staff development in libraries, and it would be an excellent addition to any professional library.

 

A longer review of this book appears in Catholic Library World 84:1 (2013): 60.

Cart's Top 200: Adult Books for Young Adults by Michael Cart

Cart’s Top 200: Adult Books for Young Adults, Two Decades in Review, by Michael Cart. Chicago: ALA Editions, 2013. 126 pages. ISBN 9780838911587

 

I've been a big fan of young adult books ever since I took a class on Young Adult Resources when I was in library school. The class was taught by Mary K. Biagini, one of the most enthusiastic and energetic of my library school professors. I remember one of our assignments was to read one book each by three authors who were at that time the most popular adult novelists for young adults. The three authors were Stephen King, V.C. Andrews, and Danielle Steel. I read The Shining (very good), Flowers in the Attic (OK), and Changes by Danielle Steel (not so great). I can't believe that I remember that!

 

Cart's Top 200 is an effort by Michael Cart to collect the top books that he believes would most appeal to young adults. Librarians can use his list to evaluate their collections, purchase books that would enhance the collections, and promote these books that appeal to the YA crowd. This book would be appropriate for any librarian managing a YA collection, whether in a school or public library. It's also a great reference for anyone interested in good fiction and non-fiction. If you're a big fan of lists, like me, you will enjoy going through and checking off the books you've already read and others you would like to read! Not that I need more to add to my pile of books to read...

Knowledge Into Action, by Danny P. Wallace and Connie Van Fleet

Knowledge Into Action: Research and Evaluation in Library and Information Science. By Danny P. Wallace and Connie Van Fleet. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited, 2012. 388 pages. Soft cover $55.00. ISBN 9781598849752.

 

There's a lot of pressure these days for libraries to conduct assessment and evaluation, to demonstrate their value to their communities, whether they are academic, public, or another type of library. This book is a thorough introduction to research and evaluation in libraries. A large part of the book is dedicated to a variety of research methods, including historical, descriptive, and experimental methods. Some attention is also given to bibliometrics and citation analysis. Knowledge Into Action will prove to be a useful resource for librarians who are interested in conducting evaluation in their own libraries.

 

A longer review of this book has been submitted to Collection Building.