The Internet: Its Impact and Evaluation

Citation

Duckett, B. (2001), "The Internet: Its Impact and Evaluation", Library Review, Vol. 50 No. 9, pp. 468-476. https://doi.org/10.1108/lr.2001.50.9.468.5

This book contains the edited Proceedings of an International Forum held at Cumberland Lodge, Windsor Parks, 16‐18 July 1999. This forum was organised by The Internet Studies Research Group, City University (London) and sponsored by The Library and Information Commission, Aslib, and News International. This somewhat prosaic introduction, while usefully establishing the provenance and authority of the work, belies a most attractively produced paperback featuring one of the most stimulating, challenging and wisdom‐laden works of literature it has been my pleasure to experience for quite a while. “Read” is far too dull a word for the experience, as I constantly hopped around excitedly, making notes, back‐tracking, fast‐forwarding, browsing, studying and re‐reading. This slim Book of Delights is both professional and recreational reading.

The tone is set by journalist, Web site builder and media publisher Robin Hunt’s keynote challenge: “Unstable knowledge, unstable times”. The knowledge landscape has lost its structure – the user is king now. Chairman Mao, Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek, Victorian poet James Thompson, town planning theorist Professor Peter Hall, and Tony Blair’s Press Secretary Alistair Campbell are just a few of those visited in this mind blowing opener.

Three speakers look at the impact of the Internet on three sectors: government, education and the media. Nick Moore looks at the criteria needed to measure impact using the government’s electronic information and document delivery as a case study; John Akeroyd considers how the digital environment has facilitated joined up services and how universities should use Web sites to harmonize their data bases (information) with the learning needs of students and the intellectual capital of their staff to deliver information and stimulate learning; and ex‐newspaper editor Peter Cole shows how newspapers and news services on the Net are ceasing to compete with each other and provide different services, with Web sites being about content and newspapers providing context and interpretation.

From areas of influence we move to the influence the Internet is having on some activities and issues. Professor of Information Policy, Michel Menou, considers some conceptual and methodological issues on measuring the impact of the Internet. Thus what, exactly, is the Internet, who uses it, how does it relate to analogue services? There are echoes here of the earlier information studies curriculum, though behaviour and conceptual issues are more problematical. Professor of Information Science, Jonathan Raper, looks at the ownership of information. An outstandingly clear explication of copyright focuses on intellectual property and moral rights, but “a right that exists in the analogue domain is untenable in the digital domain”. A further commodification of information driven by users and vendors is happening; we are still in the “age of innocence”. The irrelevance of the medium and the importance of encryption are stressed. John A. Daly, an information specialist in Third World matters, looks at the impact of the Internet in countries less technologically advanced than in the West. How will they use the Internet? The positive uses are indicated, and the dangers. How will they be manipulated by big business, crime syndicates, subversive forces? Information specialists, David Ellis, and Ana Vasconcelos give a nuts‐and‐bolts look at the Internet and relate it to the classic Cranfield tests of information retrieval. Search engines are contrasted to the classic subject directory/indexing approach and conclude that each has specific strengths.

Methodological issues are considered in detail in the third main part. In “Who can count the dust of Jacob?” information consultant Ian Rowlands revisits the old bibliometrics in an attempt to project it forward to a new science of “cybermetrics”. He concludes there are enough points of contact to offer hope for measuring the Web. Journalist and publisher, Eric K. Meyer, is less hopeful and considers server and browser logs offer more hope. The science of “Web metrics” needs new approaches to user behaviour. At present there is “too much data, too little analysis”. US Professor of Computer Information Systems, Larry Press, surveys the global diffusion of the Internet; Web log analysts, David Nicholson and Paul Huntington, track and evaluate the global information consumer; and local newspaper Web site manager, Peter Chapman, evaluates the Net as a “local” information resource. David Nicholas and Professor Menou bravely attempt to sum up the issues raised and propose items to form an agenda for future research. The book concludes with profiles of the participants and an index.

At last, here is what the Internet is all about. Really, really about, and not the over‐hyped, over‐commercialised, under‐performing and unrealistic Internet we caring knowledge workers feel guilty of criticising. At last we have informed and sober assessment from people who know what they are talking about, who also care, and who are looking ahead. The Internet Studies Research Group was previously unknown to me and I look forward to seeing more of their work. Some sense and wisdom at last!And there is more – the book is immaculately edited and attractively produced as well. Everybody read it!