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The full-text articles reviewed here are available for free during the dates below. Subsequently, they can still be accessed for a fee through Emerald Intelligence + Full Text via single article order, subscription to the full service or access through a local library or resource center that already subscribes. The Anbar search (left sidebar) is always active returning brief citations. The latest review with free articles for this week is always available at This Week's Review

Two previous reviews have focused on library and information management issues (see left sidebar for links), and this review focuses on new published research. This week's review is mainly of interest to library and information professionals.

Knowledge management, yet another management buzzword added to our ever increasing lexicon in recent years. Is it a valuable analytic concept, or is it just an old concept dressed up in new information-age-friendly clothes?

Brendan Loughridge in Knowledge management, librarians and information managers: fad or future?, New Library World; 100: 6 1999; pp. 245-253 goes for the middle ground - yes... it resembles old practices, but yes it's emphasis suggests a rethinking of how librarians manage information. For the Asian library profession, steeped in tradition and working within very formal organizational structures, the transition may be difficult, but could provide the springboard to a more pro-active profession.

This paper reviews some recent professional and academic publications on aspects of the theory and practice of knowledge management, with particular reference to the curriculum of professional education for library and information management and the career roles and prospects of information professionals. Some commentators dismiss knowledge management as a fad; others view it as a major paradigm shift in the management and exploitation of "intellectual capital". It is concluded that many aspects of knowledge management practice bear a close resemblance to well-established practices in librarianship and information management. However, the emphasis by knowledge management theorists and practitioners on the importance of knowledge elicitation and knowledge creation, groupwork and team work, greater involvement in organisational strategy development and support and IT may require greater attention to the personality, motivation and career aspirations of potential entrants to the profession in order to prepare them better for wider-ranging, multi-role careers.

Keywords: Knowledge based systems, Training, Librarians, Information management
Article Type: Theoretical with application in practice, Literature review
Content Indicators: Research Implication- *, Practice Implication- **, Originality- **, Readability- **

Flexible jobs: changing patterns in information and library work
Stuart Hannabuss
New Library World; 99: 3 1998; pp. 104-111

The article describes the various forms in which flexible jobs appear in the information and library field, and discusses the implications for the stakeholders - employees, employers, and users. It is suggested that flexibility is here to stay in a world of turbulent change but presents a number of important challenges for effective service delivery now and in the near future.

Keywords: Flexible working, Information services, Organizational change, Patterns of work
Article Type: Theoretical with application in practice
Content Indicators: Research Implication- *, Practice Implication- **, Originality- *, Readability- **

Libraries without Walls 2: The Delivery of Library Services to Distant Users
P. Brophy, S. Fisher and Z. Clarke (Editors)
Library Association Publishing, London, 1998, 177 pp.
ISBN: ISBN 1-85604-301-0

Keywords: Distance learning, Information services, Libraries

“Antilope, Bronco, Impala and Zebra” – not zoology but the acronyms for the various parts of the electronic library system in the Antwerp LIS network, perhaps playfully borrowed from the presence in Antwerp of the world famous Zoo. This is one of the many interesting and timely examples of provision for remote library users, distance learners, libraries without walls clients, even virtual library customers. The coverage of this book is catholic, ranging from Sue McKnight’s workmanlike account of Deakin University Library’s services to off-campus students in Australia to Joe Hendry’s paper on the futuristic sounding GENESIS project in Cumbria. This latter project is fascinating, centring around lifelong learning in Cumbria and the building of a Learning Access Web: a holistic approach to the educational, social and economic needs of Cumbria. This county, with its far-flung scattered small communities, difficult terrain and poor communications, presents a major challenge in the information and library access field and Cumbria’s imaginative and determined approach to this task is impressive and bears watching in the future. Similarly, Alan Watkins’ well written and lucid account of the public library in lifelong learning in the context of provision in North East Wales presents some intriguing developments, particularly in the LISTED telematics-based education prototype using EU funding initiatives. Produced to the usual LA Publishing high standards and with a good index and appropriate references this edited collection of papers given at the Second Libraries Without Walls Conference, held in Greece in 1997, brings forth the thoughts and experience of a select group of well respected practitioners pioneering in this field and provides a useful and up-to-date overview of the whole arena of delivery of library and information services to a variegated array of distant users. This will prove to be a useful and informative work for those librarians and information managers in the academic and public LIS sectors wanting to know more about the trends and initiatives underway in this growing and important sector of our professional practice.

