From Gutenberg to the Global Information Infrastructure: Access to Information in the Networked World

by Christine L. Borgman

Will the emerging global information infrastructure (GII) create a revolution in communication equivalent to that wrought by Gutenberg, or will the result be simply the evolutionary adaptation of existing behavior and institutions to new media? Will the GII improve access to information for all? Will it replace libraries and publishers? How can computers and information systems be made easier to use? What are the trade-offs between tailoring information systems to user communities and standardizing them to interconnect with systems designed for other communities, cultures, and languages? This book takes a close look at these and other questions of technology, behavior, and policy surrounding the GII. Topics covered include the design and use of digital libraries; behavioral and institutional aspects of electronic publishing; the evolving role of libraries; the life cycle of creating, using, and seeking information; and the adoption and adaptation of information technologies. The book takes a human-centered perspective, focusing on how well the GII fits into the daily lives of the people it is supposed to benefit. Taking a unique holistic approach to information access, the book draws on research and practice in computer science, communications, library and information science, information policy, business, economics, law, political science, sociology, history, education, and archival and museum studies. It explores both domestic and international issues. The author's own empirical research is complemented by extensive literature reviews and analyses.

Genres: Nonfiction

344 pages, Paperback

First published March 20, 2000

Reviews

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This insightful and concise text presents and addresses many of the key issues involved in the development of digital libraries. Borgman’s predictions as well as her own ideas as to the direction of that development have proven to be astonishingly accurate; for many of the initiatives introduced in the book’s contents are have recently become operational. This book was written in a highly accessible format. It could easily be comprehendible to researchers, specialists, academics, or private information enthusiasts in a diverse range of fields. It serves well as an introduction to digital libraries as an evolving entity. In view of that, it is clear that this book is not intended for the reader who interests are limited to conceptual information theory; it is a practical work which has a more utilitarian significance. The emphasis on the user friendliness in interface design, interoperability, and connectivity proves to be astutely supportive in the understanding of searching and navigating skills as well as the formatting and design in databases that can been seen in the most current and commonly used digital libraries. Yet, the book certainly covers some of the peripheral controversies surrounding the rapid emergence of digital libraries. Borgman’s case study of Eastern European information (cataloging metadata) networking systems presented at the concluding section of the book is a good example of this, as it deals directly with some of the more pressing difficulties associated with the digital library development. On the whole, this is an informative and well written work of thorough scholarship. ”