Trends, Discovery and People in the Digital Age

Citation

Louise Ellis-Barrett (2014), "Trends, Discovery and People in the Digital Age", Library Review, Vol. 63 No. 1/2, pp. 156-157. https://doi.org/10.1108/LR-06-2013-0081

Trends, Discovery and People in the Digital Age presents a commanding overview of the ways in which digital information is becoming increasingly prevalent. It also goes some way to explaining how to manage the plethora of information that is created by our Digital Age, how to sort the wheat from the chaff and the most effective way to assist the end users of library and information services at every level. Looking ahead to the impact that future developments will have allows the library and information professional to explore the digital world further and to plan their service provision if not accordingly (for there is every possibility these developments will change) then at least bearing them in mind.

The first title in the Chandos Digital Information Review Series, this book summarizes the major themes, advances and trends in the digital information world in 17 chapters, each from a different contributor and perspective. Not only does it explore the impact of developing technologies on the information world, it also considers future developments and provides an international perspective on these technologies. The “Digital Age” is not just about current developments in technologies, but about the way they will affect our future, how they will develop and what this means for the provision of information in the short- and long-terms.

Moving past the foreword and list of abbreviations (in a book about digital technologies, abbreviations abound), one reaches Chapter 1, where the editors consider the likelihood of success and failure of information provision in the future and the all-important challenges that it brings. This is perhaps the most important chapter in the book and one that should certainly be read. “Discovery” and “Sustainability” are the two keywords emphasized by the editors and these stay with the reader throughout the book. Discovery and sustainability, with their associated meanings of lifelong learning, are fundamental aspects of library and information work.

As we encounter a greater variety of digital information in our everyday lives, it is becoming increasingly important that we learn how to manage our access to it. There is substantial competition for our attention in the digital age. We love to become familiar with aspects of it and tend to stay within this comfort zone, but we also need to know how to access a wider variety of materials in other formats. Here, the professional training of library and information managers can be indispensable. Users seek information. Librarians can provide a structured means of access to this information. They help users to discover and navigate the world at their fingertips, and it would seem that while the traditional concept of libraries may change, the basis of what they stand for and the purpose they serve will remain a necessity.

Contributors range from professors and senior lecturers on university information management courses to heads of library services, directors and consultants in information management firms. The expertise of contributors and the accessible approach they have taken to the subject provide readers at all levels with a useful guide to a new, developing and perhaps underutilized resource. Chapters are fully referenced with both print and digital further reading suggestions, and chapters have been abstracted, allowing readers to dip into the book to meet particular needs. A full index ensures that this is an open and accessible resource.

The Digital Age is an exciting one with many new developments just on the horizon, and this book is an excellent starting point for understanding how and why to make use of all that technology brings. Digital information and its accessibility have not sounded the death knell for our library and information services. Appositely it is helping us to exploit the opportunities it presents.