Mike Freeman
Visiting Fellow, Aston Business School

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This paper records the development of a final year project by Alan Seatwo, undergraduate studying BSc (Hon) Libraries and Information Management at Liverpool John Moores University. The project involved the development of an OPAC for cataloging Chinese language material which can be used by both Chinese and non-Chinese speaking staff. The project highlighted some important issues regarding information management in community languages. It also pointed out the lack of provision of software to support librarian, in addressing community language needs. At the same time librarians should also be aware of the latest information technologies and be able to apply them to the needs of the community.

Keywords: Information management, Cataloging, Online computing, Library services, Languages, China
Article Type: Theoretical with application in practice, Case study
Content Indicators: Research Implication- *, Practice Implication- **, Originality- **, Readability- ***

The new library - a hybrid organization: the Delft situation
Leo Waaijers
New Library World; 100: 3 1999; pp. 118-123

In the last decade technology exploded into libraries. It impacted not only library work processes but imported notions of project management and efficiency and resulted in catalogue sharing. The Internet, with Gopher and Veronica, brought co-operation in the field of document supply and collection co-ordination. The most consequential technology, however, is the Web. It combines instant publishing, hyperlinking, interactivity and multimediality and is so easy to apply. Numerous new actors will make their entry into the information chain which, of course, means competition. Libraries need to define their position in this Webbed world. They have to enter the marketplace at least partially, which transforms them into hybrid organizations, both vanguard and debatable.

Keywords: Databases, Hybrid systems, Internet, Information systems, Libraries
Article Type: Theoretical with application in practice
Content Indicators: Research Implication- *, Practice Implication- **, Originality- *, Readability- **

One of the implications of moving to a "knowledge-management" focus is the need to improve collaboration between "end-users" or "customers" and those who facilitate access to knowledge or information. Another review this week:

Business Reference Services and Sources: How End Users and Librarians Work Together
Katherine M. Shelfer (Ed)
The Howarth Press Inc, New York, NY, 1997, 113 pp
ISBN: 0 7890 0359 7
Also published simultaneously as The Reference Librarian Vol. 27 No. 58, 1997

Keywords: Business Schools, Internet, Reference libraries, Resources

This collection of nine papers aims to provide business librarians with current information on available Internet resources, as well as illustrate how librarians and users can collaborate to build productive partnerships.

The work is split into two parts - Business services and the internet and networking. It also contains indexing and abstracting details, special bibliographic notes, a comprehensive index, references, as well as providing order forms for the Howarth document delivery service.

The editor, Katherine Shelfer, is also co-author of one of the papers presented in this volume. In her introduction she stresses a need for librarians to market themselves and develop lasting partnerships with their users. She proceeds to offer a synopsis of how the co-authored papers in this volume, demonstrate that the strategic alliance concept is alive and well. She hammers this point home in her closing remarks, commenting that this series of papers included faculty, students, external users, non-librarian supervisors, and other librarians as co-authors. Clearly collaboration is alive and well.

Interest sparked, the volume then launches into the first section, promisingly called Business services and the Internet. Jeanie Welch and William King report on a project in which librarians and a management professor combined forces: Using the internet to teach US business research to students of English as a second language. The paper, like others in the volume, comprises a summary, background to the project, discussion of the project, evaluation and conclusions. The project was carried out at the American Graduate School of International Management, which has a large English as a second language programme, with the assistance of business librarians from other institutions. A major part of the student programme involved finding information about a US company and its place in its industry. The paper discusses the structuring of the course, the creation of the Website, the collaboration between the lecture and the business librarian and the effect of the Website on the quality and quantity of students’ research. These all appear as statements of fact and fail to go into sufficient detail. We are told a Website was created but scant mention is made of processes involved, technology used or problems encountered. The title of the paper is slightly misleading, the teaching consisting of a one-hour library instruction session and a handout of Internet basics. Professionals looking to this paper as a prototype will find little of practical use to assist them in setting up a similar service.

Luckily the volume does not continue in this vein, as can be seen in Katherine Shelfer and Chase Crawford’s paper Developing an internet site for school business officials; benefits of a reference librarian - external User partnership. The paper describes how an academic business reference librarian and an external user worked together to identify useful Internet resources, which resulted in direct benefits for the libraries’ primary users. The paper paints a vivid picture of all the processes involved from inception of the project, hurdles encountered through to implementation. The benefits of this partnership can be clearly seen; the librarian is introduced to the other types of user information needs, as perceived by the user. Although heavily US biased the paper provides examples of information categories covered for the business official’s links-led Website; these categories can be easily used by professionals anywhere else in the world to set up a similar site.

