Neal‐Schuman Library Technology Companion: A Basic Guide for Library Staff

Citation

Chawner, B. (2001), "Neal‐Schuman Library Technology Companion: A Basic Guide for Library Staff", Online Information Review, Vol. 25 No. 6, pp. 406-421. https://doi.org/10.1108/oir.2001.25.6.406.2

Burke’s preface says that he wrote this book to provide a single source covering basic technology concepts that would be suitable for use as a class text. It consists of 16 chapters, most of which are 16 pages long, but two (on troubleshooting tips and the future of technology in libraries) are a relatively brief eight pages, and writing a technology plan is dealt with in a minimal six pages. As well as predictable chapters on: library automation systems; the Internet; electronic library resources; and evaluating and buying technology, Burke has also included material on the history of information technology in libraries; how to find information about library technologies; adaptive and assistive technology; and technologies for education and instruction. Only three chapters deal exclusively with what one would expect to be the focus of a book on information technology – hardware in a chapter on computer workstations, plus chapters on networking and communications and methods for storing information. Ergonomics and a single page on the user interface are included in a chapter on building the technology environment. Most chapters end with a brief list of sources for further information – many of these are recent print publications, but some are Web resources. There are 21 illustrations, including photographs, screen shots, and diagrams; unfortunately, the photographs of papyrus plants and movable type in the review copy are both very blurred, and as a result add no value to the text. The screen shots are useful to illustrate concepts, but some are not mentioned in the text – for example, the section on on‐screen keyboards on p.125 does not refer to the figure illustrating one over the page on p.126. The photograph of different types of storage media needs labels to be effective – the book, floppy disk, cassette tape, and videotape are easy to recognise, but why do there appear to be two CD‐ROMs? (Or is one an audio CD?) There is a glossary of terms, and an index. In general, Burke has taken a very high‐level approach to describing technology, one that non‐technically oriented readers will appreciate. He gives simple descriptions and definitions of many aspects of technology, but a reader with a keen interest in IT will have some trouble with the very high‐level approach – for example, how many of us would be happy with the definition of a byte as “eight bits, which is enough to represent a single alphanumeric character”, or megaherz as a “common measure of the internal speed of a computer’s processor”. In contrast, the chapter on communications and networking includes a straightforward description of networking concepts, components, topologies, and cabling, as well as introducing the topical issues of licensing and patron authentication. Readers wanting more detail about information technology used in libraries will find Saffady’s Introduction to Automation for Librarians (1999) or Paling’s A Hardware and Software Primer for Librarians (1999) a better fit. Recommended for people with no experience of technology, and for undergraduate collections in library and information studies.