In the paper Company information on the World Wide Web: using corporate home pages to supplement traditional business resources, Joseph LaRose outlines the benefits of using company Websites to supplement traditional business resources. As well as listing many useful URLs (once again heavily US biased) the paper also provides a comprehensive guide to the major search engines, outlining search strategies for each, including the use of Boolean operators. The paper is clearly written, avoiding unnecessary use of jargon, and should provide a useful overview to anyone seeking to use the WWW to gather business information.

The section on Networking, as the title suggests, contains six papers outlining partnership projects. Linda Medaris and Mark Manley’s paper, Building a better mousetrap; networking with community business resources, describes how librarian and community business consultant partnerships can assist new product developers. The paper provides much useful information on the patent search and product development process, and should prove useful to UK professionals, as well as US.

Under the banner The information specialist customer partnership, Christine Bennett and Duane Wapp report on three partnership projects. The paper fails to do much other than provide an overview of duties, which can be performed by information specialists. It fails to provide detailed information on the projects undertaken or clear evidence of how partnerships were developed.

Information seeking behaviour of business students: a research study, by Joseph Atkinson and Miguel Figueroa, describes a joint librarian-student research project, to investigate library use and research behaviour of business students. Although it provides a detailed description of the survey undertaken, including methodology and results, the paper offers little evidence of the partnership relationship. There is little new information in this paper, summed up by the authors’ statement that findings confirm assumptions of business students’ behaviour in the earlier literature.

Of a more useful nature, is the paper by Paula Crawford and Thomas Barrett, The reference librarian and the business professor: a strategic alliance that works. The authors realised the value of pooling limited resources, skills and capabilities to achieve a common objective. This stimulating paper focuses on the background, problem recognition, challenges, problems, outcomes and, importantly, the future. (A factor which many of the other papers seem to have completely overlooked.) The clear benefits of the programme to the students can be seen, coupled with a demonstration of how to set realistic achievable targets. Problems encountered are taken on board as lessons learned. This paper should prove interesting reading as a useful overview for anyone seeking to establish a joint library-academic user education programme.

Maybe better placed in the Business services and the Internet section is bibliographic instruction for business classes: how to avoid information overload by Barbara Huett, Amy Sims and Vanessa Villalon. This paper outlines a co-operative venture to assess and improve methods of bibliographic instruction for business classes. Bibliographic instruction sessions were set up for students following feedback from academics and students. Although the project identifies nothing new (most academic libraries run similar sessions) the handouts from the sessions, which are reproduced here, may provide US readers with a useful guide to business resources. The URLs of business, newspaper and government sites on the WWW, as well as details of directories, indexes, etc., available, are all listed in the handout notes. Also useful are the session evaluations from a student point of view, a perspective rarely heard in the literature.

The final paper in the volume is Reference services and collection development: faculty outreach through the campus network by Elizabeth Simmons and Randall MacDonald. The paper aims to demonstrate that partnerships between the library and academics ensure that curricular needs are satisfied. The arrival of a campus network gave the library the opportunity to improve communications with the college community and establish itself as a leader in using new technologies. The project, however, is in its infant state, so the paper is unable to provide much in the way of an assessment on the effectiveness of the programme. The enthusiasm for the project is evident in the paper, but the project is not yet at a stage where it could draw quantifiable data to establish the effectiveness of efforts. Perhaps a future paper, as the project progresses, will provide more enlightening data!

Although it contains many interesting papers, for the most part this volume does not achieve the aims suggested in its title. Readers looking for information on business services and the Internet will find more useful publications widely available. The Networking section, offers little new information, with most UK professionals probably finding themselves already ahead in many of the fields, as described in this volume. The heavy American bias may make the volume more attractive to audiences in the USA, while library students may find it useful background reading to support learning. In summary, at times, an interesting read, but by no means an essential acquisition for UK information professionals.

Peter Donegan
Information Officer, Riverside Housing Association

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Another key issue is the move from "paper" journals to electronic media in our libraries. Several articles examine issues surounding this and how World Wide Web resources are being incorporated into information management systems.

Confronting crisis: the importance of measuring the use of paper journals in academic libraries
Linden Jane Sweeney
New Library World; 100: 2 1999; pp. 72-79

Describes the continuing "cancellation crisis" in academic libraries in both the USA and the UK. Gives current prices of academic journals in the UK. Outlines methods used to measure the use of paper journals in libraries. Details a study revealing which of these methods are currently employed by the "new universities" in the UK. Stresses the need for accountability and the importance of use measurement to validate cancellation decisions.

Keywords: Academic libraries, Collection management, Measurement, Serials, Statistics, User studies Article Type: Survey, Theoretical with application in practice Content Indicators: Research Implication- **, Practice Implication- **, Originality- **, Readability- **

The infoshop: the alternative information centre of the 1990s
Chris Atton
New Library World; 100: 1 1999; pp. 24-29

This article introduces the infoshop movement, a network of independent information centres run by political activists throughout Europe and the USA. The article defines and describes the nature of the infoshop, the services it provides and the nature of its organisation. It then goes on to present a theoretical model for the infoshop, based in particular on Hakim Bey's concept of the "temporary autonomous zone". It examines the significance of the infoshop as a node in the complex networks of information-exchange and activism that constitute the contemporary "alternative public sphere". It notes the autonomous, non-hierarchical nature of infoshops and how they might be thought of as "free spaces" connected by complex, though informal, communications networks. Finally, it proposes that infoshops play a key role in developing autonomy, solidarity and reflexivity in the creative processes of activist politics.

Keywords: Freedom of information, Information centres, Socialism, United Kingdom Article Type: Theoretical with application in practice Content Indicators: Research Implication- *, Practice Implication- **, Originality- **, Readability- **

User-oriented evaluation of library and information centre Web sites
Helge Clausen
New Library World; 100: 1 1999; pp. 5-10

A great deal of effort has been invested in promoting high quality Web pages in general. Long lists of criteria of "good" Web pages have been proposed. So far, not many studies have been dealing with the specific problems of library and information centre Web sites. Among these studies the majority have rather been using quantitative methods. What is needed, however, are user-oriented evaluation studies using qualitative methods dealing specifically with Web sites of libraries and information centres. An ongoing Danish study aims at developing new methods of user-oriented evaluation of library and information centre Web pages. Main areas investigated are: Design and structure; information quality; links and navigation; visual quality; and updating. The findings from some theoretical considerations and a pilot study are presented. A preliminary evaluation method is discussed.

Keywords: Denmark, Evaluation, Internet, Libraries, User studies Article Type: Theoretical with application in practice, Survey Content Indicators: Research Implication- **, Practice Implication- **, Originality- **, Readability- ***

Trends in publishing and delivery of electronic information
Siriginidi Subba Rao
New Library World; 99: 7 1998; pp. 291-293

Presents briefly the publishing activities and the impact of new technologies on the publishing and delivery of electronic information. Highlights the hybrid solutions, namely online launch, information augmentation, information supplementation and update, delivery, ways and means of accessing through online services from commercial companies and publishers. The paper discusses Internet, magnetic media, fax on demand, and personal digital libraries or intelligent Internet terminals. Concludes with publishing information transforming into media production, the need for laws on intellectual property to become global, and the term subscription replacing the term licensing.

Keywords: Electronic publishing, Internet
Article Type: Theoretical with application in practice
Content Indicators: Research Implication- *, Practice Implication- **, Originality- *, Readability- **

The Internet is causing great changes in the work of librarians. In Asia, where many governments protect their interests by the control of information, friction is already evident. In the US and European countries, freedom of information acts clear the way for government information to be available on the Net. In Asia, where official or government information is kept very close to the chest and/or documented less professionally, we see little information available. In Thailand, where a new constitution allows for this, slow progress in eliciting information is the order of the day.

Getting more from the Internet
Glyn Rowland
New Library World; 99: 6 1998; pp. 222-229

Discusses recent developments in the Internet and World Wide Web, with details of current users and their use of the Web. Summarises the problems of searching the Web, giving general advice on the search process, with examples of the facilities available and use of the major search directories, guides and search engines.

Keywords: Information retrieval, Information society, User studies
Article Type: Theoretical with application in practice
Content Indicators: Research Implication- *, Practice Implication- ***, Originality- *, Readability- ***

Towards open government: official information on the Web
Helen E. Chandler
New Library World; 99: 6 1998; pp. 230-237

Governments over the 1990s have been moving towards public accountability and accessibility of official information. Based on a seminar presentation and workshop at Liverpool John Moores University, examines the extent of the development of United Kingdom (UK) national and local government and European Union (EU) official information on the World Wide Web from the perspective of the ordinary citizen. Focuses on the access points of the award-winning Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) Government Information Service and the Europa pages with particular focus on the UK parliament, HMSO and The Stationery Office, and the UK European Commission sites. Findings from a small-scale study of four UK local government sites suggest that much more information needs to be mounted to meet expectations, whereas national and supranational government sites are quite advanced in the information provision.

Keywords: Central government, European Union, Information disclosure, Information society, Internet, United Kingdom
Article Type: Theoretical with application in practice
Content Indicators: Research Implication- *, Practice Implication- **, Originality- *, Readability- ***

Not an age thing! "Greynetters" in the newsroom defy the stereotype
Peter Williams , Dave Nicholas
New Library World; 99: 4 1998; pp. 143-148

The meteoric rise of the Internet has left information science researchers struggling to keep pace, so that much discussion about the phenomenon has been based on assumption, anecdote and sheer hype. This paper reports on a major British Library funded project seeking hard evidence as to what is really happening in the information landscape, with the media being a case study. Discussed here are results pertaining to user characteristics, with particular reference to age. Contrary to received wisdom, it is the old, more experienced journalist pioneering Internet use, rather than the stereotypical young computer whiz kids. Several factors are emerging, including information needs characteristics, job security, Internet access, experience with online systems and, for senior managers, economic implications. The wider context is considered, such as early adoption generally of technological innovations, and evidence suggests that the newsroom environment may be characteristic of a general pattern of end-user Internet adoption.

Keywords: Information, Newspaper publishing, Online computing, Retrieval
Article Type: Theoretical with application in practice, Survey
Content Indicators: Research Implication- *, Practice Implication- **, Originality- *, Readability- ***

Corporate information security management
Ruth C. Mitchell, Rita Marcella and Graeme Baxter
New Library World; 100: 5 1999; pp. 213-227

Article Type: Theoretical with application in practice, Survey
Content Indicators: Research Implication- **, Practice Implication- ***, Originality- **, Readability- ***

Organizing to meet and face the Web transition
Carl Grant
New Library World; 99: 2 1998; pp. 56-59

Libraries are struggling with the issues imposed on them by the Web. This has been greatly complicated by the fact that libraries are, for the most part, each acting independently in addressing the issues imposed on them daily by this new technology. This article examines the possibility that if libraries organized and effectively met the larger issues of true networks, better ease-of-use, coordinated digitization projects, authenticated Web resources, international copyright laws, updated teaching programs for librarians and better standards definition they would better position themselves to handle and take advantage of the opportunity created by the Web.

Keywords: Computer networks, Copyright, Distance learning, Electronic publishing, Libraries, On-line retrieval
Article Type: Theoretical with application in practice
Content Indicators: Research Implication- *, Practice Implication- **, Originality- *, Readability- ***

Finally two instructive articles on India...

CD publishing and its scenario in India
Siriginidi Subba Rao
New Library World; 99: 3 1998; pp. 118-124

Highlights the features of CD-ROM as a choice medium for information storage and dissemination, factors favouring CD publishing, and its areas of application. Describes how the newly arrived CD recordable drive changed the idea of desktop CD making, its working and limitations while mentioning the organizations that use CD-Rs. Discusses the scenario of a CD-ROM industry in India while listing a few Indian CD products. Concludes that CD-ROM is the most sought-after medium for commercial publishers and corporate communication and that, in India, the introduction of compulsory computer education in schools would augur well for the CD-ROM market.

Keywords: CD-ROM, Electronic publishing, India
Article Type: Theoretical with application in practice
Content Indicators: Research Implication- *, Practice Implication- **, Originality- *, Readability- **

Networking scenario in India
Siriginidi Subba Rao
New Library World; 100: 4 1999; pp. 160-168

Highlights the networking scenario in India by listing the general communication networks, viz. INDONET, NICNET, GPSS, RABMN, I-NET, and specialized information networks, viz. ERNET, INFLIBNET, BTISNET, DELNET, SIRNET, CALIBNET, MALIBNET, MYLIBNET, etc. Concludes that India has drawn up ambitious plans and remains to see the benefits that could derive in employing these facilities in improving the socio-economic status of its citizens.

Keywords: Communications, Computer networks, Information systems, India
Article Type: Theoretical with application in practice
Content Indicators: Research Implication- *, Practice Implication- **, Originality- *, Readability- **

As always we have only skimmed the surface of relevant articles this week and only those that are particularly relevant for Asia-Pacific managers. Many other articles are available as well including those focusing on other countries and international perspectives.